Getting Paid; Leslie Witt of 8am; and Dazed & Confused with Gyi Tsakalakis

Sep 18, 2025

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In honor of 8am's recent Kaleidoscope Conference in Austin, Texas, Jared's joined not by one, but TWO guests. Leslie Witt of 8AM and Gyi Tsakalakis of AttorneySync.

First, Jared shares his monologue on law firm collections, explaining the two best ways to get paid: having a structured, escalating collection process and, even better, avoiding collections altogether by using alternative fees and credit card authorization forms. He discusses how to put yourself at the top of the "bill drawer" and why that's so important for your firm's cash flow.

Then, Leslie Witt, the Chief Product Officer at 8AM (the company behind LawPay and MyCase), shares her background and discusses the company's rebrand and new product initiatives. She gives us the rundown on Smart Spend for cash flow and 8AM IQ, their new AI-powered service for case management. She also explains why lawyers are so slow to adopt new payment models and how AI is acting as a catalyst for change.

Finally, Gyi Tsakalikis joins us for the Counter Program to review the classic 1970s movie "Dazed and Confused." They talk about the MVP, the demented hazers, and the actors who should have been bigger stars. Plus, they dive into the movie's classic soundtrack and iconic "needle drops" that you already use every day.

This week's Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/03QqCmubwd3EoXX1nSaElA?si=2nZYQxadQFql3CSp0VqrnQ&nd=1&dlsi=74109d9341144b99

For more on our guests:
Leslie Witt

Gyi Tsakalikis:

Thanks to those supporting this episode:

Assembly Neos. Visit assemblysoftware.com to learn more and schedule your consultation today.
Captain Compliance. Visit captaincompliance.com to easily manage your company's privacy compliance.
Attorney at Work. Head to Attorney at Work for your one really good idea each day. Check out their new podcast Attorney at Work Today on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

(00:00) - Intro & Monologue: The Law Firm Collections Game
(01:45) - The First Species: Have a Collection Process
(03:58) - The Second Species: Avoid Collections Altogether
(04:57) - Evergreen Retainers & Subscriptions
(06:06) - The Bill Drawer Problem: The Power of Credit Card Authorization Forms
(07:33) - The 8AM Product Family (LawPay, MyCase, etc.)
(09:17) - Introducing Guest: Leslie Witt of 8AM
(10:47) - Leslie's Background: From Architect to CPO at 8AM
(13:07) - The 8AM Rebrand & The "8AM Clock" Joke
(15:13) - New Products: Smart Spend & 8AM IQ (AI with Cases)
(19:04) - The Future of AI and Payments
(22:32) - Why Lawyers Are Slow to Adopt Alternative Fees
(24:59) - The Role of a Chief Product Officer
(26:22) - Leslie's Music Recommendations: Maynard Ferguson and Vinyl
(27:41) - Counter Program Intro: Gyi Tsakalikis & "Dazed and Confused"
(56:03) - Conclusion & Outro

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