Legal Talk Network - Law News and Legal Topics

In this episode of Lawyerist Podcast, explore the critical truth about lawyer self-care with Zack and Leticia DeSuze. Discover how neglecting holistic self-care can lead to suffering, as they redefine success by prioritizing physical, mental, emotional, social, and financial well-being. Leticia first talks about the importance of setting boundaries and the misconception that self-care is selfish. Listen and learn why self-care should be a fundamental part of your law firm business plan. Grow your firm by understanding the balance between personal well-being and professional success. Become a part of the Lawyerist community to access insights and resources that will help you organize your practice and become more agile and productive. Take the Small Firm Scorecard to evaluate your current practices.  Links from the episode:  Subscribe to the Lawyerist Youtube Channel   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

Justice David W. Ellis has served on the Illinois Appellate Court for the 1st District for nearly 10 years. But readers may know him better as author David Ellis, writer of more than a dozen legal thrillers.Ellis had enjoyed creative writing as a youth, he tells the ABA Journal’s Lee Rawles in this episode of The Modern Law Library. But during his college and law school years, he was focused solely on his legal career path. It wasn’t until he had been in practice for a few years that this changed. During a vacation at the beach, he suddenly decided that he was going to write a novel—and once that goal was set, he worked relentlessly towards it. And in 2002, he won a prestigious Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for that first novel, Line of Vision. Both branches of Ellis’s career have seen tremendous returns. He made national news in 2009 as the prosecutor of the impeachment of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich before the state senate. He was the youngest-serving justice in 2014 when he joined the Illinois Appellate Court for the 1st District, which serves Chicago and Cook County. And along the way, he published 11 novels, including the four-book Jason Kolarich series. He was a finalist for the ABA Journal-sponsored Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction in 2012 and 2013. He has also co-written nine books with James Patterson, the latest of which (Lies He Told Me) will be released in September.In this episode, Ellis and Rawles discuss his July release, The Best Lies. The germ of an idea that became The Best Lies started off with the notion of a main character who was a diagnosed pathological liar. When the book opens, Leo Balanoff, a criminal defense attorney in Chicago, has just been arrested for murder. Police have collected DNA and fingerprints at the scene that are a match for a college-era bar fight Leo was charged for, and the victim had an ugly history with one of Leo’s clients. Over the course of The Best Lies, twists and turns across multiple timelines and through multiple points of view begin to reveal what really happened. Ellis weaves a tale combining corporate espionage, violin concertos, police corruption and the Estonian mob. Ellis also discusses his writing process, his 3:30 a.m. wake-up time, the similarities in his creative and legal writing, and how his judicial ethics concerns sometimes impact his editorial decisions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

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