The Free Lawyer

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   

In this podcast episode, Gary discusses the significance of uncovering and healing past wounds. He emphasizes that our past experiences, both positive and negative, can have a profound impact on our present lives. Gary highlights four ways in which our past affects us: negative thoughts or limiting beliefs, feelings of shame or guilt, resentment towards others, and regret over missed opportunities. He explains the importance of consciously addressing these influences and offers guidance on how to do so. The episode concludes with a promise to provide tools for overcoming the negative influences of the past in the next episode.

In this podcast episode, Brian Glass, a personal injury attorney in Northern Virginia, shares his professional journey and strategies for building a successful law firm. He discusses how he quadrupled his firm's revenue by focusing on working on more cases, higher dollar value cases, and faster case processing. Brian emphasizes the importance of building connections and identifies the right audience to serve as a lawyer. He also talks about creating a positive work environment and prioritizing the happiness of his staff. Additionally, Brian discusses his other business, Great Legal Marketing, which helps lawyers improve their marketing strategies. He shares his approach to achieving personal freedom and work-life integration. Brian Glass is a personal injury lawyer in Fairfax, Virginia. After a decade of practicing law across town from his dad, he joined Ben Glass Law in 2019 to run the auto accident section of the practice. Brian’s greatest hits as a lawyer include a $3.4M medical malpractice verdict (2019), the record-setting settlement of a minor’s wrongful death case in Virginia ($5.5M in 2020), and the largest auto accident verdict in the state in 2022. ($3.4M in compensatory damages and $1M in punitive damages). He is highly skilled at distilling complex problems into simple, understandable solutions. Brian is the rare trial lawyer who is as comfortable building a business as he is in the courtroom. Over the past four years, he has quadrupled the revenue of the auto accident section at Ben Glass Law and has big plans for the future. Brian credits this growth to hiring the right people into the correct position, running the firm on EOS/Traction and vision alignment between him and Ben. In 2023, he joined Great Legal Marketing as the organization’s president. Great Legal Marketing is the premier program for lawyers in solo and small firm practices to learn to grow their businesses. Brian runs Time Freedom for Lawyers, a podcast dedicated to teaching other lawyers and high-income professionals how to win back some of their time by running more efficient businesses, investing in real estate, and crafting the vision of their own perfect life. Brian’s perfect life includes coaching his three boys in soccer, baseball, and whatever other athletic endeavor they want to pursue, traveling the world with his wife of 13 years, and competing in endurance events. Brian is a finisher of the Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Race, the Laurel Highlands 71 Miler, and about two dozen ultramarathons. Lately, parenting has cut short his training timeline, and he focuses on Crossfit and Spartan races, with a 2023 goal of traveling to Sparta, Greece, to compete in the Spartan Race World Championships. Find Brian on: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fairfaxpersonalinjury/ Ben Glass Law: https://www.benglasslaw.com/bio/brian-glass-fairfax-auto-accident-lawyer.cfm Great Legal Marketing: https://greatlegalmarketing.com/

Gary discusses the importance of practicing acceptance as a lawyer in this podcast episode. He explains that acceptance is acknowledging and embracing reality without judgment or resistance. By practicing acceptance, lawyers can experience reduced stress, improved decision-making, enhanced resilience, stronger client relationships, and a better work-life balance. Gary acknowledges that practicing acceptance can be challenging but emphasizes that it is a choice that can lead to personal freedom, peace, and success in the demanding world of law. Would you like to learn how to incorporate acceptance into your practice? Set up a courtesy call with Gary here: https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call

In this podcast episode, host Gary introduces Jamie Sternberg, a high-profile trademark attorney in Connecticut who is active on LinkedIn. They discuss Jamie's career path and her work in trademark law, including her decision to pursue law school after Metallica sued Napster for copyright infringement. Jamie shares her experience working in various law firms and emphasizes the importance of mentorship and building a professional network outside of the firm. One of the key topics Jamie and I discussed was the importance of mentorship and building a network for young attorneys. Jamie suggests finding a mentor within the same firm or a colleague who is a few years older to provide guidance and support. The value of having someone to talk to outside of the firm is immeasurable, providing a safe space to discuss challenges and seek advice. Jamie also emphasized the importance of building a network outside of the firm. This can lead to business opportunities and make job transitions easier. She shared her journey of building her network through her trade assoociation and attending conferences. She also highlighted the significance of having a personal brand as a lawyer. Clients often choose an attorney based on their personal relationship and reputation. Jamie advises younger attorneys to start building their brand early by being active on platforms like LinkedIn and getting involved in industry associations. Jamie provided valuable advice for lawyers looking to progress in their careers. She emphasized the importance of analyzing goals, taking action, and not procrastinating on steps that can lead to desired goals. Jamie Sternberg is based in Simsbury, Connecticut and is a Partner with the law firm Saunders & Silverstein LLP. She has passionately practiced in the field of trademark and copyright law for 18 years. Jamie has significant experience with strategic trademark and copyright protection, enforcement, defense, transactions, and litigation for businesses all over the United States and the world. On a daily basis you will find Jamie managing worldwide trademark, copyright, and domain name portfolios, providing strategic intellectual property (IP) advice, enforcing and defending client’s IP rights, settling infringement disputes, negotiating IP agreements, or litigating before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and in court. Over the course of her career, Jamie has registered hundreds of trademarks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, taken down thousands of infringing domain names, websites, and mobile apps, and resolved a high percentage of infringement disputes in her client’s favor without resorting to litigation.   Clients regularly praise Jamie’s accessibility and her ability to creatively solve problems. Jamie has been recognized as a top trademark attorney by World Trademark Review WTR 1000 (2022, 2023) and by the Super Lawyers organization for her IP practice in Connecticut (2022). Jamie has been an International Trademark Association (INTA) committee member since 2014 and currently serves on the Internet Committee. She is a co-author of the 2022 book Women in Law: Discovering the True Meaning of Success, and regularly speaks and writes on trademark and copyright issues.   You can connect with Jamie at jsternberg@sandsip.com, www.sandsip.com, and https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamieplatkinsternberg/.

In this podcast episode, Gary discusses the impact of limiting beliefs on lawyers. He explains that these beliefs are self-created and not based on reality. Common limiting beliefs are identified, and Gary emphasizes how they can negatively affect success, causing stress and burnout. He provides eight tools or steps to overcome these beliefs, including self-awareness, questioning beliefs, seeking support, and visualization techniques. The episode concludes with a summary of the strategies discussed. Would you like help in overcoming limiting beliefs? Let's have a call: https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call

In this podcast episode, Gary introduces Peter Huang, a writer, author, and retired law school professor, who shares his passion for attorney wellness. They discuss the increasing focus on attorney wellness in the legal profession and the major causes of stress in the field. Peter highlights the lack of autonomy for junior lawyers and the responsibility and zero-sum nature of litigation for senior lawyers as significant stressors. They also explore solutions and recommendations for lawyers struggling with stress, including practicing mindfulness, developing emotional intelligence, and embracing the concept of acceptance. Peter emphasizes the importance of emotional intelligence in leadership and suggests changes in legal education to help lawyers find their passion again.

Gary discusses limiting beliefs and their impact on lawyers in this podcast episode. He explains that limiting beliefs are negative and self-defeating thoughts or perceptions that hold individuals back from reaching their full potential. Gary provides examples of familiar limiting beliefs among lawyers, such as feeling inadequate or not skilled enough. He also explores the sources of these beliefs, including family upbringing, education, and personal experiences. Gary highlights factors such as lack of mentoring, negative self-talk, fear of taking risks, and workload stress as contributors to limiting beliefs. He concludes by emphasizing the need to recognize and overcome these beliefs to thrive in the legal profession. Do you struggle with limiting beliefs? if so, let's chat: https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call

Gary introduces Valerie Fontaine, a highly knowledgeable legal search consultant in this podcast episode. Valerie shares her professional journey and how she found her passion for helping lawyers and law firms find the right fit. She emphasizes the importance of understanding clients' and candidates' needs and values to make successful placements. Valerie also provides advice on selling oneself effectively during the job search process and highlights the role of recruiters in preparing candidates for interviews. She discusses how law firms can differentiate themselves to attract top talent and shares insights on hiring trends in the legal industry. Valerie finds fulfillment in her work by positively impacting people's lives. Valerie Fontaine has assisted thousands of lawyers with career transitions over the past four decades as a legal search consultant (headhunter for lawyers). She coaches attorney candidates regarding career development and assists law firms with attracting and retaining top attorney talent. Valerie is a former lawyer, a published author, both in print and online, and has been a guest speaker on several podcasts and presenting before live audiences. Her book, “The Right Moves: Job Search and Career Development Strategies for Lawyers,” published by NALP (National Association of Law Placement), now is in its second edition.   Valerie practiced law with a prominent Los Angeles law firm and entered the legal search profession in 1981. In 2021, 2022 and 2023, she was named to the Fifth Annual Lawdragon Global 100 Leaders in Legal Strategy & Consulting. She was one of three legal recruiters in the U.S. elected to its inaugural Hall of Fame, a “recognition for those consultants whose strategic insight has been unsurpassed in a career dedicated to helping law firms ascend.”  

Gary addresses lawyers facing professional challenges in this episode of "The Free Lawyer" podcast. He discusses the impact of expectations on happiness and how they can hinder success. Gary identifies three types of expectations and emphasizes the importance of controlling our own expectations. He highlights problem areas for lawyers where expectations can cause additional stress. Gary shares his experience and advice on dealing with closed doors and unmet expectations, encouraging listeners to appreciate their blessings and seek support. He provides tools for self-reflection and concludes by emphasizing the importance of letting go of expectations for personal freedom.