Dotiya McGill

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Roadmap Stories: Real People, Real Community

Nick Pleasants of Pleasants Law We sat down with attorney Nick Pleasants of Pleasants Law to discuss his experience in our Lawyerist Lab Community. Lawyerist : Can you give a brief description of your firm, its size, practice area, location, and a little bit of how you started it? Nick : Sure. So, I have my own law firm in Bellevue, Washington. I’m the only attorney. We have one paralegal and I practice primarily in elder law. Think estate planning, probate trust administration, and estate litigation. I ended up with my own solo firm after working for my father’s firm for four years. And it was about the time my father was preparing to retire that I joined Lawyerist Lab where I worked on a business plan and developed processes to actually run my own firm instead of being an employee for someone else’s firm. Wanting Defined Values in His Firm Lawyerist : You mentioned that some of your challenges before joining Lab was to unlearn what you learned from your dad’s firm. What were those challenges, specifically? Nick : A lot of things! One was having a business plan and a target customer in mind. My dad didn’t do much marketing other than the Yellow Pages. So, in Lab, I started thinking about how to have a brand identity, which is not something on my dad’s radar. Also, I talked to another Labster at LabCon who really had his values down at his firm. And I had a light bulb moment—I needed to develop some values and a culture for my firm. I found little by little, the work I did on our vision and values seeps into the way I speak when I’m giving public talks or recording videos. I’ll reference our firm values and culture. And that work is the key to everything we do now. That’s why I joined Lab in the first place—to get those fundamentals in place because I knew how to practice law, but not run a business. Community Support for Like-Minded People Lawyerist : Speaking of—how did you find out about Lab in the first place? Nick : It’s a long story, but I originally met Sam at a Washington State Bar Conference, then the rest of the crew at ClioCon one year. I almost joined another community, but that community felt one-dimensional and, honestly, like a community at all. A huge selling point for me was seeing the Lawyerist team out in the world. They felt very non-salesy. They’re real people who do real things. That was the community I was looking for. Lawyerist : That’s so nice to hear! What else attracted you to Lab? Nick : One of the biggest tensions working with my dad was modernizing our office. For example, I told him I want to be paperless. I don’t want to ever have paper. That’s not necessary to practice law. And he would have a lot of reasons why we couldn’t. I bought a very fast scanner, but I couldn’t get him to use it. I just couldn’t get him to use it. And when I joined Lab, I thought: I’ve finally found a community where I don’t have to convince people modernizing is worth it. Lab was already a paperless-first community. Cloud-based first. That’s so important to me. Lawyerist : How has the Lawyerist team help you strategize and implement over the years? Nick : Having a community and Mastermind cohort to hold me accountable is great. Being able to work through modules together, check up on each other—really valuable. Lawyerist : And you’ve been here here for a while—one of the veterans. Nick : I started October 2018. Right! How would I ever leave? Accomplishments in Lab Lawyerist : What have been some of your accomplishments and milestones over the years? Nick : I think it’s probably a series of little things, but a huge one is using a project management tool (Trello). To be able to visually see the next steps and deadlines in cases is crucial. And I have a personal account to keep track of my goals, too. At this point, the practice is taking off to the point where I can show up every day, work in the practice without stressing out. I take home a decent paycheck and people are happy, but I still want to bigger things. That actually having goals and setting aside some time to work on the business. Lawyerist : What features of Lab have you enjoyed the most? Nick : Oh, I love LabCon. I miss in-person LabCon, but virtual has been a good substitute! I like that it’s not just a conference where you’re taking in knowledge. It’s actual work time. And community events, too–Masterminds, group coaching calls. Those have been great. To be able to interact with coaches weekly, like Bernadette on Finances or Kelly on management or Laura on SEO. Lawyerist : What are your future plans for your firm? Nick : We’re working on growing. I unlocked this with Coach Stephanie the other day. Our business grow and not just by a little bit—but by a large bit. I’m working on the processes to get us there. We’ve also been putting time in our website and we’re getting customers fast just from Google searches. The power of SEO! Lawyerist : Do you have advice for someone just starting their own firm? Nick : Great question. One thing to consider—the overhead monster. You have to keep your overhead super low. That’s true even when your firm takes off. You have to be brutal with those expenses. Less is more in the beginning. Start as lean as possible. For example, do you even need an office? I mean, now people just do everything from home. So if you can eliminate all those startup costs, then you could launch your own firm with very little out-of-pocket. What areas of your business are you looking to take to the next level? Whether the goal of your business it to bring legal services to the masses in a new, innovative way or simply just enjoy going to work everyday, we want to help you. At Lawyerist, our number one goal is to set you on a track to blow your own expectations out of the water. Lawyerist Lab is full of resources, expert coaches and an attorney community that want to empower you to not only reach your goals, but propel you far past it. Ready to make the plunge? Learn more here. The post Roadmap Stories: Real People, Real Community appeared first on Lawyerist .
Roadmap Stories: Real People, Real Community posted first on https://realempcol.blogspot.com

Thursday, December 17, 2020

Branch Out and Gain Ground with SEO and Postali

Search engine optimization, aka SEO, refers to internet marketing techniques used to increase a website’s exposure, or ranking, in search engine results. It is also the marketing initiative that many law firms struggle with the most. A lot of lawyers think they don’t need SEO when word-of-mouth and traditional advertising still generate leads. This kind of thinking only leads to missed opportunities. Potential law clients are searching for attorneys online more than ever, and an effective law firm SEO strategy is crucial to a firm’s success. Establishing an organic search presence through SEO can drive significant growth, helping law firms reach new clients. In short, brand development and business expansion are next to impossible without a well-considered SEO strategy. So how does a law firm get started in SEO? Details Most attorneys may know popular keywords related to their practice, but they need to know more in today’s competitive legal market. Over 200 factors contribute to SEO success, so knowing just the popular keywords won’t cut it. The first step for SEO success is to work with a marketing partner who takes a multi-faceted approach to law firm SEO and incorporates SEO best practices into a comprehensive plan, which is just what Postali does. As a full-service legal marketing agency serving attorneys across the country, Postali makes SEO the cornerstone of its digital marketing efforts. They do this by working closely with their clients to create customized SEO strategies based on their practice areas, geography, and market landscape. Postali’s experience working with attorneys gives them unique insight into search behaviors specific to the legal industry, so they know what drives results. Postali’s SEO process is comprehensive, transparent, and drives their digital marketing efforts to maximize results. When law firms work with Postali to implement an SEO strategy, they can expect: Thorough Competitive Analysis and Keyword Research Strategic Content Development and Planning Extensive Link Building and Outreach Local SEO, Review, and Reputation Management Technical SEO, Page Speed, and Site Structure Consideration Video and Image Optimization Fully Integrated SEO Campaigns Analytics and Clear Goal Tracking The strategies to achieve success may differ depending on your market, but SEO works for every law firm type. When you partner with Postali as your Marketing Fiduciary, they share your goals, and their SEO team works tirelessly to achieve them. How to Get it To learn more about Postali, SEO, and how Postali can help your law firm gain ground, visit postali.com today! The post Branch Out and Gain Ground with SEO and Postali appeared first on Lawyerist .
Branch Out and Gain Ground with SEO and Postali posted first on https://realempcol.blogspot.com

Thursday, December 10, 2020

Automate Your Client Experience and Workflow with Actionstep

As a client-focused business, many attorneys only earn based on billable hours. Your day-to-day as a lawyer may include talking with clients, client intake, billing, collection, practice management tasks, and maybe, just maybe, finding time in your day to research and write that brief. Unfortunately, those non-billable administrative tasks are often those that take up most of your time. This is where workflow automation, and Actionstep , can help. Details From client onboarding and scheduling to document generation and billing, there are many opportunities to keep your firm’s work flowing with automation, allowing you to service your client and attract new ones more efficiently. Workflow automation removes room for human error related to duplicate data entry, creates a better client experience, improves communication and transparency between you, your staff, and your clients, and helps you grow your business without breaking the bank. Actionstep’s workflow automation runs through all its features including CRM, Matter Management, Document Assembly & Management, Time & Billing, Trust & Office Accounting, Reporting and much more. You’ll be able to create tailored workflows to automate data collection and entry, assign tasks, and make sure everything is checked off before moving to the next step. This gives everyone in your firm a roadmap, ensuring everything goes according to plan. Take client intake as an example. A typical workflow for this could include a prospective client contacting your law firm on your website, someone contacting the prospective client, scheduling an initial consultation, meeting with that client, then generating a fee agreement. Using Actionstep, you can automate your client intake process by using a webform that can automatically populate a database with client information, instantly create and send a personalized email to the prospective client once the form is completed, generate a task for someone to contact the potential client, and even generate a fee agreement after the consultation. All you need to do is meet with the client. With workflow automation, you are in control of how things are done without having to control every little thing and are able to be more efficient without cutting corners. By defining your workflow, from client intake to closing the file, you’ll be able to transform much of that administrative work into an automated process, giving you space in your day to focus on higher value client and operational activities. How to Get it To learn more about Actionstep or to sign up for a free demo, visit Actionstep.com today! The post Automate Your Client Experience and Workflow with Actionstep appeared first on Lawyerist .
Automate Your Client Experience and Workflow with Actionstep posted first on https://realempcol.blogspot.com

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Small Firm Roadmap Stories: Community Support

Aaron Thomas of Aaron Thomas Law We sat down with Lawyerist Lab member and family law attorney, Aaron Thomas, to discuss his experiences in the Lab community. Lawyerist : Can you give me a brief description of your firm, its size practice area location, and maybe the new project we know you’re working on? Aaron Thomas : So, I’m the owner of Aaron Thomas Law . We provide family law services in Atlanta, Georgia and the surrounding Metro area. Our practice areas include divorce, custody, and child support, as well as enforcing or modifying any orders that fall under those and prenups and postnups. And I have a new project called Georgia Prenups . Lawyerist : Tell us more about that new project. How did it start? How did it get to where it is now? Aaron Thoma s: I’ve wanted to develop a niche prenuptial agreement for a number of years now. I tried a few different projects before, but they fizzled. I joined Lab in January of 2020 and around February, March, I started thinking about revamping this idea. It started as an idea I talked over initially with [Lab Head Coach] Stephanie and by spring, we started getting serious about implementing. I wanted to figure out how to launch without breaking the bank and in a way that would produce good results. With Stephanie, I focused on getting the minimum viable product out there, launching it quickly, and spending money in the right places. We turned it around pretty quickly! We announced the new project through my newsletter and on social media in mid-August. We just signed up our fourth client, which was beyond my expectations. Lawyerist: It’s been cool to see your project grow from an inkling to four clients in a month. Congratulations! So when you joined Lab in January, beyond this particular project, what were the challenges that made you seek out help? Aaron Thomas : I was dealing with a few issues. For instance, I wasn’t getting the performance out of one of my employees and that was causing a lot of backup and frustration. Also, I was working seven days a week, getting up on Saturdays and Sundays and sitting down at my computer immediately. Not sustainable. I also wasn’t delegating appropriately. I didn’t have the right staffing. I probably wasn’t trusting my employees and they deserved my trust. We had a lot of work. Bringing in clients wasn’t the problem. It was getting the work done in a way that didn’t require me to work around the clock. Lawyerist: Common issues with our Lab members—many of them come to Lab to fix exactly what you’re talking about. And had you read our book or listened to the podcast before joining? How did you find out about us? Aaron Thomas: I actually attended a Lawyerist conference three years ago and it was a super inspirational few days. After, I continued listening to the podcast. And in January, the timing was right. I had done other training and worked with other consultants. I kept thinking of Lawyerist throughout those training sessions and reached back to join. Lawyerist: And we’re so glad you did! How would you say our team since January have helped you strategize and implement? Aaron Thomas : In a few different ways. Head Coach Stephanie was the first person I spent a significant amount of time talking to, especially about my Georgia Prenups project. First, I needed to bounce the idea off other people to figure out if it was even a viable idea. In my initial conversations with Stephanie and [Community Manager] Jennifer, I was able to ask—am I crazy? Is this something that can actually work? Am I missing something big? In the beginning, the coaches gave me the kick in the butt to get me out there and try the idea. Then, I worked with all the Lab coaches to make a plan. It was helpful—I just couldn’t look it at from the same perspective the coaches and community could. Having Lab members I could talk through strategy, marketing, and accountability was helpful. Lawyerist: And what about those staffing and delegation issues you mentioned earlier? How are they going? Aaron Thomas : Lab gave me the advice to sit down with the employee I was having issues with and be direct and talk about what the expectations were and then follow up to see if those expectations were being met. And we figured out that it wasn’t a good fit and we parted ways. Afterward, I was able to find someone who isn’t just a great employee but was able to take on the work that has given me the flexibility to step back and do more of what I want to do, including spending more weekends with my wife and daughter. So, the delegation issue was handled, as well. Lawyerist: Tell me how the different elements of Lab—community, courses, coaching—have helped you. Aaron Thomas: The courses have been great starting points to figure out my gaps. For example, Facebook advertising. I think most lawyers don’t know anything about Facebook ads. And to be able to sit down on my own time, watch the videos, take notes, and at least learn the basics, even if I ended up outsourcing some of those projects, was invaluable. One of the biggest benefits has been the coaching. Being able to talk to individuals about my particular problems and get a customized plan rather than a one size fits all, and to get encouragement and accountability—really wonderful. I often know what I need to do, but have trouble implementing, so the help was great. And the community—I didn’t even come into Lab expecting such a supportive community. There are some inspirational people In Lab, lawyers are doing some really amazing stuff. Everyone has been super supportive. I chatted with some other lawyers outside of Lab about this project and the questions I got from them were so different from what I got in Lab. They asked—are you sure you want to do this? Isn’t it a risk? Aren’t you worried about liability? There was a lot of poo-pooing this idea that had become my baby. And the Lab community and coaches couldn’t be more opposite. Everyone said—of course, you can do that. What you’re doing is amazing. And I heard, “Maybe I should do something like what you’re doing.” Lab has been a great place to pull it all together. When I talk to people in Lab, they say—all right, how do we best achieve this goal? Not can you achieve it. No one downs my idea for being unrealistic or too lofty or risky. It’s amazingly supportive. Lawyerist: We love hearing this. This is exactly what we want the community to be. Thank you for saying this. To end, tell me where your firm is headed. I know you plan to keep expanding Georgia Prenups, but what else is next? Aaron Thomas : The first is doing really well. And my new project is doing well. The next year in Lab will be figuring out where I go next. Do I take more of a hands-off role in the daily firm and focus on the new project? Do I retreat into more of a management position? Do I bring on additional staff? But I feel like I’ve got a base underneath me with this new project and I’m super excited. To learn more about our Lab community, set up a time to chat with our Community Coach. The post Small Firm Roadmap Stories: Community Support appeared first on Lawyerist .
Small Firm Roadmap Stories: Community Support posted first on https://realempcol.blogspot.com