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,...
In Episode 47 of Lawyerpreneur, Lisa M. Lilly returns to the podcast to interview me in my role as J. W. Judge, author of the new dark fantasy novel Vulcan Rising. In this role reversal interview, Lilly asks me about my writing process, my inspiration for the novel, and why I chose to write fiction under a pen name.Learn more about Lisa either by listening to Episode 19 or by going to her website lisalilly.com.Find out more about my fiction writing as J. W. Judge at jwjudge.com, or purchase Vulcan Rising wherever you like to buy your books. If you enjoy...
Despite the limiting beliefs and self doubts she was experiencing, Angela Han gave herself permission to start a business that she felt compelled to start. In Episode 46 of Lawyerpreneur, listen to Angela talk about why ambition isn’t greedy, giving yourself the freedom to pursue opportunities, and how relying on a business coach’s belief in the right choice for content creation contributed to her success. You can find Angela Han at her website, on her podcast Fit to Practice, and on LinkedIn. For another interview on mindfulness topics, check out my conversation with Claire Parsons. Challenge Your Self-Doubt to Achieve...
Tahmina Watson is both an immigrant to the United States and an immigration lawyer. And as you might expect, there is some correlation between those things. Tahmina has worked tirelessly over the last four years not only to aid those affected by immigration policy under the Trump Administration, but also to affect change so that the United States stops losing talented would-be immigrants to other countries. Tahmina Watson is the founder of Watson Immigration Law in Seattle. She is the author of the books, The Startup Visa and Legal Heroes in the Trump Era. Tahmina is one of the founders...
When David Lat went to law school and launched his legal career, he expected to have a traditional legal career. But within a few years, the desire to write and explore topics that were of interest to him and, as it turns out, many other people led David down a non-standard path. In Episode 44 of Lawyerpreneur, David Lat and I talk about the early days of Underneath Their Robes, the predecessor to Above the Law. He tells the story of why he decided to come out from behind his anonymity, and how that led to Above the Law. David...
Being a lawyer doesn’t mean doing business as usual.
