The Free Lawyer

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

Viveca Hess is an expert in using LinkedIn to help lawyers grow their book of business. She shares her expertise on these important topics: -The best practices in using LinkedIn -The power of LinkedIn and how it can grow your brand -The best business building approaches -How to overcome the fear of competition -The importance of determining what sets you apart as an attorney - The benefits of being an authentic and effective listener -The incredible stress of the billable hour requirements Studying people, human nature and how we communicate to build meaningful relationships is Viveca's passion, always has been. But, it wasn’t until several years after graduating from law school that she owned up to her passion for blending creative story-crafting with the design and psychology of communication and content. She initiated, created and directed the marketing and communication efforts at the law firm where she had worked for nearly a decade and realized she was smitten with a practice having little to do with the law. After nearly a decade she left this firm to launch her own online marketing company in 2009. Though she has never looked back, her legal background lends itself well for insight to what lawyers, law firms, and a few other regulated or politically sensitive industries require to be protected while successfully promoted in an ever-evolving online sphere. This is part of her unique, odd, sometimes uncomfortable, and very happy character-building story. Much like the passion triggers of her business, Viveca is easily impassioned by all things under, in, or on our oceans. Whether surfing the internet or waves, diving deep into content psychology or along underwater parks, the salt from both sweat and ocean has always done her good. Fortunately, her family feels similarly, mostly harmoniously. Husband even works on complicated water projections (that quite honestly make her eyes glaze over sometimes). Her teen daughter (going on twenty) applies an uncanny discipline, humor and design eye for online artistry when they are not making a splash offline somehow. She admits she has a thing (or more) to learn from her, like understanding that peace and crazy can co-exist. You can find Viveca on LinkedIn where she is ever present, and can connect by email at viveca@hessconnect.com.

Have you ever wanted to share something important with someone, and you knew they were not really listening? Or, they interrupted you to tell you what they wanted to tell you? And didn’t that make you feel disrespected and disconnected from that person? One of the keys to effective relationship building and true human connection is being a mindful and effective listener. In this episode of The Free Lawyer, I will discuss some typical barriers to effective listening, the consequences of poor listening habits, a process for effective listening, and the gifts that we enjoy when we truly listen to and hear the other party to the conversation. 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

Do you ever feel trapped and overwhelmed in your law career? As if you have no choice or power? Talar Herculian Coursey is a lawyer by day, a Life Coach and published author. She joins The Free Lawyer to share her powerful journey and great insights on -The gift of a community to support us in our legal career -How to find fulfillment through service -How to manage mental health challenges in our legal profession -The importance of mentorship -How we each have the freedom to choose our own path in law -Understanding that we all have the power to free ourselves and select our own journey Talar has served as General Counsel for Vista Ford Lincoln in Woodland Hills, California since 2011. Before that, she was a file clerk, associate and partner at the national labor and employment law firm, Fisher Phillips LLP.  Talar is a co-author of #Networked and Women In Law and the author of her first children’s book, Ralphy’s Rules for Living the Good Life, all of which are available on Amazon (all profits going to charities). Talar has served as the president of the Salt Lake City Chapter for the Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief (“SOAR”) since 2015. SOAR, founded in 2005, supports orphanages in Syria, Lebanon and Armenia. To date, Talar has raised over $100,000 for the orphanages in Lebanon in memory of her father, Mardig Herculian. Talar wrote Ralphy’s Rules for Living the Good Life to raise money for SOAR. In addition to being a mother, wife, lawyer, life coach and philanthropist, Talar is also a runner, yogi and Jesus, Ekhart Tolle, Peloton and Brandon Flowers groupie. You can find Talar on LinkedIn @TalarEsq or on her website www.TalarEsq.com.

Have you ever felt that you are working so hard, so busy, too many things on your desk, keeping all the balls in the air?  And when the day is done, do you feel like you got nothing accomplished? I know I have. See, busyness is often harmful to our business as well as to us personally. We all know it is no fun to be stuck in the busyness quagmire, nor is it good for our professional success. In Episode 47 ot the Free Lawyer, I will explain why we get stuck in busyness, discuss some of the problems with it, and give you 8 tangible tools to escape  the prison of busyness. 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