The Free Lawyer

Jenn Deal joins us today to share insights about managing the overwhelm and finding fulfillment as an attorney.  Jenn Deal is a lawyer (and former BigLaw partner) and a certified life coach. As a brand protection attorney, she handles contentious trademark, unfair competition, and false advertising matters. As a life coach, she helps high-achieving women who feel stuck, unfulfilled, and overwhelmed create careers and lives they love.  She shares her expertise on: -The importance of acceptance of those things we cannot control -How to become more self-aware of our thoughts and feelings -Determining your values, priorities, and chosen path as an attorney -Managing our thoughts to create tremendous success - How to determine what is most important to us and choosing a path to achieve it Jenn is an incredible leader, attorney, and coach. You will love hearing what she has to say! For more, visit www.jenndealcoaching.com or connect with Jenn on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenn-deal-coaching/.

“When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another – and ourselves.” -Jack Kornfield Do you have days where everything gets under your skin and distracts you? Do you ever get stuck in your head thinking about issues other than the project you're working on? Or, do you have days where you are laser-focused, not easily rattled, and calmly go about productively solving your clients’ problems? The difference is mindfulness. In this episode of  The Free Lawyer, I will discuss what mindfulness is, how it makes a difference, the gifts of practicing law mindfully, and how to become more mindful in your law practice. Check it out!

Codi Shewan joins The Free Lawyer today. Codi is a speaker, trainer,  consultant, and, most importantly, author of the best-selling book, Everyday Legacy. For me and many others, Everyday Legacy was truly transformational. It encourages us through Codi's stories to treasure every moment, be grateful, be present with who matters to us, and begin today, creating our living legacy of how we wish to be known. Codi shares what inspired the book and how it has already started to change the lives of many who have read it.  What if your legacy isn't what you leave behind but something you create every day of your life? What if you started acting the way you want to be remembered - right now - and shared your unique gifts with the world? His message is simple yet powerful: In each moment, you can change yourself and those around you in profound ways. Codi inspires readers to redefine how they live and embrace the idea of living - not leaving - a legacy. Everyday Legacy shows us what it means to be deeply human, undeniably mortal - and how to choose a life that matters. This is a compelling episode!!

Do you ever find billing clients to be uncomfortable? Get tired of keeping time and meeting billable hour expectations? Are you interested in finding a better  way to practice law? Katherine Bromfield  is an innovative, successful and fulfilled family law attorney in Western Australia. Katherine joins The Free Lawyer today to share her thoughts about the many benefits of value-based pricing. She discusses the many problems the traditional hourly billing system causes for  attorneys- dissatisfied clients who do not know what the legal services will cost and have billing shock when the monthly bill comes; the lack of synergy between clients who are focused on the value they receive and the law firm who has a motivation to bill  more hours; the attorneys who are stressed by the hourly billing requirements; and collection issues for the law firm. Katherine explains how value-based pricing satisfies the client by providing the value they want at an agreed cost; creates synergy between the lawyer and client who both have a goal to efficiently and quickly resolve the client's issues; supports the wellbeing of lawyers  by providing an environment of less stress and greater fulfillment; and builds the law firm  which  is more purposeful and successful. Want to learn more about how this works? Have a listen! Katherine Bromfield is a family lawyer in Perth, Western Australia, and helps people to resolve the issues arising from separation and move on with their lives. She started her legal career at Legal Aid, then worked at several different private law firms before starting her practice as the Director of Bromfield Family Law. Family law disputes damage families, and Katherine seeks to reinvent the way clients experience family law so as to deliver outcomes that mitigate harm and protect their families. Now in her own micro virtual practice, Katherine has rejected the traditional business model of law and is embracing new and more flexible ways of delivering family law services so as to provide clients with a strategic pathway to realize their objectives while remaining in control of their matter and the associated costs. Katherine will speak about her success in applying value-based pricing and a strategic and project management style approach to each matter to re-align clients with lawyers and the business of law with the practice of law. Katherine will also tell you how this approach has helped her fall back in love with the practice of family law and how it continues to safeguard the well-being of her team. You can find Katherine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-bromfield-6aa717184/ Are you interested in learning more about value-based pricing? Here are some resources: Tim Williams https://www.ignitiongroup.com/propulsion-blog John Chisholm Consulting https://www.chisconsult.com/my-perspective/ Linked In – Legal Iconoclasts https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12637001/

Last week we talked about how hard it is to be an authentic attorney, and how we suffer stress and burnout as a result. We also reviewed the powerful gifts of being a more authentic attorney.  Is it hard to be a truly authentic attorney? It is, but it is so worth it! Today I share 7 tangible tips where you can become a more authentic, more fulfilled attorney. And who does not want that? Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

Can we be truly authentic as attorneys? We spend so much of our time creating arguments, posturing, being in charge, always in control. Sometimes we have been indoctrinated to working too hard, never complaining, and not setting real boundaries. Do you ever feel as if you are wearing a mask? Perhaps feeling you have to act a certain way around the partner, or say certain things to others in the firm, so that you will be accepted? How does that affect us and how can we change it? In this episode of The Free Lawyer, I will discuss the problem of authenticity in the legal profession; what true authenticity is; some of the historical problems with being authentic as an attorney; and the incredible gifts from being authentic as an attorney. Next week, I will share helpful tools to develop a an authentic professional life where we will be real, genuine, and fulfilled. Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

Laura Terrell is our guest today on The Free Lawyer. Laura is an executive coach who helps us be as successful as we deserve. She shares valuable insights on these topics and others: -The benefits of authentically engaging with our clients -The importance of building trust with our audience -How to develop our brand and build a book of business -Tools to manage setbacks in our career -What is imposter syndrome and how to overcome it  -The need to understand law firm financials Laura Terrell is an executive coach with over twenty-five years of experience as a legal and business leader. She offers an insider’s perspective for business, legal and corporate professionals, working to help her clients to improve and achieve success in their work lives. Prior to coaching, she was a Special Assistant to the President at the White House, a senior level appointee at the U.S. Department of Justice, an equity partner in two large, global law firms, and in-house counsel at a publicly traded company. Laura has also led and managed teams of people across multiple countries, serving as a top advisor to many Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 companies. Partnering with her clients, she enjoys helping them reach their goals and build confidence in their careers. Learn more about Laura and follow her blog at www.lauraterrell.com. You can also find her on LinkedIn- www.linkedin.com/in/lauraterrell

Have you ever had a crisis at work, someone made a mistake, and the boss gets very angry, perhaps screaming, reacts rashly, and blames the person who was at fault? Never seeing his part in it? Or in the same scenario, have you ever seen the leader respond thoughtfully, is empathetic with the person who made the mistake, and incorporates the team in finding a solution to achieve better results in the future? What is the difference between these two scenarios? It is what is frequently called “emotional intelligence.” In this episode of The Free Lawyer, I will explain what emotional intelligence is, what its characteristics are, how someone behaves when they are acting with low emotional intelligence, how emotional intelligence benefits us, and how to develop our skills of emotional intelligence. Let me know what you think!

In today's episode of The Free Lawyer, dynamic Molly Hough shares her insights on the most challenging issues facing young lawyers today. We talk about such important topics as: -The need to train young lawyers today on how to practice as lawyers  -The importance of "community" for young professionals today -How to manage stress in the legal profession -Billing requirements and how they affect lawyers today -How to build true personal freedom as a lawyer  Molly Hough is an Employment and Commercial Litigation Attorney who guides businesses of all sizes to navigate the ever-changing legal landscape. She is also the Founder of the JurisConsult Institute where she trains and develops new attorneys in cohort-styled classes. All too often, new attorneys do not receive adequate training and this leads to them feeling overwhelmed and confused about how to do their jobs well. This should not be the case and that is exactly why she created JurisConsult. To her core, she believes new attorneys deserve training and community to become the best attorney they can be. If anyone has any questions, they can email her at info@jurisconsultinstitute.com. They can also follow her on Instagram @Jurisconsult_institute or on LinkedIn.

Do your clients ever get frustrated with the size of their bill, which was unexpected? Do you have prospective clients who want a reasonable projection of what their matter will cost, and you are unable to give them a very predictable cost? Are you tired of time keeping and trying to meet seemingly arbitrary hourly billing requirements? As a firm owner or manager, are you tired of chasing clients for payment of outstanding balances on their bills? We attorneys have always used an hourly billing process. However, it creates a lot of issues, for the client, for the attorneys, and for the law firm. But there is an alternative which answers many of these concerns. That is the value based pricing system. In this episode, I will discuss some of the problems with the hourly billing system, explain what a value based system is and how it works, review the primary obstacles to it, and explain the many benefits it can bring to your law firm. Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout