“I didn’t let the fear take over.” That’s what my seven-year-old said to us on Saturday.He had baseball tryouts and experiences a good bit of social anxiety. Over the last few years, he has let that inhibition keep him from doing things that he might otherwise enjoy. But more often, we’ve pushed him into uncomfortable situations knowing he’d enjoy himself once he overcame those initial barriers.On Saturday morning, we braced ourselves for a tough morning, but he never said anything about being nervous or anxious. He had his tryouts, and everything went well. On the way to the car, we...
Let’s talk about (not Bruno — we don’t talk about Bruno) the fear of rejection. I’ll get this out of the way — rejection hurts and there’s no one signing up to get in that line. BUT if you don’t put yourself in a position to be rejected from time to time, you’re probably not pushing yourself forward. We can look at this in the context of my podcast, Lawyerpreneur. One of the things that kept me away from the podcast for a while is the prospect of reaching out to people who would tell me no. Guess what? That...
Joel Oster is our guest in Episode 53 of Lawyerpreneur. Joel Oster practices constitutional law and runs Comedian of Law, a CLE company that uses humor to liven up its materials. He also hosts a podcast called Debriefing the Law. He is also the author of UnDue Process: Exposing the Good, the Bad, and the Funny of the Law. Among other things, we talk about how he gave himself a bridge between his law practice and his other projects to chase his creative pursuits. Using Humor and Storytelling in Law with Joel Oster You can listen here or on your...
For going on two years, Michael Young has been my go-to example of the benefits of using unconventional marketing methods to establish your brand and build trust equity with others in your profession. Because of that, his appearance on Lawyerpreneur is long overdue. Michael Young is a regular contributor on LinkedIn discussing insurance coverage and bad faith topics. Since December 2019, he’s hosted Michael’s Insurance Podcast, talking about topics like business interruption coverage, well before a pandemic caused thousands of people to be suddenly interested in it. And more recently, he has been an early adopter and avid use of...
For Episode 51, we talk with Tripp Watson of the Watson Law Firm in Birmingham, Alabama. Tripp started his own firm right out of law school and began marketing his firm as the Entrepreneur’s Law Firm. Tripp talks about Birmingham’s entrepreneurial roots and how the city’s business foundations have evolved over the last 150 years. He answers questions about whether having niche law practice focused on business owners made it more difficult to get started and get a foothold. Watson also talks about managing client relationships and why his firm website has a page that lays out in great detail...
Our guest for Episode 50 is Brian Gibbons, who is a partner in the civil defense litigation firm Wade Clark Mulcahy in New York. He hosts the interview-based podcast, Call Your Next Witness, and is an active member of DRI. He has used his involvement in DRI and other industry organizations as a platform to help build and grow his law practice. Gibbons has also used his podcast and other out-of-the-box marketing to expand his professional network. Check out Brian Gibbon’s interview of me on Call Your Next Witness. Using Industry Organizations to Help Build Your Law Practice with Brian...
In the nine years that I worked at Webster Henry, no partner had left the firm to go to another defense firm. So when the time approached for me to turn in my notice and prepare my exit, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Were we going to play nice when I left the law firm, or burn everything to the ground and salt the earth? You’ve heard the horror about bad exits from law firms One of my former partners had his phone turned off while he was vacationing at Disney World because his firm got wind that he...
After nine years of practicing law at Webster Henry, it’s time for me to do a new thing. I have been really proud that I was one of just a handful of people in my law school class to have been at only one firm since I started practicing. But over the last eighteen months, the past became less important as I turned my focus to the future. So when an opportunity came along with Gordon Rees Scull Mansukhani, in which the future was dazzling, I made the leap. Gordon Rees is the place where I’m going to do my...
In the past 18 months, we keep hearing that “everyone has a podcast now.” It’s become a running joke as hundreds, possibly thousands, of podcasts have been born out of a global pandemic. Most have since gone comatose, but others has continued on. Robert Ingalls, founder of LawPods, is encouraged by the continued prevalence and popularity of podcasts. He sees podcasts as a way for lawyers and firms to give clients and potential clients a look behind the curtain. It enables clients to get to know their lawyers on a personal level and establishes a platform for lawyers to exhibit...
While Beth George hasn’t entirely left the practice of law behind, she spends most of her time consulting with bagel shop owners for her business BYOB Bagels. When Beth’s son had dietary sensitivities that required a lot of experimenting, she found herself on a path that would lead to her being a bagel-based business consultant. Because she was raised in a home with a family-run business, Beth George was prepared for both the joys and struggles of being her own boss. Episode 47 of Lawyerpreneur starts off a little differently than most. Beth starts off asking me about my work,...
Being a lawyer doesn’t mean doing business as usual.
