The Agile Attorney Podcast

John E. Grant

Episodes

Mentioned books

undefined
Sep 2, 2025 • 25min

085. Make Work Visible: Using Kanban Boards To Manage Your Law Firm’s Capacity

Discover how knowledge work often remains hidden, leading to overwhelming capacity issues. Learn how Kanban boards can transform invisible commitments into visible tasks, facilitating better communication and decision-making. Explore the power of prioritizing visible work, identifying bottlenecks, and enhancing team workflow and onboarding. Hear how this system fosters psychological safety and objective discussions, ultimately improving overall efficiency. Plus, tips on measuring progress and ensuring leadership is aware of team capacity!
undefined
Aug 26, 2025 • 15min

084. Technical Debt in Law Firms: How Small Shortcuts Create Big Problems

Discover the hidden dangers of technical debt in law firms. Shortcuts may save time initially but can lead to bigger problems later. The discussion includes practical strategies for improving workflow and efficiency to combat burnout. Learn about the innovative Greenline Legal tool designed to tackle these challenges. Feedback and demos are encouraged for those eager to enhance their legal practice.
undefined
Aug 19, 2025 • 25min

083. Delivery Debt is as Bad as Financial Debt, and Your Law Practice May Be Drowning in It

In this episode, I’m revisiting the concept of delivery debt: the promises you’ve made that remain unfulfilled. Just like financial debt, taking on too much delivery debt can snowball and overwhelm your firm. And it’s not just about the practical cost; it’s also psychological. The mental load of these unfinished commitments affects your focus, your decision-making, and ultimately, your practice’s efficiency. I’ll share practical steps to help you clear delivery debt by addressing unfulfilled commitments that are draining your capacity. You’ll also learn how to prioritize your existing work and make intentional decisions about what to let go of to protect your firm’s ability to take on the right cases. This approach will give you the tools to balance your commitments with your firm’s capacity, allowing you to avoid overwhelm and be more proactive as you head into the busy fall season. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/83
undefined
7 snips
Aug 12, 2025 • 9min

082. The Best Way to Word Your Checklists

Discover how to improve law practice efficiency by transforming traditional checklists into 'done lists' that clarify quality standards. Learn about essential frameworks like 'definition of done' and 'definition of ready' to ensure projects meet high standards. The power of phrasing tasks in past tense fosters accountability and a sense of accomplishment. Plus, get a sneak peek into an innovative tool, Greenline Legal, designed to enhance legal workflows and simplify project management.
undefined
Aug 5, 2025 • 23min

081. Task Engines in Law: Why Some Cases Sabotage Your Firm’s Productivity

Task engines are quietly draining your law practice's productivity right now. These hidden culprits show up as certain case types, jurisdictions, or even internal projects that generate a lot of tasks but little tangible progress or return. It’s something a litigation boutique in Oregon learned the hard way when a surge in Washington State cases almost derailed their entire operation. In this episode, I’m sharing how a firm with plenty of demand and a growing team found themselves in crisis mode due to task engines in disguise. I also walk through how the firm survived, learned valuable lessons about case selection, and took steps to improve their workflow. Discover how understanding the relative effort of different work types can help you build a more intentional, sustainable practice. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/81
undefined
11 snips
Jul 29, 2025 • 31min

080. AI for Legal Workflows: The Potential and the Pitfalls

AI tools are reshaping legal workflows, but they come with risks. While they can enhance speed in research and drafting, they may complicate processes instead of streamlining them. The discussion highlights the importance of observing real workflows over established procedures to boost efficiency. Moreover, balancing efficiency with creativity is crucial, as relying solely on AI-generated tasks can lead to burnout. By managing both working and waiting times, legal practices can optimize their processes and improve overall productivity.
undefined
Jul 22, 2025 • 20min

079. Make Space Before September: A Call for Rest and Intention

Summer brings its own pressures - family obligations, vacation planning, and the nagging feeling that your practice needs constant attention. The temptation to squeeze in work between beach trips or check emails during family gatherings can rob you of the very reset this season offers. In this episode, I'm exploring the importance of using summer as an intentional season of rest and reflection for your law practice. You'll discover practical strategies for disconnecting from work, like allowing yourself to be bored. Most importantly, you'll learn how to use this time to honestly assess your capacity and priorities. By the end, you'll have a clear framework for making summer work for you - not just as a break, but as a strategic investment in your practice's sustainability. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/79
undefined
Jul 15, 2025 • 1h 1min

078. Build Financial Clarity into Your Law Firm with CFO Danielle Hendon

Law firm owners often feel overwhelmed by their financial statements, staring at QuickBooks reports that seem to tell only half the story. The disconnect between having financial data and understanding what it means for strategic decision-making creates unnecessary anxiety and missed opportunities. In this episode, I'm talking with Danielle Hendon, a fractional CFO who specializes in helping law firms transform their relationship with their finances. We explore how to structure your revenue streams and expenses to understand which practice areas are truly profitable, why treating all costs the same way obscures important business decisions, and how budgeting becomes a strategic tool rather than an annual exercise you dread. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/78
undefined
Jul 8, 2025 • 39min

077. The BEST System for Managing Legal Work: Kanban for Lawyers Part 3

Legal teams face a unique challenge that factory floors and software developers rarely encounter: managing dozens of active matters simultaneously while dealing with constant interruptions from clients, opposing counsel, and courts. You're juggling multiple cases, each with its own timeline, dependencies, and unpredictable external factors that can derail your best-laid plans.In this episode, I dive into why the Kanban method is the best-fit system for that reality, and how it helps legal teams reduce overwhelm, spot bottlenecks, and manage work more intentionally. If your team is stuck in reactive mode, tune in to hear how Kanban gives you a practical path forward. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/77
undefined
Jul 1, 2025 • 38min

076. How Scrum Lessons Can Improve Your Law Practice: Kanban for Lawyers Part 2

Back in the early 2000s, software teams started embracing a new way of working that turned conventional project management on its head. Instead of trying to define everything up front and push massive projects toward a distant deadline, they asked a different question: what’s the most valuable work we can deliver in the next two weeks? That question gave rise to Scrum—a system built on fixed time, cross-functional teams, and fast feedback. And while it started in software, the lessons apply just as powerfully to legal work. Tune in to hear how you can apply these principles to your practice—especially around prioritization, workflow design, and respecting your finite capacity—so that you’re working smarter, not just harder. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/76

The AI-powered Podcast Player

Save insights by tapping your headphones, chat with episodes, discover the best highlights - and more!
App store bannerPlay store banner
 Get the app