Lawyers who become busy have traditionally had only one option. Hire an associate. But due to technology and shifts in the marketplace, hiring a freelance lawyer is now easier than ever. This week, Scott talks to Lisa Solomon from Now Counsel Network who discusses how hiring a freelancer can help solo and small firms, increase profits, lessen stress and grow their practices. Lisa can be reached at http://nowcounselnetwork.com and @nowcounselnet

Lawyers likely get inundated with ads for client management or practice management software that make numerous promises that will revolutionize your practice. Look past the promises and investigate the validity of the claims made. You need to find the proper program that is streamlined to your needs. Some programs specialize in email drip campaigns; some help you with intake forms; others help you set up an intake system right from your website. It’s not one size fits all and you can spend a lot of money on programs and systems that will give you things you don’t need and won’t fulfill the needs for your practice. The host discuss experiences with these systems and some of the issues they have come across.

Getting properly paid for your time is essential to a successful practice but also one of the most difficult goals to obtain. How do you set the right price? How do you get clients to commit to paying right at the initial consultation? Oscar and Scott discuss what has worked in the past for their practices and provide some concrete tips in dealing with getting retained by prospective clients. You have to be comfortable in quoting fees and finding that right figure for each matter that makes sense to you and your practice. Accessing mentors and referral partners for advice and suggestions about fee ranges will help give you confidence that you are in the right ballpark. The hosts remind listeners that the core themes of authenticity and value still matter the most in that initial consultation.

In this episode, the hosts discuss how they use texting and visual voicemail to help maintain client communication. In today’s world, clients expect a much higher level of connectivity and communication with their lawyer. Scott and Oscar chat about how they decided to give clients their cell phone numbers to ease communication and make themselves more productive and how they manage client expectations about contact and responding to inquiries. That leads to a discussion on how using tech to increase client intake. Without a doubt, maintaining a good flow of communication with clients is central to a growing practice.

The show often discusses the importance of networking and following up with potential clients and referral partners. The hosts remind listeners, however, that not everything you do will work and almost none of it will work right away. You never know which of your efforts will bear fruit and, in some cases, it may take some time before it generates any business. That’s why it’s important to have a balanced approach to building your business. Different things will come to fruition at different times and some things won’t ever produce results. That’s also why it’s important to keep a good flow of communication and contact with your best sources of business to keep your practice on the top of their mind. The hosts discuss the importance of balancing your time between doing the work and getting the work to allow you plant as many seeds as you can and hopefully reap a harvest.

Regardless of how you feel about the results of the 2016 Presidential election, we can learn a lot about marketing our small or solo firms from this election. When President-elect Trump launched his campaign, there were 17 other GOP candidates. He distinguished himself and rose to the top by first analyzing “Who are my voters.” Just like we talk about lawyers trying to reboot – your first step is analyzing “Who are my clients?” “Where will my business come from?” Focusing and targeting your message is clear and no one did that better than Donald Trump. The other factor is being true to yourself – be authentic. If you were to ask his voters to list three adjectives about Trump the word “authentic” would be one of them on all their lists. If you would ask Clinton voters – as much as they like her – that word would not top the list. Finally, he gave voters concrete promises of what he would deliver that resonated with his target voter. That equates with our mantra of offering value to your prospective clients. While many pundits will be analyzing this election for years to come, lawyers looking to develop or reboot their practices would do well to learn the lessons of the 2016 electoral season

Scott and Oscar were asked to present about podcasting at this year’s Above the Law’s Academy For Private Practice. The hosts talk about their presentation and also discuss their takeaway from the conference. ATL presented many highly-informed and qualified speakers who talked about the place for lawyers in the gig economy; what legal tech works best for small and solo practitioners; and the rapidly changing face of legal practice in the new millennium. All lawyers need to assess their practices and see how it has been and can be affected in the new legal landscape. The host talk about specific things they learned and appreciated from the conference and how listeners can apply some if these tools to their business.

The hosts talk about Scott’s decision to stop focusing on Special Education Law, one area of his growing practice that he felt tended to “muddle the message” of the rest of his practice. It was not an easy decision as Special Ed Law was an integral part of Scott’s Reboot plan. Nevertheless, as the hosts point out, you should look at the overall picture and message you are sending to potential clients. Also, it’s hard to give up something you have committed to but sometimes it’s necessary to make sure you continue to grow and develop. Part of Rebooting is making the hard choices about what works and doesn’t work for your practice.

As the popular book “The E-Myth” teaches us, you must be the craftsman, manager and the entrepreneur and none of those positions can be neglected. However, you must also be careful that paying too much attention to one role can be very impactful on the practice overall. The problem most often arises when the things you put into place force you to put more time into the craftsman phase of your legal practice. You have to consider what can be out-sourced or delegated to others. Delegation of course requires you to then shift time to the manager side of the practice. The other answer is to find ways to organize your time carefully and realizing that your growing practice may have to encroach on what you had previously scheduled as “free time.” Legal technology can be helpful in finding this balance as there are numerous programs for practice management that can save you time and money. You have to always be mindful and vigilant of how these three parts of your practice are being handled to make sure that your law practice is operating properly.

In advance of their presentation at the Above the Law Academy for Private Practice event in Philadelphia on October 28, 2016, the hosts discuss some elements of podcasting and how they use it to help their professional growth. They provide some pointers for listeners thinking about launching their own podcasts including doing some research on what’s out there, lining up a few guests, and thinking several shows ahead. Having a podcast is a good way to add value to your website or blog, put yourself out there as a thought leader on a subject area and have content available for prospective clients to find and listen to and get to know who you are.

Scott and Oscar remind listeners of how things can go viral very quickly on Social Media. They recount examples of how lawyers have gotten in trouble or mocked over social media posts and social media campaigns. Be mindful of who are your friends on platforms like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and remember that they will see what you are posting. The hosts also discuss how taking certain stands on issues of law could come back to haunt and could hurt your ability to get clients in that area. The caution extends to how lawyers present themselves when they get a high-profile or media-worthy cases. You can’t be too careful – what you say and how you look will be floating in cyberspace for a long time and may be the first thing people see about you when they do a search for you or for a lawyer in general.

While there are many positives about having a solo practice there is one glaring negative. There is no other person that understands or cares about your practice the way you do. The hosts discuss why they think it is imperative for solos to seek out other like minded solos and to build a support system of other attorneys who you can rely on to help you with feedback.

We hear from lots of lawyers and law students asking us about what are the first things you have to do to start a practice. Many think its picking out office space, designing business cards, and choosing letterhead. While those steps need to be taken eventually, Scott and Oscar say that Step One is to have a vision plan about what kind of law you want to practice, where is the work going to come from? Remember that you will likely not have a lot of income in the first three to six months, so what is your budget for that time period and how are you going to cover it? Step Two is to educate yourself about the area of law you want to practice and the marketplace for it. Meet other lawyers who do that kind of work; ask if you can shadow them; join Bar association sub-committees on the topic to make connections and just try and grasp what you can about that particular subject area. Step Three is to make sure you are committed to being organized and ready to handle the work that comes in. The hardest part of a solo or small practice is finding the right balance of spending time getting the work and spending time doing the work. In the beginning especially, the hours and demands are harsh and the money might be lean. You have to make sure you are in a position to get through that initial phase and do great legal work for the clients as well.

Oscar and Scott begin this weeks podcast discussing the importance of referral partners being aware of and in agreement with how the referral fee is going to be handled. They then discuss treating that source as more than just an outlet for cases. They advise you to think of any referral relationship you have and take the opportunity to take this person out to lunch and discuss your relationship.

When dealing with clients and referral sources, one aspect that will always lead to a negative impression is either not being respectful of or wasting that persons time. While you may thing taking a quick phone call during is a meeting is “no big deal” it can most definitely leave a bad impression on the client. Likewise you need to have a understanding of the kinds of cases your referral partners are looking for as well as the job they are expecting from you. You don’t want to waste the time of someone you are trying to do business with.

Scott and Oscar continue their discussion about New York Matrimonial Lawyer Jolene Louis's ebook, “Things I Wish I Knew About Social Media Marketing before Going Solo.” They dive a little deeper and discuss; - Using Instagram to attract clients - Using Facebook ads to providing information - Using periscope to expand upon a blog post or tour of you office - Importance of managing online reviews Ultimately everything you put out into the social media world should show your value, authority and authenticity.

New York Matrimonial lawyer Joleena Louis wrote an ebook entitled ""Things I Wish I Knew About Social Media Marketing Before Going Solo."" Oscar and Scott discuss some of the advice she outlines such as; - Using social media to advertise - Not advertising to your followers - Keep social media professional - you are your business - Understanding the balance between staying professional vs. your personal opinion - Does having a large amount of followers automatically give you authenticity - Why Blog?

A recent NY times article about Howard Stern discussed how he used a life coach to change the focus of his show and kind of “reboot” his format to make him more open to a larger audience. Jumping off that as a talking point Scott and Oscar discuss how they used David Allen’s time management book “Getting Things Done” to help organize their practices. Whether you use “GTD” or a life coach or any other system, the important thing is to plan your practice. You have to make choices daily as to what action you are going to take; how much time do you have to do it; how much energy do you have to do it; and what are the priorities. You have to find a way to get yourself motivated to change the course of your practice and sometimes having a third party getting involved can provide that motivation. The practice of law does not let you sit idly by: you have to take charge of the various tasks required by the practice and the opportunities available to grow the practice. Do whatever it is that you think will help you get there and stick with it.

Coming off last week’s discussion about work-life balance, the hosts talk about finding “joy” or “enjoyment” in the practice of law. One of the principles that Reboot Your Law Practice has focused on is trying to find a niche area of practice that you love or which greatly interests you, and targeting your reboot in that area. The hosts discuss an article written by Linda K. Robertson for Slaw, an online magazine which was entitled “Practicing Law with Joy.” Ms. Robertson notes that the top five criteria for happiness at work (not just for lawyers but for workers generally) are autonomy, respect, the belief that your work is important, opportunities for growth and appreciation. Money does not appear in the top criteria. Scott and Oscar then discuss how to focus your efforts into those five categories and you will find that the money will come. Not only that, but if you move your practice into an area that you are deeply interested in and love to do, the benefits to your personal motivation and – yes “Joy” will be enormous. Through personal anecdotes and examples, the hosts offer ways to think about your practice and move in a joyful and meaningful direction.

Having a small firm or solo practice means that you have to take extra steps to make sure you have proper work life balance. However, in such practices, your options are limited when an emergency or a critical new matter comes up during a planned vacation or break. Scott talks about how a new matter arose during his vacation that required him to leave his family to travel back to NY to handle the matter. The hosts discuss the importance of understanding that some situations cannot be controlled for and your personal life needs to adjust to the realities of the practice. Running your own law practice is not for the faint of heart – it will challenge your time, energy and persona life. That being said, it is important to schedule vacation and time off in order not to resent your practice and in order to avoid burn-out. The key is to be organized and try your best to free up your schedule at least twice a year for some time off. If the practice intrudes upon that time, then re-schedule and

When practicing law you often interact with other attorneys who are drawing from the same client pool that you are, which may lead to awkward interactions. Scott and Oscar discuss dealing with that issue with each other and other office sharing and networking situations between attorneys. The hosts feel that it is human nature to be territorial but feel there are more positives in working together then pushing other attorneys away. They recommend always go into situations like this with your eyes open and try to ward off issues before they begin.

Scott and Oscar continue their discussion about lawyers having to adjust to the new paradigm. Oscar mentions a friend who needed to refer a family member to a lawyer and who was flabbergasted that their family member had chosen lawyer they found over the internet. It raised a discussion about how lawyers need to be aware that some folks still frown upon using the Web to locate counsel. So we need to make sure our websites are professional and explain why we may be the right choice regardless of how our clients found us. The hosts also discuss personal experiences with networking and “talking about themselves” in different situations. While we highly recommend you follow the advice on our previous episodes about how to set up a great website and how to take advantage of networking opportunities, listeners need to remember that some people will not be open to this new method of building a law practice. The hosts provide some tips on how to best use your web presence and your networking opportunities to build real relationships with people who will become clients or referral partners.

The most important piece of advise that Oscar and Scott can give to an attorney or firm creating their legal website is to be intimately involved in the process. You can not just pay “a website guy” and let them create what they think your website should look like. No one but you knows what is valuable to your potential clients, the answers they are looking for, the tone that needs to be taken. Scott detailed the process of creating the website for his Student Defense practice area. He discussed his role as the project manager and the work that went into finding the developer, writer, SEO guy, etc. The hosts discuss the importance of spending the time vetting your website vendors to construct a solid trustworthy team that will help you create and maintain your website.

Things have been changing in the field of law for some time now but lawyers seem to be stuck in the past. As a group, lawyers tend to be conservative and slow to change. But if you are trying to survive and thrive in this new paradigm, you need to adapt your practice to the changing ways and the new competition. Scott and Oscar talk about how to make sure you are aware of what the issues are and how your practice needs to change and adapt. Clients today have certain expectations before they even meet you through their research on the internet and place high value on the information they find on the internet. What does the internet say about your practice area? What does the internet say about you? These are two questions you need to make sure point to why you would be a good choice for their legal needs. And more importantly, clients will also want to see from your web presence that you are up to date technologically-wise. Make sure you remain authentic to your story but at the same time project a current, modern look and feel that will make clients feel comfortable choosing you to be their lawyer.

These days everybody’s got something to say about everything. And social media gives the whole world a platform to show off their knowledge and their stupidity. Scott and Oscar tell some cautionary tales about when they or their clients got caught up in online comments and statements that they regretted. The hosts also talk about the need to think before you text or email as these digital messages are permanent and can be taken out of context. Here are three rules to remember before engaging in digital or online communication: - Rule 1: Don’t Say Anything: The first and foremost rule is to think twice – no make that three times- before posting anything or commenting on a matter you are dealing with. It may be hard to resist the temptation but try you must. More importantly, the client definitely must be instructed not to comment online about a pending matter. - Rule 2: Edit Yourself: Before emailing or posting, go over what you are saying carefully. Not just to avoid being berated by the grammar police but to really think about what you are saying and to make sure you can’t just stick to applying to Rule 1. - Rule 3: Online is Forever: Remember that this fantastic tidbit you absolutely must post (See Rule 1) will never go away. If it needs other prior statements to be properly taken in context then make that clear in the comment itself. How would this statement look on its own if admitted into evidence say at a grievance proceeding or in your adversary’s