New Solo

The market is changing for law firms. A majority of clients cannot afford full representation as it traditionally functions. Recently, attorneys have been adjusting or “unbundling” their services to make them more affordable, a process also known as limited scope representation. In this episode of New Solo, host Adriana Linares discusses unbundled legal services with Dave Aarons, CEO of Unbundled Attorney, a company that works with attorneys who offer these types of services. In their discussion, Adriana and Dave cover what unbundled legal services are, whether they are accepted by courts everywhere, and the ideal logistics behind law firms that offer these services. They also raise the subject of lowering initial retainer prices and adopting a pay-as-you-go system. The thought is, communicating affordable options to potential clients could be what keeps your clients from walking away from full representation. Dave Aarons is the co-founder and CEO of Unbundled Attorney, a lead generation company that works exclusively with attorneys that offer unbundled legal services, also known as limited scope or discrete task representation. Special thanks to our sponsors, Solo Practice University, Clio, Answer1, and PerfectIt.

Starting a new practice can be intimidating and many attorneys never take the leap towards owning their own firm. In this episode of New Solo, host Adriana Linares talks with Cahill-IP, PLLC Founder Amy Sullivan Cahill about her journey and how podcasts helped her gain the courage to start her own firm. Amy Cahill is founder of Cahill-IP, a law firm based out of Louisville, KY. Her practice focuses on trademark and copyright litigation, advertising review, trademark prosecution, trade secret counseling and litigation, licensing, and transactional matters. Special thanks to our sponsors, Solo Practice University, Clio, and Answer1.

Deciding to leave a large law firm is a challenging decision and can often leave an attorney questioning what the future holds. It can be even more intimidating starting your own solo law firm during such a tumultuous time. In this episode of New Solo, host Adriana Linares talks with Cade Law LLC owner Nate Cade about his experiences leaving a large law firm and starting his own solo practice. Nate Cade is the owner of Cade Law LLC, which he started on March 1, 2013. Prior to forming his own law firm, Nate was a partner and the general counsel in a large multi-office law firm and previously a partner for 15 years at one of the largest firms in Milwaukee. Special thanks to our sponsors, Solo Practice University and Clio.

Many attorneys are reluctant to try alternative billing methods because they fear that moving away from the billable hour will be complicated and less profitable. Furthermore, lawyers who are interested in billing alternatives often don’t know where to find resources to help them implement such changes in their own law firms. In this episode of New Solo, host Adriana Linares talks with Vandenack Weaver LLC founder Mary Vandenack about her six simple steps for any lawyer looking to successfully implement alternative billing methods in their law practice. Special thanks to our sponsors, Solo Practice University and Clio.

In this episode of New Solo, host Adriana Linares talks with Vandenack Weaver LLC founder Mary Vandenack about lawyers using alternative billing models. Mary defines alternative billing as any way of charging for a law firm's services that isn’t the billable hour and talks about her experiences breaking away from a large firm and starting her own. She shares an interaction with a client that led her to consider alternative fees and explains that a common fear among lawyers when discussing alternative billing is under charging for your services. Mary advises attorneys to analyze their process, break those methods down into pieces, and to then price those pieces accordingly. She provides examples of different styles of alternative billing and closes the interview with an analysis of their pros and cons.

In this episode of New Solo, Adriana Linares talks with Adams and Reese LLP Partner Jeff Richardson about publishing his blog “iPhone J.D.” and his tip for lawyers using Apple mobile products. Jeff opens the interview with a brief history of his occupational past and talks about his New Orleans upbringing. He states that his law practice focuses on class action and complex litigation typically representing defendants when they are sued and that half of his work is appellate practice for all sorts of clients. His firm operated on both Macs and PCs at one time but decided to become a PC-only firm in the early 2000s. As a long time Mac user in both his personal and professional life, Jeff started his blog in 2008, focusing on discussing the different ways attorneys can use Apple mobile technology in their law practices and firms. He notes that all tech today is complicated and emphasizes how learning the little things about a device can make people both happy and productive. Jeff covers the top 3 questions lawyers ask him about Apple mobile platforms and goes in depth on the importance of choosing the right size of product for your everyday legal needs. He closes the interview with his list of the 6 apps that lawyers can’t live without and a few examples of how he uses mobile devices in the courtroom. Jeff Richardson focuses on class action and complex litigation, but also devotes a large portion of his practice to appellate litigation. He has defended numerous clients in high-stakes product liability litigation and publishes “iPhone J.D.,” a website for attorneys who use iPhones and iPads that has been named to the ABA Journal Blawg Hall of Fame. Jeff received his J.D. with high honors from Georgetown University Law Center in 1994, and earned his B.A. with highest honors from Emory University in 1991. Special thanks to our sponsors, Solo Practice University and Clio.

Client Relationship Management, or CRM, is a strategy implemented in business to maintain effective knowledge about and connections with your current, previous, and potential clients. Using technology, employees are able to nurture relationships with their clients by tracking conversions and setting notifications. But many lawyers, especially solos and small firm lawyers, aren’t using CRMs; they don’t know the potential value of these systems or even what they are. So why should attorneys bother learning about CRMs? In this episode of New Solo, Adriana Linares discusses CRMs with Michael Chasin, co-founder and CEO of Lexicata, a law firm CRM and client intake software. Michael talks about the foundation of Lexicata and how it has helped many lawyers find and convert leads. He then explains how CRMs can help solo and small firm lawyers with client intake as well as marketing. By touching base with potential clients, we can create a positive, brag-worthy experience. In this way, clients will return with future legal needs and can also become great referral sources. Michael discusses how the right CRM can automate a significant part of this process, making your client feel attended to without taking up too much of your time. He finishes the podcast by talking about how lawyers should go about choosing the right CRM to build a foundation for the future of their solo practices. Michael Chasin is CEO of Lexicata, a CRM and client intake software designed to help law firms and lawyers increase client satisfaction. Michael is also co-founder of both LawKick.com and Lexicata.com. He has his B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship from the University of North Carolina, and his J.D./M.B.A. from Loyola Law School. Special thanks to our sponsors, Solo Practice University and Clio.

Starting your own law firm can be a daunting task for any solo attorney. What new trends will help you manage your practice and how can you harness available technology to better communicate with your clients? In this episode of The New Solo, host Adriana Linares speaks with Clio CEO Jack Newton, who shares what he believes are two big trends in practice management. Jack discusses client portals and lists the benefits, such as document management and security, that having a collaborative way to communicate directly with your clients provides. He analyzes the advantages that leveraging this technology gives law firms and the convenience it provides lawyers and consumers of legal services. He also talks about campaign tracking which enables law firms to track their marketing channels and determine what kind of return on investment they are receiving from those endeavors. Jack briefly touches on the 2016 Clio Cloud Conference and says this year’s event will focus on helping lawyers take their practices to the next level by embracing the cloud. Special thanks to our sponsors, Solo Practice University and Clio.

As attorneys graduate and head into the legal marketplace, or leave a law firm to start a solo practice, it can be hard to know where to find resources with tips on starting your new career. What are the most important things that a newly solo practitioner should know? What are some best practices for lawyers just starting out in the field? In this episode of The New Solo, host Adriana Linares talks with the ABA TECHSHOW 2017 Planning Board to provide need to know advice for newly solo attorneys. This year’s TECHSHOW board consists of Barbara Leach Law PL. Managing Attorney Barbara Leach, Avvo Director of Industry Relations Dan Lear, O’Melveny & Myers Senior Manager of Technology and Development Ivan Hemmans, and Downey Law Group LLC. Founder Michael Downey. Michael emphasizes that small firms and solo attorneys should focus heavily on their cash flow. Dan states that legal professionals can view their businesses through three different mediums, the balance sheet, income statements, or cash flow. The amount of money coming in each month (and how you pay your expenses) is very relevant to the survival of a new business. Barbara encourages solo lawyers to establish their brand immediately and really determine what type of lawyer they’d like to be and what type of clients they’d like to attract. Michael accentuates the amount of credibility strong branding provides to a new attorney and gives insights into the steps he took to create his own brand. Ivan discusses the necessity of thoroughly learning Microsoft Word and the benefits of document organization. The group then closes the interview with an analysis of basic tech competencies, like email management, that all attorneys should master. Ivan Hemmans is the Manager of Technology Development and Communications at O’Melveny & Myers LLP where he uses his extensive experience with information technology to help people find ways to solve everyday problems with the many available tools at their disposal. Ivan often speaks about legal technology at law firms and conferences. He writes a blog and occasionally for legal technology publications like Peer to Peer Magazine. Barbara Leach is the managing attorney of Barbara Leach Law, PL. She is a member of the American Bar Association, The Florida Bar Association, the Central Florida Bankruptcy Law Association, the Orange County Bar Association, and the Central Florida Association for Women Lawyers. Barbara received her BA from the Hamilton Holt School at Rollins College and obtained her juris doctorate from the Florida State University College of Law. Michael Downey is a legal ethics lawyer and a founding member of the Downey Law Group LLC. He has tried civil and lawyer discipline cases and argued appeals before the Missouri Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit, and Illinois ARDC Review Board. Michael received his B.A. from Georgetown University and his juris doctorate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. Dan Lear is a technology lawyer and the Avvo Director of Industry Relations. He is the co-founder of the Seattle Legal Technology and Innovation MeetUp and founder of the Right Brain Law blog. Dan received his BA in international studies from Brigham Young University and his juris doctorate and MBA from Seattle University.

Among solo practitioners, Ernest “Ernie the Attorney” Svenson is well-known for consulting on technology and, specifically, going paperless. But what many lawyers don’t know is how Ernie transitioned from a commercial litigator in a big New Orleans law firm to a tech savvy solo. In this episode of New Solo, learn all about how Ernie’s experience practicing in a big firm and Hurricane Katrina led him to go solo. He talks with Adriana Linares about using technology and automation to lower his overhead for an increased chance of success and, quite frankly, happiness. Adriana and Ernie then discuss the more difficult aspects of transitioning to a solo practice including loneliness, retaining clients, and wanting a paralegal. No longer a practicing attorney, Ernie talks about why he decided to become a technology consultant for other solo and small firm lawyers. If you’re planning to go out on your own, tune in for some tips that might make the difference. Ernest Svenson, also known as “Ernie the Attorney,” practiced commercial litigation for 26 years in a big firm in New Orleans. After starting his own solo practice, he switched to consulting other lawyers on computers, going paperless, and automating tasks. Special thanks to our sponsor, Solo Practice University.