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The Legal Toolkit

Latest episodes

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Aug 3, 2023 • 45min

Software Integrations; Emil Ali talks IP Ethics; and “A Day at the Movies”

Integrations, integrations, integrations. You’ve probably heard about integrations for years, but lots of people still struggle to understand just how this stuff is going to change their workflows. Jared explains the whole concept, gives some of the first integrations you need to be using, and warns you away from some missteps.Next, Emil Ali stops by chat with Jared about the unique challenges and worrying trends in IP ethics. Oh, what’s that? You’re not an IP attorney? Well, you’d be surprised how many non-IP attorneys get hit with these very much not trivial penalties.Finally, the stars have aligned! Welcome to the era of Barbenheimer! Jared and Emil look back at past movie release days to debate other great film pairings that have paved the way for this “momentous” occasion.Emil Ali is a partner at McCabe & Ali, LLP.-----Since it's Barbenheimer weekend, we've mixed some serious + silly songs together, in the spirit of the moment. (Though, I hear 'Barbie' is pretty deep, too.)
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Jul 13, 2023 • 35min

Succession Spoilers Galore; What PR Can Do for You; and Succession Children’s Theater

Why would a law firm hire a PR agency? Well, if you’ve ever wished your firm was known for its expertise and thought leadership, a PR agency might be just the thing. Jared brings on Michelle Calcote King to talk through the lawyer/PR relationship and its potential for improving your credibility, furthering your reach, and growing your business.The rest of the show is a total Succession-fest. Jared’s monologue spoils the entire beginning, middle, and end of the series, so listeners beware. And, later on in the Rump Roast, Jared welcomes his own kids for dramatic readings of some favorite Succession quotes.Michelle Calcote King is principal and president of Reputation Ink.-----We have fun on this show, but today it's all business - Succession style.-----Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.Our Rump Roast song is Macbeth by JeesGuy.Our closing track is Lucky Day by SPARKZ.
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Jun 29, 2023 • 38min

Bar Associations, Side Hustles, & More with Rio Peterson and Annoying “Name Songs”

Adding value for bar association members is always a good idea. Jared chats with Rio Peterson, who has just about seen it all when it comes to bar programming—from cool events to tech offerings to stellar educational programs and more. Listen in for her thoughts on improving bar culture and providing more for members. Jared and Rio also talk about how lawyer side hustles are more common than you might think and just might provide the little extra something you need in your life.This time on the Rump Roast—you don’t often use Simon Le Bon heads as your rating mechanism, but today is the day! Jared has Rio rate the annoyance level of a variety of “Name Songs” pulled from the archives of popular music. Also, does Rio like it when you ask her if she “dances on the sand”? If the answer to that one isn’t obvious, tune in to find out.Circling back—since you’re a lawyer, your side hustle has to be seriously legit. You don’t want to find yourself in the middle of a legal ethics violation, so Jared explains the best ways to keep your extra gigs on the up and up. Learn more about this topic in Christa Arcos’ article: Wearing Two Hats: Dual Practices and Ancillary Businesses.Rio Peterson is Bar and Affinity Partnerships Strategist at ALPS Lawyers Malpractice Insurance.-----We talked about songs titled after girls' name and how annoying that must be if you happen to share that name, so here's a playlist highlighting that occasion!-----Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.Our closing track is Jewels by Falls.
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Jun 20, 2023 • 35min

Time to Change Your Lame Logo; Stop Thinking Like a Lawyer; and “Deep Cuts with Steve Seckler”

Even if you’re a great lawyer, your top-notch skills might be holding you back when it comes to running your business. Jared talks with Steve Seckler about his recent article in the ABA’s GPSolo eReport, Stop Thinking (and Acting) Like a Lawyer, in which he outlines the typical attorney characteristics that work great in legal matters, but kinda suck when you’re trying to network, grow your firm, get referrals, manage your employees, and more. Listen in to learn how to suppress those lawyer instincts when needed.Later, time to Roast some Rumps! Jared has crafted a brand new game for today’s special guest, titled “Deep Cuts with Steve Seckler” and featuring obscure trivia from the world of popular music.And, if you haven’t noticed, most law firm logos are terrible. Tune in to hear Jared’s list of what not to do when you design your logo—we’re looking at you, Doric columns, books, boring stuff, etc—and learn how to make something that’s actually appealing.Stephen Seckler is president of Seckler Legal Recruiting and Coaching.-----It's time to get deep - DEEP - into Steve's musical tastes. That's right, we've got some deep cuts here.-----Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.Our closing track is Tenderness of You by Cast of Characters.
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May 25, 2023 • 40min

AI Tells Lame Jokes; The Fastcase/vLex Merger; and “ChatGPT Jeopardy!”

Fastcase and vLex have merged to form the world's largest law library, containing the law from over 100 countries and more than a billion documents. One platform with all these resources means attorneys around the world will have bigger, better, faster access to everything they need to do legal research. Jared chats with Ed Walters of Fastcase about their goals for democratizing the law and what plans they have to continue developing this global library and legal AI for easier use.This time on the Rump Roast, Jared and Ed play “Wack-Ass Responses from AI to Completely Reasonable Prompts,” but that title seems a bit unwieldy, so you can just think of it as: “ChatGPT Jeopardy!”And, since AI will probably take over the world eventually, let’s prove our superiority while we still can. Jared’s found the clincher: we’re funny, and AI’s sense of humor is decidedly lame. We win.Ed Walters is the CEO and co-founder of Fastcase, an online legal research software company.Read more about the merger: Legal tech disruptors vLex and Fastcase merge to form world’s largest global law library-----Legal research is all about searching, but there's a lot of other stuff you can look for, too.-----Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.Our closing track is Yellow Letter by Sam Barsh.
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May 11, 2023 • 36min

Perfect Albums, Vol. 4; The Attorney Whisperer—Randa Prendergast; and “Beantown Beanfest”

Randa Prendergast takes a “June Cleaver” approach to running a law firm, making every little thing run smoothly without breaking a sweat. Jared and Randa talk through how to identify your workflow needs and develop processes that make it easy for employees old and new to know exactly how to keep things rolling.Later on in the Rump Roast, Jared’s fellow Bostonian Dan Winslow joins to talk about the great equalizer of the food world (beans, obviously) and the real reason Boston has long been known as “Beantown.” Dan also discusses the first-ever Beantown Beanfest, coming up on June 24, 2023!And, finally, 1974’s “Sundown” album by Gordon Lightfoot is perfect. In Jared’s words, the title track is “…maybe the most quietly menacing pop song ever written.” That description alone is pretty damn intriguing, so tune in for Jared’s thoughts on the whole album—and RIP Gordon Lightfoot (November 17, 1938 – May 1, 2023).Randa Prendergast is the Attorney Whisperer at Mrs. June Legal, LLC.Daniel B. Winslow is President of the New England Legal Foundation.------In honor of the late, great Gordon Lightfoot, here is a smattering of some of that Yukon gold!-----Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.Our closing track is Night Whispers by Dr. Delight.
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Apr 27, 2023 • 39min

The Perfect Intake Form; Turning Data Collection on Leads into Profits; and “What Would Georgia Man Do?”

If you know exactly how all your clients found you, then you know exactly how to market your firm to keep driving more growth. But, a whole lot of firms aren’t tracking the process from need to lead to paying client. Jared chats with Patrick Carver about how collecting the right data on leads eventually converts into more clients and bigger profits.Later, Patrick sticks around for the Rump Roast and a new take on the much-loved antics of the Florida Man—but this time, just a bit north! Jared’s latest quiz asks the question,“What Would Georgia Man Do?”And, The perfect intake form isn’t as elusive as you might think. Jared’s got tips for hitting the Goldilocks zone with each and every potential client to make sure you’re not wasting your time or theirs.Patrick Carver is CEO and owner of Constellation Marketing.-----We talked with Patrick Carver about, among other things, the great state of Georgia. So, here are some of our favorite Georgia songs!-----Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.Our closing track is Night Whispers by Dr. Delight.
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Apr 13, 2023 • 36min

A Flipping Disaster; Bruce La Fetra—Client Whisperer; and “Technical ‘Knox’ Out”

How do you get your best clients to hire you? Jared welcomes Bruce La Fetra, a real, live client whisperer, to chat about how to flip your usual script and market to the clients you actually want.Later, the guys play “Technical ‘Knox’ Out,” a trivia round highlighting Knoxville, TN, facts—past and present.And, who knew? Apparently, Jared’s devotion to flip phones rivals that of the Laguna Beach teen scene in 2004. But, Jared’s relationship with his beloved, flippy phones has been riddled with angst as of late. Tune in for the drama.Bruce La Fetra is a consultant at Eastwood Strategy Advisors.-----We talked about Knoxville - which is in Tennessee; so, here are some Nashville (also in Tennessee) artists!-----Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.Our closing track is This is Love by Alsever Lake.
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Mar 28, 2023 • 42min

Finding Legal Mentors, The Expert Witness Roundtable, and Perry Mason

Where do expert witnesses come from, exactly? Jared welcomes guests Allison Muller, Nick Briscoe, and Nick Rishwain—an experienced and knowledgeable panel discussing the ins and outs of expert witnessing. They share how professionals come into this field and offer advice for attorneys looking to engage an expert witness for a case.Later on in the Rump Roast, guest Rachael Ziegler joins to talk about yet another of Jared’s favorite TV series—HBO’s reboot of the classic lawyer show, Perry Mason.And, lawyers of all ages and stages benefit from mentors in legal practice, but many don’t know how to tap into the expertise they need. Jared offers his tips for seeking out mentors and explains how multiple connections with differing knowledge bases can help attorneys thrive.Dr. Allison Muller is a board-certified toxicologist with expert witness experience in cases involving alcohol, drugs of abuse, carbon monoxide, medication errors, and postmortem toxicology.Nicholas Briscoe is Chief Economist at Briscoe Economics Group, Inc. and has provided consulting and expert witness testimony in a wide variety of economic and financial matters.Nick Rishwain is Vice President of business development and relations at Experts.com, assisting attorneys in locating a wide variety of expert witnesses and consultants for their litigation support needs.Rachel Ziegler is the founder of Ziegler Legal Services, where her practice focuses on estate planning, estate administration, trust administration, and health care advocacy.-----Since we talked about with no less than 4 experts, here are some songs about being smart. You'll listen, if you know whats good for you!-----Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.Our closing track is Lucky Day by SPARKZ.
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Mar 16, 2023 • 39min

Jared’s Latest TV Obsession; Strategic Communications with Jessica Chen; “And the Award Goes To…”

Communication often happens because we are simply reacting to something, but how often do we react with a thoughtful, impactful response? Jared welcomes Jessica Chen to hear her strategies for leveling up your professional communications. They talk through some of the ways communications training can elevate your influence in the workplace and discuss ways to connect with professional peers through social media.Later, has anyone named Oscar ever won an Oscar? Find out whether Jessica knows the answer in Jared’s Rump Roast quiz featuring historic Academy Awards trivia.And, HBO’s “The Last of Us” is the best show Jared’s seen in a looong time, so if you like gut-wrenching, poetic, and a little bit disturbing storytelling, you’d better check it out.Jessica Chen is an Emmy-Award Winner and the founder and CEO of Soulcast Media.-----Since we talked about the Academy Awards, let's keep awards season rolling: here's our list of the best Best Original Song category winners!-----Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.Our closing track is Yellow Letter by Sam Barsh.

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