Legal Talk Network - Law News and Legal Topics

Clio, the longtime, long-trusted software tech provider for lawyers, has plunged into the accounting game. Time and case management, billing, payments, and simply keeping track of your bottom line all take up time when you could be doing something else, like, you know, serving your clients’ needs. Now Clio has baked that accounting service directly into its practice management software package. Frankly, attorneys – especially new solo practitioners – may have been taught very little about running a business. Being a good lawyer is only part of the game. Lawyers also need to know how to manage money and accounting. That’s where software and money management programs can help, including tax prep, accounting for ongoing work in anticipation of payment, capital distributions, and handling funds your clients have entrusted you with.  Hear why legal-specific accounting is so important (hint, legal accounting is not like any other accounting, and mistakes can truly hurt your practice). Plus, the top five features that must be part of any legal accounting platform. Questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at NewSolo@legaltalknetwork.com  Topics: Law schools and legal training may overlook the importance of accounting for a new law firm. It’s not intuitive. Hear how legal practice management firm Clio is incorporating legal-specific accounting functions into its platform Practicing law is what you signed up for, but managing money is what will keep your firm running. Never forget, your firm is a business that depends on accounting. Tax management, income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow management are not only crucial, but very weirdly specific in the world of legal accounting. Mentioned in This Episode:Clio Clio Accounting and Demo2024 Legal Trends for Solo and Small Law FirmsNew Solo, “Oh, The Messes We See” New Solo, “Money Management 101 for Solo and Small Firm Professionals” New Solo, “Winning The Battle: When It’s Time To ‘Modernize’ But There’s One Holdout” cpnLEGALAffinity ConsultingJoshua’s Previous Appearances on Legal Talk Network: New Solo, “HIPAA Happens, But Compliance Software Can Help” On Balance: “Insights on Clio’s 2023 Legal Trends Report with Joshua Lenon” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first 325 DNA exonerations, false identification accounted for 72% of the wrongful convictions. But how is that possible? The simplest explanation is that we are not as good at identifying each other as we think. Add to that a frightening encounter with someone of a different race with no time for the mind to process and you have the perfect formula for getting it all wrong.Host Michael Semanchik sits down with retired Los Angeles Detective Greg McKnight, Distinguished Professor of Psychology John Wixted, and California Innocence Project Founder Justin Books to discuss the science of misidentifications and why so many people who were so sure got it so wrong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's not so easy to bring everyone back.-----Latham announced a new 4-day office work week, bucking the 3-day consensus, but attorneys are wondering where they plan to put everybody. Meanwhile Milbank is so eager to get to work that they're inviting first-years to start early. Another firm joins the non-equity partner ranks, and the DOJ files an antitrust case with some of the hottest docs ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary R. Russell offers her thoughts on how to conduct yourself in court and why we must retain confidence in the judicial system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You may be losing prospective clients if their experience on your website is mediocre—or just plain bad. The guys share how to fix things up to grow your business.-----What do marketing pros look for when they check into a law firm’s website? Gyi and Conrad take us through their processes as they take a deep dive into the structure and content of a Denver PI law firm website. They explain what to be on the lookout for, how issues with both site content and coding negatively affect a user’s experience, and tools they use to assess the visibility, credibility, and success of a site. The News: Will there be any enforcement behind this? We hope so: FTC Fake Reviews Rule and the End of “Fake Reviews”? (John Henson). Looks like Google AI Overviews Are Impacted By Core Updates, but will it change anything? Joy Hawkins writes about How Links Impact Organic Results and Local Packs, but Gyi’s got beef. AI Overviews Research: Analyzing sources in Google’s AI-generated answers—Are you tracking this stuff? You should be! Clio Sets Legal Tech Funding Record with $900M Raise at $3B Valuation. Someone’s got to compete with them, but can they, really? Mentioned in this Episode:LEX Summit Digital Marketing Q&A / Live Taping of Lunch Hour Legal Marketing The Bite - Lunch Hour Legal Marketing Newsletter!Leave Us an Apple Review Lunch Hour Legal Marketing on YouTube Lunch Hour Legal Marketing on TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An attorney who has provided civil legal services to people experiencing homelessness shares her perspective on Talk Justice. Carolyn Perez is passionate about correcting common misconceptions around homelessness, saying those we see on the street are only “the tip of the iceberg,” and many families who are homeless are invisible. Perez also describes how legal problems like medical debt, domestic violence and natural disaster recovery contribute to the loss of housing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How are you doing? Not you, personally, your business. Do you know? Because many small businesses, including small law firms, don’t have a true CFO, someone who doesn’t just do your taxes, but who helps you understand your business, your bottom line, and your future. Danielle Hendon is the founder and CEO of 4 Corners CFO, bringing the benefit of “big business” financial analysis to entrepreneurs and business owners at a cost they can afford. She and her firm are “fractional CFOs,” providing the analysis and planning you need to stabilize your business, develop consistent revenue models, and grow with a goal in mind. Hendon helps businesses, like yours, evaluate where they are, how things are doing, what your “real profit” is, and how to set and move toward goals. Allocating overhead, hiring, understanding gross and net profit, and growing with purpose is all doable. Hear about “bottom-up budgeting,” understanding cash flow forecasts and how a CFO, even a part time CFO, can help spot red flags and build the pillars that will lift your business. Mentioned in This Episode:4 Corners CFOJoin the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Cindy Chang, a personal brand coach and marketing strategist, discusses sustainable client relationships and strategic branding for business owners, particularly those in service-based industries. Cindy shares insights from her experience working with Fortune 500 companies and running her own business, The Hustling Heart. Key points include the importance of distinguishing oneself from the company, the role of problem-solving and thought leadership in branding, and practical strategies for maintaining client relationships. The discussion also touches on utilizing one's network effectively, the value of feedback, and balancing reputation with personal connections. Cindy gives listeners actionable tips on: 00:00 Intro 01:36 Transitioning from a Firm to Your Own Business 03:37 Establishing Your Unique Identity 07:07 Gathering Feedback and Building Reputation 09:45 Maintaining Client Relationships 13:45 The Value of Personal Connections 15:17 Starting and Sustaining Your Own Business 23:31 The Role of Referrals and Networking 25:05 Thought Leaders Library: Book Recommendation 33:16 One Big Takeaway Resources mentioned in this episode:Grit by Angela DuckworthConnect with Cindy here: Instagram LinkedIn http://www.thehustlingheart.com Connect with me Instagram Pinterest Facebook Twitter Karin on Twitter Karin on LinkedIn Conroy Creative Counsel on Facebook https://conroycreativecounsel.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can technology help self-represented litigants have better outcomes in our legal systems? Amanda Brown considers exactly that on a daily basis in her role at the Lagniappe Law Lab, a justice tech non-profit in Louisiana. Dennis and Tom talk with Amanda about her perspectives on the justice gap and legal technology and how tech adoption, collaboration, and promoting further tech growth can help improve access to justice for underserved populations. 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 - Kennedy-Mighell Report #371A Segment: Fresh Voice Amanda BrownB Segment: Continue with Fresh Voice Amanda BrownParting Shots:Perplexity AIReadwiseGeminiHow Can Law Professors Effectively Teach AI Literacy to Law Students, by Dennis Kennedy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One challenge young lawyers encounter—especially in demanding corporate roles—is starting a family while advancing in their careers. Managing and balancing work and family isn’t something they teach in school. Guest Kimberly “Kim” Maney is a busy, successful in-house corporate attorney for a global corporation. She’s also a mom and a spouse who taught herself how to balance 10-hour days and constant demands from her job while carving out time for family. Raising a family is hard work, everything from coordinating childcare to spending meaningful time with children. And then, later, as kids grow up, there are soccer games, ballet recitals, and vacations. In today’s world of connectivity, it can be too easy to just “take a call” during the family trip to Disney World. You’ll need to develop and communicate boundaries with your coworkers and your organization. Maney shares how she leaned on coworkers who were already parents and even Facebook parent support groups as she learned to create space for family while excelling at her job.Stephen C. Dinkel served as the associate producer on this episode of Young Lawyer Rising.Resources:Legal Careers of Parents and Child Caregivers: Results and Best Practices from a National Study of the Legal Profession Parenthood Positivity: How to Use Parenthood in the Trajectory of Your Legal CareerParental Leave in the Legal Field: Managing Employee and Employer ExpectationsAttorneys Make the Case for Equal Parental LeaveBalancing Fatherhood and a Legal Career as a Young LawyerJuggling a Firm and a FamilyTips for Balancing a Legal Career and First-Time MotherhoodAmerican Bar AssociationAmerican Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices