Un-Billable Hour: Business Management Strategies for the Busy Lawyer Around the Community Table

• AI, Not Taking Over the Practice of Law, But Changing It

  AI is real and it’s rapidly advancing the practice of law. Guest Austin Brittenham is the co-founder of the legal AI company 2nd Chair. As an attorney, he recognized the inefficiencies that plague the legal profession and put his background in computer tech to work to create an AI platform that both recognizes the unique challenges facing lawyers – including security and confidentiality – while speeding workflow and maximizing output.  AI has been put to work in a lot of "lawyer-adjacent” areas of law such as web design, intake, and billing, but Brittenham recognized the need for a model that helps lawyers practice actual law.  He says AI won’t replace lawyers, but it may change how lawyers are viewed. If AI can automate mundane tasks, such as drafting paperwork, attorneys may be able to get back to their traditional role of a true “counsellor,” providing meaningful guidance. Hear about what’s coming in the future and, more importantly, what’s here now. Start slowly, learn the state-by-state rules, and see where you can get in the game. If you’ve been curious about AI and how it will change the practice of law, you’ll want to catch this episode.  Mentioned in This Episode: Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind?  “The Singularity Is Nearer: When We Merge with AI,” by Ray Kurzweil  “The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology,” by Ray Kurzweil  ChatGPT Microsoft Copilot AI Clio legal software LexisNexis ThomsonReuters CoCounsel AI

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• Community Table: Alternative Fee Structures, Virtual Receptionists, and a Second Office

  In this episode’s discussions around the Community Table: To meet client demand, firms are exploring alternative fee structures, such as flat-rate billing. Clients are paying for results, not hours. Today’s tech, including AI, can make your firm more efficient and settle cases faster. Hear how you can experiment with different fee structures and where they may, or may not, work.  Do you need a real receptionist, or can you get by with an outsourced, virtual one? There can be advantages. Clients today expect more, including 24/7 availability. Virtual receptionists can be available around the clock, and modern technology can offer lower costs, greater capacity, and add-ons such as multiple languages. As your firm’s footprint expands, you may consider opening an office in a new territory. Dig into the pros – and many cons – of expanding your reach and the creative alternatives to physical office space (even sending a ride-share company to pick up distant clients and bringing them to you). Mentioned in This Episode: Ask us anything for the Community Table. Leave us a question online! Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind?  Clio Legal Trends Report Previously on The Un-Billable Hour, “No More Billable Hours: The Move To Value-Based, Results-Based Pricing”  Posh virtual receptionist Ruby virtual receptionist Cliocon 2025

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• Be That Lawyer, Insider Tips to Building Your Firm, Becoming a Rainmaker

  In this hands-on, in-the-trenches episode about real business development, learn the secrets to acquiring and signing new clients from law firm advisor Steve Fretzin, author of the new book “Be That Lawyer: The 101 Top Rainmaker Secrets to Growing a Successful Law Practice.” Fretzin, an accomplished author, business strategist, and podcaster, works with law firms big and small to help them prioritize goals, build their business, and achieve measurable, repeatable successes. Business development is more than buzzwords such as “branding” or “marketing,” it’s about the entire, intentional path to creating a business that is always growing, always producing. It’s the process of becoming the lawyer that everyone knows and everyone goes to: a rainmaker. As Fretzin says, “Be that lawyer.”  Hear about “sales-free selling” with a thoughtful, insightful approach to learning what clients need before you start pitching a service. Develop a checklist, a map, for building your business that you can put to work today. Developing a business can be confusing, with a lot of moving parts. Fretzin explains how it all comes together. Mentioned in This Episode: Books by Steve Fretzin  Previous appearance on The Un-Billable Hour, “Business Development: Planning and Practicing” Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind?

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• Community Table: The Five Commandments of Law Firm Marketing

  In this episode’s discussions around the Community Table: Grappling with a marketing refresh? Start with understanding you are an experiment of one. Asking someone else what’s working for them is a doorway to blind alleys. There is nobody just like you, so explore all options, ask yourself what you want to get out of it. You can’t copy what someone else does.  Learn and live “The Five Commandments of Marketing.” Have a call to action, know what you want to get back for the marketing spend, evaluate your results, learn from the outcome, and commit to the full process (don’t skip a step). Hiring a marketing agency is tricky. Manage the agency. Don’t let them take over. Hold them accountable with weekly meetings and reports. Make sure the agency has worked in your field and knows your market. Understand where your money is going, what amount of your spend buys marketing and what pays the agency. Mentioned in This Episode: Cliocon 2025 Seth Godin Legal Marketing Blog Seth Godin previous appearance on Legal Talk Network’s “New Solo” podcast, “What New Solos Can Learn From Han Solo”  Ask us anything for the Community Table. Leave us a question online Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind?

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• Rebranding: Define Your Firm, Define Your Practice

  Not too long ago, law firms were discouraged from using trade names and “branding” themselves. But the world has changed, and branding today is a key part of your success. Is it time for your firm to get serious, or even consider a “rebranding?”  Guest Jim Heininger, “The Rebrand Man,” founded and leads the firm Rebranding Experts. He is an experienced, highly successful brand consultant and brand activator. Branding, he says, is your strategic business accelerator, a “jet pack to success.”  Don’t confuse branding with marketing. It goes deeper. Who are you? What’s your culture? What do people think about when they hear your firm’s name, and what do they expect from you? Hear how far you can go with your brand (and how far you should).  Whatever you do, take a few minutes to soak up this insightful consultation with a branding expert who will get you thinking about who you are, what you stand for, and everything from your firm’s name to your message and culture. Mentioned in This Episode: “Jim Heininger: The Art of Rebranding,” YouTube “Your Rebranding Launch: Not The Finish Line But The Starting Point,” by Jim Heininger, Forbes Bravanti The Un-Billable hour podcast website Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind?

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  43:44

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