The Lawyer's Edge Elise Holtzman

Jennifer Cona, is the Founder and Managing Partner of Cona Elder Law, an award-winning elder law and estate planning firm located in Melville, New York. Celebrating 25 years in business, Cona Elder Law has been consistently ranked the number one elder law and trust in-estate firm on Long Island. Jennifer has won many awards, including the New York Law Journal Award for Top Women in Law.
She and her firm are committed to corporate social responsibility, and she has held roles on the board of trustees of the Long Island Alzheimer's and Dementia Center, the United Way of Long Island, and the executive leadership team of the American Heart Association.
Jennifer has also been featured in many publications such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and has appeared on radio and TV. She also writes a monthly column for the Long Island Press called Power of Your Attorney. Jennifer Cona's dedication to Elder Law and her impact on her community are a testament to her outstanding career.
WHAT’S COVERED IN THIS EPISODE ABOUT HOW TO GROW FROM SOLO PRACTICE  Many lawyers dream of opening their own practice. It takes a lot, though, to go from working for someone else’s firm to starting your own, especially if you have no one with experience to guide you.
Jennifer Cona didn’t grow up in an entrepreneurial family who could show her the ropes. But going on guts, she managed to open an elder law practice and successfully grow it from a solo operation to a boutique. And even she will tell you it looked like she did it by the seat of her pants at times!
In this episode of The Lawyer’s Edge podcast, you’ll discover how Jennifer launched and grew a law firm while creating a culture built to last. She’ll also reveal how everyone at Cona Elder Law reinforces the core values of the firm, how they focus on the local community even outside of serving clients, and the challenges and opportunities presented by younger generations in the workplace and the advent of artificial intelligence.
2:16 - How Jennifer went from working at someone else’s firm to starting her own within five years of practicing law
5:26 - Why Jennifer felt the need to move her solo firm out of Manhattan to Long Island and expand to a 35-lawyer boutique
10:37 - Jennifer’s leadership style and how her firm focuses on corporate social responsibility
13:57 - How the core values of Jennifer’s practice are constantly reinforced and make it much easier to hire (or fire) people
16:42 - The generational issue Jennifer thinks is the greatest challenge these days
22:31 - How Jennifer uses AI now, how she plans to use it in the future, and why she’s excited about it when many others are wary
26:08 - The difficulty of growing a law firm (especially when you’re also trying to raise a family)
29:39 - Why you’re always answering to somebody even if you own a law practice
MENTIONED IN HOW TO GROW FROM SOLO PRACTICE TO AWARD-WINNING BOUTIQUE WITH JENNIFER CONA Cona Elder Law
“Power of Your Attorney” archives | Long Island Press
Get Connected with The Coaching Team at hello@thelawyersedge.com
The Lawyer’s Edge
SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE… Today’s episode is brought to you by the coaching team at The Lawyer’s Edge, a training and coaching firm which has been focused exclusively on lawyers and law firms since 2008. 
Each member of The Lawyer’s Edge coaching team is a trained, certified, and experienced professional coach AND either a former practicing attorney or a former law firm marketing and business development professional. Whatever your professional objectives, our coaches can help you achieve your goals more quickly, more easily, and with significantly less stress. 
To get connected with YOUR coach, just email the team at hello@thelawyersedge.com.
 

Lawyers frequently report that they are exhausted, overloaded, or burned out. Sound familiar?
In this episode of The Lawyer’s Edge podcast, host Elise Holtzman chats with Lauren Baptiste, a burnout expert and founder of Acheloa Wellness, to delve into the all-too-common issue of burnout in the legal profession. Lauren shares how to prevent burnout as well as how to recover from it.
Learn the importance of recognizing the signs of burnout, the need for self-awareness, and the differences between coaching and therapy. Lauren will also introduce you to Ayurveda, an ancient wellness system, and discuss how it can be used to understand our unique body-mind compositions and spot early burnout indicators.
Listen in as Lauren offers practical tips, like the importance of taking breaks, especially for lunch, and striking the right balance between solitude and social interaction. She also shares why it’s critical for legal professionals to prioritize self-care and seek the proper support when facing burnout. Taking care of yourself is not only crucial for personal health, but is also imperative for sustaining professional efficiency and achieving success.
WHAT’S COVERED IN THIS EPISODE ABOUT BURNOUT IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION 2:09 - Lauren's personal experience with workplace burnout and her realization of the prevalence of burnout among colleagues.
5:23 - The prevalence of burnout in the legal profession, including long hours and unhealthy habits.
7:43 - Exploring the historical presence of burnout and the recent emphasis on addressing burnout in the legal profession.
12:07 - How to identify symptoms of burnout and distinguish between general burnout and chronic burnout.
17:33 - The importance of exploring coaching and therapy, and the severity of the issue.
22:42 - Recommendations for small, daily activities to combat burnout.
Connect with Lauren Baptiste Lauren Baptiste is enhancing today’s work culture with a simple strategy: prioritize well-being as the "hardest-working" professionals climb the corporate ladder. As a life coach and consultant on a mission to help women level-up at work and at home, Lauren brings more than 13 years of experience in corporate culture and workplace burnout alongside her knowledge as a practitioner of Ayurveda, hormonal health and other evidenced-based modalities. This results in clients shifting from exhausted to energetic, cynical to optimistic, and ineffective to empowered.
Acheloa Wellness | LinkedIn
Mentioned In Effective Strategies for Combating Burnout in the Legal Profession Niki Schaefer | How a Stroke at 38 Changed a Lawyer’s Approach to Life and Work
Get Connected with The Coaching Team at hello@thelawyersedge.com
The Lawyer’s Edge
SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE… Today’s episode is brought to you by the coaching team at The Lawyer’s Edge, a training and coaching firm which has been focused exclusively on lawyers and law firms since 2008. 
Each member of The Lawyer’s Edge coaching team is a trained, certified, and experienced professional coach AND either a former practicing attorney or a former law firm marketing and business development professional. Whatever your professional objectives, our coaches can help you achieve your goals more quickly, more easily, and with significantly less stress.
To get connected with YOUR coach, just email the team at hello@thelawyersedge.com.

What do you think is one of the most powerful obstacles to business development success for lawyers?
Despite their busy schedules, it isn’t a lack of time. It’s not about the lack of money, either. It’s not even that you don’t know how to do it, although law school certainly didn’t teach it.
Simply put: it’s your mindset. It’s the stories you tell yourself that stop you from taking (or fully committing to) consistent, targeted action. And it’s the biggest impediment I’ve come across again and again with lawyers I meet.
In this episode of The Lawyer’s Edge podcast, you’ll learn 7 tips that will help you cultivate a successful business development mindset. I’ll teach you a thought process that will inspire you to start taking action in the direction of your goals and stick with it consistently!
WHAT’S COVERED IN THIS EPISODE ABOUT CULTIVATING A BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MINDSET 2:57 - What business development success and that criminal law class you took in your first year have in common
5:27 - The first thing you can do to cultivate your business development mindset for success
8:14 - Two things you need to recognize about business development and one thing you shouldn’t expect to see
11:26 - The people you shouldn’t listen to and the responses you don’t want to give to everyone else and yourself
14:12 - A change that’ll make it more likely for you to focus on and engage with business development
 
Mentioned In How to Cultivate a Business Development Mindset IGNITE Women’s Business Development Accelerator 
Get Connected with The Coaching Team at hello@thelawyersedge.com
The Lawyer’s Edge
SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE… Today’s episode is brought to you by the coaching team at The Lawyer’s Edge, a training and coaching firm which has been focused exclusively on lawyers and law firms since 2008. 
Each member of The Lawyer’s Edge coaching team is a trained, certified, and experienced professional coach AND either a former practicing attorney or a former law firm marketing and business development professional. Whatever your professional objectives, our coaches can help you achieve your goals more quickly, more easily, and with significantly less stress.
To get connected with YOUR coach, just email the team at hello@thelawyersedge.com.

Professional opportunities abound for women lawyers, yet many women hesitate to pursue their dream of starting and owning a law practice. Many of those who do take the leap still struggle with building their business into a saleable asset that supports their lifestyle (both now and in retirement).
Before my guest, Davina Frederick, started her law firm in 2007, she worked in professional services marketing. Thanks to her familiarity with marketing and litigation and the struggle she saw other women law firm owners have with building sustainable practices, she rebranded in 2020 to serve them as a law firm growth strategist and business coach. Now, she helps women lawyers achieve their goals and overcome challenges in their professional and personal lives.
In this episode of The Lawyer’s Edge podcast, you’ll learn about the importance of starting and scaling your practice, the consequences of not building your business into an asset, and why women lawyers too often shy away from going into business for themselves. Davina will also give you an outline of her framework for scaling your law firm business to $1,000,000 or more.
WHAT’S COVERED IN THIS EPISODE ABOUT SCALING YOUR LAW FIRM 2:31 - Why it’s so important for women to scale their law firms instead of staying solo
5:54 - Advantages for women lawyers who start and scale their own practice instead of working in others
10:40 - Why many women lawyers think smaller than they should about what’s possible for them
13:57 - How your upbringing and early career can have an impact on what you decide to do for yourself
18:29 - How your money story can be a big obstacle to growing wealth through scaling your practice
22:26 - The internal aspect you can always change that drives what you choose to focus on (even if you have external obstacles in your way)
28:56 - Why there are more opportunities than ever to get support, make connections, and achieve success
30:56 - Davina’s framework for scaling your law firm to seven figures or more and the journey that led to its creation
40:50 - The only thing that matters when it comes to owning and scaling your business and what gets you to the next level
Connect with Davina Frederick Davina Frederick is a Florida-licensed attorney, law firm growth strategist, and business coach for women law firm owners.
She graduated from the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL, with a B.A. in journalism, and she received her J.D. from Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law in 2007. Prior to starting her own law firm in 2007 and growing it successfully during the 2008 recession and its aftermath, she enjoyed a career as a professional services marketer. In 2013, she founded D. Frederick Media and Marketing, LLC, with the goal of helping professional service business owners implement their marketing strategies. However, she quickly discovered that most did not even have a strategy! She then began to work with her clients to develop strategic growth plans for their businesses and to coach them through implementing these plans, including how to market and sell, cultivate A+ teams, and set up systems-based businesses.
Since most of Davina’s clients were women law firm owners who wanted the inside scoop on how Davina had successfully created and scaled her own law firm, she began to focus on serving just women law firm owner clients. In 2020, Davina rebranded her company to reflect this shift, creating Wealthy Woman Lawyer®. Wealthy Woman Lawyer® assists women law firm owners scale their law firms into $1M+ wealth-generating businesses without overwork or overwhelm.
Davina is the author of two books: The Wealthy Woman Lawyer’s Guide to Law Firm Marketing in the Virtual Age: 10 Bold Actions to Take Now to Attract Your Ideal Clients with Total Ease and The Wealthy Woman Lawyer’s Guide to a Systems-Driven Law Firm Business: 7 Essential Systems You Need to Take Back Your Time, Avoid Burnout, and Create Lasting Wealth

Do you struggle to connect with audiences in your public speaking engagements and legal presentations? You can continue to struggle or learn how to be a more engaging and memorable presenter.
Valerie Madamba knew she had to overcome a huge learning curve as a public speaker if she wanted to be happy and successful as a lawyer. Once she figured out how to connect with an audience and help them solve their problems, she started learning to love being on stage and owning that as part of her career development.
Now, having gone from regulatory lawyer to legal presentation coach, Valerie has so many great tips, suggestions, and pieces of advice to help you stand out as a thought leader, public speaker, and presenter. And she’s here to talk about the benefits of public speaking as a lawyer who’s a go-to expert in your field.
In this episode of The Lawyer’s Edge podcast, you’ll learn about how to raise your profile as a visible expert and be known as a leading authority other people seek out. You’ll discover why stories are such a critical vessel and how to use them in your presentations, the most common mistake to avoid in presentations, and steps you can take to begin building a better experience for your audience.
1:10 - The surprising thing that sparked Valerie’s interest in presentations and public speaking
4:09 - Why lawyers need to be persuasive speakers, elevate their voices, and tell stories that people will remember
11:53 - The mistake lawyers make when they deliver their presentations and how to flip it around so that you increase engagement with your material
18:02 - Where to start if you want to create more engaging presentations and present on a complex topic without dumbing it down
26:04 - Public speaking trends that have emerged post-pandemic and the impact they’re having on attorneys
30:25 - Suggestions for making conversations more comfortable for people who are asked to share their experiences
34:27 - One thing you have to be prepared for as the person leading the presentation
36:13 - One thing to keep in mind when delivering engaging presentations that position you as a leading authority in your practice area
Connect with Valerie Madamba Valerie Madamba brings a wealth of experience as a former food and drug regulatory lawyer, having navigated roles in the federal government, Biglaw, and in-house settings. Founding her own legal presentation coaching consultancy, Valerie now resides in Brussels with her family, assisting lawyers worldwide in refining their presentation skills to bolster their practices and brands.
Valerie Madamba
Valerie Madamba on LinkedIn Mentioned In How to Stand Out as a Thought Leader By Becoming a Better Presenter Get Connected with The Coaching Team at hello@thelawyersedge.com
The Lawyer’s Edge
SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE… Today’s episode is brought to you by the coaching team at The Lawyer’s Edge, a training and coaching firm which has been focused exclusively on lawyers and law firms since 2008. 
Each member of The Lawyer’s Edge coaching team is a trained, certified, and experienced professional coach AND either a former practicing attorney or a former law firm marketing and business development professional. Whatever your professional objectives, our coaches can help you achieve your goals more quickly, more easily, and with significantly less stress.
To get connected with YOUR coach, just email the team at hello@thelawyersedge.com.

Those first travelers making their way West did so without a roadmap. But in taking the opportunity, they paved the way for the nation’s expansion.
That spirit of the West is very much rooted in Tara Stingley and the Nebraska law firm of which she is a partner. As the first woman to serve on Cline Williams’ executive committee, she challenged other members to think about how they defined issues and the impact of their decisions.
She also established her niche as an employment law expert within the legal community. Laying down that foundation has paid dividends in affording her opportunities, as it can for you, too. And unlike that first wave of westward travelers, you don’t have to go forward blindly; Tara has tips to help you build your roadmap to greater visibility.
In this episode of The Lawyer’s Edge podcast, you’ll hear about the payoff potential in raising your profile and building your brand as a subject-matter expert and how to start proactively doing it (even if you’re still a young lawyer). Tara will also discuss the importance of representation, the need for professional women to stop underestimating their value, what plays into a client’s decision to pick you over others, and so much more!
1:51 - How Tara became a lawyer and partner at Cline Williams and how the law firm differs from others
9:51 - The importance of Tara’s role as the first woman on the firm’s executive committee
13:22 - Why you should strive to increase your visibility as an expert in your field, even when you can’t see an immediate payoff
20:58 - How lawyers can create branding opportunities for themselves rather than wait for them to appear
25:06 - The mindset you need for approaching opportunities to raise your profile and ultimately get clients you want to work with
29:40 - An essential piece of advice for professional women (especially those dealing with imposter syndrome)
Connect with Tara Stingley
Tara Stingley is a Partner Cline Williams and the Chair of it’s Labor and Employment Law section. Cline Williams, established in 1857, is Nebraska's oldest existing law firm and is a full-service firm with approximately 60 lawyers working in 5 offices located in Nebraska and Colorado. Tara is also the firm's primary representative to the Employment Law Alliance, the largest international network of labor and employment lawyers. Tara focuses her practice on employment law, advising businesses in a variety of industries on compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations.
Cline Williams
Employment Law Alliance
Tara Stingley on LinkedIn 
Mentioned In How to Become a Visible Expert in Your Practice Area
Get Connected with The Coaching Team at hello@thelawyersedge.com
The Lawyer’s Edge
SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE… Today’s episode is brought to you by the coaching team at The Lawyer’s Edge, a training and coaching firm which has been focused exclusively on lawyers and law firms since 2008. 
Each member of The Lawyer’s Edge coaching team is a trained, certified, and experienced professional coach AND either a former practicing attorney or a former law firm marketing and business development professional. Whatever your professional objectives, our coaches can help you achieve your goals more quickly, more easily, and with significantly less stress.
To get connected with YOUR coach, just email the team at hello@thelawyersedge.com.