5 Challenges Older Solo Practitioners Face In the Legal Industry

September 11, 2018 By Andrew McDermott Leave a Comment

It’s 2005.

Thirty-two partners at Sidley Austin, the sixth largest corporate law firm in the United States, have just been fired from their firm.

The reason?

These partners were allegedly too old. The firm downgraded their status, then told these partners they’d have to leave. The former partners filed an age discrimination lawsuit in response.

Sidley Austin eventually agreed to settle.

Ageism is alive and well for older solo practitioners

But it isn’t the only problem older attorneys face in the industry. Today older solo practitioners deal with a bevy of age-related issues. Challenges that make it harder for them to do what they’re best at.

Practicing law.

It’s unfair to those who are on the receiving end of these changes, but it’s also understandable. The “graying of the bar,” as pundits refer to it, is changing the legal landscape.

What challenges am I referring to?

Challenge #1: Clients, law firms want younger, cheaper talent

Youth is expendable.

It’s easier for law firms to make money off younger attorneys. They cost less money, increasing their firm’s profit margins. Their eager idealism means most are willing to work long hours for less pay and the promise of future opportunity.

Solo practitioners don’t fare much better.

On the other hand, older practitioners have significant experience. Their hourly rate is higher than their younger counterparts and they’re also much less willing to work long hours for less pay.

What does this mean?

Without a strong value proposition and a stable book of business, older solo practitioners will struggle to compete with their younger, more idealistic counterparts.

Challenge #2: Younger firms work harder

Younger attorneys are willing to run themselves into the ground.

Clients and firms use the promise of additional work/opportunities to motivate young attorneys to work hard on their own. These young solo practitioners are more willing to push for 3,500 billable hours each year to show their commitment.

This doesn’t automatically mean better quality work.

It just means these younger attorneys are willing to take on more work clients or their firm. for all we know, these billable hours could be focused on non-critical tasks.

Challenge #3: Cognitive decline

There’s an assumption that an increase in age automatically equals cognitive decline. But this actually isn’t the case for most people.

It’s actually a whole simpler.

For the most part, it’s about how you treat yourself. Research shows unhealthy habits have a detrimental impact on your cognitive performance. It isn’t so much about your age as it is about your habits compounding.

Smoking accelerates a decline in memory and visual search
Decades of poor sleep habits affect cognition and memory
A high-stress environment decreases cognitive function in the short and long-term
Poor diet affects both your cognitive performance and emotional well-being

This isn’t a groundbreaking revelation, is it?

Taking care of your body compounds over time. What we call old age, may actually be older practitioners reaping the rewards of their behavior for better or worse.

The good news?

These mistakes can be corrected for the most part. Even if you’re an older practitioner.

Challenge #4: Ageism and bias

ABA President Karen Mathis estimates more than 400,000 attorneys will consider retiring, retire or begin to retire over the next few years. This sounds like an opportunity and it is, but as we’ve seen, this process isn’t always voluntary. Law firms are under tremendous pressure to perform.

Succession planning
Downgraded status
Mandatory retirement age limits
Monetary limits (e.g. decompression policies)

These are all easy ways to force older, more costly practitioners out of firms.

This isn’t new.

The EEOC filed a lawsuit against Kelley Drye & Warren, LLP for age discrimination. In 2007, Winston & Strawn LLP settled a suit challenging their “decompression policy” that reduced partners’ pay after age 65. Here’s the surprising part about ageism.

Your clients struggle with it too.

The results aren’t as stark for solo practitioners but it still presents a problem.

Here see for yourself.

See the ageism?

Notice the problem with each of these reviews? They’re all negative reviews. What does this tell us? Clients struggle with ageism. Serve them well and they’ll never tell you.

This is bad news.

If you’re a solo practitioner and you’d like to remain competitive, you’ll need a strategy to follow. You’ll also need a way to deal with the bias and discrimination that comes with client pushback.

Challenge #5: The staged intervention

Self-reporting is rare.

Attorneys struggling with cognitive impairment are typically the last to acknowledge or realize they have a problem. According to the ABA…

“A growing number of states, lawyer and judicial assistance programs, traditionally focused on addressing substance abuse and other mental health matters, are increasingly focused on age-related cognitive impairment issues. In several jurisdictions, multi-disciplinary teams of lawyer assistance staff, disciplinary counsel and mental health professionals are working together to address age-related cognitive impairment. These teams work toward a transition out of practice that preserves the lawyer’s reputation and dignity while protecting clients. Close colleagues and family members are also often engaged in this process.”

This makes sense if the impairment really is a problem.

But what if a loss of opportunity simply boils down to client/law firm politics? As the politics at Sidley Austin and online reviews have shown, it is a problem.

If you’re an older practitioner, everything gets harder

As an older, solo practitioner your job is even more difficult. It’s no longer just about practicing law, serving clients and doing exceptional work.

Now it’s about proving that you’re capable.

You’ll have to make specific choices to show clients, your colleagues and your firm that you’re better. That you have what it takes to outperform younger practitioners. This isn’t make believe, it’s true. Younger attorneys don’t have the knowledge and experience you have.

But you can’t rest on your laurels.

You’ll need to show clients, colleagues and competitors that you’re still the rainmaker they’ve come to depend on.

But how?

In my next post, I’ll show you how to defeat ageism, remain competitive and outperform your peers.

How to Find a Legal Tech Consultant For Your Firm

September 7, 2018 By Andrew McDermott 1 Comment

You’re sitting on a gold mine.

A digital treasure chest full of important data. You have access to incredibly sensitive data; medical records, bank and financial data, IP, even corporate and government secrets.

You’re outstanding at your job.

How good are you at protecting your firm’s data? If you’re like most firms, the answer is frightening.

The vast majority of firms are vulnerable

A recent report from LogicForce found that law firms were unprepared for the cyber threats they face. Some major findings from their report:

10,000 intrusions/attacks targeting law firms occur on a daily basis
Solo, small and large firms are equally at risk
Attackers are aggressively targeting law firms and their data
95 percent of assessed firms don’t comply with their own data security policies
100 percent of the firms surveyed were not compliant with their client’s data security policies
40 percent of firms weren’t even aware they were breached

In fact, a whopping 4.2 billion records were compromised across 4,169 confirmed breaches in 2016. The size of your firm, your revenues, status or performance doesn’t matter.

Only one thing matters.

Data. If you have access to private or potentially sensitive data malicious threat actors want it. They’re willing to lie, cheat and steal from you to get it.

Which is why you need a legal tech consultant

A legal tech consultant protects you from threats inside and outside your firm.

Only 23% of firms have cyber security insurance policies in place to protect their business. You protect your clients from harm. A legal tech consultant protects your firm from digital threats and the litigation that will surely follow if you fail.

This isn’t optional.

Twenty five states now have an ethical duty of technological competence.

Meaning what exactly?

California Bar Formal Opinion No. 2015-193

An attorney lacking the required competence for e-discovery issues has three options: (1.) acquire sufficient learning and skill before performance is required; (2.) associate with or consult technical consultants or competent counsel; or (3.) decline client representation

Alright.

Let’s say you’re convinced. You’re open to the idea of hiring a consultant for your firm.

What exactly do legal tech consultants do?

It’s fairly straightforward.

They handle complex technology tasks that an attorney cannot or should not handle themselves.

Cloud and SaaS due diligence
Disaster recovery planning
Document management
E-discovery
Hardware selection/advisement
Migrating data to new systems
Network administration
Security reviews
Social media evidence gathering
Software selection/advisement
Trial technology preparation

Most firms aren’t focused on these items. When it comes up the response is predictable. Ignore these issues and hope the problem goes away.

It won’t.

This brings us to another question. What should you look for in a legal consultant?

The best legal tech consultants are dedicated

As an attorney you know your value.

An outstanding attorney is worth thousands, possibly millions in value – via reduced expenses, increased productivity or revenue generated.

Here’s the confusing part.

When many attorneys look for a consultant they look for the cheapest option they can find. Legal tech consultants provide your firm with the same things you provide to your clients.

Protection.

Say you’re ready to hire a consultant. What would you look for?

They work with lawyers primarily or better yet, exclusively. They have a detailed understanding of your business. They know how law firms work, what attorneys need and how to provide it.
No conflict of interest. Ideally, you’ll want to work with a consultant who works with multiple product vendors. This ensures their recommendations are a good fit for your firm.
Have broad + precise experience to meet your needs. They’re capable with both cloud (Saas) offerings and on-premise solutions. They’re able to meet you where you are now, rather than forcing you into a solution that may not be right for you.
Provide a clear plan of action. Your legal tech consultant can provide you with a 30, 60 and 90 day technology blueprint to protect your firm including: data breach and disaster recovery, service delivery, on-site and remote administration, etc.
An outline of what they’ll provide. Will they focus on specialty areas like data security and network administration? Or will they also develop, host and manage your website? You’ll need a list of their capabilities up front.
Prepare to scale your business. A good legal technology consultant knows how to prepare your business for growth. They’ll help you navigate through overlooked details like user rights management, compliance, data security and quality assurance.
Go the extra mile with advanced services like litigation readiness assessments, threat readiness testing, intrusion detection and more.
Work full time. Some professionals moonlight as legal tech consultants. They’re part timers or they have a day job. Working with these consultants means your firm’s stability is at the mercy of their day job or schedule. Instead, choose to work with full timers.

Make sense?

Next step. How do you go about finding a legal tech consultant?

Create a virtual bench to find the right consultants

You can use specialized platforms like ClearHub and Dice to find the people you need. You can use recruitment houses like Robert Half. You could use legal technology firms like NexFirm. Or, you can place job ads on sites like CareerBuilder, Monster and Indeed. Finding a legal tech consultant is easier when you know what you’re looking for.

You’ll need two things.

Major and minor work. Your minor work is simple work that doesn’t require a significant amount of trust or access.

Here’s how it works.

You hire consultants and you test them. Security reviews, disaster recovery plans, hardware and software recommendations are all great examples of minor projects.

It’s basically an audition.

But you only hire these recommended consultants on a freelance basis. You keep them on your virtual bench bringing them in from time to time. Then, once you have an opening, you open it up to your virtual bench.

When consultants compete, you win!

Your law firm is a gold mine

It needs to be protected.

Your firm is a treasure chest of valuable data. Most firms aren’t protected. They’re vulnerable and exposed. Law firms are targeted 10,000 times per day. It’s not a question of if you’re attacked but when.

A legal tech consultant is so much more.

Want your firm to grow? You’re going to need help. With the right legal tech consultant, you’ll have the tools and resources you need to protect your firm and your gold mine.

10 Tips For Your Next Event: Networking For Lawyers

September 5, 2018 By Kelly Street 1 Comment

Numerous articles have been written on legal networking for lawyers to tips to do better networking. The articles range from general networking tips to tips for introverted lawyers, and more. These articles miss one area that I’ve experienced at networking events: the big man on campus lawyer.

Don’t be this person at your networking event…

We’ve all met that person, right? Now that we’ve established the worst person at a networking event, let’s talk about what you should be doing instead.

What is networking?

Before we go into networking tips, let’s get on the same page about what networking actually is. It isn’t getting sales or leads. It is meeting people and making connections. It is not ‘rainmaking’ which is a term that I am sad to write at all. You shouldn’t go to any networking event planning to walk away with 4 new clients. It’s a better mentality to go in planning to speak with a specific number of people or a set number of new connections. This slight shift in mindset will help you come across as a genuinely interested person instead of a networking shark.

Getting to the tips:

Have a goal.

As mentioned above, go into the event with a specific goal in mind. This will help keep you on track, especially if you are higher on the introverted scale. As someone who tends to dislike networking events until I find myself in a good conversation, identifying a set number of people to speak with ahead of time helps me focus on engaging with others, rather than sitting in a corner by myself. Another goal, if you don’t enjoy these events, would simply be to stay for a dedicated period of time. Tell yourself that you will stay for 45 minutes and talk with at least 3 people during that time. This can help relieve any anxiety or nervousness about the event.

Look at the list ahead of time.

If you do have access to a list of attendees make sure to look at it prior to showing up. You may find people you know or went to school with that can help break the ice. Additionally, you could do a little internet research to see if you have anything in common with other attendees, besides the topic of the event.

Ask more questions than you answer.

There is one particular profession that does this very well: financial planners. I’m convinced that part of their professional training includes a program where they learn to ask interesting questions that build rapport and engage others. Take a hint from this group and ask about someone else’s background, their travel plans, work challenges, and more.

High-quality business cards.

Business cards are not a thing of the past quite yet. People may not have a physical rolodex like they used to but most people still collect business cards and add them to a digital rolodex later. For this reason, it is important to invest in good business cards. Quality business cards can set you apart from others, make the impression that you care about little things, and show good taste. For AttorneySync’s cards, we went with Hoban Cards, a small letterpress company that does beautiful work and will make custom options.

Stay off your phone.

Nothing says unapproachable and “I don’t want to be here” like scrolling through Facebook while everyone else is having conversations. If you don’t agree, think about the last time you saw a couple on their phones in a restaurant instead of talking with one another. Did you judge them harshly? If so, don’t be this person at a networking event. These events are typically paid, so why would you pay to be somewhere you don’t want to be to just sit on your phone for 30 minutes? If the issue is your fear of talking to new people or breaking into a group, set a time limit for your phone usage and at the end of the time, go over to the nearest group of people and just start talking. There is bound to be an extrovert in each networking grouping you come across.

Where should you go?:

When it comes to the types of events to look for, this depends on your practice area and personal interests. If you have hobbies or interests, look for groups that fit those. It’s much easier to start a conversation when you already know you have something in common. Lawyer-only groups, like you law school alumni meetings, can be great for lawyer-to-lawyer referrals but may not widen your social circle which is a bonus for much of networking. Mixed-professional networking groups, like a BNI group, have an advantage of only allowing one person per profession per group. As the only lawyer in that professional networking group you can be the gatekeeper for legal referrals.

Other than professional networking groups, there are life groups. Your kid’s parents and their friends or any other organizations you belong to can be a great resource. Remember, you are no longer using networking as ‘sales’ and are simply making connections with people or offering your knowledge. While lawyers can suffer the same fate as doctors in a group setting, where everyone who has a legal-adjacent problem may suddenly want free advice, this doesn’t mean you should be afraid to tell people what you do. Remind people unfamiliar with the legal field that, much like a doctor, your personal time is preferably spent on personal discussions and you also specialize in a particular area so you may not have the knowledge to help with their issue.

What to wear?

Lawyers generally know how to dress to look professional, but this can change depending upon your practice area. This may not be a suit, but you get to decide that, unless your firm has strict guidelines. If you are the type of lawyer who doesn’t want to wear a suit but thinks you may get judged–remember that you can choose your clients, just as they can choose their lawyer. If they want someone in a suit and you do not want to be that type of lawyer, don’t try to fit into their mold. Plenty of potential clients will be happy to have the casual lawyer.

How to introduce yourself:

Craft a quick introduction that you can memorize and adjust based on your audience. Over the last year, I have learned that lawyers often find it challenging to introduce themselves without doing one of two things; 1. Giving a monologue that starts in law school and ends with what they did today, 2. Responding with, “I’m a lawyer.” Neither option is the one you should choose. The first is more than anyone needs to know upon meeting you and the second makes you seen aloof and above the person you are speaking to, as if they couldn’t possibly understand the complexities of different areas of law. Frankly, they may not be able to, but it’s not up to you to decide that for them. Coming out with a monologue can have the same effect.

So, how does one talk about themselves? Jayson Gaignard, a master networker and owner of Mastermind Talks, gives this formula for proper networking introductions: “I help ‘_who/client_’ achieve ‘_what result_’. As a corporate tax attorney, you could respond with, “I work at _____, and I help large corporations avoid tax mistakes.” This formula allows you to say what you do and how you do that without posturing or using jargon.

After the event:

As soon as you get back to your office, send any potential clients a follow-up message with a personal message that connects to your conversation. Video emails are great for this, because it reminds the recipient of who you are by more than just a name.

Didn’t get a business card or contact information? See if you can find the person and connect on LinkedIn, especially if you didn’t have a meaningful interaction. LinkedIn can help you see if there are commonalities like school or connections that will help you make a more personal contact down the line. Be resilient- don’t be discouraged if all of your follow-ups go unanswered. Try again- once with those same people and again at other events in your area. It may take awhile to find the type of events that work best for your firm and your style.

Online Networking For Lawyers:

Part of networking for lawyers in 2018 is taking the in-person, online. It is commonplace for people to expect to be able to find information online about everyone they know or meet, whether to verify facts or connect further. People like keeping in contact with other people that they know and trust, so make sure your online profiles are up to date and accurate. In addition to contact information, make sure your profile reflects who you truly are as a professional, and that it is inviting for the kinds of clients or connections you want to attract. Go ahead and assume that your website, bio, LinkedIn, and other social media accounts will be searched by every single person who gets referred to you or meets you. Period.

Implement these tips at your next networking event

Hopefully this helps give you a better idea of what to do and not do with your networking. It’s something that most people struggle with, for a variety of reasons, but we’re all just doing the best we can to make a good impression and be someone people want to connect with. Remember that the next time you RSVP for an event.

4 Software Solutions for Older Solo Practitioners

September 4, 2018 By Andrew McDermott 1 Comment

They’re not sure about you.

Your colleagues aren’t sure if you’re still the capable and formidable attorney they grew to respect. Their bias means they may hold your age against you. But the opposite is actually true.

As an older attorney you have an advantage.

You’ve accumulated a massive amount of knowledge, experience and timing. If you’re great at your job (and you are) you have a clear idea about the details that matter.

This means…

You have something your younger colleagues don’t

Your mind is still incredibly sharp.

Here’s what’s interesting about that. Contrary to popular belief, you’re actually getting smarter as you age. That’s strange because the assumption is we decline as we age. Here I am suggesting it’s the opposite.

How’s that possible?

It’s simple. There are two different kinds of intelligence.

Fluid intelligence. Your ability to reason and to solve new problems, independent of any knowledge from the past. It’s pattern recognition and the ability to adapt to things you’ve never seen before.
Crystallized intelligence. Your ability to use your skills, knowledge, timing and experience. It’s intellectual achievement over the course of your life that you can call on whenever you need it.

Here’s why you’re at an advantage.

Fluid intelligence peaks in young adulthood then decreases afterwards. Crystallized intelligence continues to grow well into your old age. When it finally begins to decline, you’re still left with a large degree of crystallized intelligence you can use for quite some time.

What does this look like?

Can you see what’s happening?

This is why younger attorneys, whether they’re in an independent or in-house environment, struggle at first. There’s an initial decline in fluid intelligence during young adulthood. Their struggle is inevitable.

You’ve come through this.

We all lose… eventually

While we keep crystallized intelligence well into our old age, it eventually begins to decline as well. Raymond Cattell theorized the existence of fluid and crystallized intelligence. Yet he remained sharp, continuing to publish scientific works into his late 80s.

How did he do it?

More importantly, how can you accomplish the same in your career?

Are you focused on what matters?

As the saying goes, use it or lose it.

Cattell focused on what matters. What your mind focuses on, you get to keep. Want to stay sharp throughout your career? Focus on the parts of your job you value.

Outsource, delegate or minimize the rest.

Prefer to focus on litigation? Aim your attention and focus there. View well-made contracts as a work of art? Dive deep into your preferred practice area.

And the rest?

Use software to optimize your performance. Here are a few software tools and strategies you can use to manage your career or practice.

Tip #1: Rely on automated workflows

Use software tools to automate your workflow. Doing this means you get the apps you use to talk to each other. It’s an “if X, then Y” sort of thing. Hate checking email? Use an automated workflow to check it for you. Here are a few options you can use immediately.

Here’s what that looks like.

Tip #2: Offload repetitive or unproductive work

Working on the same projects over and over can be tedious. You have the right approach and an incredible amount of knowledge and experience. Teach the right freelance lawyer to do things your way. Bill clients for the value and experience you provide.

Here are a few tools you can use.

Can you see what’s happening?

You can structure deals around your knowledge and experience. You can take on more work, spending less time on tedious tasks and more time on what matters. You can maintain a high work volume, even if you decide to scale things back personally.

Tip #3: Stop managing your time and calendar

Don’t obsess over your day. Plan your time, create a schedule then use the right tools to forget about it. Use client, time and calendar management tools to create structure and clarity around your day. This gives you the time you need to focus on the work that matters.

You can use time management tools like:

Calendly enables you to schedule meeting times automatically without the back and forth emails
Calendar and productivity plugins for Microsoft Outlook
Bill4Time legal practice and project management that enables you to track, manage and record your billable time.
Law Ruler, an AI-powered CRM tool that integrates with Microsoft Outlook
ProphetCRM enables you to manage CRM from Outlook directly
Lexicata client intake software

Tip #4: Speed up your legal research

Time is money. The easier it is for you to find the legal research you need, the better your performance will be.

Westlaw from Thompson Reuters gives you immediate access to a comprehensive legal database. They’re the 800 lbs. gorilla in the room so you get the backing of a major corporation
Fastcase gives you access to a national law library offering citation analysis and comprehensive coverage
Casemaker is a low-cost option for legal research. Your local bar association may offer free access to their service
Casetextenables users to search through a database of millions of cases and review annotations about specific points in those cases. Points are created by legal scholars and practitioners

This is obvious, why does it matter?

Clients are demanding more value and efficiency. What does that mean for you? Clients aren’t all that happy about being billed for legal research.

Follow the trend and this ceases to be a billable item.

The implications here are clear. The faster your legal research platform, the more profit your firm stands to make.

You have something your younger colleagues don’t

An accumulated amount of knowledge, experience and timing. As an older attorney, you have an advantage. Use it or lose it. What your mind focuses on, you get to keep. Outsource, delegate or minimize the rest.

Start now.

Focus your attention on the areas you enjoy. Then use software and outsourcing to handle the tedious minutia you’d prefer to avoid. Use the right resources to optimize your performance. Start now and you’ll have everything you need to manage a thriving practice for years to come.

3 Ways to Earn PR for Your Solo Practice

August 31, 2018 By Andrew McDermott Leave a Comment

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to attract an avalanche of customer attention, wherever and whenever you wanted? A never-ending stream of clients and revenue for your solo or small practice?

Not only is it possible it’s completely doable.

It’s something that solo, small and even large firms can do. Today I’m going to show you how that’s done.

**It’s impossible, small firms can’t earn PR**

It’s there, isn’t it?

The unspoken fear lurking in your subconscious. Or maybe it’s hopelessness. The despair and frustration that you simply don’t know how to attract any kind of PR.

It’s tough.

What if you aren’t connected? What if you don’t have a thick address book filled with well-known influencers and power brokers who owe you a favor?

You can still do it.

You can use the strategies and tactics I’m about to share with you to generate the kind of press most attorneys dream about. In reality, there’s really only one thing in your way.

It’s you.

Here’s a mistake many people make when they read content like this. They read it with a skeptical eye. As if they’re jaded and disillusioned. Life as an attorney has taught you some harsh lessons.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is

Am I right?

This is a common mistake. Here’s how it works.

People achieve the seemingly impossible. They share their strategies and tactics with others. Then, they’re shouted down as naive, dishonest or unrealistic.

Resist this.

Why?

Because the strategies and tactics high-achievers use often seems silly or counterproductive. What works for the high achievers is often ignored by underachievers.

Ready for some PR? Let’s get started.

Strategy #1: Newsjacking

David Meerman Scott coined the term “newsjacking” to describe the age old practice of getting others to promote and evangelize your business.

Here’s how he describes it.

“Newsjacking is the art and science of injecting your ideas into a breaking news story and generating tons of media coverage and social media engagement.”

You find a trending topic or story.
You create a relevant hook that goes with that story. You combine the two.
Then you share your combined story with seeders and influencers.
Ride the PR wave as interested parties flock to your site.

While Scott coined the phrase “newsjacking” he didn’t invent the practice. It’s something people-in-the-know have used to attract a massive amount of attention and traction.

Newsjacking is a straightforward way to “go viral.”

How do you jump in front of a trending or breaking news story? You use tools. First, create a list of broad keywords that are both directly and indirectly related to your practice area. If your focus is family law, keywords like “divorce,” “celebrity divorce,” or “custody battle.”

Next, head to Google Alerts and add your keywords.

Change your settings so you’re notified as-it-happens. Newsjacking is a time sensitive strategy. The sooner you’re publishing content related to a trending story the better your results.

Strategy #2: Become a trending or pop culture pirate

Breaking Bad was a pop culture phenomenon.

It followed the story of Walter White, a high school teacher who decided to become a drug kingpin. This critically acclaimed show featured a crooked but lovable attorney by the name of Saul Goodman.

Vice had a simple question. Was there a real life Saul Goodman? They found a real life Walter White. Could they find an attorney who was just as effective as Goodman?

As it turns out there was.

Howard Greenberg is, thankfully, not a criminal.

Vice pursued Greenberg but you can pitch interested parties (e.g. journalists, publications, influential YouTube channels, etc.).

Here’s how it works.

You create a compelling story, angle or hook. (doesn’t need to be sleazy or unethical to be compelling)
Next, you identify the influencer who would be interested in your story. It’s absolutely crucial that your story is interesting to your target.
Then, you pitch your story focusing entirely on your target’s desired angle. This isn’t about you, it’s about the story they’re looking for and the value you can provide.

Where do you find these influencers?

If you’re not sure how to pitch your story, use the four step process outlined in Newsjacking.

Strategy #3: Use group emotional contagion

Researchers made an interesting discovery.

Our emotions are contagious.

There are specific emotions that facilitate sharing like awe and joy. Some emotions, like sadness don’t facilitate sharing. There’s one emotion however that gets people to share aggressively.

Anger.

You’re probably wondering why. It’s our thought germs.

See what I mean?

Okay. How do you go about using group emotional contagion to earn PR?

Find a worthwhile story or cause (e.g. unfair parking tickets) OR an upsetting cause (defending neo nazi trolls).
Position yourself behind the anger (e.g. this is terrible, let’s fix it). Be prepared to explain specifically why your story or cause is an outrage OR
Position yourself in front of the anger (e.g. I’m going to defend horrible evil people, here’s why). Be prepared for the backlash that comes your way. Provide people with a viable or morally justifiable reason for your choice.
Use advertising, journalist databases from strategy #2 and social media to jump start your story.

Here’s the thing with this strategy.

Anger spreads fast. Once it begins to spread you’ll lose control over the story. It’ll begin to take on a life of its own. It’s crucial that you get the narrative right before you launch your campaign. You won’t be able to change it later. Get it wrong and the consequences could be dire.

Here’s an example of an attorney positioning himself in front of the anger (e.g. how could you do this?).

And someone positioned behind the anger (let’s stop this together!).

See the difference?

Solo firms can earn a massive amount of PR

As Daniel Muessig showed us, size isn’t a limitation. It’s about your willingness to do the impossible. It’s only impossible until it’s done. It all comes down to a simple formula.

Do what others can’t or won’t.

Serve in a way that’s difficult or impossible for others to do it. These aren’t the only strategies you can use, but they’re effective ways to generate a massive amount of attention for your small or solo practice.

Isn’t it wonderful?

With the right strategies achieving the impossible becomes, possible.

New Feature Set – Task Management: Tasks and Task Workflows

August 28, 2018 By Bill4Time Staff 4 Comments

Update 10/9/2018:

Task and Workflows is now out of beta. The features are now available. Bill4Time customers on the Time & Billing plan now have access to the ‘Tasks’ feature. All higher-tier plans now have access to Tasks _and_ Task Workflows.

To upgrade to a higher tier please reach out to Bill4Time support.

Bill4Time Task Management Features

Your company’s operations consist of tasks that must be completed on a daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly basis to ensure that it runs smoothly. If these processes aren’t standardized, you’re inviting chaos and ambiguity into your firm’s operations. Every business, including law firms, can benefit from developing a structure to their most common actions and procedures.

Bill4Time’s Tasks and Workflow templates feature is designed to make keeping track of your top-priorities simple and straightforward. Beginning with an individual task, you can define the scope, methods, and provide detailed instructions, for an action needing to be undertaken – and then assign that task to be completed on behalf of a client and delegated to an associate.

Some projects have several moving parts and may be better captured among several tasks that are to be completed in a specific sequence – this is where Task Workflows are used. A Task Workflow is a group of individual tasks that are a component of an overall project. The individual tasks contain bite-sized actions that incrementally contribute to the project. These individual tasks may be sequenced, prioritized, and assigned across teams to ensure the proper resources are utilized for each task.

Once a Task Workflow is created, it can be used again for a new project of the same type. By designing a standard workflow of tasks for projects that involve performing similar actions, you’ll know the concise status for a project and can then determine if an important document has been researched, drafted, and whether your firm is on track to meet a deadline.

As an experienced practitioner, you know that while each client may be unique – their projects can often be handled in the same way. Even though you’re designing a workflow for projects you expect to handle similarly, the Task Workflows setup allows you to account for variations in the client and project. So if you need to observe a holiday, an expedited time frame, or delegate beyond the norm – Bill4Time’s Task Workflows feature enables you to apply a workflow and override the template of tasks to better align each task to any unique needs of a project.

Every task — especially those you’ve delegated — requires rules that define the scope, quality, and methods to be followed. If you don’t standardize these rules, you can’t have visibility over whether you’re ensuring quality and reducing human error. Standardization means that your employees have an established, time-tested process to use. When done well, standardization can decrease ambiguity and guesswork, guarantee quality, boost productivity, and increase employee morale.