There are three important things to leverage to make your law business easier to manage: (1) The Tetris Business Model; (2) the power of short phrases, single words and even single letters; and (3) the importance of focusing on curiosity over opinions. Let’s talk about how these things relate to each other and to your business as a whole. Exactly What To Say (the magic words for influence and impact), by Phil M. Jones General Resources Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource: https://www.the8020lawyer.com/ Focus on these essential tech tools for maximum traction in your practice. Take this short law practice assessment to identify your main strengths & weaknesses. Thanks to Our Sponsor Smith.ai; is an amazing virtual receptionist service that specializes in working with solo and small law firms. When you hire Smith.ai; you’re actually hiring well-trained, friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish. Then can screen callers (obviously) but they do much more. Like create appointments and accept payments if you charge for initial consults (which you should!). And they do this 7 days a week. The best part is they don’t just handle these conversations by phone — they also have 24/7 live agents and chatbots capturing leads on websites and via text message (even via Facebook Messenger). If there’s one great outsourcing opportunity for your practice, this is it. Let Smith.ai have your back while you stay focused on your work, knowing that your clients and prospects are being taken care of. Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. And they have a special offer for podcast listeners where you can get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up for a free trial now (and learn more) at www.smith.ai;. As they say, “don’t let another day go by without trying Smith.ai.” EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at emeraldcitypro.com  

Below are the resources Ernie discussed in this episode. How to use free online “billboards” to market your practice, blog post by Ernie (summarizes the points covered in the podcast) Loom video demo- (Ernie demonstrates how he tweaks his LinkedIn “headline” bio on his iPhone) Linktr.ee service-Allows you to bundle several link sources and link to a page that hosts those links. Also allows you to track how many clicks each link gets. Here are the character limits for some popular online platforms: LinkedIn Headline (120), Instagram (150), Twitter (160), Facebook (101) Character Counter- A free web tool for calculating the number of characters in text. 10 LinkedIn Profile Summaries We Love- By Kate Reilly (2019) General Resources Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource: https://www.the8020lawyer.com/ Focus on these essential tech tools for maximum traction in your practice. Take this short law practice assessment to identify your main strengths & weaknesses. Thanks to Our Sponsors Smith.ai is a superior virtual receptionist service for small businesses. They specialize in working with solo and small law firms. Smith.ai offers friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish, screen and schedule new leads, and even take payment for consults. And they do this 7 days a week 24 hours a day! And they don’t just handle conversations by phone — they also have 24/7 live agents and chatbots capturing leads on websites and via text message (even Facebook Messenger). If there’s one growth hack for your practice, this is it. Smith’s friendly gatekeepers can staff your front lines while you work uninterrupted. You can finally have the peace of mind that while you’re working, knowing that you’re not missing out on future work. Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. They even offer a totally free chatbot, so there’s no excuse! Try Smith.ai today and see for yourself why attorneys like Justie Nicol in Colorado say Smith.ai receptionists are the “secret to business growth and client happiness.” Smith.ai offers a free trial, and podcast listeners get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up and learn more at www.smith.ai. EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at emeraldcitypro.com  

Frameworks (or “mental models”) help you better leverage high-value information, such as the kind you’ll find in books like the ones I discuss in this episode. And when you’re organizing information you should consider using tags as much as possible (and be aware of how they are better than folders or notebooks). Evernote For Lawyers, by David Ward The Effective Executive, by Peter Drucker The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman (this website has all the information for free) General Resources Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource: https://www.the8020lawyer.com/ Focus on these essential tech tools for maximum traction in your practice. Take this short law practice assessment to identify your main strengths & weaknesses. Thanks to Our Sponsors Smith.ai is a superior virtual receptionist service for small businesses. They specialize in working with solo and small law firms. Smith.ai offers friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish, screen and schedule new leads, and even take payment for consults. And they do this 7 days a week 24 hours a day! And they don’t just handle conversations by phone — they also have 24/7 live agents and chatbots capturing leads on websites and via text message (even Facebook Messenger). If there’s one growth hack for your practice, this is it. Smith’s friendly gatekeepers can staff your front lines while you work uninterrupted. You can finally have the peace of mind that while you’re working, knowing that you’re not missing out on future work. Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. They even offer a totally free chatbot, so there’s no excuse! Try Smith.ai today and see for yourself why attorneys like Justie Nicol in Colorado say Smith.ai; receptionists are the “secret to business growth and client happiness.” Smith.ai; offers a free trial, and podcast listeners get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up and learn more at www.smith.ai. Trust me when I say, “Don’t let another day go by!” Try Smith.ai. EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

If you feel like you have too many responsibilities, tasks or things you’re “supposed to do,” then you’re probably feeling anxious. The key to ridding yourself of this kind of anxiety is learning to zoom out and put things in a larger context. In short, greater perspective will cure harmful perfectionism. Meditopia; - meditation app that I use and recommend Traction, by Gino Wickman (a great book about business fundamentals) Melissa Shanahan’s website (Melissa is a fabulous coach for solo and small firm attorneys) Melissa Shanahan’s podcast (start getting her best guidance for free) Tim Ferriss video on how to read books efficiently. General Resources Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource: https://www.the8020lawyer.com/ Focus on these essential tech tools for maximum traction in your practice. Take this short law practice assessment to identify your main strengths & weaknesses. Thanks to Our Sponsors Smith.ai; is a superior virtual receptionist service for small businesses. They specialize in working with solo and small law firms. Smith.ai; offers friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish, screen and schedule new leads, and even take payment for consults. And they do this 7 days a week 24 hours a day! And they don’t just handle conversations by phone — they also have 24/7 live agents and chatbots capturing leads on websites and via text message (even Facebook Messenger). If there’s one growth hack for your practice, this is it. Smith’s friendly gatekeepers can staff your front lines while you work uninterrupted. You can finally have the peace of mind that while you’re working, knowing that you’re not missing out on future work. Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. They even offer a totally free chatbot, so there’s no excuse! Try Smith.ai today and see for yourself why attorneys like Justie Nicol in Colorado say Smith.ai; receptionists are the “secret to business growth and client happiness.” Smith.ai; offers a free trial, and podcast listeners get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up and learn more at www.smith.ai;. Trust me when I say, “Don’t let another day go by!” Try Smith.ai; . EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

Show Notes While some prospects want to talk to a person at the law firm, many want answers to questions without having to book a call. For example, in family law situations, many clients want to ask questions by texting so their soon-to-be ex-spouse won’t overhear. So chatbots are being widely adopted. And there are lots of options to investigate but only one company, Gideon, is focused 100% on the legal market. My good friend, Jared Correia co-founded Gideon after many years working as a law practice management advisor to solo and small firms. General Resources Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource: https://www.the8020lawyer.com/ Focus on these essential tech tools for maximum traction in your practice. Take this short law practice assessment to identify your main strengths & weaknesses. Thanks to Our Sponsor Smith.ai; is a superior virtual receptionist service for small businesses. They specialize in working with solo and small law firms. Smith.ai; offers friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish, screen and schedule new leads, and even take payment for consults. And they do this 7 days a week 24 hours a day! And they don’t just handle conversations by phone — they also have 24/7 live agents and chatbots capturing leads on websites and via text message (even Facebook Messenger). If there’s one growth hack for your practice, this is it. Smith’s friendly gatekeepers can staff your front lines while you work uninterrupted. You can finally have the peace of mind that while you’re working, knowing that you’re not missing out on future work. Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. They even offer a totally free chatbot, so there’s no excuse! Try Smith.ai today and see for yourself why attorneys like Justie Nicol in Colorado say Smith.ai; receptionists are the “secret to business growth and client happiness.” Smith.ai; offers a free trial, and podcast listeners get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up and learn more at www.smith.ai;. Trust me when I say, “Don’t let another day go by!” Try Smith.ai; . EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

Learning to systematize your practice isn’t that hard, and so it helps to hear how other lawyers are tackling this important aspect of running their businesses. Jeff Lewis is quite thoughtful and incisive because he just spent time focusing on developing systems in Ernie’s new course on systems building. Jeff Lewis is co-host of the California Appellate Law Podcast. The Power of A System, John Fisher’s book TextExpander;, amazing keyboard macro tool Wisetime;, time tracking app Jeff mentioned that syncs with Clio; Tiago Forte, online productivity coach The P.A.R.A. organizational method taught by Tiago Forte Notion;, the organizational tool that Jeff is now captivated by Zapier;, the online automation connection tool for cloud-based services (here is a link to Ernie’s developing list of Zapier automations for lawyers) General Resources Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource: https://www.the8020lawyer.com/ Focus on these essential tech tools for maximum traction in your practice. Take this short law practice assessment to identify your main strengths & weaknesses. Thanks to Our Sponsors Smith.ai; is a superior virtual receptionist service for small businesses. They specialize in working with solo and small law firms. Smith.ai; offers friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish, screen and schedule new leads, and even take payment for consults. And they do this 7 days a week 24 hours a day! And they don’t just handle conversations by phone — they also have 24/7 live agents and chatbots capturing leads on websites and via text message (even Facebook Messenger). If there’s one growth hack for your practice, this is it. Smith’s friendly gatekeepers can staff your front lines while you work uninterrupted. You can finally have the peace of mind that while you’re working, knowing that you’re not missing out on future work. Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. They even offer a totally free chatbot, so there’s no excuse! Try Smith.ai today and see for yourself why attorneys like Justie Nicol in Colorado say Smith.ai; receptionists are the “secret to business growth and client happiness.” Smith.ai; offers a free trial, and podcast listeners get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up and learn more at www.smith.ai;. Trust me when I say, “Don’t let another day go by!” Try Smith.ai; . AND… Tracers; Gathering information is important for lawyers, especially lawyers who do litigation. As you no doubt know, law doesn’t win cases, facts do, and often one or two key facts can make or break a case. Key facts are tied to witnesses who sometimes are elusive. Key facts can involve things about your client that they conveniently “forget” to tell you. And for sure key facts are incriminating things about the opposing party. Key facts can be in social media or any number of public databases. So how do you find the key facts quickly and easily? Well, you can find them but not usually quickly and easily. Even the publicly available information is strewn about in lots of different public records or online locations that you can’t find using one Google search. So stop trying to use Google and don’t waste time, energy, or money. Use Tracers; instead. That’s how you can get cost-effective access to asset records, social media posts, and detailed background information on anyone of interest to you or your client. The cost is based on a “pay per search” pricing with a $39 monthly minimum. The searches aren’t super expensive so you might only spend $39 per month and be able to do a few searches. But however much you use it you can expense the cost to your client matter because it’s an essential service. I recommend that every lawyer at least sign up , learn what it can do, and get used to having an amazing resource at your fingertips. If you use the promo code Ernie100 the first $100 of your search will be free. EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

Evernote is for lawyers as much as it is for anyone else. And no lawyer knows more about using it well than David Ward (the author of Evernote for Lawyers). David shares his insights about how to get more organized with Evernote. But he's also is a thoughtful student of marketing, which many lawyers find daunting. He explains that successful marketing is merely an extension of who you are and not so much something you have to spend a lot of time doing. Show Notes The Attorney Marketing Center, David Ward’s website Evernote For Lawyers, book by David Ward Email marketing for lawyers course, by David Ward General Resources Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource: https://www.the8020lawyer.com/ Focus on these essential tech tools for maximum traction in your practice. Take this short law practice assessment to identify your main strengths & weaknesses. Thanks to Our Sponsors SweetProcess is a great way to document your important workflows. Doing so will help make your practice run more smoothly, and require less involvement on your part to keep things running smoothly. The best way to understand how SweetProcess will help streamline your firm is to start using it. The company offers a 14-day free trial, but as a loyal listener of this podcast, you can try it for 28-days free of charge. And you don’t even have to enter a credit card to get started. Just navigate to SweetProcess.com/ernie to start your 28-day free trial today. And thanks to the other sponsor of this podcast… Smith.ai is an amazing virtual receptionist service that specializes in working with solo and small law firms. When you hire Smith.ai you’re actually hiring well-trained, friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish. If there’s one great outsourcing opportunity for your practice, this is it. Let Smith.ai have your back while you stay focused on your work, knowing that your clients and prospects are being taken care of. Plans start at $210/month for 30 calls and pricing starts at $140 for 20 chats, with overage at $7 per chat. They offer a risk-free start with a 14-day money-back guarantee on all receptionist and live chat plans including add-ons (up to $1000). And they have a special offer for podcast listeners where you can get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up for a risk-free start with a 14-day money-back guarantee now (and learn more) at smith.ai. EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at EmeraldCity Pro

Show Notes Craig Ball is a highly successful plaintiff’s lawyer who became a nationally respected computer forensic examiner. He is currently teaching a course on digital evidence at Tulane Law School. He teaches regularly at the University of Texas Law School (his alma mater) and Georgetown University Law Center, among other places. Visit Craig’s website (or get his curriculum vitae here) Visit this website for Craig’s articles on electronic discovery and computer forensics. Watch Craig’s presentation on digital evidence. Get his article on PowerPoint persuasion. Follow him on Twitter (he’s witty, funny;, and sometimes informative;) General Resources Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource: https://www.the8020lawyer.com/ Focus on these essential tech tools for maximum traction in your practice. Take this short law practice assessment to identify your main strengths & weaknesses. Follow and Review: We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast. Thanks to My Sponsor Smith.ai Smith.ai is an amazing virtual receptionist service that specializes in working with solo and small law firms. When you hire Smith.ai, you’re hiring well-trained, friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish. If there’s one great outsourcing opportunity for your practice, this is it. Let Smith.ai have your back while you stay focused on your work, knowing that your clients and prospects are being taken care of. Plans start at $210/month for 30 calls, and pricing starts at $140 for 20 chats, with overage at $7 per chat. They offer a risk-free start with a 14-day money-back guarantee on all receptionist and live chat plans, including add-ons (up to $1000). And they have a special offer for podcast listeners where you can get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up for a risk-free start with a 14-day money-back guarantee now (and learn more) at smith.ai. Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com   

Streamlining and improving your key workflows can result in improved revenues and profits for your firm, like Lori Gonzales discussed in this blog post (i.e. 260% revenue increase for a solo practitioner in less than six months. As she said, just being curious about how to leverage technology can propel you forward in astonishing ways. And I believe if you’re curious about using a new app on your smartphone that can transcribe what you say, or what everyone in a meeting says you’ll become exponentially more efficient. Otter.ai; website My Otter Referral link(gives you access to Premium features for 30 days, which unlocks ability to record meetings longer than 40 minutes & more) Loom recording of me demonstrating the use of Otter on my iPhone General Resources Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource: https://www.the8020lawyer.com/ Focus on these essential tech tools for maximum traction in your practice. Take this short law practice assessment to identify your main strengths & weaknesses. Thanks to Our Sponsors Smith.ai is a superior virtual receptionist service for small businesses. They specialize in working with solo and small law firms. Smith.ai offers friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish, screen and schedule new leads, and even take payment for consults.   And they do this 7 days a week. The best part is they don't just handle these conversations by phone -- they also have 24/7 live agents and chatbots capturing leads on websites and via text message (even via Facebook Messenger). If there's one growth hack for your practice, this is it. Smith's friendly gatekeepers can staff your front lines while you work uninterrupted. You can finally have the peace of mind that while you're working, you're not missing out on future work.   Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. They even offer a totally free chatbot, so there's no excuse! Try Smith.ai today and see for yourself why attorneys like Justie Nicol in Colorado say Smith.ai receptionists are the "secret to business growth and client happiness."   Smith.ai offers a free trial, and podcast listeners get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up and learn more at www.smith.ai. Trust me when I say, "Don't let another day go by!" Try Smith.ai. AND... Tracers Gathering information is important for lawyers, especially lawyers who do litigation. As you no doubt know, law doesn't win cases, facts do, and often one or two key facts can make or break a case. Key facts are tied to witnesses who sometimes are elusive. Key facts can involve things about your client that they conveniently “forget” to tell you. And for sure key facts are incriminating things about the opposing party. Key facts can be in social media or any number of public databases. So how do you find the key facts quickly and easily? Well, you can find them but not usually quickly and easily. Even the publicly available information is strewn about in lots of different public records or online locations that you can’t find using one Google search. So stop trying to use Google and don’t waste time, energy, or money. Use Tracers instead. That’s how you can get cost-effective access to asset records, social media posts, and detailed background information on anyone of interest to you or your client. The cost is based on a “pay per search” pricing with a $39 monthly minimum. The searches aren’t super expensive so you might only spend $39 per month and be able to do a few searches. But however much you use it you can expense the cost to your client matter because it’s an essential service. I recommend that every lawyer at least sign up, learn what it can do, and get used to having an amazing resource at your fingertips. If you use the promo code Ernie100 the first $100 of your search will be free. EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com   

Information overload created by digital technology causes us a lot of anxiety. But the real source of trouble is less obvious. Once you get clear about the root cause of anxiety you can better understand how to counteract it. Information Anxiety, by Richard Saul Wurman (an invaluable guidebook for dealing with data overload) General Resources Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource: https://www.the8020lawyer.com/ Focus on these essential tech tools for maximum traction in your practice. Take this short law practice assessment to identify your main strengths & weaknesses. Thanks to Our Sponsors Smith.ai is a superior virtual receptionist service for small businesses. They specialize in working with solo and small law firms. Smith.ai offers friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish, screen and schedule new leads, and even take payment for consults.   And they do this 7 days a week. The best part is they don't just handle these conversations by phone -- they also have 24/7 live agents and chatbots capturing leads on websites and via text message (even via Facebook Messenger). If there's one growth hack for your practice, this is it. Smith's friendly gatekeepers can staff your front lines while you work uninterrupted. You can finally have the peace of mind that while you're working, you're not missing out on future work.   Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. They even offer a totally free chatbot, so there's no excuse! Try Smith.ai today and see for yourself why attorneys like Justie Nicol in Colorado say Smith.ai receptionists are the "secret to business growth and client happiness."   Smith.ai offers a free trial, and podcast listeners get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up and learn more at www.smith.ai. Trust me when I say, "Don't let another day go by!" Try Smith.ai. AND... Tracers Gathering information is important for lawyers, especially lawyers who do litigation. As you no doubt know, law doesn't win cases, facts do, and often one or two key facts can make or break a case. Key facts are tied to witnesses who sometimes are elusive. Key facts can involve things about your client that they conveniently “forget” to tell you. And for sure key facts are incriminating things about the opposing party. Key facts can be in social media or any number of public databases. So how do you find the key facts quickly and easily? Well, you can find them but not usually quickly and easily. Even the publicly available information is strewn about in lots of different public records or online locations that you can’t find using one Google search. So stop trying to use Google and don’t waste time, energy, or money. Use Tracers instead. That’s how you can get cost-effective access to asset records, social media posts, and detailed background information on anyone of interest to you or your client. The cost is based on a “pay per search” pricing with a $39 monthly minimum. The searches aren’t super expensive so you might only spend $39 per month and be able to do a few searches. But however much you use it you can expense the cost to your client matter because it’s an essential service. I recommend that every lawyer at least sign up, learn what it can do, and get used to having an amazing resource at your fingertips. If you use the promo code Ernie100 the first $100 of your search will be free. EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com