The Agile Attorney Podcast

Discover how a daily 15-minute standup meeting can transform your law practice into a powerhouse of productivity. Learn the three essential questions to ask and tips to keep meetings on track while surfacing dependencies and roadblocks. Explore how these meetings enhance accountability and create feedback loops, boosting your team’s performance. Plus, find out common pitfalls to avoid for a smooth implementation that starts delivering results right away.

Discover how structured weekly planning can revolutionize your law practice. Learn to conduct effective meetings that promote team collaboration and prioritize essential tasks. Gain insights on enhancing team dynamics and addressing challenges through consistent planning. Break the cycle of overcommitment and overwhelm while transforming productivity and predictability in your firm. This simple habit could be the key to achieving your 2025 goals!

In this discussion, Elise Buie, a leader in collaborative family law, shares her transformative journey to flat fee pricing for legal services. She highlights the importance of predictable billing, enhancing client engagement, and the emotional dynamics of financial transparency. Emery Wager adds his expertise on harnessing data and software to improve legal practices. Together, they explore practical strategies for implementing flat fee models, ensuring better client experiences, and refining workflows for more efficient legal service delivery.

Discover the fascinating evolution of legal practices through the lens of a pioneering entertainment lawyer's stories. Dive into the high-profile divorce of Jane Wyman and Ronald Reagan, revealing societal impacts and media influences. Explore the historical context of 1940s divorce laws and the emergence of no-fault statutes. Uncover the significance of flat-fee billing in legal history, its ethical implications, and how today’s value-based billing draws lessons from the past. It's a captivating blend of law, Hollywood, and human stories!

Jonathan Stark, host of the Ditching Hourly Podcast and author of "Hourly Billing is Nuts," sheds light on revolutionizing legal practices. He argues that valuing time over service leads to burnout, and suggests shifting to value pricing instead. Stark discusses the concept of 'failure demand' and its costs, while sharing strategies like automation and outsourcing to enhance efficiency. The talk emphasizes creating streamlined workflows that boost client satisfaction and profitability, all while redefining the role of legal professionals towards a strategic focus.

In this discussion, Richard Hoare, owner of Hoare Associates, shares his remarkable journey of transforming a music-centric law practice using Agile and Kanban methodologies. He reveals how visual management systems have drastically improved his firm's responsiveness and efficiency. Richard highlights the concept of capacity liquidity, emphasizing the balance between operational efficiency and team well-being. The conversation explores the challenges and successes in streamlining legal workflows and the importance of fostering a respectful and collaborative culture.

Discover how legal professionals can enhance their workflows without relying on new technology. The conversation dives into leveraging Kanban principles to streamline processes and improve client experiences. A fascinating case study reveals the transformative impact of Kanban during the pandemic. Insights from a training workshop highlight how adapting to better methods can elevate performance, making even outdated systems work better. Tune in for actionable strategies that any legal practitioner can implement today!

There are people all over the US who find themselves in legal binds, but are unable to get the legal help they need. As we enter this season of giving, this episode is here to highlight an Access to Justice success story that I've been fortunate enough to be a part of, albeit one that is still very much in its early chapters. I’m sharing this to spread a little hope, but also to illustrate some Agile tools and concepts that you might be able to use in your own private practice.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/45Mentioned in this episode:Greenline.legal is Officially in BetaTo set up a demo of this software with me, talk through the workflow challenges and opportunities you have in your practice, and see how Greenline could help, click here: https://the-agile-attorney.captivate.fm/greenlinelegalGreenlineLegal DemoNew Workshop: Adaptive Kanban for Legal TeamsThis live, half-day workshop will teach you the core principles you'll need to create visual workflow systems tailored to the way legal work really happens — so you can spend less time chasing tasks and more time delivering value to your clients. Click here to secure your spot: https://the-agile-attorney.captivate.fm/classesKanban Workshop Sept 2025

When you’re buried in work, your to-do list is flowing off the page, and you’re feeling totally overwhelmed in your day-to-day activities, I invite you to hit play on this episode. I go old school, describing how to build a very simple Kanban board on your wall, a whiteboard, or any simple Kanban system. Discover how using even the most basic Kanban board can help you break down your work into manageable pieces, focus on what matters most, and start crossing those items off your list with confidence, one sticky note at a time.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/44Mentioned in this episode:New Workshop: Adaptive Kanban for Legal TeamsThis live, half-day workshop will teach you the core principles you'll need to create visual workflow systems tailored to the way legal work really happens — so you can spend less time chasing tasks and more time delivering value to your clients. Click here to secure your spot: https://the-agile-attorney.captivate.fm/classesKanban Workshop Sept 2025Greenline.legal is Officially in BetaTo set up a demo of this software with me, talk through the workflow challenges and opportunities you have in your practice, and see how Greenline could help, click here: https://the-agile-attorney.captivate.fm/greenlinelegalGreenlineLegal Demo

One of the biggest challenges law firms face when moving away from hourly billing and towards incorporating flat fees is motivating your team in a way that actually supports the new business model.Tune in this week as I challenge the conventional wisdom around using billable hours as a key performance metric, even for firms that bill by the hour. I explain why billable targets often work against efficiency and profitability, especially for firms incorporating flat fee billing. But more importantly, I dive into the social science behind human motivation and share proven strategies for tapping into your team's intrinsic drive to do great work.Get full show notes, transcript, and more here: https://www.agileattorney.com/43Mentioned in this episode:New Workshop: Adaptive Kanban for Legal TeamsThis live, half-day workshop will teach you the core principles you'll need to create visual workflow systems tailored to the way legal work really happens — so you can spend less time chasing tasks and more time delivering value to your clients. Click here to secure your spot: https://the-agile-attorney.captivate.fm/classesKanban Workshop Sept 2025Greenline.legal is Officially in BetaTo set up a demo of this software with me, talk through the workflow challenges and opportunities you have in your practice, and see how Greenline could help, click here: https://the-agile-attorney.captivate.fm/greenlinelegalGreenlineLegal Demo