The Legal Toolkit

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Improve Your Law Firm with Small Client Intake Changes Mar 15, 2017

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There’s more to practicing law than practicing law. Proper client relationships and interactions can be the difference between a good law firm and an exceptional one. In this episode of The Legal Toolkit, host Jared Correia talks to Michael Chasin, CEO of Lexicata, about effectively managing your practice’s client intake process. They lay out a couple common mistakes that legal professionals often make and also explain why improving your intake process is important to the success of your firm.

Michael Chasin is CEO of Lexicata, a CRM and client intake software designed to help law firms and lawyers increase client satisfaction.

Special thanks to our sponsors Amicus Attorney, Scorpion, and Answer1.

Digital Assistance in the Practice of Law Feb 17, 2017

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Christmas brought digital assistants, like Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Home, into homes everywhere. Maybe it’s only a matter of time before they show up in law firms too. In this episode of The Legal Toolkit, host Jared Correia talks to Louise Kennedy and Mitch Jackson about the role of digital assistants in the practice of law. While there are definite advantages, like easy communication and access, there are also complicated security issues that will only be resolved as the technology matures. The episode concludes with what is likely the most important question: will lawyers eventually have robots to help them out in court?

Louise Leduc Kennedy is the founding attorney of West Hill Technology Counsel. She has extensive experience advising technology companies on intellectual property and strategic matters.

Mitch Jackson was admitted to the California Bar in 1986. He is a founding Partner and Senior Litigation Partner in the nationally recognized law firm of Jackson & Wilson, Inc.

Special thanks to our sponsors Amicus Attorney, Scorpion, and Answer1.

The ABA’s Newest Project: Blueprint Jan 04, 2017

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Many lawyers around the country rely on the resources, support, and networking opportunities that the American Bar Association provides to their members. In this episode of The Legal Toolkit, host Jared Correia talks with American Bar Association President Linda Klein about law practice management needs that solo and small firm attorneys struggle with and the new Blueprint initiative that the ABA is rolling out to help meet those needs.

In addition to being president of the ABA, she is managing partner for the Georgia offices of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, LLP, where she practices in business dispute resolution including contract law, employment law, and professional liability.

Special thanks to our sponsors Amicus Attorney, Scorpion, and Answer1.

How Lawyers Can Write Less Dec 15, 2016

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From the earliest days of law school every attorney learns that the profession is steeped in copious amounts of document writing. In this episode of The Legal Toolkit, host Jared Correia talks with Creative Content Specialist and "Spaceballs: The Animated Series" writer Adam Kosloff about why prolific writing is very costly for lawyers and how his five core strategies can help attorneys improve their writing efficiency.

After graduating Yale University with a degree in physics, Adam Kosloff moved to Los Angeles to pursue a screenwriting career. While enjoying the opportunity to work with industry greats like Mel Brooks (Spaceballs: The Animated Series), Adam supplemented his income by writing for the web.

Special thanks to our sponsors Amicus Attorney, Scorpion, and Answer1.

Better Preparing Lawyers for the Practice of Law Nov 17, 2016

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Many young lawyers entering the legal marketplace are surprised to find that they are lacking the fundamental skills necessary to successfully practice law and stay competitive while seeking employment. In this episode of The Legal Toolkit, host Jared Correia talks with American Bar Association Commission on Hispanic Rights & Responsibilities Commissioner Fred Rooney, Suffolk University Law School Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Ilene Seidman, Michigan State University College of Law Professor of Law in Residence Daniel Linna, and Stanford Law School fellow Margaret Hagan about their respective programs and the additional skills that law schools should teach students to better prepare them for the practice of law.

Fred Rooney's work in the development of post-graduate legal education and the powerful incubator that he began in 2007 are forcing law schools to rethink their responsibility to their graduates and to the millions of individuals in the US who lack access to justice.

Ilene Seidman is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and a Clinical Professor of Law at Suffolk University Law School. Under Ilene's guidance, Suffolk's Accelerator to Practice program won the ABA's Louis M. Brown Award for Legal Access in 2016.

Dan Linna is the director of LegalRnD, The Center for Legal Services Innovation at Michigan State University College of Law.

Margaret Hagan launched a program for legal tech and design while a fellow at the Institute of Design.

Special thanks to our sponsors Amicus Attorneyand Scorpion.

Video Marketing for Law Firms Oct 19, 2016

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With the abundance of law practitioners in the legal marketplace it can be difficult for a law firm to really differentiate themselves from their competitors. Many lawyers are looking at social media as a new way to gain greater visibility for their firm but what marketing opportunities can online video content provide? In this episode of The Legal Toolkit, host Jared Correia talks with Crisp Video Group CEO Michael Mogill about creating video content for law firms, how to effectively market through video, and the benefits this type of marketing can bring to your business.

Litigation Support Options for Lawyers and Law Firms Sep 22, 2016

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In this episode of The Legal Toolkit, host Jared Correia talks with ClariLegal founder and CEO Cash Butler about litigation support options available to law firms and legal practitioners. Cash encourages all litigation law firms to have a selection of providers that they are comfortable with so that they can execute work in a timely fashion. He acknowledges that it can be more difficult for smaller firms that don’t have a large litigation team but states that you must be as proactive as possible. Cash shares that large corporations that are highly litigious usually have preferred vendors that they like their law firms to use, however he does emphasize that service provider selection should be based on fiscal and service value. Choosing a litigation service provider in this manner allows for collaboration and greater transparency between the corporations seeking assistance and the law firm. He provides his list of fixed processes, like interviewing multiple service providers, that should be in place for vendor selection and his basic principles, like acquiring three to five bids for your litigation, that law firms and legal departments should apply to their decision making process. Cash discusses the different services that he feels law firms need to use on a regular basis and he closes the interview with an analysis of the importance of cost management throughout the entire vendor selection process.

Special thanks to our sponsors Amicus Attorneyand Scorpion.

Using Content Marketing to Grow Your Law Practice Aug 24, 2016

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In this episode of The Legal Toolkit, founder and president of Sword and the Script Media, LLC. Frank Strong talks with Heidi Alexander about content marketing and why it’s so important for lawyers. Frank starts by defining content marketing, a business process for creating and distributing relevant and valuable content, and briefly explains how this process can help lawyers build trust with their existing and prospective client base. He lists a few content marketing characteristics, like working consistently and ensuring that you own your distribution channel, and emphasizes that your content creation efforts should focus mainly on whichever platform you own. Frank encourages attorneys to seek client-oriented questions to help them in the content creation process and to use their own anecdotal style to guarantee a unique brand. He warns lawyers to establish a consistent publishing schedule, manageable with their busy lives, and reiterates that sustainability is the goal. Frank also instructs legal professionals to view their social media outlets as satellites that operate around, and integrate into, their main content hub. He lists his content marketing best practices, like clear documentation and iterative improvement focused progress, and provides a few examples of what makes a good marketing strategy. Frank closes the interview with a reflection on how content marketing has changed over the years and some emerging trends he sees for the future.

Frank Strong is the founder and president of Sword and the Script Media, LLC, a veteran-owned business based in Atlanta focused on PR, content marketing and social media services. However, most folks in the legal community will recognize him from his previous assignment as the communications director for the LexisNexis software division in Raleigh. During his tenure at LexisNexis he was the primary champion behind the LexisNexis Business of Law Blog, which garnered tens of thousands of visitors from the legal community every month and earned praise from likes of Forbes.

Special thanks to our sponsors Amicus Attorneyand Scorpion.

FindLaw 2015 U.S. Consumer Legal Needs Survey Jul 26, 2016

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In this episode of The Legal Toolkit, FindLaw Senior Director of Strategic Development and Thought Leadership Mark Jacobsen talks with Jared Correia about the 2015 U.S. Consumer Legal Needs Survey.

The study asks a consistent set of questions to a randomly selected group of consumers, ages 18 and over, who have had (or have family members who have had) legal concerns that they consider important or very important. Mark reveals that they typically receive around 2,000 responses and ensure a clean survey pool by disqualifying anyone who works for a law firm or marketing services group that does business with law firms. The purpose of the survey is to understand the mindset, preferences, and motivations of the consumer as they realize their legal problem and take steps toward rectifying it. The results of the 2015 survey reveal that 58% of consumers choose to contact a legal professional upon recognizing that they have a legal issue, and Mark analyzes the most influential of the eight core motivators, like aversion to risk and desire for competent representation, on consumer decision making when purchasing legal services. Mark continues with this investigation and provides examples of how law firms can use these buyer impulses to better market to potential clients. He also discusses the importance of social media and the mobile sphere in finding new clients and provides tips attorneys can use to show expertise and build trust in these respective spaces. The interview closes with advice to help lawyers and law firms optimally balance their marketing efforts between online and offline resources.

Mark Jacobsen leads a team focused on the early stage development of products, services, and capabilities to help law firms generate new business opportunities and grow the quality and quantity of their clients. Before joining FindLaw, Mark was a pioneer in the software and Web development sectors. He is a regular speaker at industry conferences on such topics as digital marketing strategy, search, web development, project management, online learning, and interactive multimedia applications.

Special thanks to our sponsors Amicus Attorneyand Scorpion.

Smart Contracts, Bitcoin, and Blockchain Technology Jun 30, 2016

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Many lawyers view legal technology in terms of how it can aid them in easing their daily work load. In what ways could emergent tech be harnessed in the legal marketplace to better aid clients?

In this episode of The Legal Toolkit, Ledger Labs head of operations and legal Josh Stark talks with Heidi Alexander about self-executing contracts, Bitcoin, and how blockchain technology could impact the practice of law. Josh explains that blockchain technology consists of a ledger or database and a network of computers to oversee and secure that database. He gives a brief background of the creation of Bitcoin, the first technology built on blockchain, and points out that it was designed to create a digital cash-like currency that wouldn’t require any centralized party. David addresses security concerns and illustrates how the use of public and private cryptography, as well as the economic security model of Bitcoin, provides more security than traditional credit card transactions and discourages attacks on the network. He defines what smart executing contracts are and gives an in-depth analysis of how blockchain technology could make it easier for clients to do things with fewer billable hours while utilizing basic software features. David closes the interview with his thoughts on the impact that smart executing contracts and blockchain technology could have on the legal industry.

Josh Stark is head of Operations and Legal at Ledger Labs, Canada's leading blockchain technology consultancy. A lawyer by trade, Josh left a career in corporate law to work full-time in the blockchain technology space in 2015. At Ledger Labs, he helps clients develop blockchain use cases and understand the long-term implications of the technology for various industries. Josh studied law at the University of Toronto ('13) and has a B.A. from McGill University ('09).

Special thanks to our sponsors Amicus Attorneyand Scorpion.

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