The 80/20 Principle

After doing commercial litigation in an Oakland law firm, Pete Clancy and his wife started their own personal injury law firm. Pete is a member of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association where he strives to help fellow lawyers learn to improve their practices in various ways, including the strategic use of technology.

In this episode, Pete and Ernie discuss the challenges of running a small firm and the opportunities for using technology to improve the operations and marketing of small firms.

• Clancy & Diaz law firm
• Sanebox
• Zapier
• Process St.
• X.ai
• Esquiretek
• Rocket Fuel, by Gino Wickman

General Resources

• Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource: https://www.the8020lawyer.com/
• Focus on these essential tech tools for maximum traction in your practice.
• Take this short law practice assessment to identify your main strengths & weaknesses.

Thanks to Our Sponsors

Smith.ai is an amazing virtual receptionist service that specializes in working with solo and small law firms. Get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up for a free trial now (and learn more) at www.smith.ai.

SweetProcess helps you streamline your practice by creating documented systems. Get an extended 28-day free trial (no credit card required) by using this link today.

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EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at EmeraldCity Pro

In his law practice, Joey helps entrepreneurs protect their brands by securing trademarks. And he's also a brand strategist and entrepreneur.

In this episode, he and Ernie talk about how he is able to find and hire virtual assistants for as little as $6 per hour. He also shares his special hack for learning things he needs to know by outsourcing the learning process. Yes, it sounds unusual but it will make sense once you hear him explain it.

• IndieLaw (Joey's law firm website)
• Owning It (Joey's podcast)
• Joey's process doc template (which he mentioned in the show)
• Onlinejobs.ph
• Blinkist
• ClickUp
• Practice Panther
• Zapier
• Asana
• Slack

General Resources

• Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource: https://www.the8020lawyer.com/
• Focus on these essential tech tools for maximum traction in your practice.
• Take this short law practice assessment to identify your main strengths & weaknesses.

Thanks to Our Sponsors

Smith.ai is an amazing virtual receptionist service that specializes in working with solo and small law firms. When you hire Smith.ai you're actually hiring well-trained, friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish. Then can screen callers (obviously) but they do much more. Like create appointments and accept payments if you charge for initial consults (which you should!).

And they do this 7 days a week. The best part is they don't just handle these conversations by phone — they also have 24/7 live agents and chatbots capturing leads on websites and via text message (even via Facebook Messenger).

If there's one great outsourcing opportunity for your practice, this is it. Let Smith.ai have your back while you stay focused on your work, knowing that your clients and prospects are being taken care of.

Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. And they have a special offer for podcast listeners where you can get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up for a free trial now (and learn more) at www.smith.ai. As they say, "don't let another day go by without trying Smith.ai."

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at EmeraldCity Pro

Andy Wilson is the CEO of Logikcull, an e-discovery company that (in his words) aims to "democratize the process of discovery." With over 1,300 law firm clients, Logikcull has been responsible for helping process many terabytes of valuable data. And as a result, they have their finger on the pulse of digital discovery in a way that few lawyers could hope to have.

In this episode Andy explains why lawyers handling digital data should treat that data as a modern crime scene, and what proper handling of the data looks like.

He and Ernie also discuss why small firms are in a unique position to take on cases with large data sets that corporate clients previously would have only hired large law firms to handle.

Below are the resources mentioned in this episode:

• Logikcull's website
• Missingkids.org
• Andy's Twitter feed
• Information Anxiety 2, by Richard Saul Wurman

General Resources

• Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource: https://www.the8020lawyer.com/
• Focus on these essential tech tools for maximum traction in your practice.
• Take this short law practice assessment to identify your main strengths & weaknesses.

Thanks to Our Sponsors

Smith.ai is an amazing virtual receptionist service that specializes in working with solo and small law firms. When you hire Smith.ai you're actually hiring well-trained, friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish. Then can screen callers (obviously) but they do much more. Like create appointments and accept payments if you charge for initial consults (which you should!).

And they do this 7 days a week. The best part is they don't just handle these conversations by phone — they also have 24/7 live agents and chatbots capturing leads on websites and via text message (even via Facebook Messenger).

If there's one great outsourcing opportunity for your practice, this is it. Let Smith.ai have your back while you stay focused on your work, knowing that your clients and prospects are being taken care of.

Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. And they have a special offer for podcast listeners where you can get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up for a free trial now (and learn more) at www.smith.ai. As they say, "don't let another day go by without trying Smith.ai."

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at EmeraldCity Pro

Larry Weinstein understands the special needs of lawyers and helps them create clever tax plans to save more money. As he points out "the less you pay in unnecessary taxes, the more money you can invest in your life and business."

In this episode, Larry shares six tax-reducing strategies that small business owners (i.e. lawyers) should be aware of and take advantage of. And then he and Ernie discuss some of their best marketing strategies and tactics for small firm owners.

• The CPA for Lawyers website
• The Successful Lawyer podcast (Larry's best advice for free in audio format)

General Resources

• Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource: https://www.the8020lawyer.com/
• Focus on these essential tech tools for maximum traction in your practice.
• Take this short law practice assessment to identify your main strengths & weaknesses.

Thanks to Our Sponsors

Smith.ai is an amazing virtual receptionist service that specializes in working with solo and small law firms. When you hire Smith.ai you're actually hiring well-trained, friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish. Then can screen callers (obviously) but they do much more. Like create appointments and accept payments if you charge for initial consults (which you should!).

And they do this 7 days a week. The best part is they don't just handle these conversations by phone — they also have 24/7 live agents and chatbots capturing leads on websites and via text message (even via Facebook Messenger).

If there's one great outsourcing opportunity for your practice, this is it. Let Smith.ai have your back while you stay focused on your work, knowing that your clients and prospects are being taken care of.

Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. And they have a special offer for podcast listeners where you can get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up for a free trial now (and learn more) at www.smith.ai. As they say, "don't let another day go by without trying Smith.ai."

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at EmeraldCity Pro

Lexlee Overton became a trial lawyer just like her dad, but then found herself anxiety-ridden and suffering from what she terms "trial psychosis." She learned to overcome her stress and turned to helping other lawyers. Now she helps lawyers learn how to use scientifically proven techniques to train their minds to release stress, anxiety, and fear; become power-performers; and love what they do all at the same time.

In this episode, Lexlee tells us how (as a young lawyer) she met the world-famous Gerry Spence. And she shares the unusual advice the veteran trial lawyer gave her for achieving success in the courtroom (As you'll learn, Lexlee ultimately went on to work as a guide in Spence's popular trial academy in Wyoming). She and Ernie also discuss the power of psychology in negotiation and for inner-focus.

Below are some resources mentioned in this episode:

• Lexlee's website:Mind Over Law
• How to Argue and Win Every Time, Gerry Spence
• Spence's Trial Lawyers' College
• Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It, by Chris Voss
• Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts by Annie Duke

General Resources

• Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource: https://www.the8020lawyer.com/
• Focus on these essential tech tools for maximum traction in your practice.
• Take this short law practice assessment to identify your main strengths & weaknesses.

Thanks to Our Sponsors

Smith.ai is an amazing virtual receptionist service that specializes in working with solo and small law firms. When you hire Smith.ai you're actually hiring well-trained, friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish. Then can screen callers (obviously) but they do much more. Like create appointments and accept payments if you charge for initial consults (which you should!).

And they do this 7 days a week. The best part is they don't just handle these conversations by phone — they also have 24/7 live agents and chatbots capturing leads on websites and via text message (even via Facebook Messenger).

If there's one great outsourcing opportunity for your practice, this is it. Let Smith.ai have your back while you stay focused on your work, knowing that your clients and prospects are being taken care of.

Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. And they have a special offer for podcast listeners where you can get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up for a free trial now (and learn more) at www.smith.ai. As they say, "don't let another day go by without trying Smith.ai."

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

Visionary attorney Matt Homann shares insights garnered from practicing law as a solo lawyer, and as a consultant who now helps businesses innovate in practical ways.

Among the topics discussed are the joys and practical benefits of systematically firing clients, the "ideal average client," and Matt's unique "client worthiness index."

Below are some resources mentioned in this episode:

• Filament (Matt's company)
• The Monday Morning Meeting - Matt's weekly email tips for helping you prepare for the coming week.
• Matt's Twitter stream - filled with pithy actionable business advice.
• Practically In Person - Matt's virtual meeting & collaborative online facilitation program.
• Thinksgiving - Matt's initiative for helping non-profits get help with innovation and business strategy.
• Information Anxiety, by Richard Saul Wurman (book mentioned by Ernie)
• The Continuum of Understanding (mentioned by Ernie)

General Resources

• Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource: https://www.the8020lawyer.com/
• Focus on these essential tech tools for maximum traction in your practice.
• Take this short law practice assessment to identify your main strengths & weaknesses.

Thanks to Our Sponsor

Smith.ai; is an amazing virtual receptionist service that specializes in working with solo and small law firms. When you hire Smith.ai; you're actually hiring well-trained, friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish. Then can screen callers (obviously) but they do much more. Like create appointments and accept payments if you charge for initial consults (which you should!).

And they do this 7 days a week. The best part is they don't just handle these conversations by phone — they also have 24/7 live agents and chatbots capturing leads on websites and via text message (even via Facebook Messenger).

If there's one great outsourcing opportunity for your practice, this is it. Let Smith.ai have your back while you stay focused on your work, knowing that your clients and prospects are being taken care of.

Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. And they have a special offer for podcast listeners where you can get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up for a free trial now (and learn more) at www.smith.ai;. As they say, "don't let another day go by without trying Smith.ai."

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at emeraldcitypro.com

There are three important things to leverage to make your law business easier to manage: (1) The Tetris Business Model; (2) the power of short phrases, single words and even single letters; and (3) the importance of focusing on curiosity over opinions. Let's talk about how these things relate to each other and to your business as a whole.

• Exactly What To Say (the magic words for influence and impact), by Phil M. Jones

General Resources

• Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource: https://www.the8020lawyer.com/
• Focus on these essential tech tools for maximum traction in your practice.
• Take this short law practice assessment to identify your main strengths & weaknesses.

Thanks to Our Sponsor

Smith.ai; is an amazing virtual receptionist service that specializes in working with solo and small law firms. When you hire Smith.ai; you're actually hiring well-trained, friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish. Then can screen callers (obviously) but they do much more. Like create appointments and accept payments if you charge for initial consults (which you should!).

And they do this 7 days a week. The best part is they don't just handle these conversations by phone — they also have 24/7 live agents and chatbots capturing leads on websites and via text message (even via Facebook Messenger).

If there's one great outsourcing opportunity for your practice, this is it. Let Smith.ai have your back while you stay focused on your work, knowing that your clients and prospects are being taken care of.

Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. And they have a special offer for podcast listeners where you can get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up for a free trial now (and learn more) at www.smith.ai;. As they say, "don't let another day go by without trying Smith.ai."

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at emeraldcitypro.com

Below are the resources Ernie discussed in this episode.

• How to use free online "billboards" to market your practice, blog post by Ernie (summarizes the points covered in the podcast)
• Loom video demo- (Ernie demonstrates how he tweaks his LinkedIn "headline" bio on his iPhone)
• Linktr.ee service-Allows you to bundle several link sources and link to a page that hosts those links. Also allows you to track how many clicks each link gets.
• Here are the character limits for some popular online platforms: LinkedIn Headline (120), Instagram (150), Twitter (160), Facebook (101)
• Character Counter- A free web tool for calculating the number of characters in text.
• 10 LinkedIn Profile Summaries We Love- By Kate Reilly (2019)

General Resources

• Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource: https://www.the8020lawyer.com/
• Focus on these essential tech tools for maximum traction in your practice.
• Take this short law practice assessment to identify your main strengths & weaknesses.

Thanks to Our Sponsors

Smith.ai is a superior virtual receptionist service for small businesses. They specialize in working with solo and small law firms. Smith.ai offers friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish, screen and schedule new leads, and even take payment for consults.

And they do this 7 days a week 24 hours a day! And they don't just handle conversations by phone — they also have 24/7 live agents and chatbots capturing leads on websites and via text message (even Facebook Messenger).

If there's one growth hack for your practice, this is it. Smith's friendly gatekeepers can staff your front lines while you work uninterrupted. You can finally have the peace of mind that while you're working, knowing that you're not missing out on future work.

Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. They even offer a totally free chatbot, so there's no excuse!

Try Smith.ai today and see for yourself why attorneys like Justie Nicol in Colorado say Smith.ai receptionists are the "secret to business growth and client happiness."

Smith.ai offers a free trial, and podcast listeners get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up and learn more at www.smith.ai.

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at emeraldcitypro.com

Frameworks (or "mental models") help you better leverage high-value information, such as the kind you'll find in books like the ones I discuss in this episode. And when you're organizing information you should consider using tags as much as possible (and be aware of how they are better than folders or notebooks).

• Evernote For Lawyers, by David Ward
• The Effective Executive, by Peter Drucker
• The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman
• (this website has all the information for free)

General Resources

• Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource: https://www.the8020lawyer.com/
• Focus on these essential tech tools for maximum traction in your practice.
• Take this short law practice assessment to identify your main strengths & weaknesses.

Thanks to Our Sponsors

Smith.ai is a superior virtual receptionist service for small businesses. They specialize in working with solo and small law firms. Smith.ai offers friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish, screen and schedule new leads, and even take payment for consults.

And they do this 7 days a week 24 hours a day! And they don't just handle conversations by phone — they also have 24/7 live agents and chatbots capturing leads on websites and via text message (even Facebook Messenger). If there's one growth hack for your practice, this is it. Smith's friendly gatekeepers can staff your front lines while you work uninterrupted. You can finally have the peace of mind that while you're working, knowing that you're not missing out on future work.

Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. They even offer a totally free chatbot, so there's no excuse! Try Smith.ai today and see for yourself why attorneys like Justie Nicol in Colorado say Smith.ai; receptionists are the "secret to business growth and client happiness."

Smith.ai; offers a free trial, and podcast listeners get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up and learn more at www.smith.ai. Trust me when I say, "Don't let another day go by!" Try Smith.ai.

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

If you feel like you have too many responsibilities, tasks or things you're "supposed to do," then you're probably feeling anxious. The key to ridding yourself of this kind of anxiety is learning to zoom out and put things in a larger context. In short, greater perspective will cure harmful perfectionism.

• Meditopia; - meditation app that I use and recommend
• Traction, by Gino Wickman (a great book about business fundamentals)
• Melissa Shanahan's website (Melissa is a fabulous coach for solo and small firm attorneys)
• Melissa Shanahan's podcast (start getting her best guidance for free)
• Tim Ferriss video on how to read books efficiently.

General Resources

• Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource: https://www.the8020lawyer.com/
• Focus on these essential tech tools for maximum traction in your practice.
• Take this short law practice assessment to identify your main strengths & weaknesses.

Thanks to Our Sponsors

Smith.ai; is a superior virtual receptionist service for small businesses. They specialize in working with solo and small law firms. Smith.ai; offers friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish, screen and schedule new leads, and even take payment for consults.

And they do this 7 days a week 24 hours a day! And they don't just handle conversations by phone — they also have 24/7 live agents and chatbots capturing leads on websites and via text message (even Facebook Messenger). If there's one growth hack for your practice, this is it. Smith's friendly gatekeepers can staff your front lines while you work uninterrupted. You can finally have the peace of mind that while you're working, knowing that you're not missing out on future work.

Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. They even offer a totally free chatbot, so there's no excuse! Try Smith.ai today and see for yourself why attorneys like Justie Nicol in Colorado say Smith.ai; receptionists are the "secret to business growth and client happiness."

Smith.ai; offers a free trial, and podcast listeners get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up and learn more at www.smith.ai;. Trust me when I say, "Don't let another day go by!" Try Smith.ai; .

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com