
The 80/20 Principle
Concrete advice on how to simplify technology to streamline work and gain more freedom.
Running a law practice today means navigating a sea of tech options. Success with tech demands you focus on a few key tools in six areas: (1) automation, (2) outsourcing, (3) marketing, (4) cybersecurity, (5) remote work, and (6) artificial intelligence.
That's what this podcast will help you with: strategically focusing on a few key tech options and explaining why they matter and how to get the most from using them.
Latest episodes

Aug 20, 2019 • 25min
060: The Tech Whisperer Adriana Linares
Meet the best legal technology consultant for solo and small firms. I call her the Tech Whisperer because of her rare wisdom & deft advice. Adriana Linares founded LawTech Partners twenty years ago. Her unwavering mission has been to help lawyers get more done, more easily. Her focus is on helping lawyers use tech to better manage their practices and work smarter, not harder. She offers refreshing advice on the four essential components of a modern law practice. As well as recommendations for keeping data secure from hackers. To get more of Adriana’s exceptional advice listen to her popular legal podcast The New Solo. 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 Ruby Receptionists Ruby is a virtual receptionist service that provides all of your law firm's callers with first-class service. I used them for my solo practice and they were phenomenal in helping me surprise and delight my callers. I've been enthusiastically recommending Ruby to hundreds of lawyers and they also have been amazed by the quality of service and its affordability. To learn more about Ruby Receptionists’ exceptional services (and get a special discount for podcast listeners only) click here. 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

Aug 13, 2019 • 33min
059: Legal Tech Consultant Tom Lambotte
Tom Lambotte spent years helping small law firms improve the way they use Mac-related technology but has broadened his consulting to help more types of lawyers. Tom runs a firm called GlobalMac IT that provides remote support tech management for small law firms that use Macs. His clients love working with him, which doesn’t surprise me. Tom is one of the few legal tech consultants that I completely trust and enthusiastically recommend. This is evidenced by the fact that he’s one of the few consultants I allow to be part of the online discussion forum in my Co-Pilot group coaching program. 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 Ruby Receptionists Ruby is a virtual receptionist service that provides all of your law firm's callers with first-class service. I used them for my solo practice and they were phenomenal in helping me surprise and delight my callers. I've been enthusiastically recommending Ruby to hundreds of lawyers and they also have been amazed by the quality of service and its affordability. To learn more about Ruby Receptionists’ exceptional services (and get a special discount for podcast listeners only) click here. 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

Aug 6, 2019 • 12min
058: Learning How to Use Technology Better
Technology can help you improve your practice if you use it well. For most lawyers, it’s more like picking up a cat by the tail. Listen, and I’ll explain. The best way to learn is to study other people’s mistakes and successes. This is not common practice, but it’s a good idea. With technology, though, it’s tricky (as I explained in this blog post. In this episode, I’ll explain in more detail how you can make technology work for you, rather than against you. 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 Ruby Receptionists Ruby is a virtual receptionist service that provides all of your law firm's callers with first-class service. I used them for my solo practice and they were phenomenal in helping me surprise and delight my callers. I've been enthusiastically recommending Ruby to hundreds of lawyers and they also have been amazed by the quality of service and its affordability. To learn more about Ruby Receptionists’ exceptional services (and get a special discount for podcast listeners only) click here. 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

Jul 30, 2019 • 49min
057: Text Automation Insights with Brett Burney
Automating the commonly used text phrases and paragraphs is a powerful way to streamline your law practice. But what's the best way to do this? Let's find out. Brett Burney is a consultant who can help in several ways, including E-discovery and Mac-based workflows. But he’s most passionate about teaching lawyers how to use an amazing text automation tool called TextExpander. In this session, Brett and Ernie discuss the many benefits of using TextExpander, mostly the power of efficiency and accuracy in creating text snippets or multi-page documents. Show Notes Brett’s website TextExpander website (free 14-day trial) TextExpander for Lawyers - Brett’s course on using T.E. E-Discovery Buyer’s Guide, created by Brett & Chelsey Lambert (who appeared in podcast episode #56) 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 Ruby Receptionists Ruby is a virtual receptionist service that provides all of your law firm's callers with first-class service. I used them for my solo practice and they were phenomenal in helping me surprise and delight my callers. I've been enthusiastically recommending Ruby to hundreds of lawyers and they also have been amazed by the quality of service and its affordability. To learn more about Ruby Receptionists’ exceptional services (and get a special discount for podcast listeners only) click here. Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

Jul 23, 2019 • 35min
056: Insights from savvy legal technology consultants with Chelsey Lambert
Chelsey Lambert knows what software works best for solo & small firm lawyers, and she shares insights that will help you find more success and less heartache. Chelsey Lambert is an author, speaker and tech consultant whose mission is to help lawyers better understand their best tech options. Her career has given her a truly unique perspective on how solo and small firm attorneys can best leverage technology in their day-to-day operations. In this episode, we’ll focus on the challenges of selecting the right tech consultants for making software selection deacons, including selecting practice management software. Show Notes Lex Tech Review - Chelsey’s site Read my blog post: Ugly Truth’s About Practice Management Software Capterra’s List of Law Practice Mgt Software Client Sherpa (now called Client Rock) Lexicata; Lawmatics; Lead Docket Practice Management Software - Chelsey’s webinar recording For a prior episode on selecting practice management software see episode #47 with Jared Correia. Chelsey’s 10 Days of LegalTech. Use special code (“ERNIE”) to get a $150 discount. 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 Ruby Receptionists Ruby is a virtual receptionist service that provides all of your law firm's callers with first-class service. I used them for my solo practice and they were phenomenal in helping me surprise and delight my callers. I've been enthusiastically recommending Ruby to hundreds of lawyers and they also have been amazed by the quality of service and its affordability. To learn more about Ruby Receptionists’ exceptional services (and get a special discount for podcast listeners only) click here. Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

Jul 16, 2019 • 27min
055: Secrets of Successful Virtual Assistance with Trivinia Barber
How can you leverage the power of virtual assistance? The best advice comes from someone who runs a successful VA company, namely my good friend Trivinia Barber. Trivinia Barber runs a virtual staffing company called Priority VA, which helps entrepreneurs and small business owners find quality assistants to help handle the workload. We talk about what makes a virtual assistant relationship successful, and what kind of challenges business owners typically have when using VA’s. Show Notes Priority VA - Trivinia’s virtual staffing company Michael Hyatt Free to Focus, a guide to productivity by Michael Hyatt. 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 Ruby Receptionists Ruby is a virtual receptionist service that provides all of your law firm's callers with first-class service. I used them for my solo practice and they were phenomenal in helping me surprise and delight my callers. I've been enthusiastically recommending Ruby to hundreds of lawyers and they also have been amazed by the quality of service and its affordability. To learn more about Ruby Receptionists’ exceptional services (and get a special discount for podcast listeners only) click here. Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

Jul 9, 2019 • 37min
054: Business Coaching for Lawyers with Patrick Slaughter
Why do some lawyers get business coaches? And how can having a coach help you improve your law firm? That’s what this episode is about. Show Notes Patrick Slaughter is a practicing lawyer in Knoxville, Tennessee. He has improved his law practice so much that other lawyers are now asking him to coach them, so we’ll talk about why coaching helps solo and small firm lawyers. Acuity Calendering software First episode with Patrick Slaughter (#48) Episode with Patrick re: Law Practice Management (#50) The Trillion Dollar Coach, by Eric Schmidt Details re: The Operations Workshop that Patrick & Ernie are doing in August (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. 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 Ruby Receptionists Ruby is a virtual receptionist service that provides all of your law firm's callers with first-class service. I used them for my solo practice and they were phenomenal in helping me surprise and delight my callers. I've been enthusiastically recommending Ruby to hundreds of lawyers and they also have been amazed by the quality of service and its affordability. To learn more about Ruby Receptionists’ exceptional services (and get a special discount for podcast listeners only) click here. Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

Jul 2, 2019 • 43min
053: Practice Management Challenges with Jared Correia
Practice management advisor Jared Correia is back again to discuss how solo & small firm lawyers can meet the common challenges of growing their practices. Show Notes Prior episode with Jared Correia (#47) Red Cave Consulting (Jared’s website) The Trillion Dollar Coach, by Eric Schmidt Ernie’s blog posts on Systems 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 Ruby Receptionists Ruby is a virtual receptionist service that provides all of your law firm's callers with first-class service. I used them for my solo practice and they were phenomenal in helping me surprise and delight my callers. I've been enthusiastically recommending Ruby to hundreds of lawyers and they also have been amazed by the quality of service and its affordability. To learn more about Ruby Receptionists’ exceptional services (and get a special discount for podcast listeners only) click here. Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

Jun 25, 2019 • 26min
052: Website Chat Services
In this episode Ernie talks with Diana Stepleton about chat services. Ruby Receptionists now offers web chat services that are similar to their phone receptionists. If you want higher conversion rates from your website visitors then you should consider using chat services. 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 Ruby Receptionists Ruby is a virtual receptionist service that provides all of your law firm's callers with first-class service. I used them for my solo practice and they were phenomenal in helping me surprise and delight my callers. I've been enthusiastically recommending Ruby to hundreds of lawyers and they also have been amazed by the quality of service and its affordability. To learn more about Ruby Receptionists’ exceptional services (and get a special discount for podcast listeners only) click here. Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

Jun 18, 2019 • 29min
051: SEO voodoo for online marketing with Megan Hargroder
If you have a website then you should understand some basics about what Google and other search engine companies need your website to convey. If you get the basics right then Google will treat you well. And if you are really savvy Google might even love your site in a way that gets you more business. 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 Ruby Receptionists Ruby is a virtual receptionist service that provides all of your law firm's callers with first-class service. I used them for my solo practice and they were phenomenal in helping me surprise and delight my callers. I've been enthusiastically recommending Ruby to hundreds of lawyers and they also have been amazed by the quality of service and its affordability. To learn more about Ruby Receptionists’ exceptional services (and get a special discount for podcast listeners only) click here. Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.