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Month: January 2021

Sean Park: Putting the Personal Back in Personal Injury Law | THE 1958 LAWYER Podcast

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Yes, this title is purposely corny. Personal injury attorneys are often viewed advertising first, and not in a good way. Think ambulance chasers. Or “all ad spend, no customer service.” These firms do exist. When Sean Park markets though, it’s through building referrals and word-of-mouth. He picks clientele with the same mindset as him; not those asking “how much is my case worth” but rather “how can I rebuild my life.”

Key Moments:

  • Behind the scenes of those big-ad-spend PI firms (07:07)
  • Drawing in clients with marketing, not advertising (13:13)
  • Technologies that help Sean manage a practice in multiple states (22:39)
  • What Sean Park wants to see changed in the legal industry (30:10)

Follow “The 1958 Lawyer” on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher

MEMORABLE QUOTES

“I’ve got good relationships with clients; [we] will text about politics, will text about college sports…. The end of the case is not the end of my relationship with that person or that family. It is merely the closure of one chapter and moving on to help them rebuild their life.”

“I don’t want cases where someone’s calling me saying “what’s my case worth” because that’s not the motivation for why you’re pursuing these claims. While I’m in business to make money, obviously, and for a livelihood, I do that by doing good work for clients and being very aggressive in the litigation side of things.”

“I’ve looked at cases where other firms have turned [the clients] down…. Stories are compelling to me…I don’t ever like telling someone “no” or turning them away without giving them at least a good thorough explanation as to why I turn the case down or giving them options as to how to pursue the case on their own or…obtain closure.”

Sean Park

CONNECT WITH SEAN PARK

Sean Park is a skilled and caring personal injury attorney who uses a very personal approach to zealously advocate for clients who have been seriously injured or killed in car accidents, truck accidents, and medical malpractice cases

The Park Law Firm: www.seanparklaw.com

Have comments, questions, or concerns? Contact us at [email protected]

“The 1958 Lawyer and his 1938 Dollar” still defines the business of law…
It’s time for a change.

If you’re a lawyer, you’re familiar with the ABA article “The 1958 Lawyer and his 1938 Dollar” which gives our podcast its title, and its inspiration. That article was the start of the billable hour for law firms…And the last major change to the business of law, 70+ years ago now. Well, it’s past time for another change.

This podcast is all about bucking the status quo of the business of law. Your hosts Ron Bockstahler and Kirsten Mayfield run Amata Law Office Suites, providing law firms an alternative to the traditional fixed-cost business model that places unwanted stress on attorneys to work long hours that often-times lead to burn out, broken relationships and in many cases substance abuse. Each week they’ll discuss alternatives to the 12 hours days, endless rotation of clerks and paralegals, and the expensive offices leased to impress clients who rarely show up in person anymore. They’ll interview successful lawyers who are doing law differently, and finding a work-life balance while still running a successful firm.

Do you want to find a better way to run your law firm? It’s time for the next big change in the business of law, and you’ll get it here on The 1958 Lawyer.

More episodes of The 1958 Lawyer podcast

Discover our legal support staff for lawyers in Chicago.

Chris Dreyer: Powerful SEO for Attorneys without Compromising Authenticity | THE 1958 LAWYER Podcast

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Developing powerful SEO for your law firm doesn’t mean catering to the robots at the cost of the human being. Attorneys can differentiate their practices, help people, and gain backlinks. Chris Dreyer explains SEO, new options for attorneys, and offers case examples of brand and law firm marketing that offer personality robots could never mimic.

Quick answers to hot questions:

  • What is SEO? (09:35)
  • On-site SEO & Off-site SEO (11:46)
  • What’s working right now for law firm marketing (19:32)
  • The 3 funnels of content explained (24:22)
  • Time frame till SEO shows results (27:26)
  • What Chris Dreyer sees for the future of legal marketing (40:25)

Follow “The 1958 Lawyer” on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher

MEMORABLE QUOTES

“We were looking at different strategies to bring exposure to a firm, but also to acquire backlinks… We wanted to kind of be a win-win all-around approach and one of the things that we did was we would offer a scholarship to either a local community or nationwide….[Financial aid pages] would link back to the listing, not because they thought they were doing SEO but because it was good for the consumer.”

“You first have to be able to at least know the basics and the foundation in order to evaluate if the SEO specialist you’re working with is even doing a good job. And you need to be able to speak the same type of language and understand those KPIs and goals that everyone’s striving for because SEO is not immediate like Google ads.”

“It is the most challenging circumstance when [law firms] don’t have something that’s different. It makes it really hard for any type of marketing to have the extreme effectiveness that it could have.”

“If you’re really focusing on quality and helping the consumer and not just creating fluff pieces of content, [but] where it’s excellent resourceful content; that can really go a long way in the Evergreen approach.”

 

CONNECT WITH CHRIS DREYER

Chris Dreyer is the President and Founder of Rankings.io, an agency that specializes in personal injury lawyer SEO. His agency ranks personal injury firms for the most lucrative keywords in your industry with end-to-end SEO, from content creation to technical optimization.

“Most personal injury attorneys struggle to rank at the top of the search results. That’s why I’m here: I help elite personal injury law firms generate motor vehicle and serious injury cases through Google’s organic search results.” Chris Dreyer

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisdreyerco/

Rankings.io: https://rankings.io/

KEEP READING

Have comments, questions, or concerns? Contact us at [email protected]

“The 1958 Lawyer and his 1938 Dollar” still defines the business of law…
It’s time for a change.

If you’re a lawyer, you’re familiar with the ABA article “The 1958 Lawyer and his 1938 Dollar” which gives our podcast its title, and its inspiration. That article was the start of the billable hour for law firms…And the last major change to the business of law, 70+ years ago now. Well, it’s past time for another change.

This podcast is all about bucking the status quo of the business of law. Your hosts Ron Bockstahler and Kirsten Mayfield run Amata Law Office Suites, providing law firms an alternative to the traditional fixed-cost business model that places unwanted stress on attorneys to work long hours that often-times lead to burn out, broken relationships and in many cases substance abuse. Each week they’ll discuss alternatives to the 12 hours days, endless rotation of clerks and paralegals, and the expensive offices leased to impress clients who rarely show up in person anymore. They’ll interview successful lawyers who are doing law differently, and finding a work-life balance while still running a successful firm.

Do you want to find a better way to run your law firm? It’s time for the next big change in the business of law, and you’ll get it here on The 1958 Lawyer.

More episodes of The 1958 Lawyer podcast

Need marketing support? Discover our legal support staff for lawyers in Chicago.

How a Virtual Legal Receptionist Can Benefit Your Private Practice

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Charming young Asian woman working at reception of spa center, talking on phone with client and taking notes

Great legal practices are often defined by their high quality of service. Not only via their attorneys’ legal acumen, but through the strong attorney-to-client legal relationships they build. Timely responses, seamless communication, and the ability to take calls after hours show a client you are putting them first.

This is also where many private practices fail in running their law firm as a business. The attorneys answer all of the firm’s incoming calls. Before you get on the line to give a first-rate legal consultation or assist a client through the legal process, consider having your potential client speak to someone else: a legal receptionist.

A legal receptionist helps facilitate a client-centered approach for private practice law firms and keeps the business of the practice running smoothly, taking over client intake and helping with time consuming tasks.

However, hiring a full-time legal receptionist is a difficult expense to justify for solo and partner practices. Finding the best legal receptionist is a resource-intensive activity that involves hiring and training that many lawyers don’t have the time to do. Overhead for dedicated personnel – paychecks and employee benefits like healthcare – can also be well outside a lawyer’s budget.

Hiring a virtual legal receptionist is a great way to provide receptionist support while keeping overhead low. You can provide attentive service, manage your time, and stay competitive by passing your cost-savings onto your clients.

What is a virtual legal receptionist?

A virtual legal receptionist is more than just an answering service. They are live professionals, who handle calls almost exclusively for law firms. Live legal receptionists answer calls with customized greetings unique to your firm, can help you qualify leads, fill out client onboarding forms, and send all information to the appropriate personnel. Moreover, they operate outside of the traditional 9-5 business hours, allowing your clients and potential clients to be taken care of by your firm, even if you’re at home enjoying dinner or deep in work for another case.

Many solo practitioners, partner law practices, and boutique law firms are hiring virtual receptionists, saving themselves the hassle and cost of hiring a full-time employee. This allows attorneys at the firm to work more billable hours and do what they do best: practice law.

As a solo or private legal practice, you need every asset available to keep your business ahead of the competition.

How can you benefit directly from an attorney virtual receptionist?

More Leads

Every prospect that calls your law firm is a potential client, but many variables go into whether they are a good fit for your firm. Do you specialize in the type of law they are looking for? Does the workload their case require match the resources at your firm? Have they worked with a lawyer before? These questions can be nuanced, and require a specialized type of receptionist to produce the best results.

Virtual legal receptionist services are specifically designed to benefit attorneys. While they may not work in your office, they work with you to craft greetings, information collection forms, call-handling procedures and more, all aspects designed around your law firm’s processes. They’ll provide callers a great impression of your law firm from the first call, and you’ll know whether a contact is a good-fit or if you should ready a referral before you return their call.

In the legal profession, every case you take on is important. Smaller legal practices need not only case volume to keep the doors open, but quality cases. A virtual legal receptionist can help qualify these leads on your behalf.

Professional Image

Timing matters for legal buyers. If a prospective client calls your law firm and reaches an answering machine they are likely to look elsewhere for prompt and immediate service. Even if you’re a hard-working attorney who happened to be in court at the time.

A virtual receptionist at a law firm helps callers immediately and shows prospects that their legal problems matter to you. This makes them less likely to dial another firm.

For a stressed out legal client, punctuality and professionalism trump all and first impressions matter. Make sure your first impression is conveyed through the receptionist services that you use and not your voicemail.

Time Management

As a legal professional, your schedule is likely to be complex and unpredictable. A virtual legal receptionist will help you navigate your time commitments without sacrificing the high-quality and personal service you pride yourself on offering to clients.

For lawyers and attorneys who operate on billable hours especially, every minute counts. You should be in charge of your day, not your telephone.

Amata Law Office Suites: The Best Virtual Receptionist for Law Firms

Amata Law Office Suites is more than just a shared legal office space – we offer a full range of services designed directly around your needs, such as mail processing services, on-demand paralegal and notary services, and live legal receptionists.

As the world moves towards digital solutions, our idea of what a traditional office space looks like has changed. Virtual receptionists for legal services offer an optimal, professional, and cost-effective solutions to communicating with existing and future clients.

How can Amata help your practice? Contact us today to learn more about our range of legal services.

Discover our legal support staff for lawyers in Chicago.

Struggling to Work From Home? These Law Firms Safely Returned to Their Offices Amid a Pandemic

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On March 23, 2020, Chicago personal injury attorney Tim Rhatigan of Rhatigan Law Offices, LLC found himself like many other attorneys across the state: working from home. This marked the first working day of Illinois’ “stay-at-home” order, issued by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in an effort to flatten the curve of spiking COVID-19 cases.

Rhatigan doesn’t have a home office, so he set up a makeshift desk with his laptop and scanner in his bedroom. But he struggled to write a brief due to intermittent Wi-Fi. In another room, his wife tried to help their children with remote learning. Emotions quickly ran high. Before the morning was over, he decided that the only way to be productive was to return to the office.

“I was back in the office by lunch time,” Rhatigan said. “I didn’t even last half a day.”

Since last March, 84% of law firms had at least three-quarters of their attorneys working remotely, according to a Bloomberg Law survey. While some lawyers have successfully transitioned to at-home offices, a separate survey from design and architecture firm Gensler found that 74% of U.S. lawyers at large firms want to return and work from their physical offices for a majority of the week. The lawyers polled indicated that they miss face-to-face interaction and socializing with colleagues as well as scheduled client meetings. Nearly half also found it more difficult to avoid distractions at home.

But before attorneys rush back to work, even if only for a few days a week, they want office spaces to make specific safety adjustments. In addition to stricter policies preventing sick workers from coming into the office, 45% of attorneys want their offices cleaned more frequently and 38% want air purification systems added. More than 30% would also like to see provided hand sanitizer and touchless bathroom fixtures/doors.

While many of these safety measures are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Illinois Department of Public Health, air purification systems and touchless doors are expensive to install, and some firms in traditional commercial spaces simply wouldn’t be able to afford them.

“My business is contingent upon a case resolving, and there are no trials right now,” said Rhatigan, who has three full-time team members. “So, there’s an income hit because of the pandemic.”

But if attorneys return to work without safety adjustments in their offices, they risk exposing themselves, family members, coworkers and visitors to the virus. If someone gets sick, it could pose legal issues. One employment law attorney at an Am Law 200 firm told the Wall Street Journal that he has advised roughly 600 companies on COVID-19 questions. Of those considering reopening, one-quarter decided against it due to challenging legal requirements.

So, what’s the solution? Upgrading home Wi-Fi and working around family distractions for the foreseeable future? Moving physical files and equipment to a makeshift home office?

There’s a better option, and law firms are jumping onboard. Since 2018, Rhatigan has housed his firm at Amata Law Office Suites, Chicago’s first legal community of 700-plus attorneys operating out of seven Class-A downtown offices. Early in the pandemic, Amata CEO, Ron Bockstahler, recognized that attorneys wouldn’t want to completely abandon office space.

Amata quickly contacted O’Malley Construction Co. and invested hundreds of thousands of dollars to implement important safety measures, ensuring attorneys would feel as safe and comfortable as possible when returning to the office. Now, each location is equipped with glass sneeze shields, touchless entry doors and bathroom fixtures, directional signs, touchless temperature guns, sanitation stations and more.

“It’s been reassuring to see what Amata has done because it has taken every possible step,” Rhatigan said. “How quickly the team got it all in was remarkable.”

Along with building improvements, Amata scanned lawyers’ mail for 90 days and handled document preparations (free-of-charge) to encourage firms to make choices based on safety, not financial concerns. They even waived some related fees on items that needed to be shipped. Fellow Amata attorney Sarah LeRose of the Law Office of Leonard J. LeRose Jr., Ltd. found the complimentary mail services to be extremely helpful during the stay-at-home order.

“As a small firm, it’s an obvious issue if you don’t get your mail for months,” she said. “We all have bills to pay.”

LeRose returned to her office in late August and has been coming in a few times a week. She “absolutely” visits frequently because she feels safe with Amata’s installations. Both LeRose and Rhatigan have also noticed other Amata-based attorneys return to their offices over the past several months.

Although COVID-19 vaccines are being distributed, most Illinois residents won’t be able to get their shots for months. But in the meantime, Rhatigan thinks Amata has successfully created a safe culture.

“They always have a tenant-first approach, so they’re always asking if there’s anything they can do to help your practice or even you personally,” Rhatigan said. “Even these COVID-19 implementations … they were implemented not only to comply with CDC recommendations but definitely with us in mind. Amata does a terrific job of fostering a comfortable environment without compromise to safety or other resources. It is their commitment to the providing of these resources that puts its tenants in a position to succeed. I love it here.”

Don’t struggle with productivity and challenging work-from-home conditions any longer. Whenever you are ready to return to an office outside of your home, Amata prioritizes your safety and offers other services to help you focus on practicing law, including virtual offices, live reception and paralegal support.

Call us or visit our website and take an online or in-person tour of one of our seven Class-A law firm office spaces to learn how our COVID-19 safety measures will help keep you safe as you return to work.

Discover our legal support staff for lawyers in Chicago.

Michelle Lawless: Relief Through Technology. How Family Law Clients Benefit from Tech-Savvy Firms. | The 1958 LAWYER Podcast

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Family law is rife with emotion. Michelle Lawless kept that in mind when she built her solo family law practice, after a 19-year tenure at a successful Chicago family law firm. Balancing kindness with efficient processes, Michelle explains how technology, which is usually on the wrong side of the ‘good for mental health’ equation, actually makes difficult family matters easier to emotionally handle. It’s just a bonus that it keeps her solo venture moving full speed.

Key moments:

  • Attorney assisted mediation and collaborative law (05:16)
  • Crafting a kind and effective intake process for family law clients (21:42)
  • “The Daley Center is a daily education!”: Building experience in family law (28:26)
  • What Michelle Lawless wants to see changed in the legal profession (39:37)

Follow “The 1958 Lawyer” on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher

MEMORABLE QUOTES

“[Mediation has] been a growing trend…. Clients want an alternative to litigation… Litigation is emotionally difficult. It can be protracted and inefficient [and] incredibly expensive.”

“Clients have told me how difficult it was to almost get up the courage to walk into a divorce lawyer’s office for a console. Because, physically, it was a manifestation that their marriage was over, and that that was a really difficult step to take…. [Because of this] I was kind of thinking about, ‘are there ways to do Virtual Counsel,’ and then boom COVID hit.”

“I’m using online forms to capture information that you need in every divorce case but you don’t want to keep asking people for, like the names and the ages of their kids and the birth dates….Making things easier on clients was something that I was really looking to do.”

“I always prided myself on providing personalized service, and being there for clients, listening to them. Getting back to them quickly, as quickly as I can…. As a solo I think that’s even more critical because it’s me. I mean, the business is me. So, I need to provide almost… I look at it like a better client experience. Because I am the client experience. A hundred percent.”

CONNECT WITH MICHELLE LAWLESS

Michelle has spent her entire 20-year career assisting high-net-worth individuals and their spouses by protecting and preserving their assets during divorce. After spending 19 years with one of the most prominent family law firms in the country, she opened her own law practice in 2020, where she is able to take her in-depth training and experience with executive compensation packages, valuations of closely-held businesses, and other complex, hard-to-value assets and income streams to her own practice.

She is a graduate of the American Bar Association’s Advanced Trial Advocacy Institute focusing exclusively on business valuations and has also been named one of the 10 Best Attorneys in Illinois for Outstanding Client Service by the American Institute of Family Law Attorney (2017-2019). Michelle is a past recipient of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin’s “40 Under 40” award and holds certifications in Collaborative Law and mediation.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellealawless/

Michelle’s Firm: www.malfamilylaw.com

CONTINUE EXPLORING

Have comments, questions, or concerns? Contact us at [email protected]

“The 1958 Lawyer and his 1938 Dollar” still defines the business of law…
It’s time for a change.

If you’re a lawyer, you’re familiar with the ABA article “The 1958 Lawyer and his 1938 Dollar” which gives our podcast its title, and its inspiration. That article was the start of the billable hour for law firms…And the last major change to the business of law, 70+ years ago now. Well, it’s past time for another change.

This podcast is all about bucking the status quo of the business of law. Your hosts Ron Bockstahler and Kirsten Mayfield run Amata Law Office Suites, providing law firms an alternative to the traditional fixed-cost business model that places unwanted stress on attorneys to work long hours that often-times lead to burn out, broken relationships and in many cases substance abuse. Each week they’ll discuss alternatives to the 12 hours days, endless rotation of clerks and paralegals, and the expensive offices leased to impress clients who rarely show up in person anymore. They’ll interview successful lawyers who are doing law differently, and finding a work-life balance while still running a successful firm.

Do you want to find a better way to run your law firm? It’s time for the next big change in the business of law, and you’ll get it here on The 1958 Lawyer.

More episodes of The 1958 Lawyer podcast

Discover our legal support staff for lawyers in Chicago.

A Shared Space Is More Than Office Space. It’s Your Law Firm’s Legal Partner.

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Picture this: You’re a growing solo or partner law firm operating out of a shared workspace. You have a busy day ahead with multiple client phone calls and in-person meetings. After a morning court hearing, you walk back to your office, only to find that your office’s phone has been deactivated without notice.

You check your email and see your inbox flooded with notes from clients who are unable to reach you. You then turn to your latest monthly invoice and find a line item charge for opening a desk drawer along with other activity requiring scrutiny. This isn’t a bad dream; it’s reality.

Sanjo Omoniyi of Omoniyi Law Firm, P.C. and another Chicago attorney, who asked to remain anonymous, know the feeling all too well. These are a few of the experiences they endured before choosing to house their firms at Amata Law Office Suites — Chicago’s first legal community of more than 700 attorneys and seven Class-A downtown offices.

For Omoniyi, the last straw was the office’s inability to handle his law firm’s phone calls. Messages were not properly transferred to his cell phone.

“I’d pick up, and callers would ask, ‘Is this a law firm?’” he recalled.

Finding a Law Firm Shared Workspace

A 2018 report from Vonage found that businesses lose $75 billion each year due to poor customer service, such as missed phone calls. These missed calls translated to Omoniyi losing a majority of his business.

In the past year, the shared workspace market declined with more people working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A major shared workspace provider filed for bankruptcy. But the anonymous attorney, who has been with Amata since 2015, had problems with their firm’s previous, non-legal-focused shared space long before the pandemic hit.

When their firm found Amata and prepared to leave, the former landlord would not transfer their phone number to their new Amata office.

“It was annoying to have to change phone numbers in the midst of growing our business,” the attorney said. “When you sign a new contract, you’re not thinking about leaving.”

Much like missed phone calls, moving can also pose a risk to attorneys’ reputations, especially if they have upcoming case deadlines and are unable to receive important mail. When firms move, they need to notify numerous entities, including current and former clients; local courts; state and local bar associations; insurance companies; banks and other financial institutions; and the local post office. All of this extra works pulls lawyers away from what they do best: practice law. In fact, Omoniyi has been struggling for two months to transfer his mail to his Amata address.

Amata CEO Ron Bockstahler understood these pain points and the dangers associated with disrupting business for lawyers. Unlike other shared spaces, Amata is dedicated to meeting attorneys’ needs and helping firms flourish. Amata transfers phone numbers if an attorney moves to a new location and allows firms to downsize office space in the middle of leases — both rare offers in the shared workspace industry.

The Amata Difference: A Shared Workspace for Law Firms

The flexibility and reasonability of Amata’s business model has allowed the anonymous attorney to easily move to three or four different Amata offices during lease terms. They said Amata lets attorneys “instantly” upgrade space in a matter of 24 hours, which is important for private practices.

“All aspects of Amata’s services are top notch, and they’re willing to help,” they said. “Every service is provided at the drop of a hat, and we’re only charged a small fee.”

Don’t find yourself in a bad arrangement with a shared workspace that doesn’t understand your needs. Call us or visit our website and take an online or in-person tour of one of our seven Class-A spaces to learn how Amata can become your legal partner and help you successfully grow your law practice.

Discover our offices for lawyers in Chicago.

For This Father-Daughter Law Team, Communication and Serving the Vulnerable are Top Priorities

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As Sarah LeRose studied to become a Chicago lawyer, she planned to work at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office upon graduation. But once she started working as a law clerk at her father’s boutique probate law firm, that plan shifted. She quickly fell in love with probate law and joined his team as an associate attorney after passing the Illinois bar exam in 2014.

“It’s funny because it was an area of law I never thought I would practice in,” Sarah said. “It definitely wasn’t planned.”

Sarah, her father, Leonard, and longtime legal assistant, Cindy, are the forces behind the Law Office of Leonard J. LeRose Jr., Ltd. For the past two years, they chose to office at Amata Law Office Suites, Chicago’s first legal community of more than 700 attorneys and seven Class-A downtown offices.

Leonard has practiced probate law in the Chicago area for more than 35 years, specializing in decedent’s estates, guardianships and estate cases for minors. Sarah focuses on contested guardianships as well as estate litigation and administration. Both Sarah and Leonard serve older clients, minors and those with mental or developmental disabilities, an aspect of the work they find most appealing.

“You’re taking some of the most vulnerable people … who can’t really defend themselves,” Sarah said. “It’s nice to be their voice because they may not have one or know what’s going on.”

Since joining the firm, Sarah has been elected to the Illinois State Bar Association Assembly, the “supreme policy-making body of the Association,” and the Illinois State Bar Association Board of Governors for Cook County. She was also named an emerging lawyer by Law Bulletin Media, an accolade reportedly given to fewer than 2% of Illinois lawyers who are under 40 years of age or have been practicing for 10 years or fewer. But Sarah’s most meaningful achievements are the times when she and her dad have returned property to older individuals who have been financially exploited.

“Any time when we can correct something that’s been really wronged for somebody, that’s always pretty rewarding,” she said.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 90% of American businesses are family-owned or controlled. While running a law firm with family members can be enjoyable, various factors, such as the inability to separate work and personal life, can put a strain on family dynamics. Experts cite communication as a top tip for running a successful family business, which is a strength for Sarah and Leonard.

As a father-daughter team, they spend plenty of time together. Before the COVID-19 pandemic surged, they made daily joint court appearances. Now, they call to confer with each other at least 10 times per day.

“We get along really well,” Sarah said. “Even on the bad days, we can speak honestly and still be okay by the end of the day.”

When things get hectic, Amata’s amenities help their relationship run even smoother. The on-demand live receptionists and experienced paralegal team compliment longtime assistant Cindy’s work of answering phones, scanning documents and more. The fact that their Class-A downtown office is just steps away from the Circuit Court of Cook County is an “amazing” convenience too. Before Amata, their firm was located in the south suburbs, creating a daily, hour-long commute to court.

Amata allows attorneys to easily upgrade or downgrade office space as needed. Sarah and Leonard chose offices down the hall from each other, making it convenient to discuss something by simply walking over. For Sarah, it’s truly a “collaborative environment.”

Don’t let work-related stress ruin family relationships. Amata strives to eliminate lawyers’ daily stress so you can spend more time with family and practicing law. Call us or visit our website and take an online or in-person tour of one of our seven Class-A law firm office spaces to learn how our legal support and live reception services allow your business to run smoother and help keep your relationships intact.

Discover our networking events for Chicago lawyers.

Steve Fretzin: Sports Metaphors for Attorneys to Take Chances and Become Rainmakers | The 1958 LAWYER Podcast

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Platform tennis, golf, ironman competitions, fishing; no sport is safe in this conversation about marketing and building a book of business as a lawyer. Passionate about helping attorneys reach their full potential, Steve Fretzin is regarded as the premier coach and skills trainer on legal business development.

Key moments:

  • Making changes and taking chances as an attorney (03:57)
  • Succeeding without running yourself crazy (12:35)
  • Past-Present-Future of marketing for law firms (22:20)
  • The Three Ps: Planning, Process, Performance (31:17)
  • What Steve Fretzin wants to see changed in the legal profession (47:55)

Follow “The 1958 Lawyer” on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher

MEMORABLE QUOTES

“I think the biggest misstep that’s happening is lawyers are afraid to miss something. They’re afraid to leave something out for fear that if they do, that they’re going to miss out on the business. And the reality is that listing off five or ten things that you do, pretty much just falls on deaf ears.”

“It’s all about organization. And it’s all about leveraging resources…. Whether it’s work that you shouldn’t be doing that you should be…handing over to associates, paralegals assistants, etc. or it’s the idea that… you haven’t made the proper hire, to be able to delegate and then go out and get more business.”

“Into the simplest form: it’s about having a great plan. Something that you can look at every day that you can execute on every week, that speaks to you. And it’s the lowest hanging fruit. It’s not about how many hours you put into it. It’s about a plan that’s focused and targeted, as well as having a tracking system, because as we talked about earlier, if you don’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”

CONNECT WITH STEVE FRETZIN

Steve Fretzin

Over the past 16 years, Steve Fretzin has devoted his career to helping law firms and lawyers master the art of legal business development to achieve their business goals and the peace of mind that comes with developing a successful law practice.

In addition to writing three books on legal business development, Steve has been featured in the Chicago Tribune, Crain’s, and Entrepreneur.com. He has appeared on NBC News, WGN Radio, and has written articles for Attorney at Law Magazine, the National Law Review, the American Bar Association, and the Illinois State Bar Association. You can also find his monthly column in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. You can also find his podcast show BE THAT LAWYER, where Steve interviews rainmakers and legal marketing experts.

Fretzin, INC.: https://fretzin.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevefretzin/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stevefretzin

Twitter: @stevefretzin

Be That Lawyer Podcast: https://fretzin.com/podcast/

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After recording this episode, legal industry journalist Roy Strom posted an article also equating the legal profession to DeChambeau. Read his in-depth and well researched thoughts here: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/dechambeaus-big-miss-at-masters-is-lesson-in-successful-failure

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“The 1958 Lawyer and his 1938 Dollar” still defines the business of law…
It’s time for a change.

If you’re a lawyer, you’re familiar with the ABA article “The 1958 Lawyer and his 1938 Dollar” which gives our podcast its title, and its inspiration. That article was the start of the billable hour for law firms…And the last major change to the business of law, 70+ years ago now. Well, it’s past time for another change.

This podcast is all about bucking the status quo of the business of law. Your hosts Ron Bockstahler and Kirsten Mayfield run Amata Law Office Suites, providing law firms an alternative to the traditional fixed-cost business model that places unwanted stress on attorneys to work long hours that often-times lead to burn out, broken relationships and in many cases substance abuse. Each week they’ll discuss alternatives to the 12 hours days, endless rotation of clerks and paralegals, and the expensive offices leased to impress clients who rarely show up in person anymore. They’ll interview successful lawyers who are doing law differently, and finding a work-life balance while still running a successful firm.

Do you want to find a better way to run your law firm? It’s time for the next big change in the business of law, and you’ll get it here on The 1958 Lawyer.

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