From Yerevan, Armenia...

A tech tip about how to prepare for mysterious and unexpected issues in your tools and tech, and what you can do to recover from hiccups.

Some concise advice about grappling with the reality that practicing law isn't always fun, and how to deal with frustration around bureaucracy and inefficiency.

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00:00 Location Update

00:48 Tech Tip

08:16 Concise Advice

11:55 Wrapping up

From Yerevan, Armenia...

A tech tip about some of the more practical new features in iOS 18 and Android 15 that have flown under the radar.

Some concise advice about how to deal with changes that impact your practice, and how to communicate to your team about change without making them run for the hills.

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00:00 Location Update

01:01 Tech Tip

06:34 Concise Advice

14:24 Wrapping up

From Klaksvik, Faroe Islands...

A tech tip with five strategies for coping with the ever changing and updating technology landscape.

Some concise advice about why lawyers need training and strategies for confronting, dealing with, and preventing burnout, rather than just ignoring it and making the problem worse.

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00:00 Location Update

01:02 Tech Tip

08:35 Concise Advice

16:24 Wrapping up

From Bangkok, Thailand...

A tech tip about letting your team bring their own devices when it comes to computers and phones used for work.

Some concise advice about office design and whether it's worth having a specialist arrange and outfit your workspace.

From Raleigh, North Carolina...

A tech tip about getting your new website done in an hour (rather than weeks or months) with tools like http://carrd.co.

Some concise advice about medical care and staying healthy while traveling, or living out of the US.

My wife Lisa does more in-depth writing on our travels in her weekly newsletter. You can find it here: rosenfinder.com

From Raleigh, North Carolina...

A tech tip about juggling the multitude of communications platforms we have to use for internal and external communication in a law practice.

Some concise advice about what kind of marketing works (hint: all of it works... if you're consistent).

From Raleigh, North Carolina...

An (anti)tech tip about why jumping on the next shiny object usually doesn't actually make you more productive or move you forward.

Some concise advice about both clients and employees who end up driving you a little bit crazy.

From Raleigh, North Carolina...

A tech tip about getting a discount on Clear identity verification for frequent travelers who want to save a few minutes at the airport.

Some concise advice on thinking about small problems you can solve for clients at scale as a way to create new revenue streams for your practice (with a service we use - Termageddon - as an example)

From Paris, France...

Some tech tips and concise advice woven into one for you today about traveling and technology, including Google Fi, (finally) going paperless, experimenting with traveling and working, as well as some guidance on finance, taxes, banking, mail, medical issues and more when working and traveling.

I cover my travel adventures once each year in my page on being a digital nomad lawyer. If you want more frequent updates, my wife Lisa writes weekly right here.

From Paris, France...

A tech tip today about password management and the handful of passwords you might want to memorize rather than save somewhere, as well as why you might want to authorize someone else to receive account confirmation text messages.

Some concise advice about not letting a fear of rejection impact your fees.

From Paris, France...

A tech tip today about using the technology you're already paying for. I see a lot of lawyers who buy literally dozens of products and services to do things that are already included in the software they already have.

Some concise advice about gift giving as we inch closer to the holiday season.

From Mayrhofen, Austria...

A tech tip about using the Obsidian app for creating, organizing, and utilizing your notes in a way that mimics how your brain works (or Roam Research if that one works better for the way you think).

Some concise advice about why you're probably charging less than you should and how to price yourself so you're earning what you're worth.

From Mayrhofen, Austria...

A tech tip about our doing calls in foreign languages with a real-time, AI-powered translation tool called Yous.

Some concise advice about how to make sure you're recapturing as much utility and mileage as you possibly can out of the marketing content you're paying to create.

From Klaksvik, Faroe Islands...

A tech tip about if an alternative web-browser might be a better fit for your day-to-day browsing.

Some concise advice about why embracing chaos can often lead to a better journey.

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00:00 Location Update

01:20 Tech Tip

11:05 Concise Advice

15:16 Wrapping up

Resources

Brave

Opera

Vivaldi

Arc

Sidekick

Orion

DuckDuckGo

From Vienna...

A tech tip about our page dedicated to our favorite tools, and for Mac users, the great SetApp service.

Some concise advice about the kinds of experiments you should be trying in your practice.

From Vienna...

A tech tip about an audio and video editing tool that excites me more than just about any software I've used in 20 years.

Some concise advice about creating a vision for your practice.

From Florence...

It's the last call for our VisionQuest 2022 program. If you're ready to build the practice you deserve, join VisionQuest here.

A tech tip about moving our employees to a bring-your-own-device policy.

Some concise advice about planning your day to be more productive.

From Venice - a tech tip that helps with travel restrictions, a moment of concise advice about content marketing, and information about our upcoming VisionQuest program that starts soon. Find out more about VisionQuest here.

Up until now, this podcast has covered the same content as my Friday File emails, but I'm making a big change and taking it in a different direction. Don't worry - it's still going to be about actionable advice you can put to use in your practice, and the Friday File emails aren't going anywhere, I'm just going to be covering different topics in each. If you aren't already subscribed to the Friday File email, you can do that right here so that you don't miss out on anything.

This episode of the podcast has some tech tips, practice advice, and updates on my travels. It's going to be a work in progress as we experiment with finding a direction that works best. I'd love to hear what you think and any feedback you have. You can always reach me at lee@roseninstitute.com

Big firms attract big clients which results in big money - that's the theory and it makes sense at first glance. But "correlation is not causation" as the statisticians like to tell us. There's a lesson in that for smaller firm lawyers.

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The lawyer does the work, the lawyer bills for the work, the client fails to pay the bill, the lawyer quite often does more work, the client still doesn't pay. The lawyer does it again and then again and then again. And the lawyer is upset when the bookkeeper mentions the huge unpaid balance.

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At some point, something you do is probably going to work. You're going to get your 15 minutes of fame. Of course, in the current age, it might be only five minutes but it could be big - really, really big. When something big happens and the flood of attention rains down on you it's important that you're ready if you're going to turn the attention into bank deposits.

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The literal among us want to believe the thing - whatever the thing might be - is what matters. I get it and sure, the thing happened and it seems like the thing matters, but it's the story that lives on forever.

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The last time I updated you on our nomadic existence, we were in Seoul, South Korea, hiding out from Covid. We're still hiding out, but we've developed some (so far adequate) virus avoidance skills. We've made it through another year with a bit of luck, a lot of Covid tests, and masks firmly settled on our faces.

Get Rosen's Rules, our free course on the 10 critical rules all successful law firms follow.

From Klaksvik, Faroe Islands...

A tech tip about deadlines on projects and the utility in being able to mark something as "complete".

Some concise advice on flipping the script on asking for referrals and getting referral sources excited about helping you out.

00:00 Location Update

01:00 Tech Tip

06:29 Concise Advice

13:50 Wrapping up

The list of things that frighten me is long. I don't have the time, energy, or courage to list them all here for you. In fact, I can't see the value to you of my detailing every last bit of fear so I'll skip the blood, alligators, and snakes. I can, however, see some benefit for you from hearing a few of the things on the list. Specifically, I'll mention some of the things that have affected me in my practice.

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He gave me all sorts of business management and marketing advice but I left his building with a strong sense his tips weren't the reason for his success.

Get Rosen's Rules, our free course on the 10 critical rules all successful law firms follow.

An inbox that is out of control often correlates with a business that can't scale or grow in the way you want it to. It's usually an indicator that you're becoming a bottleneck to the practice. This is my guide to managing your email. It's not perfect, it's not comprehensive, and it's a work in progress. I'll keep updating this resource as new services become available and as better solutions to email management present themselves.

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I often wondered how the same folks showed up on the stage so often before I figured it out. I was perplexed because far too often those repeat speakers at continuing education programs and other professional events weren't particularly great speakers. They got the job done, but they were pretty dull.

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If you improve your productivity by one percent per day for seventy-two days in a row, you become twice as productive. Yeah, it surprises me too. Math isn’t my thing. Just finding that small thing each day and implementing a change means that you’ll be twice as productive in just two and a half months—that kind of blows my mind. What if I really could get twice as much done as I can right now by making very small changes? What if that were to happen by this summer?

Get Rosen's Rules, our free course on the 10 critical rules all successful law firms follow.

When I'm focused on moving my business forward, I win at business. When I focus on the competition, I lose. Focusing on winning meant, for me, finding ways to attract and satisfy clients. That had little, if anything, to do with our competition. My clients cared a lot less about how I stacked up against the competition than I did.

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You can have pretty much anything you want if you'll decide what you want. Many of us aren't willing to decide. We won't take the time to think it through. But, even when we do sketch out our goals, we hesitate to commit. Why? Because picking one thing means giving up on some others. It's easier to keep our options open than it is to decide.

Get Rosen's Rules, our free course on the 10 critical rules all successful law firms follow.

Asking a client for an online review is hard. It triggers our insecurities. Asking risks rejection, negative feedback, or even ambivalence. It puts the story we tell ourselves, about ourselves, on the line.

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Life is fair more often than not. I find that annoying. The lawyer who’s too busy, distracted, overwhelmed, or unwilling to consistently, persistently follow-up, stay in touch, meet regularly, and stay on top of people ends up with what you’d expect.

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It takes some gumption to complain to your attorney. For most people, an attorney is an authority figure, someone kind of like a parent or a teacher. There are psychological barriers to telling these folks what we actually think. Our clients come to us referred by someone they trust, they met with us and decided to trust us as well. Even when they're unhappy with us they wonder if it's just their perception. They're not always sure they're right to be upset. You've likely had an experience of another lawyer's client coming to you just to double-check, to get a second opinion, about whether they're right to be distressed.

Get Rosen's Rules, our free course on the 10 critical rules all successful law firms follow.

From Klaksvik, Faroe Islands...

A tech tip about doing a post-summer inbox detox with tools like

Some concise advice about the outdated annual performance review and what you should be using instead.

00:00 Location Update

01:26 Tech Tip

08:23 Concise Advice

16:59 Wrapping up

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Resources

AgainstData

InboxPurge

SaneBox.

These are the tools and products we use and suggest. Some are tried and true. Some were created last week. We update this list with some frequency so we suggest that you bookmark it and come back periodically.

Have we used every single product? Nope. But, nearly all of them are used by us or our members at Rosen Institute. There are a few that we included without trying them because they fill a gap in the market which solves a problem some folks desperately need to be solved.

Find the tools here.

Get Rosen's Rules, our free course on the 10 critical rules all successful law firms follow.

The discount discussion comes up in two contexts in the attorney-client relationship. In one situation it's an appropriate, albeit unwelcome conversation. In the other--well, in the other situation, you've already screwed things up.

Get Rosen's Rules, our free course on the 10 critical rules all successful law firms follow.

20% of our clients cause 80% of our misery. That's 100% accurate based on my observations obtained over thirty years of dealing with clients. Most clients are awesome. They're pleasant to talk to, they do what they're asked, they pay their bills, and they act like decent people. But, a few, just a few are absolutely miserable human beings.

Get Rosen's Rules, our free course on the 10 critical rules all successful law firms follow.

When the opportunity presents itself, owning an office building is an enticing proposition for a lot of attorneys. I've asked Arizona attorney Scott Stewart to share the advice he's accumulated from purchasing and owning his own building.

Get Rosen's Rules, our free course on the 10 critical rules all successful law firms follow.

Most of us find the standard financial reports unhelpful and difficult to comprehend. They leave us in the dark on knowing if the information means we're doing well or doing poorly. I can't blame you for hitting delete. Why are you paying for these horribly useless reports?

Get Rosen's Rules, our free course on the 10 critical rules all successful law firms follow.

Mistakes we make in our practices can be pretty darn big. Not, "I left the clamp in the chest cavity of the dead guy" big but pretty big. Our mistakes usually cost somebody a big bucket of money. We'd love to fix them. We desperately wish the problem would go away. We'd do anything to solve the problem. If only we could fix it right now so the client would never know...

Join the Friday File to get actionable advice about management, finance, marketing, and tech for your practice. It's how successful lawyers build law firms.

It's often not the amazing work that gets the review - it's something else. It's something small and personal. It's something that binds us to the client as one person to another. It's the little things.

Client dissatisfaction is much like a virus. It spreads. It infects everyone in close proximity. Your clients know people like themselves, which means they know potential clients, or maybe even other current clients. They talk to each other, then they go online to talk some more. They vent, they complain, and it lessens the chance of future referrals.

When business gets slow, it's easy to sink into that lethargic, stuck in place, tired feeling. There's a solution to that problem and it's going to take you making a commitment to yourself to do something. It takes action.

Do one thing, the next thing, and another thing, and you're off and running. But, it's scary. Putting our heads in the sand feels warm, snug, safe, secure and comfortable. Fear is paralyzing. We avoid action when we feel fear. It's tempting to go back to bed.

Too many of us spend too much time studying the problem and procrastinating when it comes to implementing solutions. When the default approach is to simply add the problem to the task list for later consideration then your life and your business are mired in the muck.

Working remotely has become the norm over the last several months. But what about working really remotely - foreign country remotely? I've been doing it for years, and COVID has changed the landscape in terms of both the practicality and ethics of moving from place to place. Is working remotely (not just from home) still a viable option?

Back in the day, like six months ago, holiday events were a dime a dozen. You couldn't stand out from the crowd if you tried. Holiday parties were all pretty much the same. Not anymore.