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

For growing solo and small firms, deciding when to use billable resources to hire new employees can be a challenge. Greg Garman talks about when firms should hire freelance lawyers to help them fill in the gaps. What are the benefits and functions of freelance lawyers?

There’s a lot of talk about practice management software in legal circles, but what is it and how can it serve your law firm? In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, host Christopher Anderson and PracticePanther CEO David Bitton dive into the details of just how practice management software can lead to a more focused and efficient law firm. From client portals to document generation, they discuss the key benefits of practice management software and how they enhance the client experience. David Bitton is the CEO of PracticePanther, a management and billing software solution that is specially catered to users in the legal profession. Special thanks to our sponsors, Answer1, Solo Practice University, and Scorpion.

There are systems to help you run every part of a small law firm, whether it’s billing, marketing, or hiring. But what are systems and how do you implement them in your practice? In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, host Christopher Anderson talks to Kristen David about the importance of using systems and how they help law firm owners, staff, and even clients. They discuss crafting checklists, freeing up time, and how systems are sometimes resisted. They also share tips on how an owner can free up their time. Kristen David is law firm management and marketing advisor for How To Manage a Small Law Firm. Special thanks to our sponsors, Answer1, Solo Practice University, and Scorpion.

The mindset of a leader can affect an entire team and how they perform. This is especially true in law firms. In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, host Christopher Anderson talks to Michael Mogill about the seven mindset habits that lawyers can use to run a more successful and cohesive law firm: Ambition Engagement Accountability Respectfulness Openness to change Openness to learn Set clear expectations They go into detail about the strategies and benefits of each habit while also discussing the difference between a growth or fixed mindset. Michael Mogill is the president and CEO of Crisp Video Group, a national legal video marketing company that produces high-quality and engaging legal videos for attorneys all over the country. Special thanks to our sponsors, Answer1, Solo Practice University, and Scorpion.

Currently, there are at least 900 different kinds of cryptocurrencies being traded on the internet. As they have grown in popularity, it has become clear that cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology will inevitably impact the way law is practiced. In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, host Christopher Anderson talks to Joshua Lenon about blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and why it is essential for lawyers to know what these technologies are and how they work. They discuss how blockchain can perfect the authentication of digital files and how lawyers can start to accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as payment. Joshua Lenon is an attorney who currently serves as lawyer-in-residence for Clio, providing legal scholarship and research skills to the cloud-based practice management platform. Special thanks to our sponsors, Answer1, Solo Practice University, and Scorpion.

Everybody hates those merciless sales emails that fill up your already packed inbox, but marketing via emails and phone calls is an important part of bringing clients through the door. As the owner of a legal business, what’s the best way to balance selling your services and being a lawyer? In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, host Chris Anderson talks to Michael Chasin about what lawyers should be doing to turn leads into clients. They discuss how important it is to create internal processes to handle incoming clients and provide them with the best legal experience possible in order to keep them coming back. Michael Chasin is CEO of Lexicata, a CRM and client intake software designed to help law firms and lawyers increase client satisfaction. Special thanks to our sponsors, Answer1, Solo Practice University, and Scorpion.

Everyone has had technology issues. Whether it’s yanking paper out of your printer, restarting your computer for the fifth time this week, or struggling to open certain kinds of files, no law firm operates free from technology challenges. In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, host Chris Anderson talks to Tom Lambotte, CEO of GlobalMacIT, about the effect different technology mindsets have on legal businesses. Some of these mindsets include ignoring smaller tech problems, avoiding issues until they are severe, and lawyers acting as their own IT experts. Ultimately, technology can save you time and money but only if you look at it with a healthy mindset. Tom Lambotte founded GlobalMacIT in 2007. He is renowned nationwide as an author, speaker, trusted IT advisor, and cutting edge, successful provider of the #1 complete end-to-end IT solution for Mac-Based Law Firms in the world. Special thanks to our sponsor, Answer1 and Solo Practice University.

In order to run a law firm successfully, you need clients and one of the most effective ways to get clients is through referrals, but what’s the best way to get referrals? In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, host Christopher Anderson and guest Vikram Rajan, co-founder of PhoneBlogger.net, lay out the four Cs of referability, which are: Credibility Customer service Content Connections They also discuss testimonials, how to get them, and their key benefits in legal marketing. Vikram Rajan is a co-founder of PhoneBlogger.net. He started Practice Marketing Advisors and its blog because he realized attorneys, CPAs, and related professionals required specialized marketing help. Special thanks to our sponsor, Answer1 and Solo Practice University.

In order to be a good lawyer, you first need clients. And to get clients, you need good marketing. Unfortunately, there aren’t a whole lot of marketing courses at law school. So in this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, host Christopher Anderson discusses way to market your law firm with LexBlog CEO Kevin O’Keefe, including how to use social media strategically, online networking, and using technology to facilitate and simplify your marketing process. According to Kevin, marketing is a conversation that involves building relevant relationships and setting goals for your particular business. Tune in for insights on various social media platforms and the best times and situations for each. Kevin O’Keefe is the founder and CEO of LexBlog, a pioneer company that helps lawyers with online marketing and blogs.

So there’s an ice cream shop. This ice cream shop is used to serving quality ice cream to its customers, but recently their vendor has cheated them out of their usual delicious product. But since this is a small business, they can’t cover the cost of litigation even though they have a solid case. What do they do? In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, recorded at ABA TECHSHOW 2017, host Christopher Anderson talks to Joshua Lenon and Eva Shang about Legalist, a form of litigation finance underwriting for commercial cases based on algorithms and data. Together they discuss why Legalist was created, how it works, and its integration with Clio. Joshua Lenon is an attorney who currently serves as lawyer-in-residence for Clio, providing legal scholarship and research skills to the leading cloud-based practice management platform. Eva Shang is the co-founder of Legalist, a service dedicated to finance underwriting for litigation. Special thanks to our sponsor, Answer1 and Solo Practice University.