Tips for Lawyers Podcast

By Chris Hargreaves: Lawyer (attorney)Business Careers

Tips for Lawyers Podcast episodes

March 30, 2015 Writing Articles? The Wrapping Matters!
Lawyers write a lot of articles – it’s just a fact of life.
As a result, it’s a little amazing to me that lawyers have basically no training (any many express no interest) in actually having their articles read.
You know – the audience, right? They actually matter?
Our job doesn’t end when we have the words on the page – it ends when we have produced a useful, beneficial article for a specific audience that ACTUALLY READS IT.
Unfortunately, somewhere along the way law firms and lawyers decided that publishing content was something we would do a lot of… badly.
In today’s podcast I talk about the wrapping: that is, the aspects of producing an article that gets read when shared on social media. I’m talking about the stuff that never falls on our radar, or we just assume that somebody else will do it.
Let me ask you this: if your firm was paying someone $1000 per article, do you think that they would accept an article with a boring headline, no image and an introduction that didn’t capture anybody’s attention?
Of course not. And yet this is exactly what’s happening.
If you’re going to go to the effort of producing a well researched legal article, refine it to language understood by your audience (hopefully), then why on Earth would you not spend a few minutes putting the polish on? You need to:
Get the image right. Your photo is not good enough. Your logo is NOT good enough.
Write a headline that will capture people’s attention.
Craft an introduction that means something.
Resources:
If you want more than wrapping, check out 8 ways to get your content read.
Images can be found at:
Canva – if you only pick one, pick this. Canva makes it a breeze to create appropriately sized images, add some text and tweak them – in minutes. Some images are free, some are $1
DollarPhotoClub – as it suggests, images are $1 each – it’s a great resource.
Pixabay – free photos, illustrations and vectors if you need them, in a variety of sizes.
KaboomPics – not the biggest collection, but free high quality images.
Lawyers write a lot of articles – it’s just a fact of life.
As a result, it’s a little amazing to me that lawyers have basically no training (any many express no interest) in actually having their articles read.
You know – the audience, right? They actually matter?
Our job doesn’t end when we have the words on the page – it ends when we have produced a useful, beneficial article for a specific audience that ACTUALLY READS IT.
Unfortunately, somewhere along the way law firms and lawyers decided that publishing content was something we would do a lot of… badly.
In today’s podcast I talk about the wrapping: that is, the aspects of producing an article that gets read when shared on social media. I’m talking about the stuff that never falls on our radar, or we just assume that somebody else will do it.
Let me ask you this: if your firm was paying someone $1000 per article, do you think that they would accept an article with a boring headline, no image and an introduction that didn’t capture anybody’s attention?
Of course not. And yet this is exactly what’s happening.
If you’re going to go to the effort of producing a well researched legal article, refine it to language understood by your audience (hopefully), then why on Earth would you not spend a few minutes putting the polish on? You need to:
Get the image right. Your photo is not good enough. Your logo is NOT good enough.
Write a headline that will capture people’s attention.
Craft an introduction that means something.
Resources:
If you want more than wrapping, check out 8 ways to get your content read.
Images can be found at:
Canva – if you only pick one, pick this. Canva makes it a breeze to create appropriately sized images, add some text and tweak them...
25 min
March 23, 2015 Either Take Some Risks or Stay in the Cage – it’s Up to You
Are you a bird in search of a cage? Recently an article by Seth Godin really caught the attention of a number of Tips for Lawyers readers.
I couldn’t help wonder why.
Is it because that’s how you feel? Desiring to get out that door and spread your wings, but when faced with the opportunity simply unable to bring yourself to take the leap?
In this episode I discuss why you need to take risks, how you became the risk-averse person you are, and what you need to do to overcome some of those hurdles.
Are you ready to take some risks?
Happy Lawyering!Are you a bird in search of a cage? Recently an article by Seth Godin really caught the attention of a number of Tips for Lawyers readers.
I couldn’t help wonder why.
Is it because that’s how you feel? Desiring to get out that door and spread your wings, but when faced with the opportunity simply unable to bring yourself to take the leap?
In this episode I discuss why you need to take risks, how you became the risk-averse person you are, and what you need to do to overcome some of those hurdles.
Are you ready to take some risks?
Happy Lawyering!
16 min
March 18, 2015 6 Tricks for a more Productive Morning
We’d all like to have it, wouldn’t we? That feeling of control, serenity, energy and positivity going in to each day.
Of course, the usual advice is to eat well, don’t drink too much coffee, exercise sleep right, and leap out of bed full of beans.
But that advice is for other people. It might work (probably does) but I wanted to share a few different ideas on how you can go about getting your morning routine into the right pattern.
In today’s podcast I discuss 6 tricks that you can use to get your morning on the right track:
Redeem your commute
Send 1 email that you don’t have to
Do one thing that is important, but not urgent
Do the hard thing
Take 10 minutes to map out the day
Be purposefully nice to someone
Take these and run with them – you’ll be amazed how much they will help you.
Happy lawyering!
We’d all like to have it, wouldn’t we? That feeling of control, serenity, energy and positivity going in to each day.
Of course, the usual advice is to eat well, don’t drink too much coffee, exercise sleep right, and leap out of bed full of beans.
But that advice is for other people. It might work (probably does) but I wanted to share a few different ideas on how you can go about getting your morning routine into the right pattern.
In today’s podcast I discuss 6 tricks that you can use to get your morning on the right track:
Redeem your commute
Send 1 email that you don’t have to
Do one thing that is important, but not urgent
Do the hard thing
Take 10 minutes to map out the day
Be purposefully nice to someone
Take these and run with them – you’ll be amazed how much they will help you.
Happy lawyering!

12 min
March 14, 2015 “I hate Being a Lawyer” and other lies we tell ourselves
Some of the most frequently Googled things which lead people to this website are phrases like “I hate being a lawyer” and “Why do lawyers hate their jobs”.
Does that disturb you?
It sure disturbs me.
It leads people to one of my articles about why lawyers hate their jobs, and so I wanted to drill down on a few more things in this podcast on the topic.
Do you Hate Being a Lawyer?
I have a feeling that this kind of sensation might creep up on you sometimes.
You have good days, and bad days.
But over time you start to question – why am I doing this? What’s the stress actually for? Where am I headed? Is this all there is to my life for the next 25 years?
And those questions are perfectly legitimate.
What lies in the answers to those questions are the keys to a legal career that you will enjoy. Further, if you can really discern your purpose and find your energy again, then you’ll not only enjoy your legal career, you will flourish.
In today’s podcast I explore some of those questions and how you can start to rebuild your love of the law.
You Don’t Really Hate Being a Lawyer
It’s true – you don’t (probably).
What you probably hate is the stuff that comes WITH being a lawyer.
Administration, meetings, mundane tasks – the things you didn’t realise you signed up for.
Perhaps you hate some of the people you work with – are they making your life a misery?
What about stress? Are you stressed and that’s causing your loathing of every morning?
These might come WITH being a lawyer, but it’s not being a lawyer that you hate – it’s these other things. So let’s deal with them first, and see what’s left after that.
Stop Hating your Job as a Lawyer – and Start Loving Life and Law
It can begin today.
But if you just keep thinking the way you have been, acting the way you have been, and struggling with the same things, then guess what – nothing will change.
Start by tackling those three major issues, and go from there.
Take your career back today. And start to love the law again.
Happy Lawyering!Some of the most frequently Googled things which lead people to this website are phrases like “I hate being a lawyer” and “Why do lawyers hate their jobs”.
Does that disturb you?
It sure disturbs me.
It leads people to one of my articles about why lawyers hate their jobs, and so I wanted to drill down on a few more things in this podcast on the topic.
Do you Hate Being a Lawyer?
I have a feeling that this kind of sensation might creep up on you sometimes.
You have good days, and bad days.
But over time you start to question – why am I doing this? What’s the stress actually for? Where am I headed? Is this all there is to my life for the next 25 years?
And those questions are perfectly legitimate.
What lies in the answers to those questions are the keys to a legal career that you will enjoy. Further, if you can really discern your purpose and find your energy again, then you’ll not only enjoy your legal career, you will flourish.
In today’s podcast I explore some of those questions and how you can start to rebuild your love of the law.
You Don’t Really Hate Being a Lawyer
It’s true – you don’t (probably).
What you probably hate is the stuff that comes WITH being a lawyer.
Administration, meetings, mundane tasks – the things you didn’t realise you signed up for.
Perhaps you hate some of the people you work with – are they making your life a misery?
What about stress? Are you stressed and that’s causing your loathing of every morning?
These might come WITH being a lawyer, but it’s not being a lawyer that you hate – it’s these other things. So let’s deal with them first, and see what’s left after that.
Stop Hating your Job as a Lawyer – and Start Loving Life and Law
It can begin...
26 min
February 11, 2015 How to Build your Network From Day 1
You know you’re supposed to build a network, but you’re not sure why, or how.
As a young lawyer the process of building a network of relevant, meaningful industry contacts can be daunting.
As a result, we let our fear and uncertainty get in the way, stopping us from working on it from the outset.
That’s how I was: afraid.
“I’m too junior” I would tell myself. “people don’t want to speak to me” I would say.
And it’s not true.
No matter your level of seniority there is no excuse to delay your networking, there’s just a way of doing it better, and smarter.
In this podcast I talk about:
Why you need to start your efforts at building a network right now
What you’re really doing when you are networking, and why it’s important
Strategies that you can implement today, no matter how junior you are, to start building up your contact list.
Resources Mentioned in This Podcast
Podcast on how you can avoid being an imposter
Is Social Media just a waste of time
Article on how 1 is greater than 0 – and what that means for you
What you should be doing with business cards
Happy lawyering!You know you’re supposed to build a network, but you’re not sure why, or how.
As a young lawyer the process of building a network of relevant, meaningful industry contacts can be daunting.
As a result, we let our fear and uncertainty get in the way, stopping us from working on it from the outset.
That’s how I was: afraid.
“I’m too junior” I would tell myself. “people don’t want to speak to me” I would say.
And it’s not true.
No matter your level of seniority there is no excuse to delay your networking, there’s just a way of doing it better, and smarter.
In this podcast I talk about:
Why you need to start your efforts at building a network right now
What you’re really doing when you are networking, and why it’s important
Strategies that you can implement today, no matter how junior you are, to start building up your contact list.
Resources Mentioned in This Podcast
Podcast on how you can avoid being an imposter
Is Social Media just a waste of time
Article on how 1 is greater than 0 – and what that means for you
What you should be doing with business cards
Happy lawyering!
22 min
January 29, 2015 How to Start Working on your Personal Brand NOW
All lawyers have a personal brand, one way or another. But is it the one that they actually want to have?
How do you want to be perceived? Clever? Arrogant? Funny? Silly? Engaging? Aloof?
Perhaps you know you need a personal brand but you’re afraid of putting yourself out there? What are the risks? What could go wrong?
Maybe you got past that and know you need to do it (which you do) but perhaps you don’t know how to start?
If you don’t know the answer to these questions, then you need to listen to this podcast and start understanding what personal brand is, how it can help you, the risks of developing your personal brand, and how to go about doing it today.
In podcast episode 21 for lawyers we talk about:
What personal brand is, and why it isn’t the same as having a network
Why you can’t rely on your firm’s brand to get you through your professional career
The risks you face when seeking to develop your personal brand
The benefits of developing your personal brand
Simple strategies to get you started today on your personal brand.
Resources I mention in this podcast are:
Podcast Episode 14 about Nailing the Job Interview, and how not to look like a clone
Podcast Episode 19 about your social media platform and why you should be using LinkedIn
Michael Hyatt’s Book Platform (affiliate link)
Seth Godin’s Book – What to do When It’s Your Turn (and it’s always your turn)
Happy Lawyering!All lawyers have a personal brand, one way or another. But is it the one that they actually want to have?
How do you want to be perceived? Clever? Arrogant? Funny? Silly? Engaging? Aloof?
Perhaps you know you need a personal brand but you’re afraid of putting yourself out there? What are the risks? What could go wrong?
Maybe you got past that and know you need to do it (which you do) but perhaps you don’t know how to start?
If you don’t know the answer to these questions, then you need to listen to this podcast and start understanding what personal brand is, how it can help you, the risks of developing your personal brand, and how to go about doing it today.
In podcast episode 21 for lawyers we talk about:
What personal brand is, and why it isn’t the same as having a network
Why you can’t rely on your firm’s brand to get you through your professional career
The risks you face when seeking to develop your personal brand
The benefits of developing your personal brand
Simple strategies to get you started today on your personal brand.
Resources I mention in this podcast are:
Podcast Episode 14 about Nailing the Job Interview, and how not to look like a clone
Podcast Episode 19 about your social media platform and why you should be using LinkedIn
Michael Hyatt’s Book Platform (affiliate link)
Seth Godin’s Book – What to do When It’s Your Turn (and it’s always your turn)
Happy Lawyering!
28 min
January 15, 2015 Goal Setting and Promotion Strategy
You’ve probably decided on some aspirations right? Set some bold targets? Well that’s not enough.
You’ve got to set goals that are meaningful, optimistic, achievable but most of all you’ve got to drill down to things that you can actually do, not just an aspirational target that you probably won’t bother working on until you realise in 12 months you haven’t progressed at all.
In this 20th Tips for Lawyers podcast we look at:
How to turn your aspirational targets into real goals
How to break down your goals into manageable steps
What the critical elements of a goal are for you to actually achieve them.
Take the example of a promotion. Maybe you’ve decided this year that getting a promotion is on your list of things. Promoted to associate, to partner, to something else?
Well that kind of target deserves some attention, so in this podcast I also look at an example goal of getting promoted, and consider how you should go about turning that into a real set of useful, actionable goals.
References in this Podcast:
Article on Urgent versus Important
Book on Waking Up earlier (affiliate link)
Happy Lawyering!You’ve probably decided on some aspirations right? Set some bold targets? Well that’s not enough.
You’ve got to set goals that are meaningful, optimistic, achievable but most of all you’ve got to drill down to things that you can actually do, not just an aspirational target that you probably won’t bother working on until you realise in 12 months you haven’t progressed at all.
In this 20th Tips for Lawyers podcast we look at:
How to turn your aspirational targets into real goals
How to break down your goals into manageable steps
What the critical elements of a goal are for you to actually achieve them.
Take the example of a promotion. Maybe you’ve decided this year that getting a promotion is on your list of things. Promoted to associate, to partner, to something else?
Well that kind of target deserves some attention, so in this podcast I also look at an example goal of getting promoted, and consider how you should go about turning that into a real set of useful, actionable goals.
References in this Podcast:
Article on Urgent versus Important
Book on Waking Up earlier (affiliate link)
Happy Lawyering!
21 min
December 11, 2014 Is Social Media a Complete Waste of Time for Lawyers?
One of the most common things I come across amongst lawyers is a perception that using social media for business development is a complete waste of time.
It’s an interesting perspective, because all the same people are happy to waste a tonne of time on Facebook for personal reasons – they just haven’t figured out the point of it in their careers yet.
In Podcast Episode 19 I consider what, if any, social media platforms are worth your time investment, and take a look at how you might begin to use things to best advantage.
OK I promised to link up a few things in this episode – since the episode was recorded they have been changed, so head to the home page for your options.
Happy Lawyering!One of the most common things I come across amongst lawyers is a perception that using social media for business development is a complete waste of time.
It’s an interesting perspective, because all the same people are happy to waste a tonne of time on Facebook for personal reasons – they just haven’t figured out the point of it in their careers yet.
In Podcast Episode 19 I consider what, if any, social media platforms are worth your time investment, and take a look at how you might begin to use things to best advantage.
OK I promised to link up a few things in this episode – since the episode was recorded they have been changed, so head to the home page for your options.
Happy Lawyering!
22 min
November 25, 2014 What are the Essentials of Legal Practice (and what are you doing about them)?
What do you view as the essential elements of legal practice?
Well in this podcast I discuss what I see as the four main pillars of legal practice, with a preview for you of the Essentials Library.
The Essentials Library is a compilation of material that I’ve put together to take young lawyers through the fundamental aspects of their legal career. It contains 6 webinars/audio sessions (of which today’s podcast contains the first only), 8 ebooks and a multipart email course to take you through the whole lot.
The library should be the first step of anyone visiting this site, as it will take you through old and new, and provide content through the audio/video sessions that simply isn’t available elsewhere on the site.
So what are the fundamental pillars?
Networking and Business Development
If you can’t get clients and generate business, you will remain an employee for the rest of your legal career.
Business Skills and Acumen
Knowing how firms make money and profit is essential to understanding how you can add value.
Communication Skills
It’s what we do, right? You’ve got to say what you want, be heard the right way, and get the result you’re after. If you can’t – you need more practice still.
Personal Professional Growth
This is where your opportunity to grow as a professional is, and it’s the thing you need to focus on all the time. If you’re not growing, then you are stagnating. Constant improvement is the key.
But What’s the Point?
All these things are great, but there’s an element missing.
Subscription Options
You can get all the episodes and subscribe to the Podast in a number of ways:
At the iTunes store (please leave a 5 star rating while you’re there!)
At Stitcher
What do you view as the essential elements of legal practice?
Well in this podcast I discuss what I see as the four main pillars of legal practice, with a preview for you of the Essentials Library.
The Essentials Library is a compilation of material that I’ve put together to take young lawyers through the fundamental aspects of their legal career. It contains 6 webinars/audio sessions (of which today’s podcast contains the first only), 8 ebooks and a multipart email course to take you through the whole lot.
The library should be the first step of anyone visiting this site, as it will take you through old and new, and provide content through the audio/video sessions that simply isn’t available elsewhere on the site.
So what are the fundamental pillars?
Networking and Business Development
If you can’t get clients and generate business, you will remain an employee for the rest of your legal career.
Business Skills and Acumen
Knowing how firms make money and profit is essential to understanding how you can add value.
Communication Skills
It’s what we do, right? You’ve got to say what you want, be heard the right way, and get the result you’re after. If you can’t – you need more practice still.
Personal Professional Growth
This is where your opportunity to grow as a professional is, and it’s the thing you need to focus on all the time. If you’re not growing, then you are stagnating. Constant improvement is the key.
But What’s the Point?
All these things are great, but there’s an element missing.
Subscription Options
You can get all the episodes and subscribe to the Podast in a number of ways:
At the iTunes store (please leave a 5 star rating while you’re there!)
At Stitcher
23 min
October 30, 2014 Is Going Overseas Good for your Legal Career?
It’s the yearning of many young lawyer – to travel overseas, earn money, eat good food and generally explore the world while not going broke in the process.
But as we start to convince ourselves that overseas travel is a good idea, a few little white lies begin to creep in.
Sorting the truth from the lie can be difficult, because the spinning globe keeps us occupied, the salaries on offer, the exotic places to go.
There is a major factor that we need to consider in the longer term though, and that is this: is going overseas going to be good for my legal career, bad for it, or neutral.
In podcast episode 17 I explore the pros and cons of overseas travel, specifically so far as it relates to your legal career.
It’s the yearning of many young lawyer – to travel overseas, earn money, eat good food and generally explore the world while not going broke in the process.
But as we start to convince ourselves that overseas travel is a good idea, a few little white lies begin to creep in.
Sorting the truth from the lie can be difficult, because the spinning globe keeps us occupied, the salaries on offer, the exotic places to go.
There is a major factor that we need to consider in the longer term though, and that is this: is going overseas going to be good for my legal career, bad for it, or neutral.
In podcast episode 17 I explore the pros and cons of overseas travel, specifically so far as it relates to your legal career.

17 min

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