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Hanging Your Shingle: 4 Podcast Episodes to Help You Start Your Own Law Firm

Your new law practice can be just about anything you want it to be, but the freedom it promises could feel encumbered by the weight of innumerable questions. How do you get a new business off the ground? How will you find clients? What technology do you need? Will the pros of being your own boss outweigh the cons? You know you want a healthy law firm where you can thrive and practice law your own way. Let’s explore some podcast episodes focused on the key things you should consider as you take the plunge into solo lawyering.

Podcasts to help you make your own path

How It’s Done: The Story Behind A Solo Practice 

Starting your own firm isn’t easy, but there’s nothing like hearing a success story to inspire you on your way. Michael Mendoza’s story of thoughtful planning and hard work could be a framework for any attorney hoping to strike out on their own. New Solo host Adriana Linares recently interviewed Michael, a family lawyer in Orlando, about what led him to found his own firm and the resources that helped him along the way.

Even as a law student, Michael knew he wanted to run his own firm, and he kept that goal in mind as he embarked on his career after law school. Eventually, the sudden and drastic changes resulting from the pandemic prompted him to pursue his dream and launch a solo family law practice. Adriana and Michael talk through how he organized his law firm, the process of finding his first clients, his approach to technology and practice management, and so much more. Learn more about his experience:

The Technology Piece

To function effectively in modern legal practice, you need the right technology as you launch your law firm. In a conversation on the UnBillable Hour, Christopher Anderson talked with legal tech expert Lydia Flocchini about the types of tech tools lawyers need to create efficient, profitable workflows. Lydia highlights essential solutions lawyers can use in different areas of their practice, from billing to matter management to administration and more.

Lydia also explains how technology can help you avoid burnout by alleviating the burden of time-consuming tasks and helping your firm run smoothly. For lawyers, the right technology can, Lydia says, “…help them find joy in their work and remember why they wanted to practice law…” Automation and easy tech free you up to do the things that make your practice worthwhile. Lydia and Christopher discuss how to provide a great client experience and ways to track and leverage data to continually improve your business. Listen to the full episode: 

Cybersecurity Is A Must

We’ve heard about it time and again, and you need to hear it too—no firm is too small to be the target of a cyber attack. Solid cybersecurity policies and procedures should always be part of the foundational elements of your law firm, and Digital Detectives hosts Sharon Nelson and John Simek have plenty to say on the subject. In a recent interview, they talked with Mike Maschke about 10 steps you can take to enhance law firm cybersecurity practices. You don’t want to become an unfortunate statistic, and you have an ethical responsibility to protect both law firm and client data. Learn how to establish secure habits from the ground up in the full episode:

Marketing Your New Firm

You’ve got your new law firm in the works, but how do you connect with your target audience to bring in those much-needed clients? With a killer marketing scheme, of course! Lunch Hour Legal Marketing hosts Gyi Tsakalakis and Conrad Saam are both highly experienced legal marketers, and they’ve got tons of content focused on helping lawyers hone their marketing strategies. It’s hard to pick just one episode from their podcast, but this is a great one to start with:

In this episode, Gyi and Conrad take a note from Goldilocks to identify the amount of time that is juuust right to spend on your marketing. And, within this ideal time expenditure, they emphasize the importance of infusing your own interests and creativity into everything you do. Your ads shouldn’t look like every other lawyers’ ads—meaning: don’t be the boring, gray-suited lawyer with a stack of leatherbound volumes on his desk. Take the time to inject your personality into the ways you present your firm to the world, and the clients you want will find their way to your door.

This episode also marks the start of their “Marketing Dream Team” segments, which each highlight ways a particular marketing role could serve your law firm. Find more “Dream Team” segments in other episodes here: Lunch Hour Legal Marketing Podcast

Expand Your Knowledge

Legal Talk Network has hundreds of hours of useful content about starting and running a practics. Explore our Practice Management Archive for more podcasts to help you grow your firm and strengthen your practice: Practice Management Podcasts

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Cari Lockwood is a freelance content writer for Legal Talk Network.