Successful Barrister

$uccessful Barrister
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Successful Barrister

Welcome to the one and only podcast that's more thrilling than a last-minute court adjournment, 'The Successful Barrister! The podcast discusses marketing, management, and life skills for lawyers, which probably won't get you disbarred.

  1. 5D AGO

    Ep. 37 - Sharpening Your Leadership Skills

    Are you an effective executive? If you’re not sure, or even if you think you are, you can learn something from this episode of the Successful Barrister. In this conversation, Marc and Diana discuss leadership skills as conceptualized by Peter Drucker in his book The Effective Executive. Importantly, Drucker conceptualizes leadership as different than management; and argues that while many of us learned how to manage, that does not mean we know how to lead. Learn how to treat leadership as a skill, manage your time effectively, lean on your strengths, and more.  For detailed show notes, navigate using the time stamps below: [2:14] Today’s episode is about something essential – how to be effective at what you do. Diana and Marc will be looking at The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker to organize their thoughts. [5:31] Drucker’s thesis is that you can improve at being an executive, and that the process to improve is not complicated, though it may be difficult.  [8:17] Drucker mentions five principles throughout the book, the first of which is time management. Interestingly, Drucker separates the concept of management from leadership. [12:08] Marc did not realize that as a leader his biggest job would be resource allocation – determining where money, time, and people have to go to support the firm. [16:23] Time is the most precious resource – while you can make more money, you can’t make more time. As an executive, you have to learn new time management skills. [22:45] The second concept is choosing what to contribute to the organization. What are your basic functions? Once you have chosen what to contribute, you can better allocate your time.  [25:55] Drucker’s third point is to make strengths productive – to determine the strengths of your team, and to allocate tasks in accordance with those strengths. [30:16] The fourth point is to exploit your opportunities. For Marc Whitehead & Associates, this has involved moving into elder law. This concept has both visionary and operational applications. [33:07] When the status quo will lead to disaster, it’s time to make a decision. This concept is key to decision making for Drucker. As a leader, you have to be willing to make the unpopular call.  [39:41] Running a firm, specifically a contingency fee firm, is a risk business. To make money, you have to be willing to take risks. Making money in the practice of law is about taking bigger and bigger risks. [44:20] Diana notes the importance of coaching your staff to help them reach their potential and avoid poor decision making. Read The Effective Executive The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done by Peter Drucker: https://www.amazon.com/Effective-Executive-Definitive-Harperbusiness-Essentials/dp/0060833459  Listen to The Effective Executive: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Effective-Executive-Audiobook/B01N40AUFG  Visit the Successful Barrister website: https://www.successfulbarrister.com/  Visit the Marc Whitehead & Associates website: https://disabilitydenials.com/  Email Marc Whitehead: marc@marcwhitehead.com

    47 min

  2. APR 1

    Ep. 36 - How To Keep an Employee for Thirty Years

    Thirty-Year Working Relationship! How do you retain your top talent? Fostering working relationships that last can be complicated, but Marc has worked with his paralegal Mel for thirty years, so he must be doing something right. On this first-ever guest cohost episode of Successful Barrister, Marc and Mel discuss why Mel stay for so many years; from how they met to the qualities that make them compatible.  For detailed show notes, navigate using the time stamps below: [1:29] For the first time, Marc has a guest cohost – Melanie Donaldson, Marc’s paralegal for the last thirty years. The episode will focus on Mel’s thirty years working with Marc.  [3:45] Marc and Mel tell the story of how they met. Despite not having the experience listed in the position, Mel went to the interview, got herself the job, and negotiated a higher salary than Marc originally offered.  [9:35] Mel has watched the firm expand and Marc’s responsibilities expand with it. She has also taken on more responsibilities, particularly with respect to finances.  [13:48] Marc tends to see new changes coming before Mel does because he acts as a visionary while she is busy in day-to-day operations. She talks about how going paperless helped the firm grow during COVID.  [17:52] Marc and Mel recount some of their more memorable cases.  [20:31] Mel attributes the longevity of her and Marc’s working relationship to the fact that they both like and respect each other. [28:32] Marc advises young professionals to work hard in their young years to prove themselves. Mel says to do something you’re passionate about to stay motivated. Visit the Successful Barrister website: https://www.successfulbarrister.com/  Visit the Marc Whitehead & Associates website: https://disabilitydenials.com/  Email Marc Whitehead: marc@marcwhitehead.com

    34 min

  3. MAR 25

    Ep 35 - Build Your Legacy with the Infinite Game

    In some ways, business can feel like a sport – there’s players, strategy, and to an extent, rules to play by to be successful. However, unlike a sport, business is not static; it does not have set p-layers, a set length, or an endpoint. In this episode, Marc and Diana discuss The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek. The book explores business through the lens of longevity and legacy, and gives tips to help you address the infinite nature of your business.  Marc and Diana move through the five concepts Sinek outlines in the book and explain how they apply to Marc Whitehead & Associates – and how they don’t. For detailed show notes, navigate using the time stamps below: [2:10] Today’s, Marc and Diana are discussing The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek. Sinek is one of Marc’s favorite authors.  [3:49] The concept of The Infinite Game is that it does not end – unlike a sport with fixed rules and players, business is fluid and constantly changing.  [7:15] Looking at business as an infinite game allows you to make more strategic decisions by looking at your business in the long-term, empowering you to take losses as needed.  [12:11] The first point Sinek makes in The Infinite Game is that your business should start by advancing a just cause. The just cause is something that inspires you to keep playing the game by helping you feel like you are part of something bigger than yourself.  [20:01] Lawyers are very lucky as a profession in the just cause category because they improve people’s lives by solving their legal problems. However, Marc notes that profit can also be a just cause in itself. [22:30] Next, Sinek says to build trusting teams. This involves cultivating firm culture through collaborative strategies, innovation, and communication.  [28:08] Another aspect of playing the Infinite Game is to study your worthy rivals. Law is a competitive profession, but it can also be very supportive. You can learn a lot from your rivals.  [33:51] The fourth strategy is to prepare for existential flexibility. By this, Sinek means that businesses must be willing to completely shift their strategy.  [37:45] The fifth and final concept in The Infinite Game is demonstrating the courage to lead. This trait is specifically about embracing uncertainty and resisting the temptation of short-term wins. [42:40] The core idea of The Infinite Game is thinking about longevity, or building your legacy. Diana points out that you can apply these concepts to your life as well. Buy The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek: https://www.amazon.com/Infinite-Game-Simon-Sinek/dp/073521350X  Listen to The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Infinite-Game-Audiobook/B07DKHSL3W  Visit the Successful Barrister website: https://www.successfulbarrister.com/  Visit the Marc Whitehead & Associates website: https://disabilitydenials.com/  Email Marc Whitehead: marc@marcwhitehead.com

    50 min

  4. MAR 18

    Ep. 34 - A Quick Guide to Marketing

    How do you get in front of the right clients? In today’s episode of the Successful Barrister Podcast, Marc and Diana discuss The One Page Marketing Plan as it relates to the marketing strategy of Marc Whitehead & Associates. Lots of firms are stuck in the past with their marketing, so taking inspiration from other industries can help your firm reach its future clients.  There are three main pillars of marketing: the channels you choose, your USP (unique selling proposition), and your customer service. Optimizing all three will help your firm grow. For detailed show notes, navigate using the time stamps below: [1:45] Today’s, Marc and Diana are discussing The One Page Marketing Plan by Allan Dib and how marketing works at Marc Whitehead & Associates.  [2:54] The main theme Marc liked about the book was using scalable leverage throughout your marketing program. [6:38] In Lean Marketing, there are seven things that people really buy, two of which apply to law. Those things are solutions to complex problems and time and convenience. When you market yourself, those are the psychological touchpoints that you need to hone in on.  [11:55] The first piece of assembling your marketing plan is determining your audience. Your audience will affect the types of messages you push and the channels you push them in. [14:17] Marc Whitehead & Associates’ unique selling proposition is related to righting the wrong of an employer not keeping their promise to its employee. They advertise themselves as having made employers keep their promises.  [21:00] Mark’s favorite distribution channel is search engine optimization, or the “Google gods.” He consistently sees high ROIs in SEO. [23:44] Pay-per-click Google ads are also an effective source of leads. Marc emphasizes the importance of using negative keywords to cut waste.  [28:12] Leveraging technology has helped Marc Whitehead & Associates, particularly in their intake apartment. [33:19] Your best marketing channel is customer service because customer service is how your clients see you in action. In the contingency world, you typically (and hopefully) don’t get repeat business from a client, but your clients will have opportunities to recommend you to people who need help. [37:42] The best way to ask for referrals from clients is to get 5-star reviews from your clients. Importantly, you do not have to wait until representation is over to ask for a review. [42:44] Finally, the firm has a community relations program that is involved in different disease and mental health groups. These community organizations deal with the populations the firm wants to get in front of.  Buy The One Page Marketing Plan by Allan Dib: https://www.amazon.com/1-Page-Marketing-Plan-Customers-Money-ebook/dp/B01B35M3SM  Listen to The One Page Marketing Plan by Allan Dib: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-1-Page-Marketing-Plan-Audiobook/B01KOQW7HI  Visit the Successful Barrister website: https://www.successfulbarrister.com/  Visit the Marc Whitehead & Associates website: https://disabilitydenials.com/  Email Marc Whitehead: marc@marcwhitehead.com

    50 min

  5. MAR 11

    Ep. 33 - Ten Strategies for Success

    Success can be simple. In today’s episode, Marc and Diana offer ten simple strategies that have contributed to Marc’s success for your practice to adopt. From scalability to marketing, these tips will help you plan for your firm’s future instead of getting caught up with in the whirlwind of day-to-day tasks.  For detailed show notes, navigate using the time stamps below: [1:50] Instead of discussing a book, today’s episode is about the top ten things that have made Marc successful.  [4:23] Marc’s first strategy is learning to “think big.” The primary role of a firm owner is to think – to strategize about the big picture. This is a learned skill, and it is difficult to acquire for many lawyers. [9:10] A lot of attorneys feel that they do not have time to think because they are too caught up in the whirlwind – the day-to-day needs of your firm. Diana suggests shifting your mindset: you can’t afford to not think. [12:03] Marc’s second tip is to learn from other successful lawyers. One formal way to do this is a “mastermind,” which is when lawyers get together to share ideas, but you can also do it informally.  [18:34] You can also learn a lot by looking outside of law. One way to do this is by reading books about other industries and taking inspiration from how non-legal businesses are run.  [25:30] The fourth strategy is to reverse-engineer your future. Marc recommends the Atticus tool My Great Life to get started.  [29:50] Become the CEO of your firm, not the technician. This strategy is about developing processes and systems for your firm, and then delegating people to run those processes and systems. This stops you from being a bottleneck at your firm.  [35:09] Getting more specific, the sixth tip is to create a sales department, also called an intake department. While sales is a dirty word in the legal world, it is necessary to grow your firm. [41:33] The seventh strategy is specialization. Find a well-paying niche and start to market your firm within it.  [49:19] The eighth tip is to finance your case costs. This applies to contingency fee firms, and it helps free up cash. [55:24] Ninth, create profit centers. This involves taking yourself out of the equation as a revenue source. Instead, you will create self-running service lines within your firm. Too many people think of their employees as costs, but they should be profit centers. [59.28] The final strategy is to not be afraid of expanding your reach. In many practices, you can operate across the country without many major changes to what you’re doing.  Get summaries of your audiobooks: https://summaries.com  Get the My Great Life planner: https://atticusadvantage.com/books/my-great-life-planner/  Visit the Successful Barrister website: https://www.successfulbarrister.com/  Visit the Marc Whitehead & Associates website: https://disabilitydenials.com/  Email Marc Whitehead: marc@marcwhitehead.com

    1h 5m

  6. MAR 4

    Ep. 32 - Hiring, Firing, and Inspiring: Be a Great Boss

    Do you think you’re a great boss? Most of us do, but being a great boss is deceptively difficult and takes practice. Today, Marc and Diana discuss the appropriately titled How to Be a Great Boss by Gino Wickman and René Boer. They dive into the appropriate balance of friendliness and detachment from your employees, the key areas where bosses often fail, and how your workplace compares to a bus.  For detailed show notes, navigate using the time stamps below: [2:28] Today’s episode is about how to be a great boss, through the framework of How to Be a Great Boss by Gino Wickman and René Boer. Marc doesn’t feel that he’s always been a great boss, but he has learned to become a great boss throughout his career. [3:29] According to Marc, being a great boss starts at choosing the right hires. It’s also about setting clear expectations so your employees know if they’re succeeding.  [7:40] Often, employers compare their relationship with their employees to that of a family. However, you don’t want to adopt your employees – there is a level of detachment that is necessary, but you are bringing employees into your community for a shared purpose.  [13:39] There is nothing natural about being a great boss; it is a learned art. You will have to work at it and make mistakes along the way. [16:20] Diana brings up Wickman’s tool, the GWC. The GWC is the “get it,” “want it,” and capacity to do something. Getting it is about understanding, wanting it is about staff buy-in, and capacity is about your emotional, physical, and time capacity to so something.  [26:37] As the leader of a firm, you have to inspire people to go above and beyond what they would normally consider their maximum capacity. Part of this buy-in is related to the firm’s mission, which is to help its injured and disabled clients.  [31:36] If you make the right hire, your employees will want to do a good job. The key is making clear what your expectations are so that your staff knows how to succeed.  [35:09] In the bus analogy, you have to have the right person in the right seat, or role in your company. You can have the right person in the right seat, wrong person in the right seat, right person in the wrong seat, or the wrong person in the wrong seat.  [38:10] Sometimes the right person in the right seat becomes the wrong person in the wrong seat as the needs of your positions change, technologies advance, and needs evolve.  Buy How to Be a Great Boss by Gino Wickman and René Boer: https://www.amazon.com/How-Great-Boss-Gino-Wickman/dp/1942952848  Listen to How to Be a Great Boss: https://www.audible.com/pd/How-to-Be-a-Great-Boss-Audiobook/B01LFPUPVC   Visit the Successful Barrister website: https://www.successfulbarrister.com/  Visit the Marc Whitehead & Associates website: https://disabilitydenials.com/  Email Marc Whitehead: marc@marcwhitehead.com

    44 min

  7. FEB 25

    Ep. 31 - How to Think Like a Leader

    As a leader in your firm, you are not paid to get bogged down in the day-to-day tasks of your practice –you are paid to think. This can be difficult for many of us, because thinking is amorphous and unstructured. However, Paid to Think: A Leader’s Toolkit for Redefining Your Future by David Goldsmith gives a structure for your thinking. Learn how you can think and plan more effectively, how to project the future, and how to broaden your perspective to benefit your firm. For detailed show notes, navigate using the time stamps below: [1:16] Today, Marc and Diana will be discussing Paid to Think: A Leader’s Toolkit for Redefining Your Future by David Goldsmith. The book’s thesis is that thinking is the hardest work there is, which is part of why so few engage in it.  [4:05] The leader of your firm should be spending around 90% of their time thinking and around 10% executing. Leaders are paid to think about the big picture, not to get bogged down in day-to-day tasks. [7:04] Part of the firm leader’s job is forecasting the future. You need to make plans for different potential futures and responses. [11:06] Goldsmith identifies four categories for how you think. They include strategizing, learning, performing, and forecasting. Strategizing involves planning – determining your niche, and coming up with a plan to beat your competition in that niche.  [15:17] Strategizing involves developing a plan, choosing your service, establishing alliances, and leveraging technology.  [17:50] Establishing alliances as a firm looks like finding firms that you do not compete with who have some relation to what you do. For Marc Whitehead & Associates, this involves partnerships with lots of personal injury firms. [24:30] The next step is learning, and you do not necessarily have to learn with a specific goal in mind. This helps you expand your perspective to come up with better strategy. [29:50] The political landscape determines the economic landscape that you will have to operate in. Understanding the political landscape will help you adapt and adjust before major changes catch you off guard. [32:28] Moving onto performing and leading, you need to empower your organization to execute on your ideas by getting them to buy in to their ideas. [35:30] Diana points out that one aspect of getting buy-in is making sure your team understands and agrees on the problem before trying to implement a solution. Marc explains that meetings can contribute to buy-in because meetings are group thinking exercises.  [38:19] Part of performance is learning how to sell continuously. This involves self-promotion and marketing your firm to new clients. [42:08] None of us can predict the future, but we can make contingency plans. This is how your firm can prepare for the future – by preparing for the three most likely possible outcomes of a decision. [47:10] Trying to forecast what the future will look like in law involves forecasting the decisions of lawmakers, which requires you to understand the political landscape. Marc Whitehead & Associates has to think about what it might look like if the Social Security Administration being defunded could look for the firm. Buy Paid to Think: A Leader’s Toolkit for Redefining Your Future by David Goldsmith: https://www.amazon.com/Paid-Think-Leaders-Toolkit-Redefining/dp/1480527637  Listen to Paid to Think: A Leader’s Toolkit for Redefining Your Future by David Goldsmith: https://www.audible.com/pd/Paid-to-Think-Audiobook/B00AYJY1K2  Visit the Successful Barrister website: https://www.successfulbarrister.com/  Visit the Marc Whitehead & Associates website: https://disabilitydenials.com/  Email Marc Whitehead: marc@marcwhitehead.com

    58 min

  8. FEB 18

    Ep. 30 - How to Keep Your Top Talent

    In today’s episode of the Successful Barrister, Marc and Diana discuss the Stay Interview, a concept introduced by Richard P. Finnegan. The idea of a stay interview is simple – companies conduct exit interviews to understand why employees are leaving, but if they had that information before they left, they could have prevented that turnover. Marc and Diana explain the questions Finnegan coined, and how Marc Whitehead & Associates handles its version of stay interviews. For detailed show notes, navigate using the time stamps below: [1:07] Keeping your best people doesn’t have to be difficult, and Marc has a tool to keep them – stay interviews. This concept was popularized by Richard P. Finnegan, who has written multiple books on the subject.  [4:03] Stay interviews are about proactively talking to your best people about their experiences to help them stay engaged and prevent them from being picked up by another firm. Replacing an employee costs roughly 6-9 months of that employee’s salary.  [9:22] According to Finnegan, poor leadership causes 60% of all employee turnover. The best conversations have two engaged people, and it is not fair to ask your employees to be vulnerable without admitting any room for improvement yourself. [14:10] Finnegan suggests five interview questions. The first is “what do you look forward to each day when you commute to work?” The second is “what are you learning here, and what do you want to learn?” [17:22] The third question is very straightforward: “why do you stay here?” The fourth is very loaded, “what is the last time you thought about leaving us, and what prompted it?” [18:34] Finally, the fifth question is “what can I do to make your job better?” [20:49] Before adopting EOS, Marc Whitehead & Associates did not have a formalized system for stay interviews. He assumed that periodically taking staff to lunch and checking in on rumors he heard was enough to keep most employees.  [25:11] People problems require different interventions than resource or circumstantial problems. You can’t process your way around people, and often you have to deal with them more directly.  [30:21] The firm does the People Analyzer quarterly, which starts with an evaluation on six core values and three questions. The 5-5-5 tool discusses how staff feels about their role and their rocks, or long-term goals.  [35:58] Ultimately, the stay interview is about being proactive, which is the best way to prevent burnout. Buy The Stay Interview: A Manager's Guide to Keeping the Best and Brightest by Richard P. Finnegan: https://www.amazon.com/Stay-Interview-Managers-Keeping-Brightest/dp/0814436498  Listen to The Stay Interview: A Manager's Guide to Keeping the Best and Brightest: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Stay-Interview-Audiobook/B00U0NMYYM  Visit the Successful Barrister website: https://www.successfulbarrister.com/  Visit the Marc Whitehead & Associates website: https://disabilitydenials.com/  Email Marc Whitehead: marc@marcwhitehead.com

    39 min
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About

Welcome to the one and only podcast that's more thrilling than a last-minute court adjournment, 'The Successful Barrister! The podcast discusses marketing, management, and life skills for lawyers, which probably won't get you disbarred.

Information

  • Creator
    $uccessful Barrister
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    38
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 $uccessful Barrister
  • Show Website
    Successful Barrister

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