Legal Talk Network - Law News and Legal Topics

Guest Peggy Gruenke is an expert in the accounting management tools tailored to small law firms. Gruenke is the founder and co-owner of CPN Legal, helping small and solo firm lawyers manage and grow their business through legal software solutions and outsourced financial management and bookkeeping services.Let’s talk about your firm’s finances and profitability: how are you keeping track of your business? Hear what’s new in automated accounting packages – but don’t give up on Quickbooks, and don’t cut ties with your bookkeeper.Online accounting services are great. But they are not meant to replace a professional, especially as your firm grows. You’re not a bookkeeper, you’re a lawyer. But these tools do help with the basics of money management. The challenge is mixing and matching. Operational efficiencies and financial planning are part of running a successful firm. Don’t shortchange the importance of bookkeeping and managing your income, marketing ROI, expenses, and taxes. It’s vital you keep your finger on the pulse of your business, and there are tools and people who can help you. As Gruenke says, “Treat your business with respect.” Questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at NewSolo@legaltalknetwork.com  Topics: If you’re a small or solo firm, you’re a business. Every business must track their finances, their expenses, and their taxes. Hear about the latest tools that help you track every part of your firm’s financial life. Repeat after us: Lawyers are not bookkeepers. This is why you need not only software but someone who tracks your business performance, watches your bottom line, and keeps you ready for tax time. Security, checks and balances, and financial snapshots are all vital. It’s a lot to keep up with, but investing the time and money to assemble the tools you need will help you grow (and profit). Mentioned in This Episode:Clio Cloud Conference 2025MycaseClio AccountingClio DraftLawcusQuickbooksPreviously on New Solo, “New From Clio: Legal Practice Management Including Legal Accounting”Previously on New Solo, “Money Management 101 for Solo and Small Firm Professionals”Previously on New Solo, “Oh, The Messes We See” Clio Legal Trends ReportChase Business credit cardsCapital One Business credit cardsABA Techshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Software and AI have become a significant part of today’s patent litigation landscape. Our round table of expert patent attorneys explains the ongoing impact of the 2014 Alice decision and examines the fuzzy lines of “significant advances” and “inventive concept” in current patent law. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dive into the eerie world of legal trends with the latest insights that reveal AI's growing role in law firms. Discover alarming stats on communication challenges, showing that many calls go unanswered. Learn about effective client intake strategies and how to improve conversion rates through better marketing. Explore the disconnect between lawyers' marketing and client behavior while examining the disparities in marketing spend. This discussion is packed with strategies to boost responsiveness and efficiency in the legal sector!

Guest Bogdan Savych, a senior policy analyst at the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI), discusses his new paper, written with David Neumark, entitled “Impact of Attorney Representation on Workers’ Compensation Payments.”WCRI studied the impact of attorney representation when it comes to indemnity payments (income replacement benefits) for injured workers in what, on its face, is supposed to be a straightforward Workers’ Compensation system. What impact, statistically, does having an attorney represent an injured worker have on payments? Not surprisingly, Savych’s research found that for workers, having an attorney represent them in their claims can result in higher payments, but there is still work to be done. And, as host Alan S. Pierce notes, it’s even possible involving an attorney can save the Workers’ Comp insurance company money by identifying other parties who are liable for the injury through negligence. But then, what about attorney fees? There are myriad factors to consider, and, as we know, every state is different. If you’re an attorney who represents injured workers in Workers’ Compensation claims, or you’re otherwise connected to the world of Workers’ Comp, consider joining WCRI as a member.  If you have thoughts on Workers’ Comp law or an idea for a topic or guest you’d like to hear, contact us at JPierce@ppnlaw.com. Mentioned in This Episode:“Impact of Attorney Representation on Workers’ Compensation Payments,” by Bogdan Savych and David NeumarkFree Report: “WCRI Medical Price Index for Workers’ Compensation, 16th Edition (MPI-WC)” by Workers’ Compensation Research InstitutePreviously on Workers Comp Matters, “The Attorney’s Role in Workers Compensation” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s talk about technology and how it fits into your practice. Fact is, the old yellow pad and document boxes are no longer your friends. Your clients expect you to use technology to be more efficient and effective. Guest Richard “Rich” Dukes Jr. has gone paperless. So has his entire South Carolina law firm. Today’s tech drives efficiency whether that’s in document review, witness preparation, or even courtroom presentation. Hear how Dukes evaluates each evolution of tech tools, how he decides if they will truly elevate his productivity, and how easy they will be to introduce to his colleagues and incorporate them into his practice. Time is an attorney’s most valuable commodity. Technology can give you more time. Coming next, AI. Dukes has some ideas of where artificial intelligence may upend the next generation of legal tech tools. Put down the pen and pad and start working smarter today. Mentioned in This Episode:NotabilityTrialPad OpenAIPerplexity AIJoin the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to your law firm’s finances, you need to ensure that your practices are efficient, confidential, and compliant. Karolina Sikorska and Lydia Malone welcome Peggy Gruenke of CPN Legal to talk through the benefits of expert accounting and bookkeeping for law firms. Peggy shares her passion for helping attorneys build better businesses and how CPN leverages Clio’s systems to create a seamless experience for law firms.  Peggy Gruenke is co-founder of Cincinnati-based CPN Legal, which provides accounting and bookkeeping services to law firms, including Clio Grow and Manage setup and workflow design. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Naturally, it is essential for a legal tech business like Clio to be in compliance with the laws and regulations that govern the attorneys they serve. So, how do they ensure that their platform can do what it needs to do for their clients? Laurence Colletti sits down with Niamh Pollak to learn how Clio navigates compliance across a huge number of geographic areas and unique practice area needs. They discuss Clio’s efforts to help lawyers transform and grow their practices with tools that meet the changing needs of modern law firms.  Niamh Pollak is Vice President of Legal at Clio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For almost fifty years, coal dominated the Navajo economy. In April of 2017, the Public Service Company of New Mexico announced they planned to close the San Juan Generating Station, a coal-fired power plant in New Mexico, and replace it with other energy sources, including wind and solar. In 2022, the San Juan Generating Station in New Mexico closed, and on August 24, 2024, the station was demolished with a cleanup expected in 2025.The demolition of the station received mixed reviews from the Navajo Nation. While some supported the demolition, others were tied to the history of the industry and how it provided for their families.In this episode, Craig is joined by Dr. Andrew Curley, Assistant Professor at the School of Geography, Development & Environment at the University of Arizona. Craig and Andrew discuss coal, its history and use, the impact it has had on the Navajo Nation, the labor force, and the environment, and what the future holds.Mentioned in This Episode:Carbon Sovereignty: Coal, Development, and Energy Transition in the Navajo Nation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first image conjured in your mind by the word “sheriff” might be the protagonist of a Wild West movie or Robin Hood’s foe, the Sheriff of Nottingham. But unless you’re a resident of Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii and Rhode Island, there’s likely an elected law-enforcement official in your area who holds that title.In The Highest Law in the Land: How the Unchecked Power of Sheriffs Threatens Democracy, lawyer and journalist Jessica Pishko takes a deep dive into the history of this position in American life, and at a far-right movement hoping to co-opt the role of sheriff to advance extreme conservative policies.There are some 3,000 sheriffs in the United States, one per county (or county equivalent). In this episode of The Modern Law Library, Pishko and the ABA Journal's Lee Rawles discuss how the rural/urban divide impacts the demographics of sheriffs. Ninety-seven percent of the land area in the United States is considered rural, but only 20% of the people live in those rural areas. In the 2020 census, Greene County, Alabama, had 7,730 residents and one sheriff. Cook County, Illinois, which contains the city of Chicago, had 5,275,541 residents and one sheriff. This leads to a larger proportion of sheriffs representing a rural and more conservative demographic, Pishko says.Pishko explains the “constitutional sheriff” movement, including its similarities to other fringe movements like the sovereign citizens. Adherents claim that sheriffs alone have the power to interpret how the Constitution and the first 10 Amendments should be enforced in their counties. They claim that state governments, the federal government, the president and the U.S. Supreme Court have no power over sheriffs, and that as elected officials, sheriffs are answerable only to their constituents.In this episode, Pishko also describes the large role sheriffs have in incarcerations, how their enforcement powers differ or overlap with police, and what disciplinary or oversight measures are available when a sheriff abuses their office. Pishko and Rawles also discuss the roles sheriffs might have in local elections, and whether they might have an impact on the 2024 presidential election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn how to exceed expectations and thrive as a new lawyer from a panel of seasoned attorneys who are open and honest about what it takes to make partner, navigate your career, and excel in the legal field. Special thanks to our friends over at Litigation Radio, ABA's Section of Litigation and Podcast Host Dave Scriven-Young for sharing this special episode with us. For more conversations with top litigators, judges, and experts, subscribe to Litigation Radio on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.-----Newly admitted lawyers can feel overwhelmed and intimidated. Law schools can’t teach everything, and there’s a lot of on-the-job learning. Some of the work is difficult and complicated. Some of what’s required is as simple as showing up on time and doing work that looks perfect and is free of typos (yes, that matters, even for internal communications).With each task, the best new lawyers progress from competence to excellence. Start with the goal of being a “superstar associate” by being the best lawyer you can be. When new lawyers take on tasks and do good work, others will notice and will mentor you. What any new lawyer makes of their earliest experience in any firm will drive them to the next level, no matter their career path.This episode shares tips for standing out and learning how to be a lawyer from two attorneys who have excelled in their careers and have made partner at their respective firms.Resources:What New Lawyers Must Know on Their First Day on the JobEarly Career Success for Attorneys Can Come from Developing Your "Ownership Mindset"Great Lawyers Don't Only Point Out Problems—They Offer SolutionsSuccess in the Legal Profession Is Not Achieved Through Participation TrophiesBuilding a Career you Love as a Young LawyerSome Advice to the New or Soon-to-be LawyerTop Tips for Young Lawyers: How to Survive and Thrive in Your Legal CareerAmerican Bar AssociationAmerican Bar Association Litigation SectionAmerican Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices