The Agile Attorney Podcast
John E. Grant
The Agile Attorney podcast teaches legal professionals how to streamline their legal workflows using the principles, practices, and tools of the Kanban Method.
Join Accredited Kanban Trainer and award-winning legal operations professional John E. Grant as he shares the keys to implementing effective strategies, practices, and technologies to drive true efficiency in your legal processes.
For more information on how John can help you develop an agile mindset and bust through your legal delivery bottlenecks, visit https://agileattorney.com.
This is the show for you if you find yourself asking questions like:
-How can I make my law practice more efficient?
-What is the best way to implement legal project management in my legal workflow?
-How can I best leverage technology to improve my legal workflows?
-What is the best way to transition my practice to flat fees or other alternative billing structures?
-How can I get my legal team to perform better?
-How can I better build productized legal services?
-What is the best way to increase law firm revenue without adding headcount?
Join Accredited Kanban Trainer and award-winning legal operations professional John E. Grant as he shares the keys to implementing effective strategies, practices, and technologies to drive true efficiency in your legal processes.
For more information on how John can help you develop an agile mindset and bust through your legal delivery bottlenecks, visit https://agileattorney.com.
This is the show for you if you find yourself asking questions like:
-How can I make my law practice more efficient?
-What is the best way to implement legal project management in my legal workflow?
-How can I best leverage technology to improve my legal workflows?
-What is the best way to transition my practice to flat fees or other alternative billing structures?
-How can I get my legal team to perform better?
-How can I better build productized legal services?
-What is the best way to increase law firm revenue without adding headcount?
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jan 2, 2025 • 54min
050. Flat Fee Pricing for Lawyers with Elise Buie and Emery Wager
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.
Dec 26, 2024 • 19min
049. Lessons from Old Hollywood: Why Flat-Fee Legal Work Is Nothing New
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!
Dec 19, 2024 • 49min
048. The Obvious Switch to Value Pricing with Jonathan Stark
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.
16 snips
Dec 12, 2024 • 1h 15min
047. How Kanban Creates Capacity Liquidity in Your Law Firm with Richard Hoare
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.
Dec 5, 2024 • 33min
046. Improving Legal Workflows without New Technology
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!
Nov 28, 2024 • 39min
045. Agile Access to Justice, Leveraging Process Improvement to Serve the Underserved
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/45
Nov 21, 2024 • 31min
044. Kanban Made Easy: A Lawyer's Guide to Visual Task Management
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/44
Nov 14, 2024 • 29min
043. The Right Way to Incentivize Your Team
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/43
Nov 7, 2024 • 40min
042. Ditch Effective Hourly Rates: How to Calculate Matter-Level Profit
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/start
Oct 31, 2024 • 39min
041. How to Transition From Hourly Billing To Flat Fees, One Phase at a Time
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.
