It's no secret that the legal industry is stressful, and that can often translate into burnout and other negative impacts on mental health. But why does it have to be that way? Attorney Jonathan Baum, Founder of Avenir Guild, offers his insight on how the industry can work to mitigate some of those stressors, including reassessing billable hour req…

Making sure your firm's lateral integration process is solid can be a key way to win the battle for top talent. Craig Budner, Chief Strategic Growth Partner at K&L Gates, joins the program to talk about the lessons he's learned from managing lateral hires. From cross-selling to succession planning, the lateral integration process should play a role…

It’s not too often when we get a chance to hear from both ALA’s President, Amanda Koplos, CLM, CPA, and Executive Director, Eryn Carter, CAE, in the same room at the same time. This is one of those times! In this episode, Amanda and Eryn take the opportunity to discuss how ALA is meeting the moment when it comes to hiring struggles in the legal ind…

One of the best ways to make sure your firm can withstand economic headwinds is having enough cash on hand. But given the many things you have to spend money on, it can be hard to make sure reserves are plentiful. Business finance expert M.C. Laubscher joins the show to talk about the best ways to make your firm resilient during turbulent economic …

This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Innovative Computing Systems' Chief Operating Officer Eric Hoffmaster joins the program to discuss how creating layers to your organization's cybersecurity is one of the most effective ways to prevent an attack. Plus, he explains which layers may be necessary to qualify for cyber insurance and how bad actors are …

Amid the current political and social climate, several organizations have begun to roll back their diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) programs. But is this just a passing trend or a more permanent reassessment of the role DEIA plays in the workplace? Ann Thomas, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Stinson LLP, joins the prog…

When the Middle Tennessee Chapter lost one of their own to suicide, chapter members worked through their grief by taking action and forming a Mental Health Task Force. In this episode, task force members Teresa J. Walker, CLM, Tennessee Private Trust Services Director at Holland & Knight LLP, and Dana L. Holsomback, CLM, Office Administrator at Ogl…

Customer service may seem like a lost art nowadays, but for your legal organization, that means it's more important than ever to get it right. In this episode, Richard Culberson, Chief Executive Officer of Moneypenny and Voice Nation, North America, discusses how to ensure your intake process makes a great first impression on potential clients and …

Amid everything your firm does on a daily basis, digital marketing may not seem like a top priority, but it can be one of the most important ways to grow your business and find new clients. Join Bo Royal, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Pareto Legal, as he shares his insights on how you can use marketing to cut through the online noise, t…

A robust mentorship program can be an important recruiting and retention tool for your firm, but it also requires commitment from everyone involved. In this episode, Elise Powers, Founder of Eleview Consulting, talks about how to structure a mentorship program and convince partners to dedicate time to supporting the next generation of senior attorn…

Recognizing the need for succession plans at your firm is a good first step, but what does that plan look like in practice? In this episode, David Wood, a former trial attorney and Principal of David Wood Consulting, talks about the plan he created and used to successfully transition his clients to the next generation of attorneys. He also discusse…

Why is change such a tough thing to manage in firms (well, for people in general)? We delve into that question in this episode. Catherine Alman MacDonagh, JD, the Founder of Legal Lean Sigma Institute and a member of ALA’s Professional Development Advisory Committee, discusses steps for managing change, the importance of creating small change “wins…

What can penguins teach us about instituting change at your firm? Shaun Jardine, lawyer and author of Ditch the Billable Hour, and his sidekick Declan the Penguin answer that question through the lens of shifting your billing method to value-based pricing (VBP). VBP can be a good way to consolidate the many different billable hour policies attorney…

In Part 2 of our conversation with Kriti Sharma, Chief Product Officer of Legal Tech at Thomson Reuters, we talk about the questions you should ask when choosing AI software to use at your firm, what the regulation landscape looks like and how AI will change the future of talent recruitment. Speaker Bio Kriti Sharma is Chief Product Officer of Lega…

In the first of our two-part conversation with Kriti Sharma, Chief Product Officer of Legal Tech at Thomson Reuters, we discuss some of the latest ways artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving in the legal space, such as by simplifying research and administrative tasks, as well as how to avoid some of the common AI pitfalls like hallucinations. But…

No attorney wants to think about what happens when they stop practicing, but it’s crucial to have those conversations now. Debbie Foster, Partner at Affinity Consulting, joined Legal Management Talk to discuss how to bring up those difficult conversations and why it’s important to not only your firm, but your clients, to have a solid plan in place …

2023 has been an exciting year for LMT, and we wanted to celebrate by compiling some of our favorite moments from the year’s episodes. Check out snippets from our conversations that covered legal ops, mental wellness, AI and much more. If you want to hear more from these episodes and others, be sure to go to alanet.org/podcast, ALA’s Youtube channe…

In this edition of Peek Around the Corner with PDAC (ALA’s Professional Development Advisory Committee), we talk about the parts of leadership that can impact an employee’s connection and experience at your firm. Christine Wilbur, MBA,Associate Executive Director, Orange County Bar Association and a member of PDAC, discusses what prospective or exi…

Neurodiversity — especially ADHD — is quite prevalent in the legal industry, but few know how to address it. Casey Dixon of Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson of Stinson LLP joined Legal Management Talk to discuss Stinson’s new program to promote well-being among attorneys and staff with ADHD, as well as what firms can do to help make life easie…

So many of us struggle with mental health challenges, and admitting it isn’t cause for shame. The fact is, conversations about mental health need to continue in order to dismantle the stigma attached to it. We do just that in this episode with ALA Past President James Cornell, Director of Office Administration at Shook, Hardy & Bacon. James opens u…

If you haven’t yet thought about how to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into your firm’s operations, now’s the time before you get left behind. Hamid Kohan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Legal Soft, joins the show to talk about how AI can make your firm more efficient from the intake process through litigation, as well as the ri…

Today, we’re talking about insurance. Wait, don’t click away yet! Cyber insurance is one of the key ways you can protect your firm if and when you’re hit with a cyberattack. Jeremy King, Partner at Olshan Frome Wolosky and Chair of the firm’s Insurance Coverage Law Practice, walks us through what to look for when choosing or changing your cyber ins…

Imposter syndrome — we all experience it in our daily lives. Talking about it is one way to get through it. We did just that with Roberta Bauer, Regional Office Administrator of Ogletree Deakins and 2023-2024 Chair of ALA’s Professional Development Advisory Committee. Plus, find out the solid advice The Berenstain Bears offer for working through fe…

Legal operations shares many similarities with firm administration, and thinking with a legal ops mindset can help make your firm more efficient. Tom Stephenson, Vice President of Community and Legal Ops at Legal.io, joins us to talk about the six key elements of legal ops and how using those principles allows your firm to streamline processes rang…

The cloud may seem like a nebulous idea, but it could also be one of the best ways to make your firm’s operations more efficient and secure. Amy Kosey, Account Executive at Innovative Computing Systems, joins us to talk about what the cloud is, why firms should transition to the cloud if they haven’t already and what they need to do to prevent any …

Are we in a recession? Yes? No? Maybe so? The fact is, the threat of an economic downfall shouldn’t be what spurs you into taking action. We talked with Dan McCormack, CLM, MBA, Chief Executive Officer of Dan McCormack & Associates LLC and a member of ALA’s Professional Development Advisory Committee. He has 18 years of experience in finance, which…

Do you send your lawyers to conferences, but they don’t come back having generated any business? They might just be playing the wrong roles. Hear from business development experts and entrepreneurs Ioana Good, Adrien Maines and Peter Johnson about how to use data to identify your lawyers’ characteristics that will help maximize the business they br…

Creating a diverse and inclusive culture can put your firm ahead of your competition in both recruitment and business development. Terry Isner, Owner and Chief Executive Officer of Jaffe PR, joins us to discuss what that looks like in action and share his experience as a gay man working in the legal industry. Tune in for his insight into how to enc…

What does it mean to build a meaningful Pride campaign at your firm? We sat down to discuss this topic with Laurence Winters, Chief Community Officer, SurePoint Technologies, and Chair, ALA’s Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility. Through a vulnerable and honest account of his own struggles growing up as a gay man, Winters put…

How are paper straws related to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) efforts? Find out in the second of two Annual Conference-themed episodes, featuring David Sarnoff, Esq., ACC, and Joy Stephens, MBA, of Loeb Leadership. They preview their presentation, “Performative vs. Authentic Allyship,” and we discuss what it means to be a DE…

In this episode, Leadership Trainer Julie Holunga, MBA, PCC, and Margee Fawley, Chief Talent Officer at Davis, Graham & Stubbs, LLP, sit down with Legal Management Talk to preview their presentation — “Mastering the Art of Influencing Difficult Conversations” — at ALA’s upcoming Annual Conference. Hear their take on how remote work has affected the…

ChatGPT exploded into the artificial intelligence (AI) scene in November 2022 and quickly became the most downloaded app in history. We sat down with Matthew Sullivan — Chief Operating Officer at Sullivan Law & Associates, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of consulting firm Unravel Legal and a member of ALA’s Professional Development Advisory Co…

If you’re feeling stressed amid the transition to hybrid work, you’re not alone. Fortunately, executive coach Laura Terrell joined Legal Management Talk to discuss ways to adjust your mindset so that you can be prepared to take on the challenges ahead. Learn about how best to communicate with your employees to ensure everyone is on the same page an…

Client demands are always changing, which means you and your firm have to keep up. In this episode, Andre Wouansi of Accurate Legal Billing, Inc. discusses how client guidelines have changed in recent years and how it behooves your firm to comply with them. Plus, learn about how new technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI), can help you man…

Business development is often overlooked amid the day-to-day bustle of law firm management. In this episode, David Freeman, JD, Founder of Lawyer BookBuilder, talks about how important business development is to the success of your firm and why now — during economic uncertainty — is the best time to ramp up those efforts. Plus, don’t miss Freeman’s…

Are your attorneys frustrated by the time it takes to access a client’s medical records? In this episode, Jared Vishney of Arctrieval discusses upcoming changes to HIPAA regulations that will make the records retrieval process easier. The new rule, scheduled to take effect later in 2023, imposes limitations on health service providers regarding how…

In this episode, Rita Nielsen, CLM, PHR, SHRM-CP, Office Administrator at Locke Lord LLP and ALA Chicago’s CLM Director, talks about what ALA’s Certified Legal Manager (CLM)® program is, the benefits it offers and what the process is to achieve it. Nielsen also offers suggestions on how best to study for the exam, including joining chapter study gr…

In this episode, Heidi Gardner, PhD, Distinguished Fellow at Harvard Law School, talks about what qualities make a good leader in the post-pandemic era. She also discusses how collaboration can help managers work through many of the issues law firms face today, as well as how a compassionate approach toward your employees can boost productivity. Sp…

In this episode, Dan Atcheson of Jenkins Wilson Taylor and Hunt, PA, discusses the growing use of the metaverse in the legal industry. Learn about how some firms are already renting space in the virtual world to meet with clients and how the metaverse is becoming more conducive for firm operations. Atcheson also offers his thoughts on how governmen…

In this special episode, hear from Eryn Carter, CAE — ALA’s new Executive Director — about her impressions of ALA so far, her vision for the future of the Association and what she’s most looking forward to heading into 2023 and beyond. And just in time for the holidays, we discuss Carter’s favorite Thanksgiving food and her favorite gift she’s ever…

In this episode, Michael Cohen of Duane Morris discusses how firms are promoting mental health awareness and how the legal industry can do more to make sure its employees are sufficiently supported. Cohen also talks about managers’ responsibilities when it comes to handling implicit bias, microaggressions and workplace harassment. Plus, if you’re a…

In this episode, Allison Worley of Paule, Camazine & Blumenthal previews her upcoming presentation at ALA’s Legal Management Fundamentals Conference, where she will teach early-career administrators about legal trends and operations management. Plus, Worley reminisces about her time attending the LMF Conference and offers advice to new administrato…

In this episode, Cynthia Thomas — owner of the legal management consulting firm PLMC & Associates — answers all your pressing questions about hybrid and remote work, including how to craft a hybrid plan that will get buy-in from your employees and how to best communicate those changes. Plus, Thomas offers her insights on how hybrid work has affecte…

In this episode, Heather Oden of Ball Janik LLP and Amalia Mohr of LRS Architects discuss Ball Janik’s recent decision to redesign their office space to adapt to a hybrid-work world and promote their employees’ health and wellness. Watch Mohr and Oden describe how the elements they incorporated into the design — such as a lot of wood and glass — ha…

In this episode, we talk with Eric Webber of Caron Treatment Centers about the effects of alcohol and other substances on the legal industry and what administrators and employees can do to limit alcohol dependence at their firms. Don’t miss Webber’s tips for creating an effective strategy to help employees who may be struggling and how to plan even…

In this episode, Ben Schmidt of Mattern & Associates talks about the labor challenges the legal industry is facing and how outsourced labor can help address those concerns. Tune in to learn about the innovative ways to make up for staffing shortfalls, such as by moving tasks off-site and hiring employees who can perform multiple roles. Speaker Bio …

In this episode, Kevin Gallagher of AbacusNext discusses the newest trends in payment processing and how the legal industry is adapting to those changes. In addition, learn about how to keep client data safe and whether firms are really starting to accept cryptocurrency as payment. Speaker Bio Kevin Gallagher is General Manager, Payments at AbacusN…

This episode features Eric Wangler of BigHand discussing his company's latest report on legal workflow trends for midsize firms. It's based on data from a survey of hundreds of law firm operations, HR and support professionals in North America. You can find the report, Legal Workflow Trends for Mid-Size Firms, on BigHand's website. Other materials …

In this episode, we discuss Phillip Perry's analysis of the trends found in ALA's 2021 Compensation and Benefits Survey and 2021 Large Firm Key Staff Compensation Survey. Download the Executive Summary for free here Read "Law Firms Move to Retain Staff, Bolster IT in ALA Survey" by Perry Purchase the complete survey reports Read the free white pape…

In this episode, we discuss the effect of the pandemic-era virtual environment on everything from law firm culture and creative downtime to client billing and access to justice. Is the future virtual? Or will in-person activities return with a vengeance? For our guest, Etan Mark, hybrid is the best of both worlds for attorneys, staff and clients. S…