The Free Lawyer

Today's podcast episode features Megan Senese, a legal marketing and business development expert, discussing the challenges lawyers face in building a book of business. We learn how to be lawyers, and then learn we have to build a book of business. We are often confused and unclear about how to do that. This episode will help. Megan shares her professional journey and talks about her new business venture, Stage, which helps lawyers develop their business in a way that feels authentic and comfortable to them. The episode emphasizes the importance of authenticity, personalized support, and understanding clients' needs in business development. Megan's firm provides a solution to this problem by helping lawyers achieve clarity and develop a plan to build their book of business. Megan's expert insights in how to build our business are invaluable. Megan is a former “Big Law” legal marketing and business development professional turned co-founder and principal at stage, LLC. stage is a women-owned marketing and business development company focused on relationships, revenue, and growth for lawyers and legal marketing teams at all levels.  They are one of the first in-house legal marketing teams to launch a women-owned business development venture. Megan is also certified smart collaborator through Gardner & Co. and leverages “smart collaboration” across complex, hierarchical organizations to guide and assist teams to work together efficiently and effectively. Would you like to learn how to create greater personal freedom by building your book of business? If so, I can help. You can schedule a courtesy call here: https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call

So many of us struggle with this problem. Our partner keeps giving us more work to do. The court schedules unexpected hearings. Our clients call, asking us to help resolve a crisis. We are constantly interrupted by staff calls and emails. We have so much work to do and seemingly so little time that we feel overwhelmed and stressed. What to do? How do we manage this daunting workload? Have you ever been there? If so, this podcast episode will help. I will discuss the most significant obstacles to managing our work and how we are affected when we are unproductive. I will explain what we enjoy when we achieve greater productivity. Most importantly, I will give you these 12 tips to help efficiently manage your work in so much less time, creating more freedom for you to enjoy your life and to be fulfilled: 1. Adopt a new attitude towards time. 2. Analyze how you spend your time. 3. Prioritize. 4. Delegate and obtain support. 5. Schedule your daily activities. 6. Group similar tasks together 7. Stop Multitasking 8. Assign time limits to your projects. 9. Take a break. 10. Learn to say no. 11. Organize yourself. 12. Block distractions Remember, productivity is not just about working harder but also about working smarter. By incorporating these strategies into your daily routine, you can unlock your full potential as a lawyer and take your legal practice to the next level. Would you like to learn how to create greater personal freedom by being more efficient? If so, I can help. You can schedule a courtesy call here: https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call

Want to learn how to connect with your jury? And how to present better at your next conference? Then here is the answer! In this episode of "The Free Lawyer" podcast, Gary interviews public speaking coach Meridith Grundei about her journey as a performer and how she became a public speaking coach. They discuss the importance of building confidence as a speaker, the role of mindset in managing nerves, and the value of practicing and trusting oneself. They also touch on the importance of storytelling in engaging audiences and the pitfalls of reading from a script. Meridith shares tips on effective body language and eye contact during presentations, and reflects on her own journey and advises her younger self to "get over yourself" and keep showing up, even after a bad experience. Meridith Grundei is the owner of Grundei Coaching, LLC, specializing in public speaking and presentation skills. As an award-winning theatre director, producer, and former Second City improv teacher, she recognized the similarities between performing for audiences on stage every night and presenting to clients/colleagues every day. However, the latter didn't have the right tools to bring their stories to life. So, she decided to do something about it. Grundei Coaching, LLC specializes in presentation and public speaking consultation, individual training and development, and creative team solutions using improvisational theatre techniques to build trust, empathy, and out-of-the-box thinking. Would you like to learn how to create greater personal freedom and success? If so, I can help. You can schedule a courtesy call here: https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call

Do you ever feel unfulfilled by your practice? Do you struggle with the belief that you are inauthentic in your practice? Do you ever suffer from burnout? So many of us have. Often the problem is that our practice needs to be aligned with our values. We can create tremendous success and genuine personal freedom by aligning our practice with our values. How do we do that? In this podcast episode, I will explain the problems we encounter when misaligned. I will detail exactly how to determine our professional values and the gifts we enjoy from aligning our practice with our values. Finally, I will outline a  process for creating a practice aligned with your values.  Aligning your law practice with your values is not just an ethical choice; it is also a strategic one. It can help you build stronger client relationships, enhance your reputation, and increase your job satisfaction. You become a powerful force for positive change when you stand up for your beliefs and act by your values. So, if you haven't already, take some time to reflect on your values and how they can inform your legal practice. Your clients, colleagues, and conscience will thank you for it. Have a listen, and learn exactly how to do that. Would you like to learn how to create greater personal freedom by aligning your practice? If so, I can help. You can schedule a courtesy call here: https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call

In this podcast episode, Gary interviews Kerri Coby White, an expert in helping law firms grow and be more successful with less work. Kerri shares her professional journey and how she built the Law Firm Growth Machine, which takes all the little annoying things that every attorney needs to do and sets it all on autopilot. She emphasizes the four fundamental aspects of growing a law firm, including having the right people, marketing dollars, having a CEO mindset, and automation. Carrie also highlights the biggest challenges that lawyers face today and suggests starting with a solid growth strategy, treating files as people, and building relationships with clients. She offers her book, "The Law Firm Growth Machine," as a comprehensive guide to building a growth machine for your law firm. Kerri Coby White has been serving the legal industry in growth and business development for more than a  decade, merging her consulting firm with that of James Brooks and forming KerriJames, LLC in 2019. As CEO of KerriJames, Kerri speaks on the value of data and technology in achieving next level growth. It is her personal belief that strategy-driven systems can provide firms with the intelligence that enables them to compete amidst a host of challenges and do the important work of seeking justice, supporting clients, and growing organizations that serve their communities. Would you like to learn how to create greater personal freedom in your practice? If so, I can help. You can schedule a courtesy call here: https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call

What was your motivation for becoming a lawyer? Was it to make a lot of money? Or was it to serve and help others? Very few of us became lawyers to make a lot of money. Primarily, we did it to be of service to others. We encountered onerous billable hour requirements, demanding clients, competition, and complex work requirements. The pressure and stress wiped out our sense of fulfillment. How can we rebuild our purpose of service, which initially motivated us?  In today's, I will review the obstacles to our fulfillment and the problems we suffer when we are not fulfilled,  discuss the benefits of recreating fulfillment in our career,  and lay a recipe to find that purpose in our work. Are you interested in having a more fulfilling career? If so, this is a message for you. Would you like to learn how to create greater personal freedom by being more fulfilled? If so, I can help. You can schedule a courtesy call here: https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call

In today's episode, Gary interviews Lesa Koski, an attorney turned mediator who handles family law in a unique way. Lesa shares her passion for doing divorces differently and helping couples fashion their own solutions using skilled empathetic mediation. She discusses the challenges she faces as a mediator, particularly when one party is not willing to participate. Lesa emphasizes the importance of taking care of oneself as a legal professional and suggests simple tactics such as breathing exercises, moving one's body, and talking to a trusted friend or therapist. The episode highlights the importance of doing divorce differently and the role of skilled mediators like Lisa in achieving that goal. Lesa is a wife, a mama, a grandma and an animal lover.  She is blessed to be serving people from her barn office.  She is obsessed with learning and communication.  She loves sharing what she has learned with all of you!  There is nothing more gratifying for her than holding people's hands through difficult conversations.   Lesa is an attorney based in Woodbury, MN with over 20 years of experience with a strong desire to help people through difficult situations.  That's why becoming a divorce mediator was the best fit for both herself and my clients. All of her links are here:  https://linktr.ee/lesakoski Would you like to learn how to create greater personal freedom by being more efficient? If so, I can help. You can schedule a courtesy call here: https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call

How well is your law firm doing? Which of your attorneys is most profitable and contributes most to your success? How satisfied are your clients? What kinds of matters are most profitable? What is the cost of acquiring a new client or a new matter? What client development activities are most successful? These are all fundamental questions that many law firm partners do not know the answers to. Yet, they are critical for our success. The law firm must answer those fundamental questions using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). It seems everyone now is throwing around the term “KPI.”. But do we understand KPIs, how they work, and how to best utilize them? In this episode, we will discuss KPIs and the important reasons to use them. We will analyze some common drawbacks and concerns about KPIs. Finally, we will go over a step-by-step process for using them in your firm. If you want to learn how to run your firm as a business and to be more profitable, this podcast is a must listen. Want to learn more about how to be profitable in your law business? Please feel free to reach out to me at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Let’s chat!!.

Stephanie McDonald joins us today with a unique story of transformation and growth. Stephanie is an employment law attorney with her firm in Canada. She took charge of her career and developed a practice that aligns with her values. Stephanie shares her insights on: -The challenges of toxic law firms today, where there is a lack of compassion and self-awareness -The benefits of listening to your intuition to determine what you want to do and who want to represent -The importance of aligning with your values to create happiness and freedom -The benefits of using outside help to identify your goals and to support you on your journey -The struggles with mental health in the law profession and the tools to manage the stress that we all face -How to find personal freedom by practicing law with your heart Stephanie McDonald is an employment lawyer living in downtown Toronto. She began her career at small to medium-sized plaintiff-side employment law firms, where she gained excellent experience and training.  Stephanie is passionate about making workplaces better. Unfortunately, Stephanie has experienced less than favorable work environments, and many of her employee clients deal with employers who act unlawfully, fail to treat employees with dignity and respect and fail to make their workplaces enjoyable. Stephanie is uniquely qualified to attack this problem by helping employees empower themselves and working with self-aware employers to open their hearts and lead with vulnerability.  Having spent years in firms unable to be her authentic self, Stephanie is committed to being true to herself and serving her clients uniquely.  Stephanie runs a human-first practice. She holds space for her client's difficulties while maintaining an analytical and practical lens to solve her client’s problems. She leads with her heart and mind and encourages her client to follow her example. Want to learn more about how to align your practice with your values? Please feel free to reach out to me at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call⁠⁠⁠⁠. Let’s chat!!.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed? Are you stuck? Do you sometimes wonder if you are in the right place? Do you feel frustrated, stressed, and unsure of how to create the satisfaction you crave? As a lawyer, it's easy to get caught up in the demands of a busy legal practice. Finding time and energy to focus on personal and professional development can be challenging between long hours, high-pressure situations, and the need to improve skills continually. A coach can help you achieve your goals.   I discuss the benefits of having a mentor or coach for lawyers. As someone who has been practicing law for 45 years, I have seen firsthand how a coach can help lawyers achieve their goals, provide accountability, and improve communication skills. I encourage lawyers to consider working with a coach to unlock their full potential and achieve success. A coach can provide valuable insights and support, helping lawyers to overcome obstacles and reach their goals. With the right coach by your side, you can take your career to the next level and achieve the success you deserve. In this episode, we'll explore why every lawyer should consider working with a coach and how it can help you to succeed in your legal career and beyond. We will also explain the common objections to using a coach, the traits you should look for in a coach, and how to find the right coach.  Want to learn more about how coaching can help you? Please feel free to reach out to me at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call⁠⁠⁠⁠. Let’s chat!!.