The 80/20 Principle

David Sparks is a solo business lawyer in Orange County, California. He’s been a frequent speaker at bar association conferences around the country, including the ABA TECHSHOW, where he helps lawyers learn to better harness the power of technology to make their practices run more smoothly, with less effort. David is a well-known speaker, author, and podcaster (i.e. Mac Power Users, Automators;, and Focussed; podcasts). He loves jazz and is looking forward to participating in the Small Firm Bootcamp where he will be a featured speaker. Omnifocus; - Project & Task management software used and recommended by David Sanebox; - Intelligent email filtering and automation used and recommended by David Basecamp; - cloud-based project management software that David uses to share data with clients and his team Dragon Dictation software - used by David even though the company says it will no longer support the Mac version. Signup for the (now) 100% Virtual Small Firm Bootcamp 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 My Sponsor Smith.ai; is a superior receptionist service for law firms that also helps you convert first-time callers or website visitors into paying clients. They also offer a free AI Chatbot that provides 24/7 service on your website. Ernie appreciates the superior service they provide to his callers and web visitors, and you will too. And if you’re curious about how a virtual receptionist service can help you take your practice to the next level, check out this ebook. 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   

How would your best accountant friend recommend you streamline your law firm's management of bookkeeping, accounting, and general finances? Listen & find out... Show Notes Amanda Aguillard has been a Certified Public Accountant since 2001. She holds a Masters Degree in Taxation from the University of Denver, and loves helping small law firms (and other small businesses) improve their financial data handling and accounting (especially by harnessing useful technologies). Aguillard Accounting - Amanda’s main business website Amanda’s Training Service for accountants and bookkeepers Xero; - online accounting service recommended by Amanda Quickbooks online - online accounting service by Intuit Zapier; - connect cloud services and create mind-blowing automations MileIQ; - automated vehicle mileage tracking app HubDoc; - automatically imports financial data to Quickbooks, Xero and Box (now owned by Xero) 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 My Sponsor Smith.ai; is a superior receptionist service for law firms that also helps you convert first-time callers or website visitors into paying clients. They also offer a free AI Chatbot that provides 24/7 service on your website. Ernie appreciates the superior service they provide to his callers and web visitors, and you will too. And if you’re curious about how a virtual receptionist service can help you take your practice to the next level, check out this ebook. 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   

Ernie interviews Mark Homer about effective marketing for small law firms, and how he helps his lawyer clients get better noticed and found, online and offline. Show Notes Mark Homer’s GNGF website (GNGF stands for “get noticed, get found”) Online Law Practice Strategies: How to Turn Clicks Into Clients, by Mark Homer (the book we discussed in the episode) GNGF.tv; - Live interviews, updates, and Q&A on everything law firm marketing or the business side of running a law firm. Airs every other Wednesday at 11:30am Eastern time. Join live and ask questions and get answers from Mark and law firm marketing experts. BEDLAM conference put on by Mark and some friendly marketing agency competitors (the name BEDLAM stands for “best damm legal marketing” marketing conference) 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 My Sponsor Smith.ai; is a superior receptionist service for law firms that also helps you convert first-time callers or website visitors into paying clients. They also offer a free AI Chatbot that provides 24/7 service on your website. Ernie appreciates the superior service they provide to his callers and web visitors, and you will too. And if you’re curious about how a virtual receptionist service can help you take your practice to the next level, check out this ebook. 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   

What is a "personal brand?" You are a personal brand, so you should understand what it means and how to strengthen your brand in powerful and tasteful ways. Show Notes Mike Kim’s website Brand You podcast (Mike shares weekly insights about personal branding here) 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 My Sponsor Smith.ai; is a superior receptionist service for law firms that also helps you convert first-time callers or website visitors into paying clients. They also offer a free AI Chatbot that provides 24/7 service on your website. Ernie appreciates the superior service they provide to his callers and web visitors, and you will too. And if you’re curious about how a virtual receptionist service can help you take your practice to the next level, check out this ebook. 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   

Getting clients by sending a monthly email is effective and much easier than attending networking lunches. That's what business attorney Erica Pero discovered.   Show Notes Erica Pero’s website Erica Pero’s sample January Email Newsletter (compiled in Mailchimp) LFA Podcast #81 with John Rafferty Private Facebook group for Email Referral Marketing 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 My Sponsor Smith.ai; is a superior receptionist service for law firms that also helps you convert first-time callers or website visitors into paying clients. They also offer a free AI Chatbot that provides 24/7 service on your website. Ernie appreciates the superior service they provide to his callers and web visitors, and you will too. And if you’re curious about how a virtual receptionist service can help you take your practice to the next level, check out this ebook. 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   

To create a better practice you should leverage technology. Here are my top tech recommendations for simplifying, automating and outsourcing your way to freedom. Show Notes Here’s my a link to download my top tech recommendations, and here’s my best overall advice: After having worked for over a decade with hundreds of lawyers in all kinds of practices, I’ve zeroed in on three essential elements for making any kind of law practice run a LOT smoother. 1. Simplicity The simpler your practice is, the better. But how do you create simplicity? You start by creating systems; for doing common workflows. But you also have to eliminate unnecessary complexity . When you do these two things, your practice will become exponentially easier to run. 2. Automation This is where technology will make the biggest difference. And when you get enough solid automation going, some key parts of your practice will start to run more by themselves—without you having to be involved. There’s a lot that you can theoretically automate, but I recommend starting with text-based automation , online scheduling services , and email-based referral marketing . That’s where you’ll get the biggest payoff the most quickly. Once you’ve locked in solid automation in those areas you’ll start feeling a lot more relaxed and in control. 3. Mobility When you get adept at working remotely , using cloud services , and virtual assistance , well… Then you’ll finally start to enjoy massive freedom. You’ll spend zero time doing drudgery and more time away from work, having fun. Harsh Truth Time Technology, by itself, is not going to make your practice better. But using it haphazardly (as many lawyers do) will almost certainly make things worse, not better. Look, technology needs to be used sensibly to fully harness its power. And if you want to know how to use it sensibly, and effectively —in a way that leads to radical improvement… …here are two ways that I can help you do that sooner rather than later. LawFirm Autopilot - Online Program This is my signature program for learning to simplify, automate and outsource key aspects of your law practice. You can learn more about it here . Lot’s of lawyers have used it to make big changes, even some who call themselves “dinosaur lawyers.” Here are some of the things people have said about this program… “I can honestly say that I’m years ahead of where I would be if had not done this…” —Keith Magness “My practice has grown exponentially because of Ernie.”—Stephanie Quigley “Ernie is the man to know if you’re trying to build your practice and take it to the next level.”—Charles Irvin The Autopilot program is self-directed so you can go through it at your own pace. But some folks want more hands on guidance, and want to get results faster. And for them, I offer my 2-Day Live Conference Happening May 7th & 8th 2020 The Small Firm Bootcamp will be the fastest way to improve your practice, and it includes the Autopilot course as a FREE BONUS. There will be 18 nationally recognized speakers/consultants that I can personally guarantee will be among the best you’ve ever seen. They’ll be covering important topics like Creating & refining systems to make your practice run smoother Identifying best options for practice management software Keeping your data secure against hacking or inadvertent loss How to attract better clients by using tasteful, but powerful marketing tactics & tools How to automate the creation of documents using macros and voice-to-text software and apps How to leverage virtual assistance effectively, including how to get part-time lawyer assistance You can read more about the speakers here , and we’ll be revealing the final agenda in a few days. The most important thing to bear in mind is this: the agenda for the live event is optimized for learning things that can best be learned in a live event. Whatever can be better explained or taught in an online webinar or lesson has been placed in the online materials that you get access to immediately upon registration. The idea being that you can start working on your practice right away, and do so at your own pace. 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 My Sponsor Smith.ai; is a superior receptionist service for law firms that also helps you convert first-time callers or website visitors into paying clients. They also offer a free AI Chatbot that provides 24/7 service on your website. Ernie appreciates the superior service they provide to his callers and web visitors, and you will too. And if you’re curious about how a virtual receptionist service can help you take your practice to the next level, check out this ebook. 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   

There are tech companies that take advantage of lawyers by first cleverly gaining their trust. I'll explain how they do this and reveal one of the scoundrels. Show Notes Blog post: Problems with Findlaw? ReadWise; - app for reviewing Kindle highlights and other articles Link to register for free webinar series 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 My Sponsor Smith.ai; is a superior receptionist service for law firms that also helps you convert first-time callers or website visitors into paying clients. They also offer a free AI Chatbot that provides 24/7 service on your website. Ernie appreciates the superior service they provide to his callers and web visitors, and you will too. And if you’re curious about how a virtual receptionist service can help you take your practice to the next level, check out this ebook. 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   

The key to avoiding “seemingly good options” that are not actually useful is understanding the tradeoffs in every decision involving technology choice you face. Show Notes Link to register for free webinar series 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 My Sponsor Smith.ai; is a superior receptionist service for law firms that also helps you convert first-time callers or website visitors into paying clients. They also offer a free AI Chatbot that provides 24/7 service on your website. Ernie appreciates the superior service they provide to his callers and web visitors, and you will too. And if you’re curious about how a virtual receptionist service can help you take your practice to the next level, check out this ebook. 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   

Figuring out how to effectively create systems can be tricky. Ernie addresses a solo lawyer’s question why she might be having trouble creating systems. Podcast Episode Show notes: Atomic Habits, by James Clear The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron Brian Koppleman’s podcast (the episode where he talks about doing the 3 daily pages practice that he learned from reading The Artist’s Way) 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 My Sponsor Smith.ai; is a superior receptionist service for law firms that also helps you convert first-time callers or website visitors into paying clients. They also offer a free AI Chatbot that provides 24/7 service on your website. Ernie appreciates the superior service they provide to his callers and web visitors, and you will too. And if you’re curious about how a virtual receptionist service can help you take your practice to the next level, check out this ebook. 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   

Referral marketing is powerful. And done by email it’s also ridiculously easy as business attorney John Rafferty discovered. Learn how he cracked the code.   Episode Show notes: John Rafferty’s biography; John’s simple template for sending a monthly referral marketing email that gets astonishing results. MailerLite; - free email for 2,000 or fewer recipients (this is the service that John uses). ConvertKit; - the email service that Ernie uses and recommends (pricing starts at $29/month for 1,000 recipients) Dean Jackson’s Email Mastery course. Dean Jackson’s More Cheese, Less Whiskers podcast Vets Get Jobs - John’s website to help veterans under 40 find a great job after their military service Join Ernie’s private Facebook Group for Referral Marketing by Email. 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 My Sponsor Smith.ai; is a superior receptionist service for law firms that also helps you convert first-time callers or website visitors into paying clients. They also offer a free AI Chatbot that provides 24/7 service on your website. Ernie appreciates the superior service they provide to his callers and web visitors, and you will too. And if you’re curious about how a virtual receptionist service can help you take your practice to the next level, check out this ebook. 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