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Lawyerist Media Launches Redesigned Website to Better Help Small Firm Lawyers

Lawyerist Launches Redesigned Website

There’s a new look for Lawyerist. On July 6th, Lawyerist Media launched a completely redesigned version of its popular website, lawyerist.com. In addition to its new look, lawyerist.com offers expanded resources to shepherd lawyers along their healthy firm journey. It also includes new comprehensive guides that pinpoint significant areas of business development, regardless of where firms are on the journey.  

Lawyerist has guided hundreds of small law firms toward a healthier business through free content, resources, and in-depth products and services reviews. With its newly designed and relaunched website, Lawyerist Media continues to position lawyerist.com as the to-go resource for solo and small firm lawyers.  

Doubling Down on Building Healthy Law Firms

The idea of helping law firms build a healthy business is more than just a slogan at Lawyerist. Stephanie Everett, CEO, explains:

“We’re tired of seeing law firm owners suffer because of the broken, traditional law firm model. Our team is on a mission to help lawyers build something different—a business that is client-centered, designed around healthy teams using efficient systems, and is ultimately more profitable. We know lawyers can have what they set out to create—a firm that allows them to spend time with their families, impact their communities, and build for their future.”

The new “Healthy Law Firm” hub lays a clear path for lawyers working toward healthier law firms.

Walk through each step of Lawyerist’s healthy business model, including:


Learn How to Build a Healthy Firm

Teaching Law Firm Owners How to Build and Grow Their Business

For years, lawyers have visited Lawyerist Media’s site to learn practical advice to build and grow their business. Lawyerist’s new Complete Guide series will make it even easier for lawyers to find the information they need to begin their healthy firm journey. 

Each guide provides an overview of essential business concepts and easy-to-understand guidance to apply to their business. Everett explains, “We know law school doesn’t teach lawyers how to run a business. These guides will help lawyers understand key business concepts and how they apply to their business.” 

Nine new guides have launched, with plans for more to follow in the future.

Initially, lawyers can access Lawyerist’s Complete Guides to:


The new Complete Guide Series is under Resources at Lawyerist.com. In addition, lawyers can access long-favored tools, including The Small Firm Roadmap book, the Lawyerist Podcast, and the Small Firm ScorecardTM. 

Lawyers can also turn to Lawyerist Media to find the latest industry, community, and company news in the relaunched News Articles section. And, those who miss the Lawyerist blog will be happy to see it make its comeback.

Get More Resources

Lawyerist Media Connects Law Firm Owners With Tools Needed to Run Their Business 

Lawyers ready to build and grow a business know they can’t do it alone. Business owners rely on the right tools and services to help them effectively run their firms. Unfortunately, researching and choosing the right solutions can feel like a second job. So, Lawyerist does the work for you.

Lawyerist Media will continue to ease that burden and make the process easier for law firm owners with an updated Product Reviews section. In this area, firm owners can learn what to look for when choosing products, discover the features that could help them most, and select the best tools for how the lawyer wants to work. 

Software and service providers are now broken down into three easy-to-understand categories:


The Product and Services Reviews section of the website then takes a deeper look at each of the top providers, with detailed service descriptions, editorial reviews, and demo videos. lawyeristbackup.kinsta.cloud is the perfect place for lawyers to start when they are ready to purchase new software and engage a new service provider for their firm.

Find Tools & Services for Your Business
 

Lawyerist Works Remotely

Lawyerist’s first virtual team member was now-Product Director Ashley Steckler in 2015. While the team was in Minnesota, Ashley was next-door in balmy North Dakota. (Fortuitously, she had remote team culture experience.) So, Lawyerist co-founder Aaron Street used Ashley’s remoteness as an experiment.

Could an organization have employees in different states and still be productive and happy?

The answer? Yes, and then some. Lawyerist then widened future openings to the broader US and, in 2019, went fully remote.

Now, we have team members in Minnesota, Georgia, Colorado, North Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Illinois. Different time zones, cultures, and weather experiences (a favorite Lawyerist team topic) have birthed an energetic, close-knit team culture.

Systems and Tools: The Key to Remote Team Culture

But, we couldn’t keep the team together without tools. It’s true: you can’t catch a virtual colleague at the water cooler and have a 5-minute impromptu brainstorming session. Yet, with the right systems and good tech, we’ve made it easy for our team to pop into each other’s “offices.”

We use Slack as our primary communication. You can customize channels, integrate apps, and even host video calls and audio-only huddles. Because of this, we rarely use email internally.

Lawyerist also relies heavily on our task management system and CRM, Teamwork and HubSpot. We frequently reassess our tools to make sure they still work within our systems and needs.

Why Happy Hours Don’t Have the Market on Fun and Bonding

Most importantly, we prioritize a remote team culture. You don’t need a pool table in the break room and monthly happy hours to keep your team engaged. And it’s easier than you think to bond virtually. Lawyerist is intentional about staying connected as a team.

For instance, every Thursday afternoon is an optional Taco Thursday. This virtual meeting is a casual hour on the calendar to chat, play silly games like trivia or Scattergories, or have deeper discussions. No one’s required to be there, but we hope people prioritize the meeting since it’s our weekly hour to bond without work getting in the way.

Our Operations Director, Paige Atkins, plans these events with care.

“I base what I do on the state of our team that week. Do we need a fun game or a more serious conversation? Sometimes I think about what specific team members would like (‘Oh, Jennifer would love this game’), or I cycle through what’s worked before,” she said.

We also use a mental health tool, Spill, that integrates into Slack so we can stay connected to our team’s health. While you can clock that your colleague looks down or unhappy in a physical office, it can be harder to gauge moods virtually. Spill’s features allow team members the option to submit moods, talk to a therapist, or check in with a team member.

A Successful Remote Team is a Team Who Trusts

Above all, building a strong remote team and culture requires a healthy workplace, imagination, and trust. Often, you’ll read quotes from CEOs at companies (even tech companies!) saying that they don’t think remote work is possible. But, Lawyerist co-founder Aaron Street sees it differently.

“If you use the tools out there and build a tech-forward, enthusiastic team whose trust you’ve earned, who believe in your company’s vision—there’s no reason a remote workplace can’t work.”

Aaron Street

Build Your Own Virtual Law Firm

Since Lawyerist has worked remotely for years, we’ve taught the lawyers in our paid coaching program, Lawyerist Lab, how to build their own virtual law firm. We often hear how it’s easier than they thought. 

For help with your remote team culture or any part of your law firm’s business, check out Lawyerist Lab.

 

Lawyerist Values: Grow as People

Lawyerist values team members who grow as people. Everyone on the team recognizes that there is room for them to learn and improve. Specifically, we believe: 

We nurture each other’s integrated personal and professional development and the journey to the best versions of ourselves. We honor our whole selves and support team members in fulfilling their dreams along the way! We aren’t stagnant.

We’re a Team of Lifelong Learners 

No one is perfect. Everyone has room to grow. We expect team members to approach their work and life from a place of potential growth. We ask everyone what they need to learn or improve to do their role better. How can we support them and help them fulfill their goals professionally? 

We also ask team members what they see themselves doing next at Lawyerist but also what they might want to do after Lawyerist. (We don’t presume people will be with us forever). Then, we can look for specific ways to help them get the skills and experience they need during their team tenure, so they leave us happy and appreciative of a great working experience. 

Importantly, our lifelong-learner-attitude doesn’t just apply to our professional roles. We also explore how we can show up as better people. Can we listen more? Connect more deeply? Empathize? Our Seek Candor value allows us to practice conversations that sometimes challenge us with a goal of growing.      

Putting It All Together: Values in Action 

This is the last in a series of articles describing Lawyerist’s core values. At Lawyerist, we:

While all the values stand on their own, they are also very much interconnected and define the fabric of who we are. 

“It’s easy to see each of our principles we cherish in each core value,” explains CEO Stephanie Everett. “You need to Grab the Marker to Experiment Like a Lobster. We Grow as People when we Seek Candor. We Experiment Like a Lobster to Build an Inclusive Community, which often requires us to Seek Candor.” 

Everything works together.  

Values Aren’t Static

Finally, your core values aren’t necessarily static. Lawyers who read The Small Firm Roadmap will remember that Lawyerist shared its core values in Chapter 7. The values defined on that page are not identical to the ones described above. That’s because the company is constantly growing and evaluating what works best. 

While there are elements of earlier versions of our values in today’s version, the current statement is more nuanced and developed. It is a better description of who we are and how we work today. Don’t be afraid to question whether your core values are still perfectly on point. If not, make adjustments.

Interested in Learning More

If our core values resonate with you, we’d love to talk! We are always looking for amazing people who share our core values and post current job openings on our site. If you’d like to learn how our Lab coaches can help you discover your team’s core values, check out our Lawyerist Lab program. Participants consistently tell us that intentionally focusing on their core values has been one of the biggest game changers for their business.     

 

Lawyerist Adds Depth to Its Marketing Team with the Addition of Harrington

Lawyerist is proud to welcome its newest team member: Kyle Harrington. Harrington joins the marketing team and will focus on helping Lawyerist reach more solo and small firms ready to build and grow a healthier law firm. 

Kyle Harrington Brings Industry Knowledge as the New Content Manager

Kyle Harrington understands the struggles many solo and small firm lawyers face. She most recently worked as a marketing associate for the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education. Now, she’ll help Lawyerist craft content on how lawyers can build healthier law firms and will work to better promote the amazing work Lawyerist does through its coaching program, Lawyerist Lab. 

“We knew Kyle was the right fit for this role from our first conversation with her. It seems like she’s been here for a while and she’s just getting started. We’re excited to add her skills and expertise to the team!” Everett said. 

Kyle will work from her home in Gillespie, Illinois, taking Team Lawyerist to seven states. When she’s not working, you can find her hanging out with family and friends, diving into a good book or audiobook, outside enjoying the sunshine, or planning her next home project.

“I am so excited to join the Lawyerist team and work with people doing such innovative and important work,” said Harrintgon. “Although they are already industry-leaders, I’m looking forward to bringing my skills and knowledge to the table to help Lawyerist, and the lawyers we serve, continue to grow.”

Welcome to the team Kyle! Lawyerist is always looking for amazing people to add to the team roster. Find more details about Current Openings.   

 

Lawyerist’s Seek Candor Value Is More Than Honesty

Values matter. A company’s values define and guide decisions. At Lawyerist, one of our core values is “Seek Candor.” To us, it is more than being honest; it is about the willingness and desire to engage in those communications. 

We describe our Seek Candor value as:

Seek Candor.

We’re creating a place where otherwise difficult conversations don’t just happen but are celebrated. This isn’t a license to be mean. Instead, we engage in and practice the process. We work to build trust, be honest, show empathy, and genuinely care for each other.

All of Lawyerist’s core values are connected. Seek Candor and our value “Grow as People” are two sides of the same coin. To Grow as People, we have to be willing to learn and hear from our team about where we can improve. Seek Candor means that our team actively seeks feedback. 

Creating a Team That Cares

Our team members genuinely care for each other. We intentionally create opportunities for our team to get to know each other. We talk about our backgrounds, families, goals, and dreams. Sharing our stories breaks down barriers and allows us to better understand and care for one another. 

It is important to build and sustain these relationships. Not only do we want to work with people that we really care about, but it allows us to honor our values. We acknowledge that seeking candor in conversations is not always easy. It can sometimes be uncomfortable. That is why we approach these talks with empathy. Our care for one another guides our discussions and our approach. 

All Feedback Is a Gift

To improve, you need to be aware of how you are doing. If you’re doing well, you’ll know to stay on course. If you’re not, you need to understand what is not working so you can change. 

Feedback is simply information. It is telling someone if they are doing well or if things could improve. As a result, all feedback—or information—is a gift. Feedback helps us improve.

When we approach all feedback as a gift, we can have more engaging conversations as a team. It doesn’t mean everything needs to be an in-depth discussion. There’s a lot of benefit in exchanging minor edits or thoughts before they have a chance to become more significant. Stephanie discusses this concept and tips on effectively giving feedback in Podcast Episode #364 with David Bradford.

Learn more about Lawyerist core values and our team on our About Us page.