The Agile Attorney Podcast

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

Do you know the most profitable parts of your law practice? If you're like most lawyers, the answer is probably no. But without a clear understanding of matter-level profitability, you could be making costly decisions about where to invest your limited time and resources.In this episode, I explain why the traditional approach of using effective hourly rate to compare flat fee and hourly matters is flawed and what to do instead. By assigning a direct cost to each team member's time and calculating the gross profit on a matter-by-matter basis, you'll be able to make more informed decisions about which types of work to pursue. The result is a more profitable and intentional law practice.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/42Start your Agile transformation today and check out free resources, including my Law Firm Policy Template, to help you and your team develop a more Agile legal practice: https://www.agileattorney.com/startMentioned 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

Discover innovative strategies for transitioning from hourly billing to flat fees, making the leap less overwhelming. Explore real-world examples of how a phased approach can enhance workflows and profitability across various legal practices. Gain insights on how generative AI is reshaping the landscape, potentially automating a significant portion of tasks. Learn how adopting flat fee structures can boost client engagement and improve your firm's bottom line, especially in family law and estate planning.

Discover the exciting features of Clio Matter Stages and how they incorporate Kanban principles into legal workflow management. Engage with the advantages and potential limitations of this tool as unveiled at the Clio Cloud Conference. Learn essential techniques like queue columns and work-in-progress limits that can enhance your legal practice's efficiency. Plus, find out how implementing explicit Agile policies can transform your firm's operations for the better.

I’m a massive fan of Bottleneck Theory. This is the idea that you can make massive improvements to your legal workflows by finding and focusing on just one part of your overall system: the bottleneck. In this episode, I’m super excited to bring you an interview with The Bottleneck Guy himself, Clarke Ching.Tune in this week to explore where the bottlenecks might be in your legal practice, and discover how to address these constraints. We discuss how small iterative adjustments can create big changes in how work flows through your practice, and you’ll learn the value of preserving your capacity, so you don’t end up being a bottleneck in your own practice.For full show notes, transcript, and more information, visit: https://www.agileattorney.com/39Start your Agile transformation today and check out free resources, including my Law Firm Policy Template, to help you and your team develop a more Agile legal practice: https://www.agileattorney.com/startMentioned 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

Struggling with giving effective feedback? Discover why the criticism sandwich approach falls flat and learn about the importance of direct, actionable communication. Explore how setting clear quality standards can enhance team performance. The discussion addresses generational challenges, particularly regarding young lawyers, advocating for better training and support rather than blame. It parallels legal team management to youth sports coaching, revealing innovative methods for fostering growth and development within your team.

Explore the dynamic nature of legal work and its impact on workflow management. Discover the SIPOC method to analyze and streamline processes effectively. Learn how to identify bottlenecks and enhance efficiency by breaking down workflow components. Find out how to keep work flowing smoothly through your practice.

Join Ben Hudson, a Calgary lawyer specializing in various legal fields, and Melissa Shanahan, host of the Law Firm Owner podcast, as they tackle the complexities of legal workflow. They discuss how to shift from resource efficiency to flow efficiency, revealing that sometimes doing less can actually create more capacity. Ben shares insights on data-driven hiring and improving client perceptions. The duo also dives into the transformative power of the Kanban methodology and practical strategies to overcome common bottlenecks in legal practices.

Have you ever felt like certain tasks in your law practice are taking longer than they should? What if I told you that sometimes the key to efficiency is slowing down and working together? This is where a concept from the software development world called "paired programming" can help you create better outcomes in your legal practice.Tune in this week to discover how to accelerate your law firm’s efficiency using the concept of paired programming. From co-working on complex briefs to training new team members, you’ll learn how working together in real-time can reduce miscommunication, accelerate feedback loops, and ultimately lead to a better work product for your clients.For full show notes, transcript, and more information, visit: https://www.agileattorney.com/35Start your Agile transformation today and check out free resources, including my Law Firm Policy Template, to help you and your team develop a more Agile legal practice: https://www.agileattorney.com/startMentioned 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 common anti-pattern I run into in working with lawyers and law practices is people who are constantly looking for little efficiencies to try to improve particular parts of their practice or their legal workflow. But sometimes, finding those short-term efficiencies, even if they work in the short term, can actually cut against the long-term productivity or the overall flow of work through your practice.Tune in this week to discover where you might be sacrificing long-term flow in pursuit of short-term efficiency. I discuss how engaging your clients in the legal process improves long-term efficiency, and you’ll learn how to start balancing the immediate demands of your legal work with long-term efficiency in your practice.For full show notes, transcript, and more information, visit: https://www.agileattorney.com/34Start your Agile transformation today and check out free resources, including my Law Firm Policy Template, to help you and your team develop a more Agile legal practice: https://www.agileattorney.com/startMentioned 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