407 episodes
BE THAT LAWYER Steve Fretzin
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- Business
BE THAT LAWYER is for attorneys who want more freedom, enjoyment and most importantly, control in their career. Topics will include business development, marketing, branding, technology, and law firm growth. The goal is to educate, entertain and share best practices related to these topics, so that you, the listener can get real value. This is primarily an interview show with great guests (attorneys and legal marketing professionals), sharing stories and analogies, as well as engaging in personal discussions that will keep you entertained and coming back week after week.
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Dennis Kennedy: Leaning into Technology
In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Dennis Kennedy discuss:
The intersection of the legal system and technology.
Utilizing technology in ways that enhance the customer experience.
Recognizing where you can free up time to do higher-level legal work.
Why every lawyer should have a good, well-utilized CRM.
Key Takeaways:
Using technology for things like scheduling meetings, paying invoices, receiving payments, and other things not specific to the legal field is a great place to start if you’re unsure of where to begin.
There are technology applications that can make your life easier and free up time to do the creative legal work that you want to do.
Legal students and younger lawyers are used to using more technology and when they start working, at many law firms, it feels like taking a step back in their use of technology.
Don’t let the fear of the unknown around technology stop you from leaning into and using it.
"Figure out some problem that you have - something or some way you'd like to make your life easier that you think a technology might be to help you - then decide that you're not going to learn all of the technology, you're just going to learn one thing." — Dennis Kennedy
Take the BE THAT LAWYER challenge at Fretzin.com/BTLChallenge!
Thank you to our Sponsors!
Get Staffed Up: https://getstaffedup.com/bethatlawyer/
Lawmatics: https://www.lawmatics.com/bethatlawyer/
Episode References:
Chuki Obiyo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chukiobiyo/
Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick - https://www.amazon.com/Co-Intelligence-Living-Working-Ethan-Mollick/dp/059371671X
About Dennis Kennedy: Dennis Kennedy is the Director of the Center for Law, Technology & Innovation at Michigan State University and a widely-known expert on law and technology. He teaches AI and the Law and other technology and innovation classes at MSU, and also teaches a legal technology literacy class at the University of Michigan Law School. Dennis has co-hosted The KennedyMighell Report podcast since 2006, wrote the book Successful Innovation Outcomes in Law and many other publications, and, before joining MSU, retired as Senior Counsel at Mastercard, where he focused on technology law.
Connect with Dennis Kennedy:
Website: https://www.denniskennedy.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennismkennedy
Blog: https://denniskennedy.blog/
Podcast: https://legaltalknetwork.com/podcasts/kennedy-mighell-report/
Connect with Steve Fretzin:
LinkedIn: Steve Fretzin
Twitter: @stevefretzin
Instagram: @fretzinsteve
Facebook: Fretzin, Inc.
Website: Fretzin.com
Email: Steve@Fretzin.com
Book: Legal Business Development Isn't Rocket Science and more!
YouTube: Steve Fretzin
Call 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. -
John Sciaccotta: Getting Involved and Building Relationships Everywhere You Go
In this episode, Steve Fretzin and John Sciaccotta discuss:
Building relationships everywhere you go.
Connecting authentically and building trust in the community.
The time of building relationships and expected outcomes.
Breaking out of the billable hour hampster wheel.
Controlling your destiny.
Key Takeaways:
Get active, get involved, and maintain friendships within the legal practice.
Wherever you have a relationship, give them a business card and tell them what you do. Tell them to think of you first.
Make significant touches every single day - social media will allow you to do that easier than ever before.
Step one is to be a great lawyer. But that’s not all there is to building your own business. You will need to understand more about business and sales than law school has led you to believe.
It is never too early to start learning networking, relationships, and non-verbal communication. They are the ingredients to success as a human being, as well as in your law firm.
"Life is about needs. If you can identify the need of a potential client or a referral source, and you can fulfill that need, you’re going to get what you want." — John Sciaccotta
Take the BE THAT LAWYER challenge at Fretzin.com/BTLChallenge!
Thank you to our Sponsors!
Lawmatics: https://www.lawmatics.com/bethatlawyer/
Get Staffed Up: https://getstaffedup.com/bethatlawyer/
Episode References:
Start with Why Series by Simon Sinek - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VVJF819
About John Sciaccotta: John C. Sciaccotta has more than 37 years of trial and litigation experience advocating for clients in complex civil litigation, arbitration, mediation and business counseling matters with a special emphasis on complex civil trial and appellate cases brought in federal and state courts and tribunals throughout the United States.
John represents publicly and privately held domestic and foreign business entities, business owners, lenders, employers, municipalities, government bodies and individuals in transactional matters and disputes, which include:
Counseling and advocating for business entities and their owners in disputes involving Business Divorce issues, including corporate control, valuation, corporate squeeze-outs, minority oppression, dissolution actions and breaches of fiduciary duty and business tort claims.
In addition, John has been appointed as a Neutral Arbitrator and Mediator for many years to resolve and arbitrate business-related disputes. He serves on the Commercial Panel of the American Arbitration Association's National Roster of Arbitrators.
Connect with John Sciaccotta:
Website: https://www.agdglaw.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-c-sciaccotta-7472535
Twitter: https://x.com/Scilaw
Facebook: https://facebook.com/Johncsciaccotta
Instagram: https://instagram.com/jcscilaw
Connect with Steve Fretzin:
LinkedIn: Steve Fretzin
Twitter: @stevefretzin
Instagram: @fretzinsteve
Facebook: Fretzin, Inc.
Website: Fretzin.com
Email: Steve@Fretzin.com
Book: Legal Business Development Isn't Rocket Science and more!
YouTube: Steve Fretzin
Call 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. -
Erin Andersen: Having the Right Mindset and Tips for Hiring for Your Law Firm
In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Erin Andersen discuss:
Why lawyers have a hard time finding and retaining great talent.
Hiring for personality and culture, not just skills.
Hybrid work, salary transparency, and why you should be using LinkedIn to hire your next talent.
Seeing hiring as an investment, not just an expense.
Key Takeaways:
Don’t just hire to fill a seat - understand your culture, understand your needs, and hire the right person for that right position.
If a firm is open to training in certain areas, a personality fit may be a better hire option for longevity and retention as the person will be the right fit for your firm.
Use LinkedIn (and other social media platforms) to scan your hiring candidates. You can learn things that they may not include on their resume, application, or cover letter.
Many recruiting firms, like Erin’s, have a 90-day guarantee on your hires. Working with a recruiting firm can help you to find the right fit for your law firm.
"I think it's actually better to look where you want to be in 10 years, and then backtrack and figure out how to get there." — Erin Andersen
Take the BE THAT LAWYER challenge at Fretzin.com/BTLChallenge!
Thank you to our Sponsors!
Lawmatics: https://www.lawmatics.com/bethatlawyer/
Get Staffed Up: https://getstaffedup.com/bethatlawyer/
Episode References:
Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One by Dr. Joe Dispenza - https://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Habit-Being-Yourself-Dispenza-ebook/dp/B006M7A8JI/
About Erin Andersen: Erin Andersen is a hiring specialist for law and accounting firms. She specializes in hiring both support staff and Associate Attorneys on a flat-rate basis to make hiring more accessible for law firms which in return lets them scale more efficiently. In addition, she is certified in workplace culture and therefore makes this a part of her hiring process.
Erin offers free consultations which can be booked by emailing: info@yourbrandnetworker.com
Connect with Erin Andersen:
Email: info@yourbrandnetworker.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yourbrandnetworker/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourbrandnetworker
Connect with Steve Fretzin:
LinkedIn: Steve Fretzin
Twitter: @stevefretzin
Instagram: @fretzinsteve
Facebook: Fretzin, Inc.
Website: Fretzin.com
Email: Steve@Fretzin.com
Book: Legal Business Development Isn't Rocket Science and more!
YouTube: Steve Fretzin
Call 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. -
Matt Campobasso: Insights from a General Counsel
In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Matt Campobasso discuss:
Preventing problems before they have a chance to happen repeatedly.
Assessing the risks you want to take when your company is growing and evolving.
Pros and cons of private practice versus an in-house career.
How to successfully network with a general counsel.
Key Takeaways:
Good prevention doesn’t eradicate all risks but stops many unnecessary risks. All risks aren’t bad, but you want to have the option of which risks you want to take.
Working at a larger law firm right out of school allows you to learn from many other lawyers and can give you a broader perspective on different aspects of legal.
In your own practice (or in a law firm in general) you want to be working on and building your book of business - rarely are clients going to fall into your lap with no relationship building on your end.
When reaching out to a potential client, do your homework first. Try to understand where they are at and what their pain points are.
"I've said this for a long time, the best lawyers know the best way to protect their clients is to know their clients, and there's no better way to know your client from the inside." — Matt Campobasso
Take the BE THAT LAWYER challenge at Fretzin.com!
Thank you to our Sponsors!
Lawmatics: https://www.lawmatics.com/bethatlawyer/
Get Staffed Up: https://getstaffedup.com/bethatlawyer/
Green Cardigan Marketing: https://greencardiganmarketing.com/
Episode References:
Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen by Dan Heath - https://www.amazon.com/Upstream-Quest-Problems-Before-Happen/dp/1982134720
About Matt Campobasso: Matt Campobasso is the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Enfusion, Inc., a publicly traded fintech company headquartered in Chicago. He also serves as a member of Enfusion’s Executive Committee and as Co-Chair of its Operating Committee. Campobasso joined Enfusion in September 2020 as Deputy General Counsel and assumed the role of General Counsel in November 2022. During his time with Enfusion, the company went public via an October 2021 IPO and is traded on the New York Stock Exchange. As General Counsel, Campobasso oversees a team of nine lawyers who manage Enfusion’s legal operations and risk for a global organization with offices in eight countries. The team prioritizes a business-first approach that combines “range” and “upstream thinking” aimed at solving problems before they arise and employing legal strategies that safeguard and advance business strategy.
In addition to Enfusion, Campobasso’s 18 years of legal experience include time spent as a government prosecutor, as an associate and then partner with Freeborn & Peters (now Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP), and, most recently, as general counsel for TruQua Enterprises (acquired by IBM in 2020). Campobasso earned a J.D. from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law and an undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Connect with Matt Campobasso:
Website: https://www.enfusion.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrc1921/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/enfusion-llc/
Connect with Steve Fretzin:
LinkedIn: Steve Fretzin
Twitter: @stevefretzin
Instagram: @fretzinsteve
Facebook: Fretzin, Inc.
Website: Fretzin.com
Email: Steve@Fretzin.com
Book: Legal Business Development Isn't Rocket Science and more!
YouTube: Steve Fretzin
Call 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. -
Michele Ross: Building Your Law Firm with Human Expertise and Great Systems
In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Michele Ross discuss:
Why patience and time are key to anything worthwhile.
Avoiding repeated mistakes and moving forward with improvement.
Business management tools to make your law firm more efficient.
Building a great team that works toward the same vision.
Key Takeaways:
You will have to find your way forward from the mistakes you make - and you will make mistakes. Don’t let them keep you down.
It is a balancing act and, as a law firm owner, the key is removing hats with delegation and technology. You cannot do everything all the time.
Understanding your values will help make hiring decisions easier because you know who you are looking for, even if you haven’t met them yet.
Ask your employees what their goals are - not just within the office, but outside of the office as well.
"Be interested in what your employees can contribute beyond just work product. Make them a part of the movement and the vision, because they're the ones that can really open your eyes up." — Michele Ross
Join our interactive webinar, "Quality Over Quantity: Getting More Qualified Clients" on June 11th, and secure your spot today! Sign up now at lawmatics.com/webinars
Thank you to our Sponsors!
Lawmatics: https://www.lawmatics.com/bethatlawyer/
Get Staffed Up: https://getstaffedup.com/bethatlawyer/
Green Cardigan Marketing: https://greencardiganmarketing.com/
Episode References:
Tom Dunlap: Scaling Your Law Firm with Business Experts
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight
About Michele Ross: Michele L. Ross is an experienced business attorney and commercial litigator who focuses her practice in the areas of business law, real estate law, and employment law matters. Having represented a wide range of commercial clients in the transactional arena, as well as in a litigious setting, Ms. Ross' track record of success in and out of the courtroom has consistently helped her to achieve efficient and satisfying results for clients while minimizing the costs and delays that clients seek to avoid.
M. Ross & Associates, LLC is located in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey in Bergen County and serves all of Northern New Jersey. Ms. Ross recognizes that the interests and financial position of each client varies considerably, which is why providing uniquely tailored legal solutions, in the most cost-efficient manner, is what distinguishes M. Ross & Associates, LLC from other small law firms.
Prior to establishing M. Ross & Associates, LLC, Ms. Ross gained substantial, sophisticated experience in high-stakes employment litigation where she represented several Fortune 500 companies while employed at national and international law firms located in New York City. Today, clients benefit from Ms. Ross' comprehensive legal background and her ability to provide personal attention and individualized service to her clients.
Connect with Michele Ross:
Website: https://www.mrossllc.com/
Phone: 201-568-2064
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/m-ross-associates-llc/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mrossllc/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/litigationlane/
Connect with Steve Fretzin:
LinkedIn: Steve Fretzin
Twitter: @stevefretzin
Instagram: @fretzinsteve
Facebook: Fretzin, Inc.
Website: Fretzin.com
Email: Steve@Fretzin.com
Book: Legal Business Development Isn't Rocket Science and more!
YouTube: Steve Fretzin
Call 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. -
Kerry Barrett: Secrets to Being Camera Ready for Lawyers
In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Kerry Barrett discuss:
Being on camera is a requirement - make it work for you.
Public speaking and having a camera presence.
Tips to do better with camera media content and presence.
Performing and speaking to engage your audience.
Key Takeaways:
When speaking to a group, in person, or on camera, you do not want to fall into legal speak. You need to speak to who your audience (or client) is in a way that they understand.
Look at the camera, not at your screen. It gives a connection with the audience that appears you’re looking directly at them.
Your voice is what creates the connection. Make sure you use your voice to repeatedly bring the audience in.
Preparation is key in your webinars. Know what your purpose is, know what your goal is, and keep your audience engaged from start to finish.
"You want to have a very specific agenda, you want to have very specific language, and you want to recognize that people tune out if you look like you don't have a specific purpose, or frankly, if you're boring." — Kerry Barrett
Join our interactive webinar, "Quality Over Quantity: Getting More Qualified Clients" on June 11th, and secure your spot today! Sign up now at lawmatics.com/webinars
Thank you to our Sponsors!
Lawmatics: https://www.lawmatics.com/bethatlawyer/
Get Staffed Up: https://getstaffedup.com/bethatlawyer/
Green Cardigan Marketing: https://greencardiganmarketing.com/
Episode References:
Goal Diggers Podcast with Jenna Kutcher: https://jennakutcherblog.com/goal-digger-podcast/
Connect with Kerry Barrett:
Website: https://www.kerrybarrett.com/
The Kerry Barrett Show Podcast: https://www.kerrybarrett.com/podcast/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IAmKerryBarrett
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kerrybarrett/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IamKerryBArrett
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IAmKerryBarrett
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkerrybarrett/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iamkerrybarrett
Connect with Steve Fretzin:
LinkedIn: Steve Fretzin
Twitter: @stevefretzin
Instagram: @fretzinsteve
Facebook: Fretzin, Inc.
Website: Fretzin.com
Email: Steve@Fretzin.com
Book: Legal Business Development Isn't Rocket Science and more!
YouTube: Steve Fretzin
Call 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.