Legal Talk Network - Law News and Legal Topics

In episode #575 of  Lawyerist Podcast, learn how to move beyond daily overwhelm and lead your firm with clarity, confidence, and vision as Stephanie Everett talks with Lawyerist Lab business strategist Chad Fox. Chad explains why so many lawyers get stuck in the weeds of $20/hour tasks instead of focusing on high-value CEO work, and how a mindset shift can create immediate clarity and hope. Together they explore the journey from business operator to business owner, the importance of dreaming bigger than what feels “realistic,” and how to delegate effectively without guilt. Real-life success stories highlight attorneys who have built thriving teams, scaled their practices, and reclaimed freedom, offering both inspiration and actionable strategies for sustainable law firm growth.    Listen to our other episodes on Law Firm Leadership:  #569 Your Head Is a Crappy Office, and Other GTD Principles for Attorneys, with David Allen Apple | Spotify | LTN  #564 The Gift in the Struggle: Leveraging Emotional Intelligence for Growth, with Sara Muender Apple | Spotify | LTN  #560: Stop Doing Everything Yourself! Unlock Your Law Firm’s True Potential, with Leticia DeSuze  Apple | Spotify | LTN    If today's podcast resonates with you and you haven't read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Looking for help beyond the book? See if our coaching community is right for you.    Access more resources from Lawyerist at lawyerist.com.    Chapters/Timestamps:  00:00 – Introduction: Creating Space to Think Differently  06:16 – Meet Chad Fox  07:12 – The Overwhelm Stage  08:33 – Finding Hope Through Clarity  11:24 – Dreaming Big Beyond ‘What’s Realistic’  15:00 – From Operator to Owner  17:09 – Building Teams & Managing Perceptions  20:16 – The $20 Task Trap  23:44 – What Being a CEO Lawyer Looks Like  25:50 – Success Story: From Chaos to Growth  26:50 – Final Takeaway: It Doesn’t Have to Be So Hard  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Checking in with returning guests Dean Blachford and Ella Sui, who started the Blachford Tax Law firm in Ottawa, Canada in 2021. Blachford is the tax lawyer and Sui is the clerk, paralegal, and more, forming a small tag team specializing in Canadian tax law.  This is a fun episode because before they hung out a shingle, Blachford and Sui listened to the entire New Solo podcast library, building an understanding of a solo practice as host Adriana Linares and her guests discussed the challenges, and solutions, new practitioners encounter. Soon after they opened, the duo joined Linares for a podcast to share what they found to be the most impactful episodes.  So, how did that work out for Blachford and Sui? Four years later, hear what they learned from New Solo and how they put it all to work their firm. Bookkeeping, accounting, systems and processes, collections, clear goals, and careful documentation are all part of the firm’s success. The firm considered hiring a junior attorney but instead leaned into tech by hiring a remote assistant (in the Philippines) and a human resources consultant. And (of course) this wouldn’t be a New Solo podcast with a whole bunch of cutting edge legal tech solutions. Questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at NewSolo@legaltalknetwork.com     Topics: Guests Dean Blachford and Ella Sui started their New Solo practice by listening to the catalog of New Solo episodes. Four years later, hear how that worked out and how they learned to incorporate processes, procedures, remote help, and the latest tech. In a small firm, it’s important colleagues’ workloads. People may not always tell you when they are overloaded. Know when it’s time to bring on help, whether in person, with a remote assistant, or through better technical tools and programs. Don’t wait to document and establish clear processes, and stress those to new assistants. The things you put off early never get done. Document and follow your processes in the moment, don’t procrastinate. Mentioned in This Episode: New Solo podcast, prior episode, “Marco Brown’s Eight Commandments for Getting Paid” New Solo podcast, prior episode “Ernie The Attorney: A Tech Whisperer Shares His Legal Tech Secrets” Loom Zoom Clips Clio Introducing ChatGPT Adobe HubSpot SharePoint LastPass RingCentral Tactiq Calendly ABA Techshow 2026 Clio Cloud Conference 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We know where some of those pro bono payola hours are going. ----- Be prepared to be on the clock a lot longer at King & Spalding, where the firm has introduced a 2400 hour “productive” time target. In other words, attorneys will have to figure out how to describe 2400 hours worth of work to the firm’s billing software every year. This seems to follow the overarching retreat from the work from home era, which also made news this week with a firm announcing a new office mandate… but just for some associates. Justice Jackson drew upon a generational touchstone to succinctly describe the Supreme Court majority’s jurisprudence. And a pair of the spineless firms are providing free legal services to the Commerce Department. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all make mistakes, but what do you do when you make one in court? Judge Jessica Kruse reminds us that how you admit your mistake can often be more important than the error itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Twenty years after the disaster, a Louisiana lawyer tells how Hurricane Katrina changed civil legal services forever on Talk Justice. Southeast Louisiana Legal Services is the largest nonprofit civil legal aid provider in the state, serving 22 parishes from seven offices, with the largest office in New Orleans. In 2005, before tragedy struck, Laura Tuggle had been a staff attorney in SLLS’ housing law unit. At the time, legal services related to natural disasters were not a part of the conversation at all. Now, she is Executive Director at SLLS and disaster legal services have come a long way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When do you need to start thinking about finding and retaining your expert witnesses as cases progress through the litigation process? Timing is a critical part of your strategy. Often, it’s “the earlier, the better.” Guest Monica Poole is the director of expert witness services at Round Table Group, a national firm that helps litigators connect with trusted and vetted expert witnesses. Poole explains how the best experts can be hard to find, have busy schedules, and can help plot strategies from the beginning so you avoid dead ends and focus your energy. From the plaintiff’s side, the more complex the case the more important it is to start early. Do you truly have a case? An expert can help decide if a case is worth litigating. From the defense side, an early start can be valuable when a case demands an expert in narrow, niche fields. In many cases, attorneys are racing the clock with looming court deadlines. Not all experts are equal. The best not only provide technical input but also help craft discovery demands, decipher provided materials, and skillfully explain complex topics in layman’s terms to a judge and jury.Knowing when, and how, to engage the right expert is a critical part of every case. Hear how working with a service such as the Round Table Group can help build and present a case and drive it to a successful conclusion. Resources: Round Table Group American Bar Association American Bar Association Litigation Section Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did your firm “set and forget” its marketing strategy? Today’s marketing has evolved beyond Google ads and billboards. Finding new, niche channels can tap new markets. Imagine a firm still relying solely on a Yellow Pages ad, that would be crazy. Times change. Guest Carrolee Moore is the CEO and chief strategist at the Podcast Pitching Society, a firm dedicated to matching experienced experts to influential podcasts hungry for guests. Connect to listeners in your target audience, listeners who don’t know (yet) that they want to work with you. And pay you.  Moore helps clients stand out as thought leaders, experts, and trend setters. If you’ve been listening to The Un-Billable Hour (celebrating its 200th episode right here), you know the value of podcasts. Maybe you’ve been that captive audience listening on your commute or your morning jog. Learn to become a sought-after guest and to turn those appearances into revenue.  These are tips some traditional marketing agencies don’t want you to hear. Don’t hide your business or your expertise. You have wisdom to share, so get out there and shout. Reach new audiences that want to hear from you and hire you. Ask us anything for the Community Table. Leave us a question online   Join the next Community Table discussion live! Always the third Thursday of the month at 3pm Eastern Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this collaborative episode from the National Conference of Bar Presidents’ Leading the Bar podcast and the Chicago Bar Association’s @theBar podcast, host Amanda Arriaga talks with Dan Cotter, Trisha Rich, and Jonathan Amarilio about the impact of bar leadership on their professional lives. The conversation explores how bar associations serve as a springboard for career development, mentorship, and service to the legal community. From initial involvement to holding top leadership positions, each guest offers insights into why giving back through bar service has been both personally and professionally meaningful. Dan Cotter just completed his term as President of the National Conference of Bar Presidents and is a Past President of the Chicago Bar Association.  Trisha Rich is the First Vice President of the Chicago Bar Association and served as co-host of the @theBar Podcast for many years.  Jonathan Amarilio is Treasurer of the Chicago Bar Association and co-founded the @theBar Podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is AI the technology that will finally force lawyer tech competence? With rapid advances and the ability to address numerous problems and pain points in our legal systems, AI simply can’t be ignored. Dennis & Tom welcome Bridget McCormack to discuss her perspectives on current AI trends and other exciting new tech applications in legal spaces. Bridget also talks us through her fascinating career path and current projects.  As always, stay tuned for the parting shots, that one tip, website, or observation that you can use the second the podcast ends. Have a technology question for Dennis and Tom? Call their Tech Question Hotline at 720-441-6820 for the answers to your most burning tech questions. Show Notes: Hard Fork Podcast Ethan Mollick’s Blog Adam Unikowsky’s Blog Seats.aero - Home  Personal Strategy Compass | DennisKennedy.Blog   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most people facing legal problems don’t see them as legal at all—they see them as life problems with landlords, employers, or benefits agencies. That disconnect leaves millions without meaningful help, even when lawyers or courts are available.  In this episode, Zack Glaser talks with Professor Rebecca Sandefur (Arizona State University, American Bar Foundation) and Matthew Burnett (Georgetown Law, ABF) about their research on community justice workers and why people-centered solutions may be the key to closing the justice gap.  They explore how community justice workers operate in Alaska and beyond, why legal help doesn’t always have to come from lawyers, and how rules around unauthorized practice of law are evolving. You’ll hear evidence that trained non-lawyers can be just as effective—sometimes more so—than attorneys in resolving critical issues like housing or benefits.  Rebecca and Matthew also discuss what “success” really means: scalable, sustainable programs that meet people where they are, in their own communities, in their own language. And they argue that broadening access to justice isn’t just about legal services—it’s about strengthening democracy itself.  This episode is for lawyers, policymakers, and innovators who want to reimagine how legal help is delivered—and build a justice system that actually works for the people it’s meant to serve.  Additionally, Zack and Stephanie talk about the upcoming ClioCon 2025 in Boston, MA. Check out the conference and get your tickets at cliocon.com. Use the code “LawyeristxClioCon” for a $300 discount on your ticket.    Listen to our other episodes on Access To Justice:  #129: The Business of Public Access to Law, with Tim Stanley   Apple | Spotify | LTN  #228: The Real Access-to-Justice Problem and How We Might Solve It, with Rebecca Sandefur  Apple | Spotify | LTN  #423: Bridging the Access to Justice Gap with Technology, with Sateesh Nori  Apple | Spotify | LTN  #440: A Path to Meaningful Regulations, with Rebecca Sandefur  Apple | Spotify | LTN  If today's podcast resonates with you and you haven't read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Looking for help beyond the book? See if our coaching community is right for you.    Access more resources from Lawyerist at lawyerist.com.    Chapters/Timestamps:  00:00 – Fall & ClioCon in Boston05:24 – Meet Rebecca Sandefur & Matthew Burnett06:50 – A People-Centered Justice Approach11:08 – Community Justice Workers Explained15:55 – Legal Help Without Lawyers20:31 – What Success Really Looks Like25:23 – State Models & Next Steps34:30 – Scaling Justice & Strengthening Democracy38:49 – Final Takeaways  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices