Maximum Lawyer

Are you struggling with knowing how to build a business from the ground up? In this episode, Jessica Gonifas shares her insights on building a successful law firm. She provides some tips on how to gain the confidence needed to run a business. In order to run a business, you need to have a good understanding of your firm’s numbers and where your firm sits financially. Jessica shares some questions to ask when you get your books in order. Ask yourself: Where is the revenue coming from? So what are the types of cases you take and how much profit are making from these cases. Another question is where is your money going? How much is going towards salaries, softwares, training, etc. The last question is what is the firm’s profit margin? With this, it is important to partner with an accountant that understands law firms who can help determine this margin.When starting out as a new firm owner, it is important to understand what your personal and work goals are as well as the time you are willing to commit. For personal goals, consider how much money you want to take out of the firm and how much your family needs on an annual basis to keep afloat. In relation to work goals, understand what your purpose is at work. Are you reviewing technical work, doing technical work or going out and getting clients? The time you dedicate to your firm is so important because it will determine how much you make. Decide how many hours a week you want to work.Jessica emphasizes the importance of having a big picture goal. What do you want your firm to look like in 5 years? What steps will you take to get there? In doing this, think about what you need to do as an owner and what your staff need to do as they help you run the business. Think about all the things you want to accomplish (ie. a certain number of cases, a new intake system, a new tech tool for the firm, etc.) and outline exactly how to get there. It might be good to break them down into quarterly objectives, that way it is spread out over 4 periods and you can take time throughout the year to plan.Listen in to learn more!1:12 The importance of financial structure and asking key questions4:16 What about personal goals, work responsibilities and time commitment?8:16 The importance of setting big picture goals🎥 Watch the full video on YouTube here.Connect with Jessica:Website Facebook Page Facebook LinkedIn Instagram TikTok 

Do you need help in maximizing productivity as a lawyer? In this podcast episode, Jim and Tyson talk to solopreneur Lauren Lester, who runs her own estate and family law firm, Lester Law. She shares her journey into law as a second career. Lauren shares a few tips attorneys can use to maximize productivity. For new attorneys, it is important to identify where inefficiencies lie in the repetitive tasks. Because you are doing things over and over, it makes sense to see what is not working or how to develop a system to do that thing better so it becomes easier and faster for you. For Lauren, she uses technology as leverage to make these tasks more efficient. For those that are too busy to develop systems, it might be best to focus on the one task that either takes the longest to do or is extremely important and build something around it.Another tip Lauren shares is how to manage a busy personal life with an equally busy business. It is really important to schedule time for yourself when you have a busy life. One thing to do is protect your time. For example, Lauren shares how a client really wanted to meet with her the following morning at 9am, but she already booked an hour 1 gym session. She responded back saying the earliest time available was 11am. Clients do not need to know your work schedule. Doing this will allow for a more structured day where you can fit in time for personal care.A lot of attorneys struggle with the billable hour, which is charging clients a fee by the hour. You will always hear people say “They charge by the hour” or “I pay $200 for a client call with my lawyer”. For attorneys, it is important to have value based pricing. In this profession, most have worked in the industry for a long time and have a lot of experience and expertise, but do not bill clients based on that. A shift in mindset towards billing based on the value you bring to a client is needed to succeed.In this day and age, there has been a shift in having a better work life balance. No one wants to work 80 hour weeks, feel burned out and not enjoy the money they make. Lauren provides advice on how older attorneys can work with the younger generation to learn this. The value of an employee is not the time they spend sitting at a desk, but hitting benchmarks in a time that works for them. For example, an employee may be able to accomplish a task in an hour as opposed to spending their whole work day doing it. That person should not be punished because they did their job quicker. As long as the objective for the business is being met, who cares how fast it took them to complete it. Take a listen to learn more!8:17 Tips for solo attorneys or attorneys starting out to maximize productivity10:49 Tips for managing personal and business life15:45 Discussion of the challenges attorneys face with the billable hour18:33 Advice on how law firm owners can work with the younger generationJim's Hack: Read or listen to $100M Leads: How to Get Strangers to Want to Buy Your Stuff Alex Hormozi https://amzn.to/4998nkvLauren’s Tip: Tech tool called Text Expander, which allows you to create little snippets of things you are constantly writing. Whether it be closing out an email with a signature phrase or acronyms that you need to spell out, the tool allows you to get emails out faster.Tyson Tip: Use Teleprompter when creating videos, which allows you to copy and paste text into it and then adjust the speed.🎥 Watch the full video on YouTube here.Connect with Lauren:WebsiteTikTok LinkedIn Instagram 

Do you want to learn how to become a keyboard wizard? In this episode, Tyson shares an important tip lawyers can use in their practice, which involves using a keyboard. Lawyers are very busy people and usually don't have a lot of time. There are keyboard shortcuts that attorneys can use that will make work more efficient, especially if you do repetitive tasks. Some of these shortcuts include functions like: Copy: Control + C or Command + C to copy Paste: Control + V or Command + V to pasteDelete: On a Mac, you click Command + Delete OR on a PC, you click Command + Shift + Delete.Entire screen screenshot: Click Shift + Command + 3 for a Mac OR on a PC, you select the print screen button on the keyboardThere are some advanced functions that Tyson shares. If you want to quickly lock your screen, you press Command + Q for a PC. If you want to open your emoji keyboard on your screen, it's Control + Command + Space for Mac. For a PC, it is “Windows.Windows;” Another interesting function is looking up a definition. For a Mac, click Command + Control + D, all while hovering above the word you want to look up. For PC, it is Alt + Click.All of these shortcuts take practice to learn and master. Sooner or later, you will be able to use them to streamline your workflows.Listen in to learn how to master using your keyboard!1:10 Why keyboard shortcuts are important for efficiency4:49 Basic keyboard shortcuts for common actions10:11 How to quickly lock the screen on a Mac or PC using keyboard shortcuts11:03 How to quickly show the desktop on a Mac or PC🎥 Watch the full video on YouTube here. Resources:Join the Guild MembershipSubscribe to the Maximum Lawyer Youtube ChannelFollow us on InstagramJoin the Facebook GroupFollow the Facebook PageFollow us on LinkedIn

Are you looking for a way to organize your firm better? In this podcast episode, Tyson discusses the benefits of organizing law firms into pods or teams. Tyson talks about the benefits of splitting up people within law offices to really maximize the talent that exists. Within Tyson’s firm, staff are a part of different teams that are colour coded. Ultimately, it is a way of organizing an agile team that is composed of an attorney, a case manager, and a litigation assistant. There are many reasons why a system like this is effective. One reason is that it allows for clear communication. All members (especially when looking at small teams) know their roles inside and out, which means less chances for misunderstandings and better opportunities for streamlined operations. Looking at the trio of an attorney, case manager and litigation assistant, everyone has a role. The attorney focuses on complex legal stuff, case managers focus on client relations and the litigation assistants focus on the administrative work.At its core, law is the business of people. Pod systems allow for clients to have consistent, attentive services from the same group of people who know and understand their case. This makes the client management aspect of a firm so much better. Clients can trust the people who are helping them in the journey and don't have to worry about talking to different people.Small pods can create a close knit nature among the people who work together. People can deliver better if the dynamic and vibe of a team is top tier!Listen in to learn more about setting up pods in your firm.2:22 The advantages of organizing a law firm into pods4:25 How the pod system allows for seamless coverage7:24 The close-knit nature of pods🎥 Watch the full video on YouTube here. https://youtu.be/hDZi1y_Uc6I Resources:Join the Guild MembershipSubscribe to the Maximum Lawyer Youtube ChannelFollow us on InstagramJoin the Facebook GroupFollow the Facebook PageFollow us on LinkedIn

Are you looking for systems to manage your tasks better? In this episode of the Maximum Lawyer podcast, Ryan Anderson discusses the concept of task-based management in law firms. A lot of people run their business using calendar and email based management. It’s so easy for most because many people use their calendar and email frequently. But, Ryan shares how these methods are not efficient to manage your to do lists. He shares how using task based management systems are the way to go when it comes to staying organized and on top of all your tasks. Ryan shares its own platform, FileVine. FileVine is a task based management system that allows you to know what you have to get done for the day and what you have assigned to other people. So many lawyers have a million things to do from meetings to research to court. Having a system that lays everything out is ideal for this type of work. What makes FileVine and other project management systems so great is you remove the “email me” from your language. Most times, people will say “just email me”, but that can get lost in a flurry of other emails and priorities. With these systems, you can say “task me”. This allows you to task things out quickly to other people. If not, you are emailing, calling and messaging multiple people to get things done.Ryan shares that people should be able to use case management systems with no more than their voice. He announces the creation of a voice interface that FileVine will have. With a voice interface, more tasks and communication will get onto the platform. What this feature does is allow someone to make a call to the platform where an AI bot will answer and ask what you would like to do. Let's say you realize at 10pm that you have to do something right when you get into the office, but you are worried you will forget. Call into the platform and let the AI bot know to leave a task for you and have it added to whatever case file. That way in the morning, you will get a notification that the task is waiting for you.Listen in to learn more!00:24 The concept of task-based management6:31 The benefits of using a task-based management system11:27 Using task-based management to keep track of important information🎥 Watch the full video on YouTube here. Connect with Ryan:WebsiteInstagramFacebookTwitter Linkedin Resources:Join the Guild MembershipSubscribe to the Maximum Lawyer Youtube ChannelFollow us on InstagramJoin the Facebook GroupFollow the Facebook PageFollow us on LinkedIn

Have you thought about what you will do when it’s time to retire and leave your law firm? In this podcast episode, Jim and Tyson interview Victoria Collier, the founder and CEO of Quid Pro Quo. Victoria shares her journey in the legal industry, from being a paralegal in the military to starting and selling her own successful law firm. Tyson, Jim and Victoria discuss the mission of Quid Pro Quo, which is to guide others to finding their path to life after law. This mission encompasses the idea that you need to begin a career with an end in mind. Most attorneys only think about the next paycheck or next client, but don't think about where they will be at the end of the road. For many law firm owners, they will need to sell their business at some point. Victoria shares the idea that the best way to sell when the time comes is to stay low and stay small.Victoria discusses the concept of the “owners box” in a law firm. This is the idea that a firm needs to be separate from the owner. Most times, it is harder to sell a firm if the owner is so closely tied to the business. Being closely tied comes with an owner being too involved or front facing. To move away from this, it is important to have people in between the owner and the business. For example, hiring people to answer phones and schedule appointments. This allows owners to not be chained to their desk. Ultimately, being in the owners box means being the visionary of where a law firm is going to go and building a team to help execute it.There are a few things to consider when selling a law firm at retirement. One thing is ensuring your finances are in order and that you are in the right place to sell. Think about your profit margin and where you will be at retirement. If you don't have enough, you need to think about ways to increase revenue and decrease expenses. Another thing is ensuring you as the owner are a bit removed from the firm, through processes and systems. The whole firm should not revolve around the owner. It is important to maximize the system, processes and people to ensure a firm can run without an owner.In many cases, there will be multiple partners of a law firm. Victoria talks about how to address an attorney who wants to be a partner. It is important to consider if this individual will add value to your firm and that they have the best intentions. Ask a potential partner why they want to join and how they will make the firm the best it can be.Listen in to learn more!3:19 Victoria shares the mission of her company, Quid Pro Quo10:32 Being in the owner's box12:26 Considerations for selling a law firm23:49 Associates expressing interest in becoming partners27:23 Focus on developing leadership skillsJim's Hack: Sign up for Gary Falkowitz masterclass on intake and client advocacy, which helps people fix their intake systems at www.maxintake.comVictoria’s Tip: Start learning about leadership instead of management and how to be a great leader versus a manager.Tysons Tip: Read “Getting Things Done” by David Allen. The book has a lot of practical tips to help get organized.🎥 Watch the full video on YouTube here. Connect with Victoria:Website Facebook Group LinkedInInstagram

Would you like to learn more about sharing Youtube videos more efficiently? In this episode, Tyson shares a tech tip on how to link a specific time to a Youtube video.If you are sending a video to a client, it can be helpful to inform them of a specific part so they do not waste time watching the whole video (that is if they don’t need to). It is all about making it easier for your clients. On the desktop browser, all you do is go to the Youtube video, move the cursor of your mouse to the part of the video that needs to be shared, click the share button under the video, select “Start at” (make sure the time listed is correct), select copy and then paste the link it to an email or text thread.At the end of the day, it is important that attorneys make processes that are simple and efficient. This will ultimately help clients understand what is happening with their cases.Listen in to learn more!00:24 The benefits of linking to a specific time in a YouTube video2:16 Step-by-step instructions on how to link to a specific time in a YouTube video10:11 The benefits of sending a specific segment of a YouTube video to clients🎥 Watch the full video on YouTube here. Resources:Join the Guild MembershipSubscribe to the Maximum Lawyer Youtube ChannelFollow us on InstagramJoin the Facebook GroupFollow the Facebook PageFollow us on LinkedIn

Do you find yourself wasting time between meetings? In this episode, Tyson shares a time management technique called "attacking the open space" that he learned from his friend Jason Selk & Tom Bartow . Lawyers are very busy people who usually never have any time. With juggling client meetings, research for cases and court prep, there are many tips to use to maximize the time you have. Tyson shares the technique “attacking the open space” which means using the leftover time you have in your calendar to complete a task on your to-do list. For example, if you have a 60 minute client call and you finish early with 15 minutes left to spare, use that time to tackle a quick task.“Attacking that time” allows attorneys to get a lot of things done. The amount of time could vary from 2 minutes to 30 minutes, depending on how busy a schedule is. Tackle that time by responding to an email from a client, setting up a meeting to follow up with a partner or conducting some quick research for a case.It is all about maximizing your productivity!Take a listen.1:19 How to identify and utilize the open spaces in your calendar2:25 The technique of attacking the open space in your calendar4:13 Understanding how different salary ranges view time in varying units🎥 Watch the full video on YouTube here. Resources:Join the Guild MembershipSubscribe to the Maximum Lawyer Youtube ChannelFollow us on InstagramJoin the Facebook GroupFollow the Facebook PageFollow us on LinkedIn

Do you need virtual support for your law firm? In this podcast episode, Daniel Maxwell, an attorney with Amicus Settlement Planners, discusses the benefits of hiring and training virtual assistants (VAs) for law firms. Daniel talks about how hiring internationally located individuals as VAs can help businesses grow and prosper. Many people have fears with hiring VAs, especially ones that live halfway across the world. Daniel says business owners need to move from problem centric thinking to solution focused thinking in order to get over these fears. Thinking about how a VA will help your company instead of what potential issues exist will lead to success. What makes outsourcing work to VAs in other countries beneficial is that people can be working at different times of the day. Daniel shares how he will provide a list of tasks to his VAs before he goes to bed and they are complete when he wakes up.For many business owners, the question can be where to find the best VAs. Daniel shares the three ways to find VAs: hiring direct, using a freelance marketplace or using a VA staffing firm. It is important to not get stuck in this step. Choose a route to find a VA and follow through. If one method does not work to your liking, try a different one later on. Daniel stresses the importance of hiring a VA for one task. Not all VAs will be able to do everything and that is totally fine. For example, if you need help with invoicing, hire a VA solely for invoicing so they can focus and master that skill. If there are other tasks that they can do down the line, allow them to branch out.Something to add to your recruitment process is having potential VAs complete a test task. This task should be similar to the work that person would be doing if they were to come on board with your firm. This will narrow down potential hires and sift out those who are not the right fit. It is also important to have a good standard operation procedure (SOP) for VAs to follow so everything is done in the way it needs to. Some examples include access to software or templates to complete work or a video demo on how to complete a task. This all helps VAs become familiar with how you run your firm and decreases the chance of a VA not knowing what to do.Communicating with your VAs regularly is important. Pick a standard channel, whether it be email, Slack or Asana. Communicating new tasks is also crucial to ensure the VA understands how things work. When you are providing a new task, record a video demonstration so the VA can refer back to it.Listen in to learn more on hiring VAs!1:20 Daniel addresses the fears and concerns that may be holding law firms back6:07 The different options for finding and hiring virtual assistants9:09 Tips on filtering and hiring virtual assistants10:14 The importance of having standard operating procedures (SOPs)14:07 The benefits of investing in virtual assistants🎥 Watch the full video on YouTube here.Connect with Daniel:Website TwitterFacebook Linkedin Youtube Resources:Join the Guild MembershipSubscribe to the Maximum Lawyer Youtube ChannelFollow us on InstagramJoin the Facebook GroupFollow the Facebook PageFollow us on LinkedIn

Do you need help in building toughness within yourself? In this podcast episode, Jim and Tyson interview mental toughness expert Steve Magness. They discuss the misconceptions about resilience and how to build true toughness. True ResilienceSteve talks about the thing people get wrong about resilience. Many people think resilience means putting your head down, grinding through anything and not letting emotions get in your way. But, resilience really is navigating discomfort and uncertainty and figuring out ways to decide what is best for you. Navigating new territory is scary and many people get anxious or scared if they don't know what to do. Steve shares that if you do something repetitively in which you are putting yourself in uncomfortable situations, your brain will adjust. It's all about looking for easy ways into that space.True ToughnessLike resilience, many people get true toughness wrong. Toughness is about developing inner strength in order to choose doing something that is difficult. Whether it be lifting weights or running a marathon, there is an inner strength that is needed in order to decide if you are going to do it. There are ways to foster toughness within people and Steve speaks to law firm owners on how best to do it. One thing is giving staff a sense of autonomy, in which people feel they can actively contribute to their teams. Another thing is competency, in which staff have a path to grow and learn.Staff ConnectionsIt is so important to make and keep connections, especially while working virtually. It is easy to feel isolated when working from home and working with people who you never see face to face. Steve provides some insight on how to maintain these relationships. Before virtual work became the norm, there were water cooler talks and coffee breaks where people would get together and get to know one another on a personal level. Since most of that has gone away, Steve emphasizes the importance of finding ways to bring those in between moments back. One way is to spend 5-10 minutes at the beginning of meetings to share updates on what is going on in your life. Maybe ask a colleague how their vacation went or what they got up to on the weekend.Take a listen to learn more!1:30 Steve Magnus discusses the misconceptions about resilience.3:13 How controlled stressors can help build mental toughness and resilience.14:39 How leaders can foster internal confidence and toughness.21:37 Tips on how to foster connection and belonging in the virtual workplace.Jim's Hack: If there is something that you're struggling with, look at the people who have succeeded at doing that thing and do what they do. Steve’s Tip: Get outside for a couple minutes, even if it is to just look at something natural. Getting outside has a restorative ability to your cognition. It will help get rid of some of that fatigue and help you perform better.Tysons Tip: Think about how you work and where you're working. Think about reconfiguring things to a way that makes more sense for how you operate and it may help you work more efficiently.Links mentionedBook: Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness by Steve Magness🎥 Watch the full video on YouTube here.