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game plan. Now what? First, know that you’re not ‘alone. It’s the fastest growing segment of the legal profession. Welcome to New Solo here on the Legal Talk Network, where you’ll learn a lot about practicing law. SOLO!
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Submit ReviewFor solos sharing office space with other attorneys, there are advantages, but also potential headaches. How do you navigate this arrangement?
Guest Jared Correia is a podcaster, lawyer, and full-time business management consultant, sort of the lawyer you know who knows how to run a business. For clients, he digs into law firm management from the very high-level strategy to the nuts and bolts of tech and daily operations.
Shared offices create issues with malpractice insurance, shared practice management software, and clearly communicating your solo status while working in what to a client may appear to be a firm.
Plus, the important distinctions between website chat capability, automated chatbots, and the emergence of true artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT. Learn where each product can fill gaps in your practice and turn leads into clients. Tech that may make your solo practice work like a larger firm.
Got questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at NewSolo@legaltalknetwork.com
Topics:
- Practice management problems attorneys in a shared office space encounter.
- Incorporating online chat and chatbots on your website, capture more leads.
- And where does the latest – ChatGPT artificial intelligence – fit?
Resources from This Episode:
Book, “The Of Counsel Agreement” by Harold Wren
Hanging up a shingle takes more than a law degree. Today’s legal tech and software helps solo and small practices be more productive and organized than ever. “Good enough” isn’t good enough. Know what you need, and get it!
Adriana runs through the tech foundation of a successful firm: from the computers to the office software to the case management software and add-ons that can streamline your practice and better serve your clients.
Adriana names names, provides recommendations, and answers the questions she hears from clients regularly. This is the personal consultation you have wanted … for free!
Got questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at NewSolo@legaltalknetwork.com
Topics:
- PC or Mac? Does it matter?
- Office management tools? Make sure everything integrates, from your accounting software (hint, most accountants use QuickBooks) to your PDF creation tools. Don’t be cheap!
- Case management tools and “add-ons” save time and organize your practice. And when it comes to labeling files, don’t be clever, be clear and concise. You have 256 characters to name a document, use them all so you can share work.
Mentioned in This Episode:
- Microsoft Office 365
- Google Workspace
- pro.html">Adobe Acrobat Pro
- QuickBooks
- Clio
- Clio Integrations
- ABA Legal Technology Resource Center
- Mycase
- Rocket Matter
- CosmoLex
- Zolasuite
- Actionstep
- Centerbase
- Microsoft OneDrive
- Dropbox
- Loom.com
- Law Firm Autopilot
- Netdocuments
- Fastcase
- Casetext
- Textexpander.com
- TextexpanderforLawyers
- Vonage
- Nextiva
- Dialpad
- RingCentral
- Ruby
- Abby Connect
- Smith.ai
- Back Office Betties
- New Solo Back Episode Library
- A Listener’s Guide to the New Solo Back Catalog
What’s this about Google My Business? Well, for starters it connects your business to the Bible: The real Google Maps page. If you’re in business, you need to understand this. It’s not hard, but it takes a bit of work, and it’s a must.
Create a system, understand the process, and don’t be shy about asking for Google reviews, they matter.
(BTW, you can’t cheat or lie about a physical location. Google sends a postcard to verify. Who knew? So, you need to figure it out. Here’s how, even if you work out of a co-working facility. Do you need a sign? Yes, you do. Google has a lot of weird rules.)
And for Heaven’s sake, if you tell Google you’ll accept messaging through Google, you need to answer your messages or risk bad reviews and cranky customers. Do or do not. There is no try.
NAP? It’s got to be consistent across the web. If you don’t know it, you need to listen to this episode. This is everything you need to know about Google mapping and why it’s so important.
Plus, ranking factors, keywords, call answer rate, and profile info. Google 101.
Got questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at NewSolo@legaltalknetwork.com
Topics:
- Google Maps: Why they are so important to your business.
- Everything you need to know about Google’s weird ways and specific language.
- Give up on trying to trick Google. Play fair, play hard, play to win.
Is the secret to your law firm’s success a triangle?
Guest Christopher T. Anderson is a law practice management consultant (and host of the Legal Talk Network’s Un-Billable Hour). Anderson shares the “triangle” of a successful law firm: Acquiring clients; Producing the results you promised; and Achieving and Measuring the impact and success of your firm.
Anderson’s unique take on law firm management is built on thinking of law as a real business first. Why are you doing what you do?
Acquiring new clients means building on referrals, creating relationships, and paid marketing. Know and tell your story.
Producing results translates to setting client expectations (and meeting them), and doing your best work. Establish a “North Star” for every case.
And then there’s achieving and measuring the results for your business stakeholders. Where do you want to be? What separates good law firms from great ones? A law firm is a business, it’s OK to admit that.
Got questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at NewSolo@legaltalknetwork.com
Topics:
- Building a law firm is building a business. Don’t forget that!
- There are three “sides” to building a firm: attracting clients, satisfying clients, and achieving business success.
- Every part of your legal career is intentional, it’s not luck. Know what you are trying to achieve.
The ABA Techshow isn’t just for tech wizards; rather, it should be a vital part of every solo lawyer’s networking plan! Guests Jeannine Abukhater Lambert and Gyi Tsakalakis are co-chairs of the upcoming ABA Techshow, the home of all things tech and your opportunity to see what’s new, and what you’re missing.
Both guests serve unique corners of the legal world and found their paths through different methods. Lambert covers large policy areas through academia, and Tsakalakis is a leader in employing tech into legal marketing, making the most out of any firm. No matter what area of the legal world your career leads you to, knowing how to network and market effectively is vital to your success.
What’s frightening is how many lawyers, across the field, say “tech competence” isn’t relevant. Not only is it relevant, it’s table stakes. If you aren’t confident of your firm’s – or your own – tech know-how, the ABA Techshow can open your eyes, open new pathways, and help you better serve your clients.
Got questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at NewSolo@legaltalknetwork.com
Topics:
- Not everyone who graduates from law school ends up practicing law. There are many little corners of the legal world.
- The upcoming ABA Techshow is your gateway to catching up and latching on to the latest in legal tech AND building your network.
- Gyi offers listeners some advice on how to start thinking about marketing, even from a young point in one’s career.
Guest Joanne Martin is an inspiration to anyone considering a career change later in life. She’s a family law attorney in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. While she vigorously represents her clients, she strives to create a respectful and collaborative environment when settling family law issues, including divorce and separation, especially when children are involved.
Martin had a successful career in film and television, as well as a husband and four children, when she returned to school to earn her law degree. It can be done. Second careers do happen.
After law school and working with a firm, Martin launched her solo practice, Align Family Law. Hear how she built a firm based on her values and understanding of the family dynamic, striving to help divorcing clients work toward respectful solutions. She also offers valuable insights into how she set up her office, built a website, developed written content, selected practice management software, developed a transparent pricing model, and learned to establish virtual video client consultations that work.
As a bonus, even established solo practitioners may pick up some tips from Martin’s innovative approach to initial consultations, client intake, retainers, and avoiding potential conflicts.
Got questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at NewSolo@legaltalknetwork.com
Topics:
- Later-in-life career changes can and do happen. Hear from an attorney who went to law school and established a solo practice after building a family and a successful career.
- A thorough, honest intake process not only keeps potential clients from wasting time, but also helps you weed out clients who may not appreciate your values and approach.
- Plus, learn why you should NOT buy Microsoft 365 through a third party, such as GoDaddy (you may need a pro to undo that misstep).
Mentioned in This Episode:
New Solo, “A Short Primer on Microsoft Accounts, OneDrive, and SharePoint”
Still think your small or solo practice can go it alone without a client relationship platform (CRM)? Maybe you don’t have all the facts. From intake to holiday cards to referrals and repeat business, learn how a CRM propels your practice.
Guest Matt Siegel is a serial entrepreneur, attorney, and the CEO of Lawmatics. He believes that a good CRM should free information from “data prisons,” integrate client onboarding, track client data, build relationships, and even manage holiday greetings and follow-ups. It’s all about automation and flexibility, freeing attorneys to do what they do best: practice law.
Stop thinking about being a law firm and start thinking about being a business. You do law, a CRM does client management. Don’t miss this episode.
Got questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Hit us up at NewSolo@legaltalknetwork.com
Topics:
- A CRM isn’t just for big firms. Solo and small firms can get a big boost from an affordable platform.
- Even after the case is closed, relationships matter. From repeat business to referrals, it’s about staying in touch.
- The smallest details, like sending holiday cards, gobble up valuable, billable hours. Why not have a management system simplify and speed up those tasks?
Guest Ana "Ani" P. Rodriguez-Newbern is a “do-gooder,” a Florida lawyer dedicated to service both to the state of Florida and to the public good. She serves on multiple legal committees while her small family firm, Tangel-Rodriguez & Associates, represents the Florida Department of Revenue in child support matters. She shares how working with both her mother and brother blends every aspect of professional and family life. (Not to mention, her father is a retired judge).
Rodriguez-Newbern’s firm has only one client, the State of Florida, through a contract for the past 30 years. The firm specializes in child support cases in Orange County, Florida, working for the state on behalf of residents receiving public assistance. The state contract makes up the firm’s entire book of business.
Interested in a government contract? Both city and state websites are a good place to look, as well as networking to learn when contracts may be coming up.
Got questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Hit us up at NewSolo@legaltalknetwork.com
Topics:
- Learn about how a small, family, firm has prospered for 30 years with just one client: the State of Florida.
- Working in a firm with family members can be a challenge, but it can be rewarding as well. Family and professional life blend into one.
- Small, niche firms can always find ways to integrate technology, even if that’s at a careful, slow pace.
Guest Levi Barlavi is a “niche practice” solo attorney, focusing on the needs of medical providers. He started his own practice just three years after law school, and, yes, it can be done.
But being a solo, no matter how good you are, requires insights into the available legal tech tools, and it’s OK to ask for help. They don’t teach you this stuff in law school. So how did Barlavi grow a solo practice, learn to plan, create a vision, and incorporate tech and marketing?
Hear how networking, curiosity, conferences, public speaking, and following his passion helped Barlavi develop a practice that excites him and grows by the year. As Barlavi says, get personal, go outside your comfort zone, dive into social media, and “exercise your boldness.”
Got questions or ideas? Don’t forget to hit us up at NewSolo@legaltalknetwork.com
Topics:
- Guest Levi Barlavi shares how he followed his passion as a solo practitioner and found a unique niche in healthcare services.
- Get outside your comfort zone and express your personality through public speaking, networking, and social media.
Hear how sharing information and being open to conversations builds your reputation, your brand, and your practice.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Allison Shields and Dennis Kennedy, “Make LinkedIn Work For You,”
Clio, the legal tech services giant, provides options that can help firms comply with federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance. As many lawyers know – or come to learn – healthcare information can be a third rail. HIPAA regulations create unique knots to untangle when you get anywhere near sensitive healthcare information.
What’s a HIPAA “covered entity,” and how does it affect responsibilities for health records, data protection, and sharing?
What level of security and encryption are required?
And how do new HITECH act vendor data handling regulations affect you?
If you’re representing doctors buying or selling a practice, or representing a nursing home or health provider, it can get messy in a minute.
Attorneys can struggle to comply with all the regulations. But incorporating a comprehensive, firm-wide compliance tech solution can help.
(Plus, learn how to stop misspelling HIPAA, because we’ve all done it).
Got questions or ideas? Don’t forget to hit us up at NewSolo@legaltalknetwork.com
Topics:
- Guest Joshua Lenon, lawyer and data protection officer at Clio, explains how tech solutions can help lawyers meet HIPAA healthcare data requirements.
- HIPAA regs can sneak into all sorts of legal work, including the buying and selling of medical practices or a medical malpractice case.
- …and HIPAA regs are constantly evolving. Are you keeping up?
Additional Resources:
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