Tips for Lawyers Podcast

By Chris Hargreaves: Lawyer (attorney)Business Careers

Tips for Lawyers Podcast episodes

June 08, 2015 5 Requirements for Working Effectively with your Secretary
Despite the increased tendency towards autonomy, many lawyers and law firms still rely heavily on support staff for leverage. The result is that there is an entire team of individuals who perform crucial functions within a firm that the lawyers simply don’t get involve in.
In particular, the relationship you have with your secretary/legal assistant/PA is going to be critical to your success. A great team will get things done better, faster and to greater client satisfaction than 2 people working at odds with each other.
Your personal assistant is not just there to do what you say – they are an integral part of a team, and if you approach that relationship correctly you’re going to have a huge advantage over others who don’t take the time to invest in that.
What’s it involve? Well in this podcast I talk about 5 fundamental pieces of this particular puzzle. Of course, it involves people – and people are complicated, so it’s not like there is going to be a set of rules – these principles will help you across the board, however:
Commit – like any relationship, you need to invest in it and approach it deliberately if it’s going to work;
Have an open flow of communication, not a 1 way dictatorship – you might just learn something;
Delegate effectively – you’ve got to give people the right tools if you want to have things done properly;
Give honest feedback – frequently, not just in performance reviews once a year. Do you really want to wait a year before raising something?
Don’t be arrogant – as much training as you have had, you are not the fount of all knowledge – so put your pride away and be open to ideas, input and feedback from your PA.
Resources
A primer on effective delegation
Be Nice to Rachelle – my article on how you can respect your secretary.
Despite the increased tendency towards autonomy, many lawyers and law firms still rely heavily on support staff for leverage. The result is that there is an entire team of individuals who perform crucial functions within a firm that the lawyers simply don’t get involve in.
In particular, the relationship you have with your secretary/legal assistant/PA is going to be critical to your success. A great team will get things done better, faster and to greater client satisfaction than 2 people working at odds with each other.
Your personal assistant is not just there to do what you say – they are an integral part of a team, and if you approach that relationship correctly you’re going to have a huge advantage over others who don’t take the time to invest in that.
What’s it involve? Well in this podcast I talk about 5 fundamental pieces of this particular puzzle. Of course, it involves people – and people are complicated, so it’s not like there is going to be a set of rules – these principles will help you across the board, however:
Commit – like any relationship, you need to invest in it and approach it deliberately if it’s going to work;
Have an open flow of communication, not a 1 way dictatorship – you might just learn something;
Delegate effectively – you’ve got to give people the right tools if you want to have things done properly;
Give honest feedback – frequently, not just in performance reviews once a year. Do you really want to wait a year before raising something?
Don’t be arrogant – as much training as you have had, you are not the fount of all knowledge – so put your pride away and be open to ideas, input and feedback from your PA.
Resources
A primer on effective delegation
Be Nice to Rachelle – my article on how you can respect your secretary.
15 min
June 02, 2015 Why Your Legal Bills Don’t Get Paid
Even as junior lawyers, the moment you have a single file under your control you start to concern yourself with one big issue – getting your bills paid.
I have found that there are some people who manage to always get paid, and others who seem to have a constant problem with debtors.
There are any number of strategies that you can put into place to get your bills paid.
Today I deal with 5 practical ways to get your bills paid, but more importantly I canvass the big issue that is stopping you from putting all of these into place with your clients.
Happy lawyering!Even as junior lawyers, the moment you have a single file under your control you start to concern yourself with one big issue – getting your bills paid.
I have found that there are some people who manage to always get paid, and others who seem to have a constant problem with debtors.
There are any number of strategies that you can put into place to get your bills paid.
Today I deal with 5 practical ways to get your bills paid, but more importantly I canvass the big issue that is stopping you from putting all of these into place with your clients.
Happy lawyering!
15 min
May 25, 2015 How to Be a Happy Lawyer
The word “happy” can seem a little trite, but it can be a vital missing element to legal practice in the lives of many young lawyers.
In a profession replete with stress and mental illness, having a few strategies on hand to keep you in a positive frame of mind can be extremely beneficial over the long haul.
Today I run through some of the strategies that have helped me (excluding one important one in particular that I mention but don’t go in to).
That means that exercise won’t get a look in – because I’m not much of a gym junkie, so I can’t really say that there is much benefit there (although others tell me that there is).
So we’re going to focus on:
Why having a positive outlook needs to come first, not in response to external events;
Your sphere of influence, and how failing to appreciate it can result in madness;
Keeping up momentum in your professional career
A proper and respectful appreciation of failure and risk
Giving back to society through philanthropy, and its value.
Resources
The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor
My Podcast about Risk
Happy Lawyering!
The word “happy” can seem a little trite, but it can be a vital missing element to legal practice in the lives of many young lawyers.
In a profession replete with stress and mental illness, having a few strategies on hand to keep you in a positive frame of mind can be extremely beneficial over the long haul.
Today I run through some of the strategies that have helped me (excluding one important one in particular that I mention but don’t go in to).
That means that exercise won’t get a look in – because I’m not much of a gym junkie, so I can’t really say that there is much benefit there (although others tell me that there is).
So we’re going to focus on:
Why having a positive outlook needs to come first, not in response to external events;
Your sphere of influence, and how failing to appreciate it can result in madness;
Keeping up momentum in your professional career
A proper and respectful appreciation of failure and risk
Giving back to society through philanthropy, and its value.
Resources
The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor
My Podcast about Risk
Happy Lawyering!

20 min
May 19, 2015 7 Essential Habits that you Need to Start Right Now
Today my message is this: there is no time like the present.
Every day I see young lawyers putting off decisions, habits and lessons that they need to adopt earlier.
I know this, because many of these I look back and wish that I had done years ago.
Instead, I am now playing catch up. I don’t want that for you.
Resources from This Episode
Podcast – working on your habits
Podcast – how to start working on your personal brand now
Article – also on personal branding
Article – the tyranny of the urgent
Book (affiliate link) – How to Win Friends and Influence People
Book (affiliate link) – 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Today my message is this: there is no time like the present.
Every day I see young lawyers putting off decisions, habits and lessons that they need to adopt earlier.
I know this, because many of these I look back and wish that I had done years ago.
Instead, I am now playing catch up. I don’t want that for you.
Resources from This Episode
Podcast – working on your habits
Podcast – how to start working on your personal brand now
Article – also on personal branding
Article – the tyranny of the urgent
Book (affiliate link) – How to Win Friends and Influence People
Book (affiliate link) – 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

15 min
May 11, 2015 5 Ways that Lawyers should Act like Entrepreneurs
There are many ways that young lawyers have been trained which are actually adverse to their overall chance for success. One way is their inability to embrace the possibilities that come with thinking like an entrepreneur.
However, once you get over whatever stigma you have about the word, acting like a new business owner and learning some lessons “from the field” will keep you in a fantastic state of mind, energized and capable of outperforming the norm.
In particular you need to consider the aspects of your professional life relating to:
Risk and your attitude towards it;
Time and your ability to say no;
Bringing the hustle – energizing your career and finding your purpose;
Embracing failure and its point;
Understanding that you are not superman.
More Resources for this Podcast
Learning how to Take Risk – A Bird in Search of a Cage – Podcast
Finding more energy to be productive
There are many ways that young lawyers have been trained which are actually adverse to their overall chance for success. One way is their inability to embrace the possibilities that come with thinking like an entrepreneur.
However, once you get over whatever stigma you have about the word, acting like a new business owner and learning some lessons “from the field” will keep you in a fantastic state of mind, energized and capable of outperforming the norm.
In particular you need to consider the aspects of your professional life relating to:
Risk and your attitude towards it;
Time and your ability to say no;
Bringing the hustle – energizing your career and finding your purpose;
Embracing failure and its point;
Understanding that you are not superman.
More Resources for this Podcast
Learning how to Take Risk – A Bird in Search of a Cage – Podcast
Finding more energy to be productive

16 min
May 05, 2015 Is your Personal Brand More important than your Firm’s Brand?
There is a natural tension in legal practice when you work for a law firm. When you develop relationships and build your brand, are you doing it for yourself? Or for your firm?
Obviously your firm would like you to do it for them, but is that really the best way? On the one hand, you need to fulfill your obligations to your firm. That said, relationship is about people – not logos.
So what’s the solution, how should we balance our need to build personal brand with the efforts that our firms require us to put in to building their brand?
Listen to today’s podcast and find out.
Resources
Episode 21 – Building your Personal BrandThere is a natural tension in legal practice when you work for a law firm. When you develop relationships and build your brand, are you doing it for yourself? Or for your firm?
Obviously your firm would like you to do it for them, but is that really the best way? On the one hand, you need to fulfill your obligations to your firm. That said, relationship is about people – not logos.
So what’s the solution, how should we balance our need to build personal brand with the efforts that our firms require us to put in to building their brand?
Listen to today’s podcast and find out.
Resources
Episode 21 – Building your Personal Brand
20 min
April 28, 2015 Playing to your Strengths as a Lawyer
Playing to your strengths, or working on your weaknesses? That’s the question in today’s podcast.
While I address it, I give you a little insight into my own strengths (at least, according to the test I just did) and a bit of information about why you need to do something similar, and how you need to go about adjusting your daily routine as a result.
The cliff notes version is this:
You have a specific skill set. Things that you can do, but not necessarily things that you should do;
There are lots of things you can do that you might be OK at, but are not necessarily in your true top strengths;
You need to get rid of those out of your daily routine, to the extent possible;
So find out what your true strengths are and then work on ways to get your career in a place where you can play to those strengths.
Resources
The Gallup Strengths Finder Test 2.0
Get two free audio books from Audible if you sign up with this link.
Happy lawyering!Playing to your strengths, or working on your weaknesses? That’s the question in today’s podcast.
While I address it, I give you a little insight into my own strengths (at least, according to the test I just did) and a bit of information about why you need to do something similar, and how you need to go about adjusting your daily routine as a result.
The cliff notes version is this:
You have a specific skill set. Things that you can do, but not necessarily things that you should do;
There are lots of things you can do that you might be OK at, but are not necessarily in your true top strengths;
You need to get rid of those out of your daily routine, to the extent possible;
So find out what your true strengths are and then work on ways to get your career in a place where you can play to those strengths.
Resources
The Gallup Strengths Finder Test 2.0
Get two free audio books from Audible if you sign up with this link.
Happy lawyering!
19 min
April 21, 2015 3 Ways Young Lawyers can Disrupt the System for the Better
Have you ever considered that you have been trained to specifically avoid engaging in any activity that looks to the future, rather than referring to the past?
Well you have.
In effect, the methods you have been taught in terms of finding the right legal answer, while suited to that task, are completely unsuited to any young lawyer looking not to replicate the past, but to improve upon it.
In this podcast I deal with three main areas of potential disruption – where young lawyers can start to work away at the status quo, to disrupt the system, and to make change for the better:
Skills – how law is taught, how we establish our skills and how young lawyers learn
Interaction – how the profession can become more open, interactive and build each other up for the betterment of the profession generally;
Early Adoption – looking at ways that you, as an individual lawyer, can become an early adopter of new ways of thinking, new methods of legal practice, and new forms of technology – just because your firm does not, it doesn’t mean that you can’t do it yourself.
Resources – My Recent Rants About Training
Should Lawyers shoulder the burden for their own training?
Resources – What Is
Firm Culture – What you Need to Know
Delegation Style – How to Delegate and be Delegated To
How to Write Letters Better (AKA – 4 ways your legal drafting sucks!)
Resources – What Could Be
Why Social Media is Not a Waste of Time
Taking Risks – Why you Should
How Perfectionism is Killing your Career
Happy Lawyering!Have you ever considered that you have been trained to specifically avoid engaging in any activity that looks to the future, rather than referring to the past?
Well you have.
In effect, the methods you have been taught in terms of finding the right legal answer, while suited to that task, are completely unsuited to any young lawyer looking not to replicate the past, but to improve upon it.
In this podcast I deal with three main areas of potential disruption – where young lawyers can start to work away at the status quo, to disrupt the system, and to make change for the better:
Skills – how law is taught, how we establish our skills and how young lawyers learn
Interaction – how the profession can become more open, interactive and build each other up for the betterment of the profession generally;
Early Adoption – looking at ways that you, as an individual lawyer, can become an early adopter of new ways of thinking, new methods of legal practice, and new forms of technology – just because your firm does not, it doesn’t mean that you can’t do it yourself.
Resources – My Recent Rants About Training
Should Lawyers shoulder the burden for their own training?
Resources – What Is
Firm Culture – What you Need to Know
Delegation Style – How to Delegate and be Delegated To
How to Write Letters Better (AKA – 4 ways your legal drafting sucks!)
Resources – What Could Be
Why Social Media is Not a Waste of Time
Taking Risks – Why you Should
How Perfectionism is Killing your Career
Happy Lawyering!
25 min
April 14, 2015 Who Bears the Onus to Train Law Students and New Lawyers?
A Lawyers Weekly article contained quote after quote of management level lawyers saying, in effect, that it was too expensive and not worth their time to train lawyers.
On they went to say, effectively, that young lawyers should be skilling up themselves if they were going to be employable.
After hunting to make sure this wasn’t some kind of lousy joke, turns out it was a real article with a real survey, so I thought it was time to deal with it.
Here’s the reality – they’re wrong.
It is the epitome of selfish laziness for law firms to tell law students to go and skill themselves up, while not taking any responsibility for the process at all.
And let’s not forget universities – they have a long (LONG) way to go in terms of their fulfillment of their duties to students.
If a law degree was a car, and you paid upwards of $50k for it – you’d take it back as being Not Fit for Purpose.
And yet the answer does not lie in pointing fingers. The answer lies in stepping up.
Law students need to step up and accept the stark reality that the simple completion of a law degree in no way separates them from the masses.
Law firms need to step up and offer up their time, experience and skills to generously train the next generation of lawyers.
And universities need to globally get their acts together and start teaching useful, applicable information and skills that young lawyers can take to the market place, rather than their existing focus on Googleable knowledge.
Resources and Related Articles:
Lawyers Weekly Article – Firms Put Onus On Law Students
Transitioning from Student to Lawyer – Writing Style Changes
Why University Education is Failing You
My About Page
Transcript
Coming Soon.

A Lawyers Weekly article contained quote after quote of management level lawyers saying, in effect, that it was too expensive and not worth their time to train lawyers.
On they went to say, effectively, that young lawyers should be skilling up themselves if they were going to be employable.
After hunting to make sure this wasn’t some kind of lousy joke, turns out it was a real article with a real survey, so I thought it was time to deal with it.
Here’s the reality – they’re wrong.
It is the epitome of selfish laziness for law firms to tell law students to go and skill themselves up, while not taking any responsibility for the process at all.
And let’s not forget universities – they have a long (LONG) way to go in terms of their fulfillment of their duties to students.
If a law degree was a car, and you paid upwards of $50k for it – you’d take it back as being Not Fit for Purpose.
And yet the answer does not lie in pointing fingers. The answer lies in stepping up.
Law students need to step up and accept the stark reality that the simple completion of a law degree in no way separates them from the masses.
Law firms need to step up and offer up their time, experience and skills to generously train the next generation of lawyers.
And universities need to globally get their acts together and start teaching useful, applicable information and skills that young lawyers can take to the market place, rather than their existing focus on Googleable knowledge.
Resources and Related Articles:
Lawyers Weekly Article – Firms Put Onus On Law Students
Transitioning from Student to Lawyer – Writing Style Changes
Why University Education is Failing You
My About Page
Transcript
Coming Soon.

13 min
April 07, 2015 Get your Audience Raving about your Next Presentation (AKA – How to Give a Good Presentation)
Giving a good presentation can be a burden, and many lawyers don’t have the training or inclination to do something that is memorable, educational and has a lasting impact.
Sounds like an opportunity, doesn’t it? And you’d be right.
Developing a great presentation takes a lot of effort, but is absolutely worth it.
Microsoft PowerPoint is not the speaker, Keynote is not the speaker. You are the speaker!
In today’s podcast I deal with the following:
Why the identification of your topic is the starting point to giving a good presentation;
Why you need to be an expert in answering the right questions;
How to map out your presentation so it’s effective, meaningful and memorable;
How many topics and questions you should deal with in a presentation;
Why your presenting skills are dependent upon your preparation;
Why you shouldn’t write out your presentation in full.
Transcript – How to Give a Good Presentation
Note – These transcripts have been modified to make some kind of sense as a written document. Don’t send me emails if there is a mistake, if you please.
If you’re a young lawyer in practice, then you know that one of the things we do pretty regularly is to give presentations.
Sometimes as internal presentations to colleagues. Sometimes it’s external presentations to clients and sometimes it’s just presentations really for any particular purpose.
You might have a podcast, you might give some sort of presentation to your group. You might think of advocacy in court as a type of presentation.
Fundamentally the same thing which is using your voice and your words to persuade someone of something or to teach someone something and so today I want to have a talk about some tips to make your next presentation better than those around you.
This is tips for lawyers podcast, and this is episode number 27. If you need to get the show notes for today you can get www.tipsforlawyers.com/podcast/27, my name is Chris Hargreaves and let’s get into it.
This is about Content in your Presentation, Not Pretties
I guess the first thing I wanted to say today that I’m not talking about in this particular podcast is slides. I’m not talking about the visual. I’m not talking about really anything other than you and your presentation.
In particular, with a focus on your words, your content.
Now there is a lot to say of course about body language, about tonality, about voice but that’s not what I’m actually going to get into today. I’m going to focus on the content because I think really this is fundamentally where most presentations go awry for today’s purposes.
Although it is possible for presentation to be viewed in a number of different contexts, I’m going to be contemplating what I say today from the point of view of giving some sort of educational seminar.
By and large that’s because that’s what you’re going to be doing the most during your period as young lawyer to a mid-level to a senior lawyer. All across the spectrum you probably are going to have or at least are going to get in short order some opportunities to give presentations to people, the point of which is to educate them in some way.
Now the first thing I guess it’s important to say is that what I’ve noticed over the years in frankly increasing proportions is that the quality of presentations you get is extremely variable.
What do I mean by that? I mean that some people give truly terrible presentations and some people give very polished very expert presentations about which you go back to your office and you rave to your colleagues.
Now there are many many different iterations in that spectrum. Sometimes we might find the content good but the presentation bad or the visual is good, but the words bad. Or the person has some irritating habits or any number of different things, but by and large, if you can be an effective presenter, it will give you a great platform to have opportunities to speak, it will give you a great...
27 min

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