Un-Billable Hour: Business Management Strategies for the Busy Lawyer

In this episode’s discussions around the Community Table: Returning Guest Danielle Hendon, CPA, founder of 4 Corners CFO, explores what lawyers and law firms should, and should not, be doing in the fourth quarter of 2024. Learn the common mistakes firms make as the year winds down. Take the time to understand the story your business “numbers” are telling you. Do you see where your business is going and what you should be thinking about as you forecast for next year? Be intentional about your growth. Don’t let things “happen to” your firm, make them happen. It’s OK to spend as needed at the end of the year, especially if you’re thinking of taxes. But you’ve got to be looking ahead, too. What’s important, how do you manage a budget, understand what’s budgeting and what’s forecasting? Don’t spend just for short term tax advantages, plan for the unexpected too. Mentioned in This Episode: Danielle Hendon, previously on the Un-Billable Hour, “Is Your Small Firm Missing A Chief Financial Officer? Rent One.” 4 Corners CFO, “A Framework to Reveal Your Path to Profit” The Un-Billable Hour, Legal Talk Network Quickbooks Clio Legal Trends Report Clio Cliocon 2025 Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind?

Let’s talk about technology and how it fits into your practice. Fact is, the old yellow pad and document boxes are no longer your friends. Your clients expect you to use technology to be more efficient and effective. Guest Richard “Rich” Dukes Jr. has gone paperless. So has his entire South Carolina law firm. Today’s tech drives efficiency whether that’s in document review, witness preparation, or even courtroom presentation. Hear how Dukes evaluates each evolution of tech tools, how he decides if they will truly elevate his productivity, and how easy they will be to introduce to his colleagues and incorporate them into his practice. Time is an attorney’s most valuable commodity. Technology can give you more time. Coming next, AI. Dukes has some ideas of where artificial intelligence may upend the next generation of legal tech tools. Put down the pen and pad and start working smarter today. Mentioned in This Episode: Notability TrialPad OpenAI Perplexity AI Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind?

In this episode’s discussions around the Community Table: The ROI – return on investment – of hiring. It’s important. You may think hiring someone, say a paralegal, will cost you money. Successful firms won’t consider hiring someone if they don’t already know they’re going to make money. Firms use benchmarks firms to weigh the cost of a new hire against anticipated additional revenue. This is math, not “gut feeling,” and you can do it (here’s how). Dive into the results of a legal industry “secret shopper” study by Clio. The scientific data show law firms still kind of – honestly – stink at landing new clients. They stink at answering calls, responding to emails, and even monitoring chatbots. The first rule of success? When a potential client knocks, open the door. Can AI help How do you incentivize a high performing team. What kind of rewards are appropriate? And if your team is already firing on all cylinders, what else can you incentivize? If you have a high performing team, someone else wants them. Hear how you can help high performers earn more, and grow, by finding new tasks where they can take over and excel. Mentioned in This Episode: Moneyball, what your firm can learn about ROI from a movie about baseball Google local search ads, be better Tips for better Google reviews Clio Legal Trends Report Clio For Clients app Cliocon 2024 Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind?

Guest Shaun Jardine is an unapologetic disrupter in the world of pricing and billing by lawyers and law firms. He’s leading the charge to move from traditional billable hour pricing – charging for time – to the emerging revolution of value-based pricing. Charge for the results you achieve for your clients, not the time you spent getting there. Are you still charging for time? Why not base your pricing on your experience, your wisdom, your education, the outcomes your clients want, and everything you bring to the table. Clients don’t want your time, they want their problems solved. It’s not “the way we’ve always done things,” but Jardine explains why change is inevitable. As technology, notably AI, accelerates the practice of law, why should a lawyer charge less – fewer billable hours – for achieving results faster and more efficiently? The move to value-based pricing isn’t like flipping a switch. It will take effort, and it will involve your entire team, from HR to marketing, to lawyers and paralegals. But in a changing world, sticking with the old ways may not be an option. This fascinating conversation will ignite your curiosity and challenge you to think differently. Mentioned in This Episode: Charles Proteus Steinmetz “Ditch The Billable Hour! Implementing Value-Based Pricing in a Law Firm,” by Shaun Jardine American Bar Association Rule 1.5: Fees RACI methodology of change management (free download) Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind?

In this episode’s discussions around the Community Table: Growing pains. As you bring on new clients, it can be hard for an overburdened team of lawyers and paralegals to manage client communications. Hear how texting can help bridge communication needs, how a virtual receptionist can fill gaps, and how a standing schedule of update calls and a task assignment system can ensure clear communications between lawyers and clients. ·What is the “rhythm/parking lot” method for managing client communications? Combined with allowing clients to schedule their own appointments online and chat functions, this system can take pressure off your staff. Be honest and direct with your clients. Set expectations and ask clients if your expectations and theirs align, so they know how the case will proceed. And if a client “emergency” arises, be sure your staff asks the right questions and fully understands the situation so they can provide clear details to the attorney. Mentioned in This Episode: Clio Legal Trends Report Clio For Clients app Cliocon 2024 (discount code, “actfast”) Google Chat Vonage Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind?

How are you doing? Not you, personally, your business. Do you know? Because many small businesses, including small law firms, don’t have a true CFO, someone who doesn’t just do your taxes, but who helps you understand your business, your bottom line, and your future. Danielle Hendon is the founder and CEO of 4 Corners CFO, bringing the benefit of “big business” financial analysis to entrepreneurs and business owners at a cost they can afford. She and her firm are “fractional CFOs,” providing the analysis and planning you need to stabilize your business, develop consistent revenue models, and grow with a goal in mind. Hendon helps businesses, like yours, evaluate where they are, how things are doing, what your “real profit” is, and how to set and move toward goals. Allocating overhead, hiring, understanding gross and net profit, and growing with purpose is all doable. Hear about “bottom-up budgeting,” understanding cash flow forecasts and how a CFO, even a part time CFO, can help spot red flags and build the pillars that will lift your business. Mentioned in This Episode: 4 Corners CFO Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind?

In this episode’s discussions around the Community Table: Adding a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) program for your law firm? Hear the struggles one small firm is facing as it looks to automate CRM duties. Start with knowing what you need, how you’ll keep up with clients and follow up on leads. Software is just a tool. Without a plan, it’s useless. Start with a “sequence of contact” (and no BS). “Misfiring” when you hire a new associate can be a headache (and expensive). How do you make sure it’s a good fit before you hire, instead of learning you made a mistake later? Treat recruiting as marketing. Start with a clear message. Know what you want and tell people. Are you offering discounts? Here’s the thing: people don’t always want discounts; they want value. A good deal isn’t about money, it’s about service. Give clients more, don’t charge less. Make them feel special. (Do you know what a lagniappe is?) Mentioned in This Episode: Constant Contact Hubspot Zoho CRM Keap Clio Grow Lawmatics “Origin and Meaning of the Word Lagniappe” Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind?

In this special, high-energy episode, we’re getting down and dirty and talking about fixing your firm. Consider this is a “visit to the doctor.” What’s ailing your firm? Guest RJon Robins is the founder and CEO of the firm How To Manage A Small Law Firm. He fixes things. Get real about the cost of client acquisition, marketing, revenue building, financial control, and finally your life as a business owner. Start with knowing that when you hang out a shingle, you run a business. You just happen to be a lawyer. Lots of lawyers have gone through what you’ve gone through. How do you turn your passion for the law into a profitable business? Hear how you can focus on the fundamentals of running a real business. Law firms are simple, at their core. Don’t overthink it. Lawyers have been running businesses for a thousand years. Learn the core nuggets that will drive your business. No fads, just the honest realities of business. No excuses. Learn how your firm can serve you, instead of you sacrificing for your firm. Get fired up, take charge, and get ahead. Mentioned in This Episode: Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind? Profit First for Lawyers, by RJon Robins RJon Robins Podcast How To Manage A Small Law Firm, Free Resources

In this episode’s discussions around the Community Table: A firm owner dealing with discipline problems stemming from her firm’s understaffing is frustrated. Feeling they have the upper hand, some employees are taking advantage of the situation. How can the owner regain control? What’s the best way to staff up? In-office, remote, or even offshoring some tasks? Christopher and guest Joey Seeber of Level Legal share tips about building a team, from in-house to offshore. An attorney wants to know if he should borrow to expand his firm in a competitive market. It’s OK to borrow money, but only if you start knowing how you plan to pay it back and what you expect in return. Evaluating the results of an affinity or educational marketing plan when there’s no direct call to action. It all comes down to new client acquisition and the Five Commandments of Marketing! Mentioned in This Episode: Legal Soft Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind?

Law firms often focus on revenue generation, client retention, and financial performance. But guest Tracy LaLone says true success is driven by the (very real) people who work at the firm. Firms that fail to engage and recognize their people, she says, can never reach their full potential. LaLonde is a corporate trainer who focuses on engagement within law firms. She has more than 30 years’ experience in corporate training and helps firms focus on the involvement, commitment, and enthusiasm workers feel for their workplace. Surveys show only 30% of American workplaces are considered “engaged.” So, there’s room to grow if you know how important engagement is to your firm’s success. How eager are employees to get to work each day? How valued do they feel? Are you focusing on billable hours at the expense of your team’s wellbeing and sense of purpose? LaLonde explains how she targets law firm burnout and underperformance through her Hierarchy of Engagement, a pyramid of workforce factors including pay, performance, and perks; work/life balance; and a shared purpose. Learn key tips you can put to work at your firm today to nurture engagement and achieve peak performance. Mentioned in This Episode: “The Joychiever Journey: Evade Burnout, Surpass Your Goals and Out-Happy Everyone” by Tracy LaLonde Joychiever Hierarchy of Engagement Joychiever Quiz: Are You a Good Manager? “First, Break All the Rules,” and other titles from Gallup ALM Join The Un-Billable Hour Community Table

In this episode’s discussions around the Community Table: A lawyer who’s falling behind wants to know why her leads are down. Should she focus on “branding” or “marketing,” and what’s the difference? While they are both part of attracting new business, they aren’t one in the same. Branding is important. Be authentic. Who are you? What are your values? You can’t fake it, you live it. And you don’t make it up as you go, you intentionally think about who you are and develop a consistent look, tone, feel, values, and mission across your firm. Messaging, marketing, and a clear call to action is something different. It costs money. Pay per click, local service ads, billboards, and more are about delivering a compelling message that drives potential clients to call you. Learn the “Five Commandments of Marketing.” Mentioned in This Episode: “Getting Started With Local Service Ads,” LSA explained, Google support Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind?

Guest Charlène Gisèle is a former big-firm litigator turned professional high-performance coach. This show is about you. It’s about you being your best, taking better care of you, and avoiding burnout and other health issues. It’s no secret, the legal profession is a field filled with stress. Deadlines, precision, scheduling, marketing, and running a business. It’s a lot for anyone to handle. Gisèle helps her clients improve their well-being, increase productivity, and maintain a sustainable practice. It’s great to set goals, even ambitious goals, at the start of every new year. But don’t forget to take a moment to make a plan for yourself and how you’ll keep going, day after day, with so much weight on your shoulders. Hear how Gisèle used her own experience and a lot of professional research and training to develop a coaching method that helps stressed professionals enjoy their life and stay healthy. “You can have all the success in the world,” she says, “but if you’re not going to be around to see it, how much success is that truly going to be?” Do you feel stressed? Exhausted? Isolated? Do you know the symptoms of burnout? This is a podcast for you. You are not alone. Mentioned in This Episode: Charlène Gisèle's Podcast E-book, “Breathwork For Cognitive Performance,” by Charlène Gisèle “Burn-Out An ‘Occupational Phenomenon:’ International Classification Of Diseases,” World Health Organization Join The Un-Billable Hour Community Table

In this episode’s discussions around the Community Table: Who should a solo attorney hire first? You’re building your firm. Who’s the next person you add to add (and you want avoid the wrong hire)? For starters, what do you need? Where are you wasting time? From there, “hiring is marketing,” it’s crucial you attract the largest pool of great candidates. How do you prepare a job candidate for your hiring process? Start by being transparent. It’s that easy. “Hey, here’s our process, it may be different from what you’ve done before.” The important thing is to find what’s not only right for you, but what’s right for the new hire. And if they start by questioning your process, move on. How do you introduce your “second in command” to your team? Maybe that’s the wrong question. “Second” in command suggests you still want people to report to you. You don’t. The whole idea is to offload daily decisions so you can focus on strategy and bigger things. There’s no “second in command,” there’s the “here’s the new person in charge for all of you.” Your language can sabotage your intentions. Mentioned in This Episode: “Who: The A Method for Hiring,” by Geoff Smart and Randy Street “Hamlet Was Wrong,” a transcript, from Malcolm Gladwell discusses “hiring nihilism” Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind?

Marketing and sales are keys to building your business. But where do they meet? It takes two to tango, and “Intake” is the junction. Good intake is always worth the effort. Guest Bo Royal is co-founder of Pareto Legal and has worked with several Fortune 1,000 companies and scores of law firms. He specializes in helping small and medium sized law firms build their business and strengthen their intake process. Data tracking and quality matters. Follow the trail, understand how the marketing funnel is working and where to get prospects in the door and sign that retainer. Intake is about nurturing inbound leads – the results of your advertising and marketing – and turning them into clients. Intake can make or break all of your marketing and sales efforts. Don’t build a “leaky bucket.” You worked hard, and spent a lot, to develop leads. This is an important episode that can help you go that last mile from generating interest to capturing revenue. Track the “journey” of every prospect. It’s not luck, it’s a process. Mentioned in this Episode: Pareto Legal Pareto PPC LinkedIn Lawmatics Needles legal software Hubspot Clio Grow Google Analytics for beginners Join The Un-Billable Hour Community Table

In this episode’s discussions around the Community Table: AI is all the rage in the public media, but how are lawyers using it in real life? For starters, it can help you with written communications. Tone down an angry brief or client communication. Write advertising or blog communications. Even create Excel formulas. (But remember, it’s a tool, not a replacement for your skills!). How do you convey the value of a paid consultation? Help clients understand what they get by paying for a professional consultation. Sometimes it starts with an explanation that every case is different, and only a paid consultation can explore all available options before hiring an attorney. Tell prospects what they can expect from you and your conversation is more than a sales call. Marketing is important. And it’s expensive. How do you know when you’re getting the right ROI? It takes some math. Do you know how much you’re spending and how many paying clients are a direct result? Plus, the risks and rewards of posting your firm’s phone number prominently. Sometimes putting your number out there generates spam and time-wasting calls when a simple online scheduling tool could be more efficient. What’s right for you? Mentioned in this Episode: ChatGPT 4 Paxton AI for legal profession “Michael Cohen Says He Unwittingly Sent AI-Generated Fake Legal Cases To His Attorney,” NPR Microsoft Excel “PPC For Lawyers: It's About Cost Per Client, NOT Cost-Per-Click,” Lunch Hour Legal Marketing on Legal Talk Network “Getting Started With Local Services Ads,” Google Calendly Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind?

Business and professional growth are at the core of your business. This episode is about growth. Growing your business intentionally. Are you working “for your business” or “in your business?” Guest and growth guru Rick Watson helps business owners – like you – go beyond daily tasks to focus on real growth. Watson started his consulting dynasty with a dream and twenty bucks in his pocket. He’s now the successful owner of several businesses, including a half billion-dollar registered investment advisory, and he’s the founder the National Referral Network. He walks the walk and provides solid insights. Learn to think like an entrepreneur, not a practitioner. Don’t set artificial limits on your business. This is a deep dive, and it may force you to think. It’s about culture, goals, hiring, and about directing your firm and your future with purpose. If you’re on a treadmill running daily operations and chasing leads, you may be letting your business and your opportunities slip away. Separate good growth from bad growth, cut the mundane tasks, and energize your firm today. Mentioned in this Episode: Video, “The Growth Minded Accountant: A Firm Worth Building With Rick Watson” Book, “A Firm Worth Building: Running a Better Professional Business,” By Rick Watson Join The Un-Billable Hour Community Table

In this episode’s discussions around the Community Table: We start with an attorney who wants to balance hiring and firm growth. What happens when you hire “too much” team for the work or have “too much work” for the team? It’s a delicate dance. Start with a business plan and control the one thing you can, the number of cases you accept. It’s OK to say no to a new potential client. (Plus, find out what Christopher calls a “bull$#!* plan”). What happens when you haven’t explored new ways to market and you fall behind? No use crying over spilt milk, but honestly, get on it. You start from where you are. Understand what you’re doing, what’s working, and what’s failing. A swift kick in the pants may get you motivated. And how do you help a long-standing employee establish some metrics, mainly a minimum billable hour requirement? Be straightforward, but it’s a balancing act. Sometimes you gotta be cruel to be kind (in the right measure). Mentioned in this Episode: Empirical360 BlueShark Digital Marketing What are LSAs? (Local Service Ads) Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind?

Production and technology are inextricably intertwined. That doesn’t mean online tech replaces the human touch. It means today’s tech tools can help you better serve clients. But you still need to ask, anticipate, listen, and deliver. Guest Joey Seeber – an experienced litigator and the founder of the legal tech consulting and implementation company Level Legal – explores how tech and humans work together. The legal world has become a digital jungle. Virtually everything is digitized. But untangling the bits and bytes and preparing them for courtroom presentation takes know-how and careful thought. There is no longer simply “acceptance” of technology; instead, technical competence is expected. The trick is finding the perfect point where tech meets the human touch, allowing lawyers to best serve clients and to meet needs and understand things that go unsaid. From eDiscovery to AI, the tools are out there. But the human application of those tools makes the real difference. How well do you understand your role as a human in a high-tech world? What makes you stand out? Hear some great tips about using the right tech while bringing your own special touch to surprise and delight your clients. Mentioned in this Episode: Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy Clio Cloud Conference ABA Techshow Legalweek 2024 Join The Un-Billable Hour Community Table

In this episode’s discussions around the Community Table: It’s a new year. The “Dos and Don’ts of New Year’s Resolutions.” It’s OK to set goals, heck, it’s great. But be reasonable, mindful even. There is no “magical thinking” that everything will change if you wish it. Review your past, understand yourself, share your vision. And if you need an unbiased opinion, ask someone. The dreaded sales slump isn’t cause for panic. If something has changed, your conversions fall off a cliff, take a deep breath and a logical approach. Don’t dash around like a squirrel in the road. You’ll find the flaw and correct it. Building your team isn’t easy, but if you take an open approach, you can do it. Interviewing a prospective team member is a marketing process – from both sides. You want to learn as much as you can about each other. If you have to spend some time and money getting it right, there’s nothing wrong with that. Mentioned in this Episode: The Atlantic, “You Can’t Simply Decide To Be A Different Person” by Amanda Mull Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind?

Technology has quickly become a topic that touches everything in the legal world. You can’t escape it. While learning to embrace the latest in legal tech is vital to the success of your firm, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. We’re talking on this episode about how today’s emerging tech trends impact every aspect of your law firm – from client acquisition, to producing results, to generating profit – with guest Colin Levy, an author, speaker, and leader in the world of legal tech. But just buying a tech package won’t deliver value. Incorporating today’s new tech tools, understanding how they work, and truly understanding them (and then actually using them) is what drives value. Take the time to understand what you need, what problems you’re solving, then seek out the tech that actually gets you to your destination. Things are changing, and the rate of acceleration is accelerating, and we’re just getting started. Imagine AI drives the pace of change even faster. Before our eyes, technology is redefining what it means to be a lawyer. Mentioned in this Episode: Malbek “Handbook of Legal Tech,” by Colin Levy https://www.amazon.com/Legal-Tech-Ecosystem-Innovation-Advancement/dp/B0CKCZTLWW Clio Cloud Conference ABA Techshow Legalweek 2024 Join The Un-Billable Hour Community Table