Un-Billable Hour: Business Management Strategies for the Busy Lawyer Around the Community Table

What do Silicon Valley tech companies do that law firms should consider implementing in their business practices? In this episode, host Christopher Anderson talks to Sarah Schaaf, CEO of Headnote, about the key things law firms can learn from tech companies to improve how they operate. They get into the details of how firms can consider data, speed, and ongoing streamlining to allocate firm resources responsibly and efficiently.

Christopher Anderson talks to Bryan Miles, CEO of Belay Solutions, about his book “Virtual Culture, The Way We Work Doesn’t Work Anymore, a Manifesto.” They discuss the challenges of the traditional workplace and outline how Belay Solutions has grown up as an exclusively virtual company. They give advice on how to develop virtual culture in a firm and discuss how virtual assistants can help lawyers focus on what really matters.

How effective is your law firm in its communications? Responsiveness is key, and utilizing a virtual receptionist may help your firm increase efficiency and boost customer satisfaction. Host Christopher Anderson talks to Maddy Martin of Smith.ai about steps small law firms can take to improve their communication. They discuss the many ways virtual receptionists can enhance the capabilities of small law firms and how these services can be customized to serve each firm’s unique needs.

Host Christopher Anderson is joined by Dr. Teresa Albizu, founder and co-president of the R-A Pinnacle Group and Dr. Gerardo (Gery) Rodríguez-Menéndez, co-president of the R-A Pinnacle Group as they discuss attorney wellness, how to see the signs, strategies on how to cope with stress, and when an individual should seek help.

Host Christopher Anderson talks to Andrew Lechter about how lawyers can be wise about leasing their work space. From maintaining a healthy relationship with your landlord to trends in the real estate market, there’s a lot that goes into leasing your own office space. Andrew shares tips about what lawyers should look for in a law firm lease, how to maximize the space you have, and what to do with office space that isn’t working for your business.

Hiring the right employee involves a lot more than looking at a resume. Host Christopher Anderson talks to Molly Hall about the best ways to find and hire quality employees. She shares tips on how to conduct interviews, weed out ill-fitting candidates, and compete with larger firms for talent. She also discusses best practices when letting go of employees that don’t fit.

More clients for less ad spend seems like a distant ideal, but artificial intelligence (AI) may be the tool lawyers need to get their ads in front of the right people. Host Christopher Anderson talks to Keith Dyer about how law firms can use AI to improve their marketing efforts. They discuss the three different types of AI (robotics, natural language processing, and machine learning), their capabilities, and how they could impact the future of legal marketing.

All lawyers want to get paid but keeping track of billable hours can be a challenge for solo and small firm lawyers. Inevitably, some hours may through the cracks resulting in a loss of potential money. Host Christopher Anderson talks to Alan Tuback about techniques and tools that can help lawyers keep track of their billable hours. They also discuss using practice management software to track time and other easy-to-implement software solutions for an overall efficient firm.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is vital if you want your website to be found by the right clients. But SEO can be difficult to understand to those who don’t specialize in online marketing. Host Christopher Anderson talks to Seth Price about the four main components of SEO including high quality content, authoritative links, correct coding, and local. They also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of taking on a website redesign and identify the differences between good and bad links.

Host Christopher Anderson talks to Tyler Todd about the access to justice problem and how blockchain and other technology could be the key to solving it. They discuss the common issues within access to justice like lawyers not being able to connect with consumers, and how blockchain addresses these issues with transparency, efficiency, and accountability.