SeedJura: Decoding Law

In this special episode directed at both lawyers and their clients, Geneve and Phyllis discuss how an economic downturn can impact the legal industry and share their suggestions for clients and lawyers to prepare for it. Phyllis and Geneve offer these insights about the legal industry during an economic downturn: Expect potential changes in legal services during economic downturns: some clients might prioritize other expenses during a downturn, but others may become more creative and see opportunities to acquire assets. How clients can take advantage of the downturn: lawyers may be more open to flexible work, so clients can "shop around" for the best fit in terms of services and fees. Clients may also want a legal team that focuses on proactive strategy. How lawyers can take advantage of the downturn: lawyers should expand horizons, learn new topics, become more familiar with clients' businesses, be flexible with pricing, and have frank conversations with clients about fees. Tips for clients: evaluate lawyers differently, interview existing and potential lawyers, and involve lawyers in the creative structure of deals. Tips for lawyers: be flexible with time and fee structures, proactively meet with clients to discuss deal structure and fees during the downturn, and examine your business for efficiency. Stay positive during economic downturns: opportunities can arise from crises! Next Episode Coming in June! Please subscribe to SeedJura: Decoding Law on your favorite podcast player! Visit SeedJuraGroup.com SeedJura on LinkedIn (company/seedjura/)

Geneve and Phyllis are joined once again by Tony Alfonso, co-founder of SeedJura. This week, they provide a wake-up call to lawyers about how Generative AI tools like Chat-GPT will change the legal industry. The SeedJura team covers the following topics related to Generative AI: The inevitable impact of Generative AI on lawyer-client relations, with clients potentially turning to AI for cheaper alternatives without understanding the value of legal work. The team debates the potential usefulness of Generative AI for lawyers in areas such as legal research, document preparation, legal chat bots, and language translation. The question of whether Generative AI can ever fully replace lawyers is discussed, with Chat-GPT being asked for its input. The team encourages lawyers to consider incorporating Generative AI into their practice due to its efficiency and the fact that clients are already using it. They emphasize the importance of adopting technology thoughtfully. The SeedJura Group is currently conducting a study on the legal answers provided by Chat-GPT. Please subscribe to SeedJura: Decoding Law on your favorite podcast player! Visit SeedJuraGroup.com SeedJura on LinkedIn (company/seedjura/)

In this first episode of 2023, Tony Alfonso (co-founder of SeedJura) joins Geneve and Phyllis to discuss Generative AI tools like Chat-GPT and how clients can use them for legal services. The SeedJura team addresses the following questions about Generative AI: The team concludes that Generative AI will become a crucial part of the legal industry and shares five tips on how clients can use AI for legal information: Next Week's Episode: Geneve, Phyllis, and Tony discuss the harsh truth about Generative AI's impact on the future of the legal industry. Please subscribe to SeedJura: Decoding Law on your favorite podcast player! Visit SeedJuraGroup.com SeedJura on LinkedIn (company/seedjura/)

Geneve and Phyllis are joined again by Tony Alfonso, fellow co-founder of SeedJura, to discuss the ways in which the legal industry is trending. This episode will be particularly interesting to lawyers and may be enlightening to clients as well! The SeedJura trio reviews the following trends currently seen in the legal industry : Next Week's Episode: This will be the last SeedJura: Decoding Law episode of 2022. Thank you for listening this year! We're looking forward to releasing new episodes in January 2023! Please subscribe to SeedJura: Decoding Law on your favorite podcast player! Visit SeedJuraGroup.com SeedJura on LinkedIn (company/seedjura/)

In this episode of SeedJura: Decoding Law, Geneve and Phyllis are joined Tony Alfonso, another co-founder of SeedJura. The three colleagues discuss past and present trends in the legal industry and share enlightening, 'behind-the-scenes' information about the industry with non-lawyers/clients. The SeedJura trio explores the traditional structure and flow of the legal industry: Previously, lawyers would go to undergrad and then law school in hopes of getting into a large firm (only 1% of lawyers go on to start a solo practice). After years of work, lawyers could hope to be promoted to partner at their firms. And, partners could offload work onto younger associates. But none of this is universally the case anymore. In the past, potential clients would only have word-of-mouth information for evaluating the efficacy of lawyers, and were subjected to the fees and expenses of the currently available pool of lawyers. Law firms are more of an aggregate for individual businesses than they are a conglomerate of legal minds. Individual attorneys at firms are responsible for acquiring their own clients. Clients belong to attorneys, not the firms. If an attorney leaves a firm, their clients are more then likely to leave with them. Geneve, Phyllis, and Tony reflect on the traditional way that attorneys were trained: Landing a job at a law firm can feel like a fish-out-of-water scenario for newer lawyers. Lawyers need an apprenticeship to learn how to apply their legal studies into the practical world. Even at a law firm, attorneys function as solo practitioners, trying to generate business and billable hours for themselves as opposed to working holistically for the firm. Often, attorneys work for years at firms and either get promoted to partner, or work for a company and become in-house council. Traditional marketing in the legal world is complicated: Marketing has been all about personal connections and going out and meeting people. Lawyers have had to be salespeople, otherwise they wouldn't generate new business. There were historically no standards for providing services or marketing, it was all at the discretion of individual attorneys. Next Week's Episode: Tony joins Phyllis and Geneve again to discuss the future of the legal industry. Please subscribe to SeedJura: Decoding Law on your favorite podcast player! Visit SeedJuraGroup.com SeedJura on LinkedIn (company/seedjura/)

In this episode, directed primarily towards lawyers, the SeedJura co-hosts Phyllis and Geneve bust some myths that lawyers may have about their clients Myth 1 - Clients know the value of their lawyers Myth 2 - Clients have their business and information organized Myth 3 - Clients understand the work you put in to help them, and they will have no problem paying your fees immediately Myth 4 - Clients are proactive and will give you accurate information Myth 5 - Clients love you Next Week's Episode: For clients: the SeedJura team will explore topics concerning the legal industry Please subscribe to SeedJura: Decoding Law on your favorite podcast player! Visit SeedJuraGroup.com SeedJura on LinkedIn (company/seedjura/)

In this episode, directed primarily towards clients of lawyers, the SeedJura co-hosts Phyllis and Geneve shed light on common myths surrounding lawyers and the legal profession. Geneve and Phyllis tackle five common myths people may believe about the legal process: Next Week's Episode: For lawyers: the SeedJura team will tackle myths lawyers may believe about their clients. Please subscribe to SeedJura: Decoding Law on your favorite podcast player! Visit SeedJuraGroup.com SeedJura on LinkedIn (company/seedjura/)

In this episode, directed primarily towards lawyers, SeedJura co-hosts Phyllis and Geneve explore marketing yourself as a lawyer, and why it's more important than you may think. When trying to acquire new business it's important to highlight the problems in today's legal industry when it comes to marketing yourself and your firm: Many lawyers see marketing as a waste of time and want to focus on other aspects of the business Lawyers have the (mis)perception that clients know exactly what they want when hiring lawyers Lawyers often don't know the importance of articulating their values, roles, and status Proposals, pitch books, and marketing materials from law firms all look and sound the same What are the solutions to these problems? How can you implement solutions to better your marketing material? Change your mentality: remember that marketing is essential to generate new business Recenter your marketing around your clients and their needs Understand the roles you play as a lawyer and ensure those roles are reflected in your marketing material Ensure your promotional material sets you apart from other lawyers and law firms Next Week's Episode: For clients of lawyers: Geneve and Phyllis will discuss the legal industry. Please subscribe to SeedJura: Decoding Law on your favorite podcast player! Visit SeedJuraGroup.com SeedJura on LinkedIn (company/seedjura/)

In this episode, directed primarily towards clients of lawyers, SeedJura co-hosts Geneve and Phyllis help uncover the secrets behind hiring a good lawyer. (A note from Geneve & Phyllis: This episode is a little longer than our usual episodes, but we feel that this content is very important and worth dedicating the time to explain thoroughly.) First, Geneve and Phyllis highlight the what could go wrong if you don't hire the right lawyer. The wrong lawyer could: Be silent and ignore you case / deposition Drop you entirely Lead opposing council to believe you're incompetent Charge you way more than you expected The ultimate goal when hiring a lawyer is to decide: Who you hire What price point is best for you What your potential lawyer could provide When hiring a lawyer, you must understand: Lawyers are very specialized and not a "one-size-fits-all" profession Not all lawyers have the same skill-sets, even if they graduated from the same school or work at the same firm. Hiring the right lawyer makes a huge difference in the outcome of your deal / case You have to do your homework and take charge when hiring and managing your lawyers There are many factors that go into the decision to hire a lawyer. If you've decided that you do need to hire an attorney, you should consider: How important is hiring a lawyer to you and your company? Do your current needs stipulate the need for a lawyer? (You can listen to Episode 1 of SeedJura: Decoding Law to learn more) What role do you need a lawyer to fulfill for you? (You can listen to Episode 5 of SeedJura: Decoding Law to learn more) What value do you need a lawyer to provide for you? (You can listen to Episode 3 of SeedJura: Decoding Law to learn more) What's the timeframe for this deal, case, or dispute? Where is the matter, case, or dispute centered, in terms of location (e.g. state, city, etc.)? What's your budget? When you decide to hire a lawyer, there are many factors to consider. SeedJura will have a separate episode dedicated to this topic, but as an introduction, when interviewing a lawyer, you should be identifying: How and where the lawyer was trained How organized the lawyer is The team size for each case How communication with you is handled and how you will be updated on progress How will you be able to access data (e.g. documents, files, and other info) What is the lawyer's current workload How does the lawyer charge you and how frequently would you be updated on your current bill When finalizing the hiring process: Get a formal letter of engagement and be sure to read it If you aren't comfortable with any aspect of the letter of engagement, ask to negotiate changes Request contact information for at least two attorneys in the firm Be friendly with the firm's secretaries and assistants who will be assisting the lawyers on your case Next Week's Episode: In the next episode (intended for lawyers), Phyllis and Geneve will explore how lawyers can stand out and generate new business. Please subscribe to SeedJura: Decoding Law on your favorite podcast player! Visit SeedJuraGroup.com SeedJura on LinkedIn (company/seedjura/)

In this episode, directed primarily towards lawyers, the SeedJura co-hosts Phyllis and Geneve breakdown the different roles and responsibilities lawyers have and how these roles serve to help their clients. Phyllis and Geneve summarize the most common roles for lawyers as: Doers - Lawyers who prepare documents and execute tasks Specialists - Lawyers who provide expert input and representation for clients in a specific field Influencers - Lawyers who advocate, negotiate, and represent a client Project Managers - Lawyers who oversee and organize legal tasks and proceedings for their clients Strategists - Lawyers who conduct overall planning development for clients Next Week's Episode: For clients of lawyers, Geneve will share the secrets to hiring lawyers! Please subscribe to SeedJura: Decoding Law on your favorite podcast player! Visit SeedJuraGroup.com SeedJura on LinkedIn (company/seedjura/)

In this episode, directed primarily towards the clients of lawyers, Geneve leads the conversation and helps illustrate the many roles and responsibilities lawyers have, in hopes of shedding light on the subject for their clients. First, Geneve recommends refamiliarizing yourself with SeedJura's breakdown of the values that lawyers bring to the table, which was discussed in the 3rd episode of SeedJura: Decoding Law "For Clients: Why are Lawyers So Expensive?" Phyllis and Geneve explore that a lawyer isn't a "one size fits all" profession, and that there are many subsets of lawyers in the field, such as: Executors/Doers - Lawyers who prepare documents and execute tasks Specialists - Lawyers who provide expert input and representation for clients in a specific field Influencers - Lawyers who advocate, negotiate, and represent a client Project Managers - Lawyers who oversee and organize legal tasks and proceedings for their clients Strategists - Lawyers who conduct overall planning development for clients Next Week's Episode: Phyllis will lead a discussion aimed at lawyers to help them in explaining what they actually do for their client base. Please subscribe to SeedJura: Decoding Law on your favorite podcast player! Visit SeedJuraGroup.com SeedJura on LinkedIn (company/seedjura/)

In this episode directed primarily towards lawyers, Phyllis helps illustrate lawyers' need to convey the value they bring to a situation, so that clients can better understand the price of lawyers' services. Geneve and Phyllis highlight where there’s a disconnect between clients' and lawyers' perceptions of legal fees: Clients only see the price tag associated with lawyers and not the value and experience lawyers bring to the table Clients don’t feel like they’re given options with fees Next, Geneve and Phyllis propose solutions on how lawyers can better communicate with their clients when discussing their fees: Lawyers need to understand the business and services of their clients so they can approach the conversation with insights into clients' specific legal needs To help lawyers better communicate their own value, Geneve reviews the Value Chart highlighted in EP03, which explains the many layers of value a lawyer can offer (a further explanation can be found in the the 3rd episode of SeedJura: Decoding Law ("Why Are Lawyers So Expensive?") Understanding a client’s budget is essential when first establishing a client relationship Lawyers must communicate both expected fees and any cost overages that arise outside of the initially negotiated rate Next Week's Episode: Geneve will lead a discussion aimed at clients that asks the question, "What Do Lawyers Actually Do?" Please subscribe to SeedJura: Decoding Law on your favorite podcast player! Visit SeedJuraGroup.com SeedJura on LinkedIn (company/seedjura/)

In this episode directed primarily to clients of lawyers, Geneve helps to explain why lawyers and legal services always seem so expensive. (A note from Geneve & Phyllis: we are not trying to justify that lawyers should be expensive, but this area is the biggest gap between lawyers and clients, so we need to look at this from both sides' perspectives.) In this episode, Geneve & Phyllis first discuss common perceptions about lawyers and legal fees: Geneve explains how this perception is an industry problem: Next, Phyllis explains the different ways lawyers can charge you (there's more than one!) and how you can explore different options that fit your business model and that are within your lawyer's’ law firm and ethical parameters: Finally, Geneve and Phyllis discuss the value that lawyers do actually bring their clients, specifically, the 6 Layers of value that lawyers can bring their clients. The 6 Layers of Value: Branding Insurance Strategies Representation (negotiation & representing you in the market place) Education Producing Documents (secretarial tasks) Please subscribe to SeedJura: Decoding Law on your favorite podcast player! Visit SeedJuraGroup.com SeedJura on LinkedIn (company/seedjura/)

In this episode directed primarily to lawyers, Phyllis discusses how to ensure your clients know why they need you. Problems with today’s legal industry that causes clients to not understand why they need lawyers: Solutions: EP01. For Clients: Why Do I Need Lawyers? Please subscribe to SeedJura: Decoding Law on your favorite podcast player! Visit SeedJuraGroup.com SeedJura on LinkedIn (company/seedjura/)

An introduction to SeedJura and hosts Geneve DuBois & Phyllis Shuster, plus a discussion of why (and when) businesses need lawyers. After hosts Geneve & Phyllis briefly introduce themselves and introduce their company SeedJura, Geneve dives into the topic of why and in what circumstances your business needs a lawyer, using a 4-point “checklist” to determine whether the situation would benefit from legal counsel. The 4-point checklist is abbreviated as “GMCD” – to help you remember this abbreviation, you can think of Driving a GMC truck to your destination (where your destination is legal protection)! GMCD: Please subscribe to SeedJura: Decoding Law on your favorite podcast player! Visit SeedJuraGroup.com SeedJura on LinkedIn (company/seedjura/)

Ever felt that hiring and managing lawyers is such a pain? You are not alone. In fact, the most well-kept secret for one of the key ingredients of the success of a company is -- its ability to engage and manage legal services. This podcast decodes the complexity of the legal world so that you, as a business owner, know how to use law and legal services to your advantage. Come and join us at SeedJura: Decoding Law - Launching September 26th, 2022!