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.