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)
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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
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/
KEEP READING
- “Two Growing Trends In America: Platform Tennis And Legal Business Development” Be That Lawyer with Fretzin, 30 September 2020
https://fretzin.com/two-growing-trends-in-america-platform-tennis-and-legal-business-development/ - “The Bryson DeChambeau Effect: Ready or not, the game is about to change” Golfworld, 22 September 2020
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/the-bryson-dechambeau-effect-how-golf-is-about-to-change-us-open - “Spanx founder Sara Blakely learned an important lesson about failure from her dad — now she’s passing it on to her 4 kids” Business Insider, 17 July 2018
https://www.businessinsider.com/spanx-founder-sara-blakely-redefine-failure-2016-10
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
Have comments, questions, or concerns? Contact us at feedback@1958lawyer.com
“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.