Episodes

In this episode, Alay and Dominic discuss: Attracting the right talent when you can’t afford to pay them top salaries. Advantages of a smaller law firm. Separating yourself from the competition in the war for talent. Key Takeaways: Finding talent is similar to finding clients – people will come to your firm because of what you do and what you represent. Smaller firms could offer more control over the work environment, less bureaucracy, a different culture, and even more fun. The reason you hi...

In this episode, Alay and Dominic discuss: Problems most law firms have to overcome. Why hiring is a bigger problem than client acquisition for many small firms. Consider hiring part-time, not just full-time for what you need. Rehiring framing from being an expense to an investment. Key Takeaways: For many small law firms, the ability to find the right staff is one of the biggest challenges. The hiring process takes time, and it should take time because you want to have an A-Team working for ...

In this episode, Alay and Belal discuss: Overcoming stress and challenges to grow. Taking advantage of the opportunities life offers you. Maintaining a successful culture of a remote law firm. Managing results, not people, to build trust within your law firm. Key Takeaways: COVID changed the landscape of work – learn from what did work and leverage technology to help your team succeed. If your team understands the expectations, you can manage results not people which leads to a more cohesive ...

In this episode, Alay and Gary discuss: Why you should be the CPO of your firm – the Chief Pain Officer. Understanding the potential client’s goal and expectations. Consulting with confidence and having a great intake system. Key Takeaways: Getting to the pain point of the client will help to better identify how to best serve the client. Ask how the pain is impacting the potential client. They need to identify and make the pain real to them for them to want to take the next step. You want the...

In this episode, Alay and Gary discuss: Perception of leadership and authority. Building relationships for purposes other than growing your business. Leveraging your role as a parent for business development. Referring business between other lawyers, including your competition. Key Takeaways: You’re not pushing your business card on everyone you meet. Talk about what you do and its value for your clients – that is where the power is. Focus on serving, not selling. As you serve those in your c...

In this episode, Alay and Gary discuss: Why what works for the rainmaker doesn’t necessarily work for each attorney. Different ways of tackling business development that fit your strengths. Building a business development strategy for your law firm.   Key Takeaways: The rainmaker’s strengths may not be your strengths – your business development should play to your strengths. Introverts can be the best networkers because they are better at active listening. Curiosity connects people. The more ...

In this episode, Alay and Richard discuss: Issues Richard saw with recruiters and how he’s made the change for his firm. Building a recruiting firm with the individual law firm in mind. How smaller firms can compete with larger firms when hiring an attorney. Richard’s best-selling book, Win the Talent Game: A Guide to Lateral Hiring for Law Firms and Lawyers. Key Takeaways: The majority of legal recruiting is done on a contingency basis. Small firms do have advantages that large firms don’t h...

In this episode, Alay and Janet discuss: Leveraging conferences as in-person events begin their return. Preparation before a conference. Scheduling meetings with other conference attendees or speakers. Standing out before, during, and after the event.   Key Takeaways: Be proactive in your preparation and attendance at events and in the follow-up. Understand why you are attending the conference before you go and know what you want to accomplish while you’re there. Law firm growth happens outsi...

In this episode, Alay and Steve discuss: Harvesting low-hanging fruit to build your business. Overcoming the fears of rejection and damaging relationships. Balancing building relationships and billing hours. Helpful language for asking for the referral. Key Takeaways: What are you doing to deepen your relationships that make it easier for people to give you introductions when you ask? Be more specific than just “keep your eyes open if anything comes up” when asking for referrals. Learn how to...

In this episode, Alay and Steve discuss: Shaking up the negative connotations around networking. How to know when you’ve found your right networking partner. Creating your own networking group. Tips to improve your networking. Key Takeaways: The ultimate goal is to spend 80% of your time with 20% of people – your strategic partner dream team. You can create your own group with the people that make the most sense for you to refer to each other and learn from each other. Have a plan when you go...

In this episode, Alay and Steve discuss: Why lawyers usually call selling “business development.” Having a business development system in place and not wasting time along the way. Working with a coach to build your book of business. Key Takeaways: Sales is a skill that can be learned and honed to your needs. Qualify potential clients. You can’t work with everyone and not everyone is a right fit for you. Having your own book of business gives you power and control over your career, whether you...

In this episode, Alay and Bruce discuss: Gaining an advantage with your clients by being clear and making decisions easy. Remaining the right choice by removing risk. Positioning yourself to attract your ideal clients. Be specific about what you want. Key Takeaways: Billboards and awards do not demonstrate trust. Alignment with the client does form the basis for trust. It’s not just your current best client that matters, it’s also a question of who is your best future client. Look at the one ...

In this episode, Alay and Bruce discuss: Bruce’s 40-40-20 rule. Minimizing challenges early in your sales process. Attracting your future best clients. Key Takeaways: Your bottom clients are somebody else’s best clients. It’s not about the work, it’s about the fit. Your offer is not what you do, it is what your client can do because of what you do. The right audience is not who you can help, but who is a great fit for you. When there’s clear alignment, there’s more trust, and clients see more...

In this episode, Alay and Bruce discuss: Working with clients who are the best fit for you. The difference between cogs, experts, and advisors. The value of different roles. Why nothing is your biggest competitor. Building trust and backing that with knowledge. Key Takeaways: Shedding the clients that drain your energy will increase your ability to do work with those who give you energy and your business will improve. As an advisor, it is not what you do. It is what your client can do because...

In this episode, Alay and Eric discuss: Putting in the time to learn the craft. A frictionless approach to the client journey. Developing functional workflows. Defining roles and responsibilities with a focus on strengths. Key Takeaways: Use a detailed intake process to weed out the clients that are not right for you. Take the time in the beginning to build your intake process and run all the scenarios you can think of. It will save you so much time every week. Running a law firm is still a b...

In this episode, Alay and Brad discuss: Best practices from the manufacturing sector that apply to law firms. Why the billable rate is the wrong metric to focus on when looking at growth. Defining success to ensure successful staff. Key Takeaways: Focus on a happy customer and everything else will take care of itself. Take care of the client first. The process does not need to change, even if the scope of the work changes. There is a big difference between process and work instructions. Creat...

In this episode, Alay and Jennifer discuss: Environmental law as a practice area. Creating your perfect law firm and building a successful business. Challenges to overcome in building a successful law firm. Proactive and educational marketing. Key Takeaways: There are ways to communicate your value without it being only about the money. Let people know what you do and why it is important. Many people may not realize how you can help them if they don’t understand what you do in your area of la...

In this episode, Alay and Julie discuss: Running your firm, not being run by your firm. Working with a coach to make the changes you want with your life and business. Understanding your DISC personality profile and how it relates to others around you. Working through time management challenges and delegation. Key Takeaways: It is easier to throw yourself into your work 100% than to make changes in your practice to deliver to your clients and maintain the lifestyle you want. Build your busines...

In this episode, Alay and Bo discuss: What profit is and why it is so important. Understanding where you’re making money and how you can make more of it. The concepts of realization and utilization, how well you price, and how well you maintain pricing. Key Takeaways: Many law firms look at cash in the door to understand if they were successful, but there are many ways of understanding profitability. Understand the non-standard owner expenses that are being applied to your firm’s finances. Wa...

In this episode, Alay and Andrea discuss: Differences in men and women in professional coaching and in running a law firm. Embracing the discomfort to grow and evolve your organization. What it means to think bigger using TRUST. Two tips all attorney entrepreneurs should be thinking about. Key Takeaways: The real problem is not a problem, it’s a feeling that attorneys are trying to avoid experiencing. Be okay with knowing and admitting that you don’t have all the answers. Wearing too many hat...

In this episode, Alay and John discuss: Why service professions often benefit from business coaching. Business coaching versus executive coaching. Advice to law firm owners looking to grow in the next year. Increasing your presence in the marketplace. Key Takeaways: Over time, your website should be bringing in business in the areas you want to focus on and the clients you want to have. You have to build it in a way that works for you, not against you. A good coach is set apart from a seminar...

In this episode, Alay and Mike discuss: Taking time to recharge. Why goals are so important. Understanding the behaviors that need to happen to achieve certain goals. Working with a coach to achieve your goals. Key Takeaways: Break your goals down into high-priority tasks. You have to know the why and understand why it is important to you. The most successful people have coaches in every aspect. Why? Accountability. Tweetable Moments: “Before you get to the ‘who,’ the ‘what,’ the ‘where,’ a...

In this episode, Alay and Greg discuss: How strategic transition is different for lawyers than other industries. Why the software is an indicator of how a law firm does business. What work can be done before acquiring or being acquired. The three eyes of the entrepreneur. Key Takeaways: While these issues are relevant for all law firms, it is key to understand their impact on firms of 10 employees or more. 76% of all joint ventures end up in a merger of the two partners. The niches and unique...

In this episode, Alay and Ben discuss: The value of accountability. Working with a coach to help identify priorities in your business. Why people don’t do what they know they should be doing. Having SOPs and actions for situations that will throw off your plans. Key Takeaways: Incremental improvements will result in substantial results. Clarity is king – if you know where you are going, it is easier to take the actions that need to be done. Habits and routines are a big part of accountability...