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

Jacob Slowik offers insights for lawyers on how niche specialization can lead to career successes.

Helen Bukulmez explains how investing in the interests of your team creates a culture of unity in your firm.

Sales minus expenses equals profit, right? Wrong! This formula may not be as correct as we thought. Small business profit guru Ron Saharyan joins Un-Billable Hour host Christopher Anderson to discuss how putting profit first helps lawyers be more focused on their clients’ needs. Ron explains the importance of setting aside money for profit, pay, and taxes; then using what is left to run your business.

Host Christopher Anderson is joined by Deborah Farone to discuss how smaller law firms and legal process outsourcing providers are well positioned to eat the lunch of larger, less nimble firms. They also cover a wide range of subjects including key changes in the industry facing small and midsize practices, the shocking lack of strategy in a large number of firms, and when it’s appropriate to bring on a Chief Marketing Officer.

Are you wasting marketing dollars by not converting prospects into clients? Following up on last month’s discussion about marketing, host Christopher Anderson tackles the equally important subject of sales with the help of Liz Wendling. Together they discuss the many ways attorneys are sabotaging their own efforts to convert prospects into clients, explain how to rethink your approach to closing a sale, and provide invaluable practical tips on how to improve your consultation style.

Host Christopher Anderson talks to Conrad Saam about how lawyers can take full ownership of their firm’s marketing and website. They discuss how the decline of legal directories has reduced visibility for some lawyers, and offer strategies for lawyers to take charge of their online presence. They also outline the best practices for ownership and talk about the benefits of WordPress.

How can artificial intelligence be applied in small law firms, and what are its dangers and benefits? In this episode, host Christopher Anderson talks to Alex Babin and Ryan Steadman of Zero, a company that applies artificial intelligence and smart automation to the most pressing operational challenges of the legal industry. They discuss what Zero can do to save lawyers time, give their clients a better customer experience, and increase security in email processes.

What do Silicon Valley tech companies do that law firms should consider implementing in their business practices? In this episode, host Christopher Anderson talks to Sarah Schaaf, CEO of Headnote, about the key things law firms can learn from tech companies to improve how they operate. They get into the details of how firms can consider data, speed, and ongoing streamlining to allocate firm resources responsibly and efficiently.

Christopher Anderson talks to Bryan Miles, CEO of Belay Solutions, about his book “Virtual Culture, The Way We Work Doesn’t Work Anymore, a Manifesto.” They discuss the challenges of the traditional workplace and outline how Belay Solutions has grown up as an exclusively virtual company. They give advice on how to develop virtual culture in a firm and discuss how virtual assistants can help lawyers focus on what really matters.

How effective is your law firm in its communications? Responsiveness is key, and utilizing a virtual receptionist may help your firm increase efficiency and boost customer satisfaction. Host Christopher Anderson talks to Maddy Martin of Smith.ai about steps small law firms can take to improve their communication. They discuss the many ways virtual receptionists can enhance the capabilities of small law firms and how these services can be customized to serve each firm’s unique needs.