The Free Lawyer

The podcast episode discusses the topic of worrying too much about what other people think and provides strategies to embrace resilience against those opinions. Gary explores why we care about others' opinions, including the desire for human connection and validation. He highlights the challenges lawyers face, such as reputation and fear of judgment. The negative impacts of excessive worrying on decision-making, stress levels, self-image, and professional growth are discussed. Gary concludes by emphasizing that other people's opinions do not truly matter and provides tools to overcome this mindset, including understanding that opposing opinions are often not about us and focusing on our own journey. Law firm partners often believe that success means being stressed and overworked, which can lead to mental health issues. The key to a successful, enjoyable legal career is taking control of your career and time by developing a book of business. My friend and colleague Jennifer Gillman will talk about law firm economics and how rainmakers can leverage their ability to generate business to create their perfect situation and avoid drowning in stress.   Save your seat for her talk on November 15 at 1PM Eastern by going to https://bit.ly/GSGR-11-15. Jennifer Gillman’s mission is to help unhappy law firm partners and solo practitioners get more from their careers. She helps them find their exact right perfect fit firm. This can involve moving to a different firm, merging their firm into another firm, or taking action to transform their current role into something better. Lawyers suffer from stress and overwork; job satisfaction relieves this stress and transforms their professional and personal lives. Jen’s superpower is being able to tell in 15 minutes or less what steps a partner can take to improve their career. 

In this podcast episode, Gary interviews attorney Patrick Monroe, who has achieved both financial success and work-life balance in his legal career. Patrick shares his journey of starting his own practice immediately after law school, finding clients more easily than jobs. He also discusses his experience working at a large law firm and the challenges he faced. Patrick emphasizes the importance of defining one's vision for life and work, and aligning professional choices with personal priorities. He offers advice for lawyers feeling overwhelmed and unhappy, suggesting reaching out to others, considering therapy, and creating space for transition. Patrick highlights the benefits of running a solo practice, including flexibility and autonomy. Patrick emphasizes the importance of specialization, developing your own nice, in growing your practice. After graduating from law school and passing the California bar exam, Patrick founded Monroe Law APC, a law firm focused on corporate law, which served private businesses in San Diego. Mr. Monroe was then recruited by Best Best & Krieger where he served as Of Counsel to assist in the development of the business practice group for the San Diego office. Best Best & Krieger is a nationally recognized law firm of nearly two hundred attorneys known for high quality work, deep expertise and unmatched ethics. During his time at Best Best & Krieger, Mr. Monroe worked primarily on mergers and acquisitions and other business transactions for clients located throughout California and Nevada. Mr. Monroe then established Monroe Law PC, a law firm specializing in mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Monroe works with sellers of businesses, with a focus in the areas of technology, life sciences, and healthcare. Law firm partners often believe that success means being stressed and overworked, which can lead to mental health issues. The key to a successful, enjoyable legal career is taking control of your career and time by developing a book of business. My friend and colleague Jennifer Gillman will talk about law firm economics and how rainmakers can leverage their ability to generate business to create their perfect situation and avoid drowning in stress.   Save your seat for her talk on November 15 at 1PM Eastern by going to https://bit.ly/GSGR-11-15. Jennifer Gillman’s mission is to help unhappy law firm partners and solo practitioners get more from their careers. She helps them find their exact right perfect fit firm. This can involve moving to a different firm, merging their firm into another firm, or taking action to transform their current role into something better. Lawyers suffer from stress and overwork; job satisfaction relieves this stress and transforms their professional and personal lives. Jen’s superpower is being able to tell in 15 minutes or less what steps a partner can take to improve their career.

In this podcast episode, Gary, the host of the Free Lawyer podcast, discusses the topic of overcoming fears and how they can hold lawyers back from reaching their full potential. He provides 12 practical steps for identifying and overcoming fears, including self-reflection, seeking support, embracing uncertainty, visualizing goals, eliminating excuses, learning from setbacks, preparing for success, facing fears head-on, staying present, taking action, and staying positive. The episode concludes with a message of empowerment and encouragement for lawyers to overcome their fears and become fearless advocates. Gary also offers his assistance to lawyers who need help in managing their fears.

In this podcast episode, Gary interviews David Ernst, a retired succession planning partner. David explains his background and experience in succession planning and emphasizes that it is about planning for success, not just retirement. They discuss the benefits of succession planning for both the transitioning partner and the firm as a whole. David shares his insights on documentation and implementation of a succession plan, addressing hesitancy and challenges that may arise. He believes that firms of all sizes can benefit from succession planning and provides ways for interested individuals to contact him for further discussion and support. This is such an important topic for so many of us- have a listen!! David Ernst was a litigator and trial lawyer for 37 years, retiring from law practice last fall. David worked at two law firms over the course of his career, and developed an interest many years ago in succession planning for lawyers and firms. At his last firm, David held the position of Succession Planning Partner, where he had responsibility for helping the firm’s 200+ partners with all aspects of succession planning. Having just completed his own succession planning journey, David is now working with lawyers and firms as a succession planning consultant. His focus is on helping firms embrace succession planning to strengthen client relationships, honor the contributions of senior lawyers and develop the next generation of rainmakers and firm leaders. 

In this episode of "The Free Lawyer" podcast, Gary delves into the topic of fear and its impact on lawyers' professional lives. He explores how fear affects decision making, confidence, anxiety, procrastination, stress, relationships, and career satisfaction. Common fears faced by lawyers, including fear of failure, judgment, uncertainty, public speaking, rejection, and burnout, are discussed. The importance of recognizing and addressing these fears is emphasized, along with the benefits of managing and overcoming them. The episode concludes with a call for self-reflection on personal fears and the promise of providing tools to overcome them in the next episode.

In this episode of The Free Lawyer podcast, host Gary interviews Maria Sheehan, a former university president turned fitness and nutrition expert. They discuss the impact of stress on lawyers and the importance of aging in a healthy way. Maria shares her experience with stress and health issues and how she transformed her life by prioritizing her health. She emphasizes the significance of mental transformation, strength training, and resistance training for healthy aging. They also discuss factors that age us prematurely, debunk myths about aging, and explore Maria's definition of personal freedom.  With all our stress, it is so important to live healthy! Dr. Maria Cristina Sheehan Health and Wellness, is an expert on aging as we know it. At the age of 69 she stepped away from her academic career, where she served as a CEO for 20 years, and into the world of fitness. Today at the age of 77 she is a natural body fitness competitor, winning multiple gold and silver medals in bikini, swimsuit and sports model categories in international competitions since 2017. She became a health coach and fitness trainer and now coaches women over 55 online and in person. She is a sought-after speaker for audiences who want to improve their health and turn back the clock. She also enjoys providing keynote speeches on wellness and longevity and working with executives and their teams to foster healthy lifestyle habits to enhance their health and improve productivity.

In this podcast episode, Gary discusses the importance of gratitude in the legal profession. He highlights the benefits of cultivating gratitude, such as increased joy, reduced stress, improved relationships, and enhanced job satisfaction. Gary also acknowledges the obstacles lawyers face in practicing gratitude, including time pressures, negative outlook, perfectionism, emotional toll, competitive environment, and lack of awareness. He provides steps to incorporate gratitude into daily life, such as reflecting on the positive, being mindful, expressing appreciation, serving others, journaling, and finding gratitude in challenges. Gary concludes by emphasizing the transformative power of gratitude in the legal profession and encourages listeners to embrace it.

In this podcast episode, Gary introduces Colin Levy, Director of Legal Operations and Evangelist for Malbek, a legal tech company. Colin shares his professional journey and how he overcame challenges to find his first in-house legal role. He discusses his current role at Malbek, handling various legal tasks and contributing to content development and marketing efforts. He shares his expertise in legal tech. "Legal tech" is defined as the intersection of law and technology, aiming to help legal professionals work more efficiently. The importance of document and knowledge management tools in the legal department is emphasized, along with an overview of different areas of legal tech, including AI. They discuss the risks and benefits of using AI in the legal field, emphasizing the importance of understanding data storage and usage practices. Colin advises lawyers to be cautious when sharing information and only provide data they would be comfortable sharing publicly. He recommends visiting websites like Artificial Lawyer and Law Next for legal tech updates and checking out his book, "The Handbook of Legal Tech." Colin also suggests identifying pain points in a lawyer's practice and considering how legal tech can address them. Colin S. Levy is a corporate lawyer and legal tech evangelist who has been practicing for over 12 years. Throughout his career, Colin has seen technology as a key driver in improving how legal services are performed. Because his career has spanned industries, he witnessed myriad issues, from a systemic lack of interest in technology to the high cost of legal services barring consumer entry. Now, his mission is to bridge the gap between the tech world and the legal world, advocating for how technology can be a valuable tool for the lawyer’s toolbelt rather than a fear-inducing obstacle to effective legal work. Colin has also been driven to effectively empower, inform, and inspire others regarding law and legal services, tech, interdisciplinary collaboration, and process improvement. 

In this podcast episode Gary dives into the important topic of hearing from our past. He discusses the negative impacts of past experiences and provides practical advice on how to overcome them. He focuses on four major impacts: limiting beliefs, shame, resentment, and regret. Gary encourages listeners to replace limiting beliefs with positive thoughts, make amends and seek reconciliation for past actions, overcome resentments through understanding and acceptance, and free themselves from regret by acknowledging, forgiving, and learning from it. He emphasizes the importance of expressing feelings, taking constructive action, and practicing gratitude. If you would like support in healing from your path, reach out to Gary here: https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call

In this podcast episode, Gary interviews Michelle Peters, a former solicitor turned business coach for small law firms. Michelle shares her professional journey, which started with her decision to take a sabbatical from her law firm and eventually led her to become an accidental leaver of the law. After helping her father franchise his business, Michelle combined her legal experience and business knowledge to start the Business Instructor, a company that helps small law firms improve their business skills. Michelle emphasizes the importance of attracting the right clients, converting inquiries into paying clients and charging the right fees. She also discusses the challenges facing lawyers today, such as complex marketing and recruitment/retention issues. Michelle believes that effective marketing is crucial for law firms to stand out and attract clients. Michelle Peters (Founder of The Business Instructor) is a former practicing solicitor from a large international law firm based in London, UK. Since 2010 Michelle has been helping solo lawyers and the owners of small law firms to create a more profitable practice by attracting more of their ideal clients and increasing their fee income and profits without working more hours – so they can have more time and financial freedom. Michelle is the author of the book ‘The Client Magnet Formula For Lawyers: How To Attract And Convert More Of Your Ideal Clients’ which was the No.1 best-selling book on Amazon in two categories in five countries when first published. This book shows lawyers how to get more clients using an ‘education-based’ marketing approach that helps them attract more of their ideal clients and positions them as the expert in their field so they can command higher fees for their services. Michelle is offering our listeners a FREE digital copy of her Amazon No.1 Best-Seller Book ‘The Client Magnet Formula For Lawyers: How To Attract And Convert More Of Your Ideal Clients’ which you can download here: https://www.thebusinessinstructor.com/free-book