The Legal Toolkit

Women attorneys are intelligent and brave, but they still face particular challenges in the legal profession. Jared chats with Rachel Clar of Interconnected Us about her mission to create safe environments for women in law to get the support they need to grow their influence and flourish in legal practice. Later, in perhaps the most uniquely named Rump Roast game yet, Jared and Rachel play “Town in Upstate NY, Town in Rural Alabama, or Discontinued Household Cleaner?” And, yeah—the name is pretty self-explanatory. And, we know you’re sick of hearing about AI, but Jared still has a few things that need to be said. First, don’t be a moron and believe everything AI tells you, and second, *do* save yourself time by using AI for contracts, emails, and generating workflows. Rachel Clar is founder and CEO at Interconnected Us. ----- We talked about how law firms can use generative AI tools right now, so here's a playlist about AI, designed by AI. Hey, we had a nice run. ----- Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest. Our closing track is Night Whispers by Dr. Delight.

Chuki Obiyo has made a science of growing law firm businesses, with plenty of research to back up his time-tested strategies. Jared talks with Obiyo about how to form deeper connections with your network, tips for start-up firms, and leveraging social media and other technology to promote business growth. Later, who knew September had so many stupid holidays? Apparently, Jared did, so you’re in for a treat on the Rump Roast. Jared and Chuki play “Fake-Ass Holidays" to showcase September’s plethora of silly celebrations. And, Jimmy Buffet had a life well-lived. Jared pays homage to the late musician, highlighting his greatest songs, memorable collaborations, and more. Chuki Obiyo is managing director of business development at Vedder Price. ----- We talked about the recent passing of Jimmy Buffett. So, let's pour out a little rum for our fallen homie. ----- Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest. Our closing track is Kokobongo by Alessandro Gugel.

It’s been 563 days, but we’re finally back in the Playroom with musical guest Mark Oblinger. Mark holds the double distinction of being an Emmy-winning/Grammy-nominated musician AND having a longtime connection with this very podcast! Tune in for Jared and Mark’s chat about his colorful career in music and audio. Mark highlights his time playing with bands like Firefall and Pure Prairie League, his successful stint in the tv-music world, and his current budding career as a solo artist. And then, the good stuff! Mark performs two of his songs live, including his slightly darker, melancholy version of the classic hit “Amie” by Pure Prairie League. Learn more about Mark and his upcoming tours and projects at: https://markoblinger.com/ ----- Mark's done us the kindness of putting together an absolutely stellar playlist for our enjoyment. Check out some of the songs that inspire his work and maybe become inspired as well. ----- Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest. Our closing track is Little Bird from Mark's 2019 album High Water Line.

Lawyers, you really actually do need to use KPIs—that’s Key Performance Indicators for those of you who *still* haven’t kept up with good business practices. Do it! And, Jared’s here to help with a breakdown of the 5 KPI categories you need to start keeping track of, like, yesterday. Next, software demos! If you’re paralyzed with indecision about what software to use, a demo could help, but only if you ask good questions throughout the process. Jared welcomes Andreas Becker to talk about the importance of planning and strategizing to gain the knowledge you need to solve problems and increase productivity with new software. And, the Rump Roast takes yet another new turn, this time leaving us with Jared & Andreas dreaming about the songs they’d love to use in their podcasts if royalties weren’t a thing. Andreas Becker is director of business development of Lawyaw at Clio. ----- If we had no limit on the money we could spend for music, can you just imagine what music we'd use on this show. Well, IMAGINE NO MORE! Andreas and I share our dream picks for podcast music. ----- Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest. Our closing track is Chillabye by Midnight Daydream.

Integrations, integrations, integrations. You’ve probably heard about integrations for years, but lots of people still struggle to understand just how this stuff is going to change their workflows. Jared explains the whole concept, gives some of the first integrations you need to be using, and warns you away from some missteps. Next, Emil Ali stops by chat with Jared about the unique challenges and worrying trends in IP ethics. Oh, what’s that? You’re not an IP attorney? Well, you’d be surprised how many non-IP attorneys get hit with these very much not trivial penalties. Finally, the stars have aligned! Welcome to the era of Barbenheimer! Jared and Emil look back at past movie release days to debate other great film pairings that have paved the way for this “momentous” occasion. Emil Ali is a partner at McCabe & Ali, LLP. ----- Since it's Barbenheimer weekend, we've mixed some serious + silly songs together, in the spirit of the moment. (Though, I hear 'Barbie' is pretty deep, too.)

Why would a law firm hire a PR agency? Well, if you’ve ever wished your firm was known for its expertise and thought leadership, a PR agency might be just the thing. Jared brings on Michelle Calcote King to talk through the lawyer/PR relationship and its potential for improving your credibility, furthering your reach, and growing your business. The rest of the show is a total Succession-fest. Jared’s monologue spoils the entire beginning, middle, and end of the series, so listeners beware. And, later on in the Rump Roast, Jared welcomes his own kids for dramatic readings of some favorite Succession quotes. Michelle Calcote King is principal and president of Reputation Ink. ----- We have fun on this show, but today it's all business - Succession style. ----- Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest. Our Rump Roast song is Macbeth by JeesGuy. Our closing track is Lucky Day by SPARKZ.

Adding value for bar association members is always a good idea. Jared chats with Rio Peterson, who has just about seen it all when it comes to bar programming—from cool events to tech offerings to stellar educational programs and more. Listen in for her thoughts on improving bar culture and providing more for members. Jared and Rio also talk about how lawyer side hustles are more common than you might think and just might provide the little extra something you need in your life. This time on the Rump Roast—you don’t often use Simon Le Bon heads as your rating mechanism, but today is the day! Jared has Rio rate the annoyance level of a variety of “Name Songs” pulled from the archives of popular music. Also, does Rio like it when you ask her if she “dances on the sand”? If the answer to that one isn’t obvious, tune in to find out. Circling back—since you’re a lawyer, your side hustle has to be seriously legit. You don’t want to find yourself in the middle of a legal ethics violation, so Jared explains the best ways to keep your extra gigs on the up and up. Learn more about this topic in Christa Arcos’ article: Wearing Two Hats: Dual Practices and Ancillary Businesses. Rio Peterson is Bar and Affinity Partnerships Strategist at ALPS Lawyers Malpractice Insurance. ----- We talked about songs titled after girls' name and how annoying that must be if you happen to share that name, so here's a playlist highlighting that occasion! ----- Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest. Our closing track is Jewels by Falls.

Even if you’re a great lawyer, your top-notch skills might be holding you back when it comes to running your business. Jared talks with Steve Seckler about his recent article in the ABA’s GPSolo eReport, Stop Thinking (and Acting) Like a Lawyer, in which he outlines the typical attorney characteristics that work great in legal matters, but kinda suck when you’re trying to network, grow your firm, get referrals, manage your employees, and more. Listen in to learn how to suppress those lawyer instincts when needed. Later, time to Roast some Rumps! Jared has crafted a brand new game for today’s special guest, titled “Deep Cuts with Steve Seckler” and featuring obscure trivia from the world of popular music. And, if you haven’t noticed, most law firm logos are terrible. Tune in to hear Jared’s list of what not to do when you design your logo—we’re looking at you, Doric columns, books, boring stuff, etc—and learn how to make something that’s actually appealing. Stephen Seckler is president of Seckler Legal Recruiting and Coaching. ----- It's time to get deep - DEEP - into Steve's musical tastes. That's right, we've got some deep cuts here. ----- Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest. Our closing track is Tenderness of You by Cast of Characters.

Fastcase and vLex have merged to form the world's largest law library, containing the law from over 100 countries and more than a billion documents. One platform with all these resources means attorneys around the world will have bigger, better, faster access to everything they need to do legal research. Jared chats with Ed Walters of Fastcase about their goals for democratizing the law and what plans they have to continue developing this global library and legal AI for easier use. This time on the Rump Roast, Jared and Ed play “Wack-Ass Responses from AI to Completely Reasonable Prompts,” but that title seems a bit unwieldy, so you can just think of it as: “ChatGPT Jeopardy!” And, since AI will probably take over the world eventually, let’s prove our superiority while we still can. Jared’s found the clincher: we’re funny, and AI’s sense of humor is decidedly lame. We win. Ed Walters is the CEO and co-founder of Fastcase, an online legal research software company. Read more about the merger: Legal tech disruptors vLex and Fastcase merge to form world’s largest global law library ----- Legal research is all about searching, but there's a lot of other stuff you can look for, too. ----- Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest. Our closing track is Yellow Letter by Sam Barsh.

Randa Prendergast takes a “June Cleaver” approach to running a law firm, making every little thing run smoothly without breaking a sweat. Jared and Randa talk through how to identify your workflow needs and develop processes that make it easy for employees old and new to know exactly how to keep things rolling. Later on in the Rump Roast, Jared’s fellow Bostonian Dan Winslow joins to talk about the great equalizer of the food world (beans, obviously) and the real reason Boston has long been known as “Beantown.” Dan also discusses the first-ever Beantown Beanfest, coming up on June 24, 2023! And, finally, 1974’s “Sundown” album by Gordon Lightfoot is perfect. In Jared’s words, the title track is “…maybe the most quietly menacing pop song ever written.” That description alone is pretty damn intriguing, so tune in for Jared’s thoughts on the whole album—and RIP Gordon Lightfoot (November 17, 1938 – May 1, 2023). Randa Prendergast is the Attorney Whisperer at Mrs. June Legal, LLC. Daniel B. Winslow is President of the New England Legal Foundation. ------ In honor of the late, great Gordon Lightfoot, here is a smattering of some of that Yukon gold! ----- Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest. Our closing track is Night Whispers by Dr. Delight.

If you know exactly how all your clients found you, then you know exactly how to market your firm to keep driving more growth. But, a whole lot of firms aren’t tracking the process from need to lead to paying client. Jared chats with Patrick Carver about how collecting the right data on leads eventually converts into more clients and bigger profits. Later, Patrick sticks around for the Rump Roast and a new take on the much-loved antics of the Florida Man—but this time, just a bit north! Jared’s latest quiz asks the question,“What Would Georgia Man Do?” And, The perfect intake form isn’t as elusive as you might think. Jared’s got tips for hitting the Goldilocks zone with each and every potential client to make sure you’re not wasting your time or theirs. Patrick Carver is CEO and owner of Constellation Marketing. ----- We talked with Patrick Carver about, among other things, the great state of Georgia. So, here are some of our favorite Georgia songs! ----- Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest. Our closing track is Night Whispers by Dr. Delight.

How do you get your best clients to hire you? Jared welcomes Bruce La Fetra, a real, live client whisperer, to chat about how to flip your usual script and market to the clients you actually want. Later, the guys play “Technical ‘Knox’ Out,” a trivia round highlighting Knoxville, TN, facts—past and present. And, who knew? Apparently, Jared’s devotion to flip phones rivals that of the Laguna Beach teen scene in 2004. But, Jared’s relationship with his beloved, flippy phones has been riddled with angst as of late. Tune in for the drama. Bruce La Fetra is a consultant at Eastwood Strategy Advisors. ----- We talked about Knoxville - which is in Tennessee; so, here are some Nashville (also in Tennessee) artists! ----- Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest. Our closing track is This is Love by Alsever Lake.

Where do expert witnesses come from, exactly? Jared welcomes guests Allison Muller, Nick Briscoe, and Nick Rishwain—an experienced and knowledgeable panel discussing the ins and outs of expert witnessing. They share how professionals come into this field and offer advice for attorneys looking to engage an expert witness for a case. Later on in the Rump Roast, guest Rachael Ziegler joins to talk about yet another of Jared’s favorite TV series—HBO’s reboot of the classic lawyer show, Perry Mason. And, lawyers of all ages and stages benefit from mentors in legal practice, but many don’t know how to tap into the expertise they need. Jared offers his tips for seeking out mentors and explains how multiple connections with differing knowledge bases can help attorneys thrive. Dr. Allison Muller is a board-certified toxicologist with expert witness experience in cases involving alcohol, drugs of abuse, carbon monoxide, medication errors, and postmortem toxicology. Nicholas Briscoe is Chief Economist at Briscoe Economics Group, Inc. and has provided consulting and expert witness testimony in a wide variety of economic and financial matters. Nick Rishwain is Vice President of business development and relations at Experts.com, assisting attorneys in locating a wide variety of expert witnesses and consultants for their litigation support needs. Rachel Ziegler is the founder of Ziegler Legal Services, where her practice focuses on estate planning, estate administration, trust administration, and health care advocacy. ----- Since we talked about with no less than 4 experts, here are some songs about being smart. You'll listen, if you know whats good for you! ----- Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest. Our closing track is Lucky Day by SPARKZ.

Communication often happens because we are simply reacting to something, but how often do we react with a thoughtful, impactful response? Jared welcomes Jessica Chen to hear her strategies for leveling up your professional communications. They talk through some of the ways communications training can elevate your influence in the workplace and discuss ways to connect with professional peers through social media. Later, has anyone named Oscar ever won an Oscar? Find out whether Jessica knows the answer in Jared’s Rump Roast quiz featuring historic Academy Awards trivia. And, HBO’s “The Last of Us” is the best show Jared’s seen in a looong time, so if you like gut-wrenching, poetic, and a little bit disturbing storytelling, you’d better check it out. Jessica Chen is an Emmy-Award Winner and the founder and CEO of Soulcast Media. ----- Since we talked about the Academy Awards, let's keep awards season rolling: here's our list of the best Best Original Song category winners! ----- Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest. Our closing track is Yellow Letter by Sam Barsh.

This time on The Legal Toolkit, Jared forgoes his monologue to give more time to his conversation with Chris Stock. Tune in as this duo dig into criminal justice reform, ChatGPT’s future in legal and the world at large, legal tech business outlooks, Chris’s new venture as founder of a consulting firm, and more. Later, stick around for “Shit Australians Say” on the Rump Roast. You’ll learn what “fair dinkum” means and can decide for yourself whether our usage in the title was correct or just silly. Cheers! Chris Stock is CEO and founder of CGS Advisory. ----- Since we talked with notable Australian, Chris Stock, let's count down Australia's Greatest Hits! ----- Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest. Our closing track is Scrappy by Famous Cats.

If you’re a lawyer, you need a break. Tune in with Jared, his lovely wife Jessica, and her fellow travel agent Samantha Hedges to learn a thing or two about escaping the daily grind. They share tips for vacation bookings, highlight some favorite destinations, and even chat about social media marketing tactics you just might be able to use in your law firm. During the Rump Roast, the trio play “Travel Etiquette”, where Jessica and Sam reveal the real truth about which airplane armrest you’re actually entitled to. And, Jared basically took the week off, so Jessica offers up a monologue on the iconic and evolving career of Taylor Swift. Jessica Foster Correia and Samantha Hedges are travel agents with InTouch Vacations and podcasters on Fab 5 Travel Podcast and Escape: A Travel Podcast. Find out more on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/VacationswithJess/ and https://www.facebook.com/travelplanwithsam ----- Since we talked about travel, let's, uh - do some Taylor Swift deep(ish) tracks, curated by my wife, the ultimate Swiftie! ----- Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest. The music for the Legal Trends Report Minute is I See You by Sounds Like Sander. Our closing track is Apollo by Transmuter.

You don’t have to figure out how to manage your law firm alone. Because, honestly, there are people out there who can do it way better. Jared chats with Margaret Burke about how outsourcing law firm management can save you time and boost your revenue. This time on the Rump Roast, Jared quizzes Margaret on the surprisingly dark endings of a variety of classic fairy tales. And, if you haven’t watched any Rocky and Bullwinkle lately, Jared highly recommends it, especially Fractured Fairy Tales—all free on YouTube! Margaret Burke, president and founder of MB Law Firm Consulting, has decades of experience working with lawyers, partners, and small to midsize law firms. ----- If you can't tell, Jared's got a thing for fairy tales, so let's just lean into it. Check out this playlist of songs all about fairy tales. ----- Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest. The music for the Legal Trends Report Minute is I See You by Sounds Like Sander. Our closing track is Tenderness of You by Cast of Characters.

Hey, that law firm you own is an asset! A whole lot of lawyers don’t fully realize the value of their legal practice, but there are willing buyers out there, and keeping a future sale in mind should be part of your succession plan. Jared gets the skinny on brokering law firm sales from Jeremy Poock of Senior Attorney Match. Later, the guys play “The Cost is Correct!” Jared presents products from the past, and Jeremy must guess if the price is, y’know… right. And, building out turnkey systems for your law firm are going to make it much more valuable when you want to sell. Jared explains how to create ‘McDonalds-esque’ workflows that make your firm appealing to buyers. Jeremy Poock is an attorney and the founder of Senior Attorney Match. ----- Since we talked about valuing law firms - so, let's price out some singles! ----- Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest. The music for the Legal Trends Report Minute is I See You by Sounds Like Sander. Our closing track is Won't Take Long by Dr. Delight.

No one likes change, but your law firm will be more profitable and organized if you keep up with the latest tools for streamlining workflows. Jared talks with Marisa Portuondo about her expertise in helping lawyers prioritize efficiency and thrive in legal practice. Later, Marisa sticks around for the Rump Roast! In Jared’s latest game, “Shit Miamians Say,” Marisa gives an insider’s perspective on unique Miami colloquialisms. And, The thought of moving decades of data from your legacy software is pretty intimidating to a whole lot of lawyers, but cloud-based software is where it's at, man, so you really need to get it done. Jared gives tips for migrating data with minimal headaches. Marisa Portuondo is senior enterprise architect at streamlined.legal. ----- Since we talked Miami culture + I learned some Spanish on this episode, let's celebrate with some songs about the Magic City! ----- Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest. The music for the Legal Trends Report Minute is I See You by Sounds Like Sander. Our closing track is Hands Up, Buttercup! by Neon Beach.

Efficient back-and-forth communication in law firms has always been a necessity, but it’s not always easy to do it well. Finding the right collaboration tech is a critical step in modern law firms, so Jared talks with Ryan Anderson of Filevine about the unique needs of lawyers and the future of documents and communication in legal practice, including upcoming .vine. Later on in the Rump Roast, Jared has Ryan rank himself against his fellow ‘Ryan Andersons’ out there in the ether, and then quizzes him on famous ‘Ryans’ and ‘Andersons’ in pop culture. And, after lamenting the R-rated comedy drought, Jared’s looking forward to the release of horror-comedy “Cocaine Bear” in February 2023. Tune in for an overview of this upcoming gem–if you’re into the idea of a drug-fueled bear on a murderous rampage. Sounds fun, eh? Ryan Anderson is the founder and CEO of Filevine, a project management and collaboration tool for lawyers and consumer professionals. ----- Since we're all excited for the upcoming forthcoming film, 'Cocaine Bear' - so, here are some songs about bears . . . and, cocaine. ----- Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest. The music for the Legal Trends Report Minute is I See You by Sounds Like Sander. Our closing track is Riled Up by Divisioner.