Scott and Oscar discuss the future of legal education as we see the advent of online law schools. The discussion revolves around an article calling for more online law schools to address the imbalance between the debt caused by law schools and the reality of the job market. The hosts also discuss lawsuits brought against law schools by law students who can’t get jobs and blame the inflated job placement numbers posted by law schools that entice them to enroll. The show then focuses on how the important thing to take away from all of this is that the traditional law school model has to change. Law students need to know that there may not be high-paying jobs for them when they graduate and law schools need to prepare them for developing a practice, managing expectations, and how to actually practice law in the real world.

If you have been practicing law for a few years, chances are you have gotten emails or mailers encouraging you to become a member of a number of sites that will promote your name and give you leads for legal work. The two biggest purveyors of this pre-packaged marketing are FindLaw and Avvo but there are a myriad of others. The hosts discuss their personal experiences with some of these companies and the benefits and downsides of joining them. Scott and Oscar all discuss companies that - for a small fee- will declare you one of the “10 Best Lawyers” in your area. A lawyer can take advantage of some of these promotional materials and it’s up to each lawyer to decide what use to make of them. But the hosts remind listeners that in the end, you can do a lot of your own promotion and marketing by spending a little more time on developing your practice and network.

Scott and Oscar continue their discussion with Sage Presence founders Peter Machalek and Dean Hyers by delving into presentations. Presentations are a vital way to meet potential clients and referral partners. The guys at Sage suggest a number of ways to make yourself comfortable to do these: First of all, pick a topic that you are very knowledgable about and in which you can develop valuable information to provide to your audience. Then try to populate the session with people who know you and former clients. Remember that you need to provide value to the group so leave time for a question and answer period. Then practice your presentation several time to gain confidence – and practice making eye contact and speaking clearly in scenarios where you interact with others. Pete and Dean conclude by talking about the value of coaching and how coaches can help lawyers develop the skills necessary to connect with new clients. Dean and Tom can be found at Sagepresence.com where you will find tips and strategies as well as a few short videos that explain what they do and how they can help.

This week Oscar and Scott talk to Dean Hyers and Pete Machalek from Sage Presence. Sage Presence coaches professional service firms on how to market themselves by focusing on their message and their communication skills. They discuss a wide range of topics including;

- having to move away from the stereotyped version of a “salesman”
- how being in introvert can be an advantage when networking,
- the potential benefits of giving the “right” value
- building your business on giving presentations

You can check out Sage Presence on the web at
http://sagepresence.com/

Scott and Oscar continue their chat with Tom Bolt of the ABA’s Law Practice Division. The focus turns to specific thing that law students, new lawyers and lawyers in transition can do to help develop a practice in this new economy. The hosts discuss with Tom the role technology plays to both support and place stress upon new, developing practices. Tom’s position offers him unique insight into what is happening in the legal marketplace across the country. He concludes the discussion talking about the Law Practice Division’s four core focus areas: marketing, management, technology and finance. We would like to let our listeners know that the ABA website offers publications, professional development tools and networking opportunities that provide valuable guidance on those four topics. You can learn more about the ABA’s Law Practice Division by visiting their webpage at:
http://www.americanbar.org/groups/law_practice.html