BE THAT LAWYER

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Ben Grimes discuss:What it means to be a good leader (and how to get better if you aren’t currently one).Why leadership is difficult for lawyers.4 pillars you should look for in a leader.Preparing yourself to lead people and what inspires people in a leader. Key Takeaways:Like with sales, leadership is not taught in law school, but it is something you can learn.When you can demonstrate authenticity at work, you open up the door to allow others to bring their authentic selves to their career.Leadership is more than just leading an organization. Leadership appears at all levels of your law firm and life. You don’t need a title to be a leader. You don’t need to be a manager to be a leader.Your values need to be reflected in the actions of the law firm. "Not only are we promoted in positions of leadership because of our substantive skills, we're also trained away from critical capacities for leadership. And what I mean by that is, we're trained to do things ourselves. And so we're training ourselves not to be good leaders, because of the way we practice law." —  Ben Grimes Thank you to our Sponsors!Overture: https://overture.law/Moneypenny: https://www.moneypenny.com/us/Get Visible: https://www.getvisible.com/ Episode References: Pat Conroy - https://patconroy.com/books/Some of My Best Friends Are…Podcast - https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/some-of-my-best-friends-areRevisionist History Podcast - https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/revisionist-history About Ben Grimes: With a passion for developing collaborative legal teams, inclusive law firm cultures, and skilled, confident legal leaders, Ben Grimes brings decades of experience as a practitioner and leader to his coaching, consulting, and development clients. From his roots as a biracial kid in central Pennsylvania, thru success (and challenge) at West Point, to his professional successes, Ben knows that leadership can be learned and is best delivered authentically. He's been a helicopter pilot, author, walk-on Division I athlete, 2x Ironman triathlete, professor of criminal law, prosecutor and defense attorney, and an ethics nerd, but loves best helping others unlock their leadership potential and build amazing teams. Connect with Ben Grimes:  Website: https://www.bkgleadershipcoaching.com/Email: ben@bkgleadershipcoaching.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benkgrimes/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bkg-leadership-coaching/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bkgrimes Connect with Steve Fretzin:LinkedIn: Steve FretzinTwitter: @stevefretzinInstagram: @fretzinsteveFacebook: Fretzin, Inc.Website: Fretzin.comEmail: Steve@Fretzin.comBook: Legal Business Development Isn't Rocket Science and more!YouTube: Steve FretzinCall Steve directly at 847-602-6911  Show notes by Podcastologist Chelsea Taylor-Sturkie Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it. 

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Chris Brencans discuss:Getting backlinks to your website from other trusted websites.Taking advantage of the EAT - expertise, authority, trustworthiness.Scaling your local SEO efforts and tracking the traffic and leads.AI and legal marketing. Key Takeaways:It is hard to refer someone when there is no information. You need to understand and leverage information about yourself online.Fixing your website fundamentals will make a big difference to your online presence.Getting a lead does not mean it will automatically convert. There are steps that will need to be followed, and those steps should be systemized and understood.AI is changing how search results are generated for you at the moment. Bing is already using it, and Google is working on rolling it out. "With the EAT - expertise, authority, trustworthiness - you want to index a lot more information about you as an individual, you as a persona, as a brand." —  Chris Brencans Thank you to our Sponsors!Overture: https://overture.law/Moneypenny: https://www.moneypenny.com/us/Get Visible: https://www.getvisible.com/ Episode References: Surfer SEO: https://surferseo.com/SEO Minion: https://seominion.com/Ahrefs: https://ahrefs.com/Lunch Hour Legal Marketing Podcast - https://legaltalknetwork.com/podcasts/lunch-hour-legal-marketing About Chris Brencans: Kristaps started as a project manager at On The Map Marketing in 2015 and now runs the day-to-day operations as the company’s chief executive officer. In the last few years, he has overseen thousands of successful SEO campaigns for lawyers, contractors, E-commerce stores, and other businesses. He’s also a proud parent of three divas and takes a keen interest in running and calisthenics.   Connect with Chris Brencans:  Website: https://www.onthemap.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbrencans/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OnTheMapMarketingTwitter: https://twitter.com/BrencansKYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@onthemapmarketingTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@onthemapmarketingLaw Firms On The Map Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW1k_9Xuyb2l6FSW1MzMOpMihX0f4FdCJ   Connect with Steve Fretzin:LinkedIn: Steve FretzinTwitter: @stevefretzinInstagram: @fretzinsteveFacebook: Fretzin, Inc.Website: Fretzin.comEmail: Steve@Fretzin.comBook: Legal Business Development Isn't Rocket Science and more!YouTube: Steve FretzinCall Steve directly at 847-602-6911  Show notes by Podcastologist Chelsea Taylor-Sturkie Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it. 

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Wendy Salajka discuss:The sages and saboteurs in our lives and how they affect what we do.How Positive Intelligence is relevant to running a law firm. Mental health in the legal industry. The 5 powers of the sage and building the human connection first. Key Takeaways:Our brains are not reliable. Sometimes they are for us, sometimes they are against us, and, in an effort to protect us, sometimes they hurt us in their attempts. Giving into the thoughts of your saboteurs is not helping you, even if they feel like they are what is driving you to success. Your saboteurs are never right. Your negative emotions are one-second indicators to course correct, not a space to live in and have drive you forward. There is good and bad in everything we do. Even if that good is microscopic, it can be enough to power us through anything.  "The more you accumulate the positive, the more you realize that this thing that I'm stuck in isn't going to last forever. But also, you build up a database in your brain so that when you are going through difficult times, you know you can get through it." —  Wendy Salajka Thank you to our Sponsors!Moneypenny: https://www.moneypenny.com/us/Get Visible: https://www.getvisible.com/ Episode References: Uncorking a Story - “So, How do we Begin? With Steve Fretzin” https://uncorkingastory.com/steve-fretzin/The Mel Robbins Podcast - https://www.melrobbins.com/podcast About Wendy Salajka: My name is Wendy Salajka (suh/ /like/ /uh). I am a lifelong observer of people and a student of psychology and neuroscience both formally and informally. I have a BS in psychology and a master’s degree in Leadership Development specializing in Organizational Leadership. I have certifications in Positive Intelligence Quotient (PQ), Neuroscience of Change Neuropsychology, DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy), ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), Life Coaching, Brain Health Coaching & Human Design.  Connect with Wendy Salajka:  Website: https://identifyandconquer.com/pq-home/Email: wendy@identifyandconquer.comPhone: 331-202-8367LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendysalajka/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wendy-salajka/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendy.salajkaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/identifyandconquerInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendy_salajka_pilcher/ Connect with Steve Fretzin:LinkedIn: Steve FretzinTwitter: @stevefretzinInstagram: @fretzinsteveFacebook: Fretzin, Inc.Website: Fretzin.comEmail: Steve@Fretzin.comBook: Legal Business Development Isn't Rocket Science and more!YouTube: Steve FretzinCall Steve directly at 847-602-6911  Show notes by Podcastologist Chelsea Taylor-Sturkie Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it. 

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Katie Burke discuss:Building a brand for yourself and your law firm. Informing your network about what you’re doing. Developing strategic partnerships. Evolving and growing your network and business.  Key Takeaways:If you are interested in more than one, unrelated, area of law, there are ways to make both work, it just takes some creativity and tenacity. Repetition is the key to letting people know what you do. If they don’t have a connection to make a quick quippy phrase, you do not have to try and force it and make it disingenuous. Expand your circles. There are more people out there that you don’t know that could be helping to promote your business or send work your way and who you can help as well. Don’t be afraid to try something new and to reach for things that you love and have a passion for.  "Growing and changing and evolving your brand means keeping it fresh and keeping it out there. What you're doing now, if you're doing the same thing 20 years later, something's gone wrong." —  Katie Burke Thank you to our Sponsors!Moneypenny: https://www.moneypenny.com/us/Get Visible: https://www.getvisible.com/ Episode References: Provisors: https://www.provisors.com/Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade: https://www.youtube.com/@flyonthewallpod About Katie Burke: Katie Burke has practiced law in San Francisco for twenty years. She is the owner of Burke Law. Katie conducts workplace investigations, drafts and reviews premarital and post-marital agreements, represents individual clients in family law disputes, and mediates family law matters. Connect with Katie Burke:  Website: https://burkelawsf.com/Email: katie@burkelawsf.comPhone: 415-997-6665LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherineburke/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/burkelaw/ Connect with Steve Fretzin:LinkedIn: Steve FretzinTwitter: @stevefretzinInstagram: @fretzinsteveFacebook: Fretzin, Inc.Website: Fretzin.comEmail: Steve@Fretzin.comBook: Legal Business Development Isn't Rocket Science and more!YouTube: Steve FretzinCall Steve directly at 847-602-6911  Show notes by Podcastologist Chelsea Taylor-Sturkie Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it. 

In this episode, Steve Fretzin, Ashley Robinson, Conrad Saam, and Roy Sexton discuss:Social media as a tool for engagement. Deciding the best social media platform for you. Law firm marketing versus individual marketing. Connecting with those who already have deep roots in the community.  Key Takeaways:How you use social media matters. Doing nothing but promoting yourself is not going to build relationships. Connect with people, comment on their posts, and build relationships with your targets. You do not need to master all the platforms, but if you know your clients are on that platform, follow them, and comment on their posts. You don’t need to duplicate everything your marketing team is doing but don’t be silent on your own social media. People hire lawyers, not a law firm. Focus on thought leadership in a way that makes sense for you.  "There is no silver bullet or AI for authenticity." —  Conrad Saam Thank you to our Sponsors!Moneypenny: https://www.moneypenny.com/us/Get Visible: https://www.getvisible.com/ Episode References: Steve Seckler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenseckler/Get Staffed Up: https://getstaffedup.com/ Connect with Ashley Robinson:  Website: https://greencardiganmarketing.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyrobinsongcm/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreenCardiganMarketingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/green_cardigan_marketing/ Connect with Roy Sexton:  Website: https://www.clarkhill.com/LMA: https://legalmarketing.org/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/royesexton/Twitter: https://twitter.com/roysexton Connect with Conrad Saam:  Website: https://mockingbird.marketing/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conradsaam/Twitter: https://twitter.com/ConradSaamFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mockingbird.Marketing/ Connect with Steve Fretzin:LinkedIn: Steve FretzinTwitter: @stevefretzinInstagram: @fretzinsteveFacebook: Fretzin, Inc.Website: Fretzin.comEmail: Steve@Fretzin.comBook: Legal Business Development Isn't Rocket Science and more!YouTube: Steve FretzinCall Steve directly at 847-602-6911  Show notes by Podcastologist Chelsea Taylor-Sturkie Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it. 

In this episode, Steve Fretzin, Ashley Robinson, Conrad Saam, and Roy Sexton discuss:The difference between marketing and business development. Creating a detailed client avatar. Marketing in a way that is comfortable for you and is where your audience is. Utilizing AI in marketing appropriately.  Key Takeaways:Marketing shows you the door and business development helps you to talk through it. Understand what you are wanting to do with your marketing and why you want to do it. Without knowing what you want to accomplish with your marketing, it will be harder to maintain effectively. Customize your social media marketing with a marketing team so you know what is and is not working and what does work for you and your firm. More content is not going to be the sole answer to your SEO problems.  "Focus on what you do well, and do that well, and then build on that, and build on that. We know that from dieting, exercise, and life, you’re not going to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger just by saying you want that. You have to do the work slowly, surely steadily. And marketing is exactly that. And business development is exactly that." —  Roy Sexton Thank you to our Sponsors!Moneypenny: https://www.moneypenny.com/us/Get Visible: https://www.getvisible.com/ Episode References: Book: Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith - https://www.amazon.com/Selling-Invisible-Field-Modern-Marketing/dp/0446672319 Connect with Ashley Robinson:  Website: https://greencardiganmarketing.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyrobinsongcm/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreenCardiganMarketingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/green_cardigan_marketing/ Connect with Roy Sexton:  Website: https://www.clarkhill.com/LMA: https://legalmarketing.org/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/royesexton/Twitter: https://twitter.com/roysexton Connect with Conrad Saam:  Website: https://mockingbird.marketing/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conradsaam/Twitter: https://twitter.com/ConradSaamFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mockingbird.Marketing/ Connect with Steve Fretzin:LinkedIn: Steve FretzinTwitter: @stevefretzinInstagram: @fretzinsteveFacebook: Fretzin, Inc.Website: Fretzin.comEmail: Steve@Fretzin.comBook: Legal Business Development Isn't Rocket Science and more!YouTube: Steve FretzinCall Steve directly at 847-602-6911  Show notes by Podcastologist Chelsea Taylor-Sturkie Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it. 

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Alex McLaughlin discuss:Legal tech at every law firm size. Challenges lawyers are having with and without legal technology. The evolution of the legal technology landscape. Utilizing tech for a better work-life balance and to better serve clients.  Key Takeaways:Find the right technology that works for you, customize it to your firm, and get the proper training so it can work for you and help, not hinder your day-to-day business. If you have too many technology systems, it makes it more difficult to bring on new staff without long training times and frustration for both employer and employee. Your mind and your focus are the best things you can give to your clients. When you break out of a high-focus space, it can take up to 15 minutes to get back into that working space.  "If you don't have a system to store that data, reference it, and make use of it, that's how you get lost in a project - you miss a deadline, you blow a statute. That's where legal tech has stepped in and is helping to pull all of those loose threads together, tie them up, and allow you to have one place to look at your case." —  Alex McLaughlin Thank you to our Sponsors!Moneypenny: https://www.moneypenny.com/us/Get Visible: https://www.getvisible.com/Fretzin, Inc.: https://fretzin.com/ Episode References: Book: A World Without Email by Cal NewportBook: Getting Things Done by David AllenAbout Alex McLaughlin: Alex McLaughlin is a Senior Director of Product at Filevine, innovating on the core features that make law firms more efficient and profitable. Alex has worked across a broad domain at Filevine from Document management to permissions and billing tools. He comes from a technical background working as an IT director for a plaintiff and Mass Tort practice and previously has worked on some of the largest cases in the country. He brings a unique blend of product management, technical knowledge, and industry expertise that allows Filevine to build for the future of legal tech.  Connect with Alex McLaughlin:  Website: https://www.filevine.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-mclaughlin-a6515318/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/filevine/Twitter: https://twitter.com/amclaughlin2005Twitter: https://twitter.com/filevine Connect with Steve Fretzin:LinkedIn: Steve FretzinTwitter: @stevefretzinInstagram: @fretzinsteveFacebook: Fretzin, Inc.Website: Fretzin.comEmail: Steve@Fretzin.comBook: Legal Business Development Isn't Rocket Science and more!YouTube: Steve FretzinCall Steve directly at 847-602-6911  Show notes by Podcastologist Chelsea Taylor-Sturkie Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it. 

Topics discussed include investing in yourself for better business development, finding passion and purpose, utilizing skillsets in marketing, the importance of sweat equity in business development, being able to articulate your value proposition, the role of resilience and optimism in being a good business developer, the intersection of business development, marketing, and client service in the legal field, promoting expertise and building a personal brand, and discussing legal business development and sponsors.

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Eric Gros-Dubois discuss:Eric’s motivations for starting his law firm (and what held him back from taking the first step).Surround yourself with those who are better than you.Working to the highest and best use of your time.Creatively hiring to suit your law firm’s needs. Key Takeaways:You can delegate a task, but you cannot delegate the responsibility. As a manager or a leader, you cannot pass the blame if something goes wrong.Believe you are successful, and act like it, even if you aren’t there yet. You will be putting yourself in a position to be successful, not a position of failure.Effective marketing and networking is more financially beneficial to your law firm than if you were billing hours. You can hire and delegate the work to another associate, but nobody knows your firm better than you. "It is very important to me that I track every single referral I receive because the people who are sending me those referrals, those are the people I need to give love to." —  Eric Gros-Dubois Thank you to our Sponsors!Moneypenny: https://www.moneypenny.com/us/Get Visible: https://www.getvisible.com/ Episode References: Book: How to Build Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie - https://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034 About Eric Gros-Dubois: Medium-sized law firm founder and owner in Miami, Florida, focusing on business law, and mentoring young attorneys.  Connect with Eric Gros-Dubois:  Website: https://www.epgdlaw.com/Email: eric@epgdlaw.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@epgdbusinesslaw6643LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericgrosdubois/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/epgd-attorneys-at-law-p-a-/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EPGDLaw/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/epgdbusinesslaw/ Connect with Steve Fretzin:LinkedIn: Steve FretzinTwitter: @stevefretzinInstagram: @fretzinsteveFacebook: Fretzin, Inc.Website: Fretzin.comEmail: Steve@Fretzin.comBook: Legal Business Development Isn't Rocket Science and more!YouTube: Steve FretzinCall Steve directly at 847-602-6911  Show notes by Podcastologist Chelsea Taylor-Sturkie Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it. 

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Margaret Enloe discuss:Narrowing down what you want to pursue and what drives you. Thinking about change and better habits. Stepping out of the weeds of everyday work to look at the bigger picture of your business. Getting a mentor and/or coach to grow in life and business.  Key Takeaways:Better habits start with becoming more self-aware. As you build better habits, your confidence will grow and, as a lawyer, you need to be able to project that confidence to your clients. Time management is a habit that can be learned and can help you to better meet the bigger goals in your business and life. Ask for feedback, both good and bad, from those you trust to be honest with you and with the clients that you’ve been working with for a long time. Most people get a lot out of helping and lifting others. They are more likely to say yes and give advice when asked than you think.  "Better habits start with becoming more self-aware. What is it that I'm doing? Is that either something I should continue or strengthen? What am I doing that is getting in the way and holding me back?" —  Margaret Enloe Thank you to our Sponsors!Moneypenny: https://www.moneypenny.com/us/Get Visible: https://www.getvisible.com/ Episode References: Be That Lawyer Episode 285 with Steve Seckler: https://www.fretzin.com/podcast/episodes/steve-seckler-coaching-superstar-lawyers/Book: Insight by Tasha Eurich: https://www.amazon.com/Insight-Tasha-Eurich-audiobook/dp/B06XDD9NB6 About Margaret Enloe: Margaret Enloe is a professional certified coach and speaker who works with attorneys and non-legal professionals to increase job satisfaction and resilience, enhance leadership presence, improve business development and communication skills, realize career goals, and facilitate transitions. Margaret brings an extensive career in law with over thirty years working both as an in-house and firm attorney. Margaret has held leadership roles including as a Partner and Associate General Counsel at PricewaterhouseCoopers where she represented the firm on a wide variety of legal matters for over 25 years. Prior to joining PwC, Margaret was a litigation associate at Skadden Arps and had a federal judicial clerkship in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Margaret received her master coaching certification from the Hudson Institute and is a Professional Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation. Her many years as a partner in a Big Four accounting firm, as a lawyer, a mother, and a cancer survivor help inform the work she does with clients, which they find tremendously valuable. Margaret has three grown children and resides in Manhattan with her husband.  Connect with Margaret Enloe:  Website: https://www.margaretenloe.com/Email: me@margaretenloe.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretenloe/Twitter: https://twitter.com/mmenloeFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/margaret.m.enloeFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/MargaretEnloe/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/margaretenloecoach/ Connect with Steve Fretzin:LinkedIn: Steve FretzinTwitter: @stevefretzinInstagram: @fretzinsteveFacebook: Fretzin, Inc.Website: Fretzin.comEmail: Steve@Fretzin.comBook: Legal Business Development Isn't Rocket Science and more!YouTube: Steve FretzinCall Steve directly at 847-602-6911  Show notes by Podcastologist Chelsea Taylor-Sturkie Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.