New Solo

In this episode of New Solo, Adriana Linares talks with Adams and Reese LLP Partner Jeff Richardson about publishing his blog “iPhone J.D.” and his tip for lawyers using Apple mobile products. Jeff opens the interview with a brief history of his occupational past and talks about his New Orleans upbringing. He states that his law practice focuses on class action and complex litigation typically representing defendants when they are sued and that half of his work is appellate practice for all sorts of clients. His firm operated on both Macs and PCs at one time but decided to become a PC-only firm in the early 2000s. As a long time Mac user in both his personal and professional life, Jeff started his blog in 2008, focusing on discussing the different ways attorneys can use Apple mobile technology in their law practices and firms. He notes that all tech today is complicated and emphasizes how learning the little things about a device can make people both happy and productive. Jeff covers the top 3 questions lawye

Client Relationship Management, or CRM, is a strategy implemented in business to maintain effective knowledge about and connections with your current, previous, and potential clients. Using technology, employees are able to nurture relationships with their clients by tracking conversions and setting notifications. But many lawyers, especially solos and small firm lawyers, aren’t using CRMs; they don’t know the potential value of these systems or even what they are. So why should attorneys bother learning about CRMs? In this episode of New Solo, Adriana Linares discusses CRMs with Michael Chasin, co-founder and CEO of Lexicata, a law firm CRM and client intake software. Michael talks about the foundation of Lexicata and how it has helped many lawyers find and convert leads. He then explains how CRMs can help solo and small firm lawyers with client intake as well as marketing. By touching base with potential clients, we can create a positive, brag-worthy experience. In this way, clients will return with future

Starting your own law firm can be a daunting task for any solo attorney. What new trends will help you manage your practice and how can you harness available technology to better communicate with your clients? In this episode of The New Solo, host Adriana Linares speaks with Clio CEO Jack Newton, who shares what he believes are two big trends in practice management. Jack discusses client portals and lists the benefits, such as document management and security, that having a collaborative way to communicate directly with your clients provides. He analyzes the advantages that leveraging this technology gives law firms and the convenience it provides lawyers and consumers of legal services. He also talks about campaign tracking which enables law firms to track their marketing channels and determine what kind of return on investment they are receiving from those endeavors. Jack briefly touches on the 2016 Clio Cloud Conference and says this year’s event will focus on helping lawyers take their practices to the ne

As attorneys graduate and head into the legal marketplace, or leave a law firm to start a solo practice, it can be hard to know where to find resources with tips on starting your new career. What are the most important things that a newly solo practitioner should know? What are some best practices for lawyers just starting out in the field? In this episode of The New Solo, host Adriana Linares talks with the ABA TECHSHOW 2017 Planning Board to provide need to know advice for newly solo attorneys. This year’s TECHSHOW board consists of Barbara Leach Law PL. Managing Attorney Barbara Leach, Avvo Director of Industry Relations Dan Lear, O’Melveny & Myers Senior Manager of Technology and Development Ivan Hemmans, and Downey Law Group LLC. Founder Michael Downey. Michael emphasizes that small firms and solo attorneys should focus heavily on their cash flow. Dan states that legal professionals can view their businesses through three different mediums, the balance sheet, income statements, or cash flow. The amou

Among solo practitioners, Ernest “Ernie the Attorney” Svenson is well-known for consulting on technology and, specifically, going paperless. But what many lawyers don’t know is how Ernie transitioned from a commercial litigator in a big New Orleans law firm to a tech savvy solo. In this episode of New Solo, learn all about how Ernie’s experience practicing in a big firm and Hurricane Katrina led him to go solo. He talks with Adriana Linares about using technology and automation to lower his overhead for an increased chance of success and, quite frankly, happiness. Adriana and Ernie then discuss the more difficult aspects of transitioning to a solo practice including loneliness, retaining clients, and wanting a paralegal. No longer a practicing attorney, Ernie talks about why he decided to become a technology consultant for other solo and small firm lawyers. If you’re planning to go out on your own, tune in for some tips that might make the difference. Ernest Svenson, also known as “Ernie the Attorney,” practi

In this episode of New Solo, host Adriana Linares stops by the shared offices of Barbara Leach and Conti Moore. Together they discuss the cost savings, benefits, and logistics of splitting office resources. Through mutual trust, compromise, and similar views on work-life balance, these lawyers are achieving the strengths of partnership without losing the privilege of being the boss. Tune in to hear how they did it and why you should consider this practice model. Barbara Leach is a solo practitioner in central Florida who, after launching her career with a large national law firm, sought a closer connection to her community and greater interaction with clients. She took the leap to establish her own firm in 2011. Since then, the firm has continuously grown, and Barbara finds herself right where she hoped to be: face-to-face with her clients and practicing in bankruptcy, family law, foreclosure, and litigation. Conti Moore is the founder of small firm Conti Moore, PLLC where she practices in family law, crimina

Although television commercials seem too expensive for a solo practice’s marketing budget, they are not! In fact, advertising on T.V. can be a great alternative or addition to an online marketing campaign, as long as it’s done correctly. So what should solos expect with these ads and how can we optimize the return on investment? In this episode of New Solo, Adriana Linares and Jason Marsh interview Conti Moore, a small firm lawyer with a successful television commercial, about the process and price of creating her ad, airing it, and tracking its success. Included in this episode: TV network “spots” and your target audience Measuring success and tweaking television shows Slow start and a long term commitment Production company costs and benefits Creating fresh content and cycling locations Customizing your airtime package Choosing a niche area of law for the highest ROI Conti’s words of advice from the experience Conti Moore practices primarily family law and criminal defense at Conti Moore Law, PLLC, in Orl

In the previous episode of New Solo, Adriana Linares interviewed Andrew LeGrand, a lawyer who has a largely automated practice, about Text Expansion and forms to increase efficiency for lawyers. Because automation is such an enormous topic, Adriana invited Andrew back to discuss more in-depth systems and tools to avoid wasting time on menial tasks and improve accuracy, consistency, and professionalism. Does it seem too good to be true? Tune in for automation suggestions for lawyers at any level of tech-savviness. Topics include: Web automation to replace support staff tasks Clio as a practice management program Integration with Zapier Consistent labels and tagging for easy categorization search Doodle calendar that talks to Gmail Web forums and customer relationship management (CRM) Google Scripting and Google Apps for Work How much the tools cost Forms rule certification In the end, Andrew emphasizes, just knowing these options are out there is important and powerful. Special thanks to our sponsor, Solo Pr

Adriana Linares interviews Andrew Legrand, a solo lawyer who started his practice immediately out of law school using technology to increase efficiency. His tips start with something as small as an autocomplete for your signature to auto filling forms he regularly uses. Special thanks to our sponsor, Solo Practice University.

In this episode of New Solo, Adriana Linares and Jason Marsh interview C. Todd Smith, a small firm lawyer who has used various forms of social media for marketing his practice. Jason Marsh, an online marketing specialist for small businesses and law firms, also give his insight into the importance of social media. For lawyers launching a solo practice, this podcast will provide a broad idea of where to start with your social media campaign. Todd Smith recommends that lawyers choose one or maybe two platforms to focus on rather than trying to tackle all of them.

In this episode of New Solo, Adriana Linares interviews internet marketer Jason Marsh about the most effective marketing process for lawyers beginning a solo practice, how much they should spend on a website, and what it means to optimize your business for the search engines. Special thanks to our sponsor, Solo Practice University.

In this episode of New Solo, Adriana Linares interviews John E. Grant, an agile attorney consultant, about what it means to have a lean practice, how businesses have soared ahead of law firms in this way, and things every lawyer can do to add value to their services. Grant, a solo practitioner himself, discusses his move from the business world to the legal world and how he has seen the agile manifesto change the way that businesses work. He mentions ways lawyers can effectively streamline workflow processes and gives some specific suggestions of books and articles to read in order to learn more. Tune in for more details on how to make your clients happy by increasing your practice efficiency.

In this episode of New Solo, Adriana Linares interviews David Sparks about why he decided to go solo, the first actions he took, and struggles he encountered during the process. Sparks’ first steps involved evaluating the potential costs of research, insurance, malpractice, and other legal necessities, and comparing it to an assumed client income. He talks about being a lawyer who uses Apple products and how he chose, or didn’t choose, products like Ruby Receptionists, Clio, Rocket Matter, and Omnifocus. Sparks discusses the importance of marketing his new solo practice and how setting up the business and accounting aspects took longer than he thought it would. If you are considering starting a solo practice, this podcast is a good place to start. Special thanks to our sponsor, Solo Practice University.

In this episode of New Solo, Adriana Linares interviews legal ethics attorney Michael Downey about the solo practice he started in 2015. Together they discuss why he decided to leave a big law firm to start his own law practice, the decisions he had to make, and how he dealt with everything from choosing technology to successfully parting ways with his old firm. Downey talks about the research he did with different practice management tools, the process of deciding on a name and buying relevant URLs, and his decision to use Apple computers in his practice. Although he already had a client base that he believed would stay with him, he marketed his new business by collecting articles he had written, developed his mailing list, and updated his LinkedIn account. For those struggling with the decision of starting a solo practice, Downey’s experience is a useful place to start. Special thanks to our sponsor, Solo Practice University.

Ed Walters started as a lawyer in a big law firm in Washington D.C. In the late 1990's, he was approached by a client asking him to research a relatively new legal issue without using LexisNexis or WestLaw, as they were trying to reduce online legal research costs. His inability to do this set off a chain of events leading him to create the company Fastcase. His story begs the question, are lawyers simply paying too much for online legal research sources? What are some ways particularly solo and small firm attorneys can reduce research overheads in their practice? And when is it necessary to pay for LexisNexis or WestLaw? In this episode of New Solo, Adriana Linares interviews Ed Walters about his experience starting Fastcase, how it interacts with the bigger legal research companies and smaller startups, and the right steps for solo practitioners to take in choosing an online research source. Linares and Walters begin by discussing the differences between a free resource like Google Scholar, a mid-range comp

There are numerous sources in the legal world claiming that lawyers need to work on building and growing their networks in order to gain referrals. But with hundreds of connections, how is a solo lawyer able to build and develop proper relationships with everyone? Maybe lawyers should be thinking about the quality of their connections rather than the quantity. What should a solo or small firm attorney do to build a good referral network? In this episode of New Solo, Adriana Linares interviews family law practitioner Lee Rosen about forming strategic partnerships and setting up a basic referral network. Rosen actually rejects both of those phrases and explains that he thinks of an effective referral network as a collection of close friends who provide value to each other in multiple ways. Lawyers should build relationships with around twenty other lawyers and people in different professions who have the opportunity to provide referrals. Also, he says, you need to LIKE these people, because they will be your fr

When starting your solo practice, figuring out how to price your services can be very difficult. Many new lawyers undercut the market or undervalue what they have to offer. Additionally, in this emerging market of flat fees, they have to consider their strategy for setting legal rates. When charging for hourly legal services, what should be the lowest starting rate? How should a solo lawyer structure a system for flat fee pricing? What are the signs of undercharging and how should attorneys convey the value of their services to the client? On this episode of New Solo, Adriana Linares interviews attorney Ted Waggoner about how lawyers should set their fees, hourly versus flat fee pricing, and educating clients about the true value of their legal services. When starting a new practice, Waggoner explains, lawyers should set their fees based on expenses, investment, the client's budget, and, of course, profit. Each attorney will adjust these fees based on mistakes and experience. However, Waggoner also encourages

These days there are so many options for legal practices that lawyers starting a solo practice often get carried away and spend too much. It is difficult to distinguish the essential hardware and software needs from supplementary products. With everything solo lawyers have to think about, technology questions can seem overwhelming, expensive, and important. Is a Mac or a PC better for a practice? Is it necessary to have a printer, scanner, copier, and fax machine? What about all of the software products available for practice management, document management, email, or a PDF editing processor? Most lawyers with their own practice could use a break down of necessary technology products and how much to spend on each. On this episode of New Solo, Adriana Linares interviews the Lawyerist CEO and Editor in Chief, Sam Glover, about practice management essentials, what hardware and software to buy when starting a solo practice, and how much to spend. Glover discusses laptops and desktops, Macintosh computers versus P

Many lawyers want to start their solo careers as a general practice, thinking that they will attract more clients if they offer a variety of services. However, when it comes to marketing strategy, lawyers who focus on one practice area create a stronger brand and are more successful in the long run. The right solo practice could involve a personal interest, fill a hole in the market, and/or provide previously unavailable online or unbundled services. The important thing is for every lawyer starting a solo practice to create a business plan and do research before choosing a field of law. Recent law school graduates and lawyers leaving big practices alike need to find their niche area of law for success. In this episode of New Solo, Adriana Linares interviews law practice management professor Stephanie Kimbro about lawyers starting solo practices, areas of law to consider going into, how to start market research for a business plan, and ways to differentiate a practice from the existing market. Kimbro suggests

As any solo lawyer knows, taking a new client is not simply shaking a hand and signing a checkbook. After marketing and selling legal services, there are still several necessary steps before beginning work. A conflict check must be done, the client's data and information need to be gathered, and a retainer engagement letter must be drafted and sent off. Many new solo practitioners think they will be able to remember every matter and deal with situations as they come, but it is much more efficient to have a data management tool and systematic habits in place when dealing with clients. On this episode of New Solo, Adriana Linares interviews attorney Chad Burton about best practices for client intake and how things differ in a virtual law firm model. He emphasizes that particularly solo and small firm lawyers should remember that a conflict check must be done before payment is accepted. Then a retainer engagement letter is drafted that ought to contain fee structure, disclaimer, shortened terms of service, and p