The Un-Billable Hour Legal Talk Network

Let’s talk about production and winning cases. It’s not only about acquiring new clients, but also acquiring new clients that can deliver results. A potential breakthrough using Artificial Intelligence, AI.
How do we frame, understand, and implement the best of AI’s capabilities? Lawyers need to tread lightly, even as AI is becoming increasingly important in the field of law. Data is often “dirty,” unstructured, not built to serve. A properly “trained” AI program organizes these fields into useful information.  
Guests Evyatar Ben Artzi and Gila Hayat are co-founders of Darrow.AI. Darrow's AI-powered Justice Intelligence Platform scans real world data to detect harmful events, determine the number of potential victims, predict the legislative outcome, and assess the financial value of a case to help firms locate and organize potentially important cases. No more chasing your tail or casting the widest net possible.
Across the law, from financial misconduct to environmental protection to pharmaceuticals, there is data out there that creates patterns if you know where and how to look. Properly managing raw data may allow firms to find new clients and tell better stories more efficiently. Producing results starts before a case even walks through the door. 
Mentioned in this Episode:
Join The Un-Billable Hour Community Table
Darrow.ai
Darrow blog

In this episode’s discussions around the Community Table: 

 Our first topic is how to use vacations – including your own breaks – to affirm company culture. How do you get away without fully abandoning ship and leaving your team to fend for itself? You encourage team members to take vacations to renew and regroup, but what about you as the leader of the firm? Company culture starts at the top.

 Prevent your email and calendar from running your life and set your own priorities. Don’t let your email own you, and certainly don’t let your team run your life. You run your life. You run your firm. (It’s harder than that sounds

When is it appropriate to let an employee know the relationship isn’t working and it’s time to part ways? And, what’s an appropriate severance package

 Plus, let’s talk about how to grade support staff. Set expectations and reasonable goals so staffers know what’s expected and you know what to expect.
Mentioned in this Episode:
“Come Up For Air,” by Nick Sonnenberg
“We Have Met The Enemy And He Is Us,” Pogo by Walt Kelly
Join the next Community Table live! What’s on your mind?

Is your marketing missing a key component, say, a way to reach Spanish speaking audiences? Many attorneys miss a large segment of their community that wants legal services, if only they would reach out. 
Guest Hugo Gomez founded and leads Abogados Now, a digital marketing company that helps connect attorneys in the U.S. with the Spanish-speaking communities around them. This is about more than hiring a translator, this is about understanding different cultures and reaching out to them. Go beyond adding a “Google Translate” button to your website. What works in English often doesn’t work in another language. Even in Spanish the language and nuances vary from country to country, community to community. 
Think it doesn’t matter? The Spanish speaking market is the fastest growing segment in the U.S., and nearly 1 in 5 people in the country have connections to Spanish speaking communities. The numbers don’t lie. It’s a massive market. But it’s not easy, and it takes experts who understand the cultures. Reaching out, effectively, to the Spanish speaking markets in your area can be your competitive edge. 
Learn the steps you can take to establish an entirely new arm to your marketing and the services you provide and the people you help. Learn about adding a layer of authenticity, understanding, and honest representation. What works, where do you present yourself, and how do you reach these markets?
Mentioned in this Episode:
Law360, “Abogados Now Founder On Reaching Spanish Speakers”
Join The Un-Billable Hour Community Table

In this episode’s discussions around the Community Table: 
Our first question turned into a collaborative discussion around the Community Table with input from several other lawyers. How does a longtime attorney with her own firm finally shake things up, turn operations over to someone else, and focus on strategy and the practice of law? It’s hard to let go of control, even with a consultant pitching in.
How do you market when money is tight, cash flow is low, and you need more dollars in the door? Start by knowing your practice. What’s the underlying issue, what kind of ship are you leading? From there you can spot opportunities and focus on revenue and marketing.
Thinking of making a pivot or expanding from your current area of practice to boost revenue? Consider what you enjoy doing and think about what areas of the law generate consistent, timely cash flow. 
Mentioned in this Episode:
Gino Wickman, “Traction”
Michael Morse, “Fireproof”
Previously on the Un-Billable Hour, guest Michael Morse, “Your Firm? You Can’t Do It All (And You Shouldn’t Try)”
ABA Techshow
SMB Team
The Rainmaker Institute
WealthCounsel estate planning software
L. David Marquet, “Turn This Ship Around: A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders”
L. David Marquet, video, guest “Texas Business Radio”
Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind?

Marketing, acquiring new business, and growing your firm are all important. But ultimately, any law firm has to produce results to scale, and that comes down to who you hire and how you manage, develop, and collaborate with your team. 
Guest Luis Scott is the owner and managing partner of Bader | Scott Injury Lawyers. In addition to running a firm responsible for millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements, Scott devotes time to consulting with other firms to help them grow their own revenue. 
Based in Atlanta, Scott understands a competitive market for client acquisition, but also for employee acquisition. How do you find, hire, and retain the best team? Hear how Scott and his firm identified and hired employees, then turned the best into leaders, freeing senior partners to focus on strategy. The bigger a firm grows, the more important a strategic, mindful approach becomes. How big do you want to grow? Three million in revenue? Eight million? Bigger? 
Scott explains how he structures a firm and positions leaders and employees for success. Founders of any firm are only one person. After a threshold, there’s nothing more they can do by themselves. That’s where it’s vital to develop leaders who can oversee individual parts of the business, everything from litigation to HR to marketing. 
If you lead a law firm of any size, consider this episode your own, personal consulting session that will help you organize and focus your efforts on growing your revenue and expanding your reach. (Plus, you’ll learn “The Five Ps” of law firm management.)
Mentioned in this Episode:
Un-Billable Hour Community Table
Figure Firm Consulting
The Guts and Glory Show
“The King of Growth,” by Luis Scott
“It Has to Hurt,” by Luis Scott

In this episode’s discussions around the Community Table: 

Interview questions to ask that help you understand an applicant’s true motivations. Questions that dig a little deeper. And how to accept those answers at face value.

Ever had a terrible experience hiring someone? There are tools to help you avoid mistakes, but you have to learn how to use them. But there are no silver bullets. Go boldly, but tread lightly. 

Dealing with a new hire who won’t complete required training? Can you really require someone to learn, and if they won’t, is that grounds to terminate the relationship? This question quickly drifts into some interesting territory. 

And finally, how long can you keep a new attorney at your firm before they need to start returning a profit to the firm? Maybe while they learn the ropes, you can at least have them do something that delivers value. (You can only wait so long). 


Mentioned in this Episode:
Malcolm Gladwell, Revisionist History page
Malcolm Gladwell, “Hamlet Was Wrong”
Using DiSC For Hiring
Kolbe
The Predictive Index
Myers-Briggs personality test
Jay Henderson, Real Talent Hiring
Real Talent Hiring
Wizehire
Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind?