Money, profit, probably isn’t the only reason you own a law firm. But it is an important part of it. Guest Ben Hockema is a financial planner who specializes in helping business leaders focus on long-term profits and understand why focusing on, and delivering, profit is so important.

Hockema’s company, Illuminate Wealth Management, works closely with law firms and their owners. Perhaps no one told you owning a law firm is owning a business. But the reality is you can’t effectively serve clients without focusing on your business and making it work. Law school may teach you the law, but no firm functions without profits. It’s important that you build a firm that pays you first. 

A profitable firm starts with your mindset. If you’re distracted by financial insecurity, if your firm isn’t delivering the profits that allow you to practice without worry, you aren’t doing your best work. The profit-first mindset isn’t about being selfish, it’s about eliminating distractions.

Hear how Hockema helps law-firm owners reshape their understanding of how a firm works. Generating sustainable profit is a leadership decision, a conscious goal, not simply what’s left over at the end of the month. Consider these vital tips that can change your thinking (and understand the biggest mistake law firms make).

Mentioned in This Episode:

“Profit First,” by Michael Michalowicz

Clio legal software

Legal Talk Network

In this episode of the Un-Billable Hour’s Seat at the Table:

• Get past the stigma: Law firms sell a service, and that’s no different than any other service business. It makes sense to hire a sales pro to find and sign customers
• What makes for a good non-attorney sales pro? What skills do you look for and where do you find them?
• Attorneys practice law. They aren’t trained in sales. Don’t waste time giving free advice during a “consult.” Let a sales professional sign the client, then focus on solving their problem.

Take a “seat at the table,” with host Christopher T. Anderson and guests Rob Leitner and Elliot and Erik Alicea, experienced pros in building and running successful law firms. In this episode, law firms have grappled for a while with the idea of employing non-attorney salespeople to drive leads. That discussion is probably over, it’s time to talk about maximizing the value of these sales professionals. 

Let’s remove the stigma, law firms sell services. And lawyers aren’t salespeople. Hire a pro. Whether you call them salespeople or client/attorney liaisons or whatever else, the job of non-attorney salespeople is to welcome clients to the firm while ensuring the firm is a good fit for them, and the clients are a good fit for firm.

But who are they? Where do you find them? Remember, this is the face of your firm. You’re looking for “personality plus,” meaning empathy, an understanding of the firm’s role and culture, and conversation skills. They don’t need legal skills, they need sales skills, that might include pros from high end car dealers or luxury item sales, even real estate professionals.

In this episode of the Un-Billable Hour’s Seat at the Table, our panel of practice management and marketing professionals share inside tips for finding non-attorney sales pros to represent your firm, how to train them, and how to turn that hire into profit.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Dyson Vacuum Commercial, YouTube

Clio

ClioCon 2026, Oct. 26-27, 2026

Legal Talk Network Unbillable Hour

Reputational management and referral marketing in a crowded field are valuable commodities. But how are law firms and legal leaders building their business through reputational development? Guest David Craig is an experienced and recognized attorney specializing in trucking accidents and liability. He developed a reputation through legal acumen, public service, and as the author of the book “It’s Never Been Easier to Hire the Wrong Attorney.” But he also says a firm’s reputation can be defined by the people it hires.

Craig is the managing partner and a founder of the Indiana personal injury firm Craig, Kelley, and Faultless LLC. He shares what he learned about reputational development over years of work. It all starts inside the firm, not the courthouse. You can’t say one thing but have anyone inside the firm doing another. 

Start with hiring. The people you hire represent your firm as much as you do. Hiring, monitoring performance, talking with clients, and online reviews all matter. Strong firms (and leaders!) take an interest in how every member of the team both performs and represents the firm’s bedrock principles. 

Clients don’t want to hire the wrong attorney, but sometimes they don’t know how to hire the right one. Building a reputation creates positive reviews, community support, and referrals. Hear how your firm – from top to bottom – can ensure a consistent positive client experience that turns into repeatable business.

Everything you and your team do, starting with informational meetings and helping prospects feel welcome and appreciated, down to making sure clients remain comfortable and informed, builds your firm’s reputation. 

Mentioned in This Episode:

“It’s Never Been Easier to Hire the Wrong Attorney,” by David Craig

Clio legal software

Legal Talk Network

In this episode of the Un-Billable Hour’s Seat at the Table:

• Establishing a brand is one thing, sharing that brand with potential clients who need what you’ve established as a brand – your solutions – is next
• It’s easy to waste money on marketing when your efforts are unfocused. Be strategic. Learn from others. What works?
• Don’t just pursue all the potential clients in the world, speak directly to the clients you want. The ones who are ready to hire you, not just kick the tires.

Take a “seat at the table,” with host Christopher T. Anderson and guests Rob Leitner, John Reed, Kristen David, and Elliot and Erik Alicea, all experienced pros in building and running successful law firms. In this episode, dig into marketing, the next step once you’ve established your brand identity. How does marketing share your vision and attract the clients you want?

Share how, and why, you and your firm are the solution to your potential clients’ problems. Because that’s what clients want: solutions. As we’ve learned, branding is who you are and what you stand for. But marketing is about connecting with potential clients, sharing that brand, and creating that “Bam, that’s who I want to work with” revelation. 

Learn to connect your value proposition to your target audience. Define your ideal clients, find them, and let them know you understand their situation and can help. Then, after the initial contact, get them in the door and cement that connection.

Avoid wasted effort by connecting your brand to your marketing, making your voice heard and your capabilities recognized. It all has to work together to help you interest, connect with, and land the clients you want. 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Clio

ClioCon 2026, Oct. 26-27, 2026

Lawyers, even busy lawyers, deserve to feel joy and satisfaction. Burnout, time management crises, and stress are signs that your business is running you instead of you running you. The secret may lie in better energy management and better focus on what makes us happier and more productive. 

Guest Wendy Meadows runs a successful family law firm. But a few years ago, she realized her busy practice wasn’t as fulfilling as it could be. She turned inward and focused on what made her happy. She transitioned her practice from litigation to mediation. And she learned how to let herself experience her own successes and recognize the bright moments around her.

Meadows turned what she learned into a coaching practice and a top-selling book, “Sparkle & GRIT,” helping other attorneys reboot old habits and create purpose to build their best life. Learn to understand how you work best and what makes you happy. 

Sometimes just spending five minutes on yourself at the beginning of the day can help you enjoy a more purposeful, and less stressful lifestyle. If you won’t “manage yourself,” it’s hard to manage a firm. Take a moment to reflect on your day prior, what made it a good day? Think about the upcoming day, what will you focus on? Make tomorrow the day you wake up feeling great. 

Mentioned in This Episode:

“The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment,” by Eckhart Tolle

Clio legal software

Legal Talk Network

In this episode’s Seat at the Table, let’s dig into the bedrock of your business: Your identity. That’s what branding is, it’s defining yourself. Who are you?

• If you’re starting a new firm, or trying to grow your existing firm, start with your brand. Do you know what it is? And is what you thought you wanted
• One part of your brand is easy to express and hard to deliver. Do what you say you are going to do. If you promise something, if you pitch something, live up to that.
• Build your business on results, on meeting clients where they are, and on meeting client demands and expectations. A slick website is meaningless if you are disappointing or even inconveniencing your clients.

Should you rebrand, or refresh your brand, or invest in branding? What is a brand? What’s your brand? Good intentions and hope are not a business plan. Do something tangible by defining your business and living up to your promises.

In this new Un-Billable Hour series, “Seat at the Table,” we dig into helping lawyers attract clients, build the business flow, and branding, all while turning your vision into reality, profit, and success.

New guest hosts Kristen David, Rob Leitner, and brothers Elliot Alicea and Erik Alicea are experienced pros in business development and marketing for law firms. With proven track records, they join host Christoper T. Anderson and dig into the real needs of growing firms. 

If you’re getting started, hear how creating a brand – and building trust – sets you on the right path. Are you doing the things you say you’re going to do? It’s important to deliberately help potential new clients understand who you are and what you do (and avoid the most common branding mistakes startups trip over).

 Mentioned in This Episode:

Michael Gerber “The E-Myth Revisited” 

Pragmatic Institute

Clio

ClioCon 2026, Oct. 26-27, 2026

A part of the legal marketing landscape we don’t talk about enough is referral marketing. Sure, we focus on digital marketing, search engines, and paid advertising. But maybe one of the best – and cheapest – forms of marketing could be referral marketing, working with other layers who know, like, and trust us. 

Guest John Reed is a former practicing attorney and the founder of Rain BDM, a marketing firm that helps lawyers build exceptional relationships. Hear how professionals learn and play “the referral game.” 

Asking for referrals may not feel natural, even a bit awkward. But like any marketing campaign, it can be planned, initiated, and tracked. And it can be fun and rewarding. Don’t try to make a relationship “transactional,” just go out and meet and help people. Let it be more relaxed and natural. 

Hear about the “four questions” and a personalized “grid” plan that can get the ball rolling when you meet another attorney. If you’ve struggled with building intentional relationships with other attorneys and expanding your network, you’ll want to hear this free “relationships 101” lesson from a proven, experienced pro. 

Mentioned in This Episode:

“Endless Referrals” by Bob Burg

“Never Eat Alone” by Keith Ferrazzi

In this episode’s discussions around the Community Table, explaining to clients what to expect, marketing, and getting your tech up to speed.

• With new clients, take the time to set expectations and explain the process. Assumptions and miscommunication can lead to lower satisfaction when a client’s uninformed expectations don’t meet reality, even with a successful outcome
• Starting with a clear explanation of the process can lead to more favorable outcomes. Will the case go to trial, our would a settlement be better? How much would one route cost vs. another? Give clients the big picture. Real life is not a television TV drama.
• Is your marketing attracting the clients you want? Casting the widest net isn’t always the best choice. Explain who you are and what you do honestly. And then live up to those promises. (And for Heaven’s sake, get your tech in order. Clients today expect at least that: Hear the common tech shortfalls that turn clients off.)

 Mentioned in This Episode:

Clio

ClioCon 2026, Oct. 26-27, 2026

The world of legal technology can seem overwhelming. Fortunately, we have a guide in Chelsey Lambert, founder and author at the legal tech education, consulting, and guidance platform Legal Tech Decoded, which features articles, reviews, and opinions on the latest in legal tech.

This episode is kind of about marketing, but kind of about operations, but also kind of about AI, because tech is coming for every aspect of your legal practice. What developments will drive your firm forward, and what’s smoke and mirrors?

Lawyers who’ve been in the business long enough have gone from reviewing cases on paper and in books, maybe even yellow legal pads, to the Internet revolution, to online research and filing, to today’s AI revolution. Is AI remaking the practice of law, or just the next progression? (Spoiler, it’s kind of a big deal.) 

“I don’t know that we’ve ever trained lawyers how to buy technology in the first place,” Lambert says. Now add the complexity of AI, a tool you have to train, guide, and trust. Hear about the evolving world of legal tech, even developments you probably haven’t heard of, and the evolution of the profession, including the potential for non-lawyer ownership and private equity. Don’t fear or ignore the revolution, embrace it.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Association for AI in Legal, A4l.law

CaseMark

RocketLawyer

LegalZoom

Nolo

Foundation AI

In this episode’s discussions around the Community Table, getting a worrisome associate, and the entire team, on track. Plus, communicating with clients and assuring them you have their back:

• A manager struggles to help an associate manage tasks and produce work on time, could tools help through redundancies and accountability.
• Daily “standups” or “scrums” can help legal teams clear logjams and stay on track. Christopher offers a concise explanation of how time management and accountability systems drive productivity.
• Assuring clients you have their best interests at heart is vital, especially when they think you’re “part of the system.” What are “The Four Agreements” and how can they help you understand clients and communicate? Ask, listen, and explain.  

Mentioned in This Episode:

“The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz

Notion legal software

Asana

Microsoft Teams

PCLaw

Microsoft 365

Trello

Todoist

Book, “The Lean-Agile Way” 

Scrum.org

Clio

ClioCon 2026, Oct. 26-27, 2026

Every firm knows it should be marketing. But go deeper. How should you be thinking about your firm’s own individual goals, brand, and budget?

If you’re at a smaller or mid-size firm, you don’t get a pass on marketing. You still need to reach potential clients. But you’ll have to do it on a smarter, scaled level. Guest Erika Steinberg spent decades developing marketing strategies for large firms, then she formed her own company, CMO2go, which helps smaller and mid-size firms develop and execute marketing strategies that fit their budgets. 

Don’t feel overwhelmed by the word “strategy” or be intimidated by the very idea of marketing. Strip it down to the essentials and take it step by step. A good marketing brainstorming can help you not only focus your strategies but also understand your firm’s goals and target audience. 

Are you committing the sin of “random acts of marketing?” Find out on this episode of the Un-Billable Hour.

Ask us anything for the Community Table. Leave us a question online!

Join the next Community Table discussion live! Always the third Thursday of the month at 3pm Eastern.