Well, that’s a wrap on 2022 of the Lawyerist Podcast and it was another bang-up year! We celebrated 400 episodes and welcomed over 60 guests who shared their expertise in a diverse range of professional (and sometimes surprising) areas.
Most importantly, The Lawyerist Podcast spent another year helping small law firm owners find a path to a healthier business life. We’ve compiled a list of 2022’s most popular episodes. Whether you’re a first-time listener or a long-time fan, you’ll want to check these out.
Episode #383: Designing the Life You Want Instead of a Job You Have, with Stanley Tate
How do you want your life to look? When student loan lawyer Stanley Tate went into practice, he gave himself permission to be himself. Learn how the game changed when he designed his life to allow him to be the best version of himself and built his business to suit that life.
A line that made us think: “I’m just gonna be the familial colloquial version of me, and that’s gonna work for some people, and it’s not gonna work for some people. And I’m okay with that. That just gave me peace showing up every day. Because I get to show up as me, and that’s ok.”
Go Deeper: Podcast Episode 383
Designing the Life You Want Instead of a Job You Have
Listen to EpisodeEpisode #396: How My Life (and Law Practice) Changed When I Became a Sober Lawyer, with Sarah Soucie Eyberg
Lawyerist Lab member and social security disability attorney Sarah Soucie Eyberg needed a change. She found herself over-imbibing at alcohol-laden professional events and using alcohol to cope with life’s stressors. She details her journey to sobriety while being a practicing lawyer and a working mother. Hear how her trajectory changed when she leaned on family, exercise, and mental health resources for lawyers.
A line that made us think: “…this idea of wellbeing, which we know is not simply the absence of illness, right? Some people think, well, I’m not sick. That doesn’t mean that you’re well.”
Go Deeper: Podcast Episode 396
How My Life (and Law Practice) Changed When I Became a Sober Lawyer
Listen to EpisodeEpisode #400: Get Beyond the Billable Hour, with Ron Baker
Is it time to retire the billable hour? According to Ron Baker, founder of the VerSage Institute, bifurcating a life into billable and non-billable leads to one thing: guilt. He explains how to shift your thinking away from billable and non-billable and outlines different approaches when considering a client-first, value-focused pricing model.
A line that made us think: “I truly do believe that the only place time spent should matter is in prison.”
Episode #373: Overcoming the Likeability Trap, with Alicia Menendez
How do women break down society’s barriers that tell them what they should and shouldn’t do and who they should and shouldn’t be? Alicia Menendez, MSNBC anchor and author of The Likeability Trap, wanted to learn more about what likeability means for women and how it dictates their perception in the professional world. Women proudly take up space, throwing over the value of likeability, and learning to be authentically themselves.
A line that made us think: “We expect men to assert themselves. We don’t expect that of women. And so women, when women do that, it very often offends people’s expectations of what they believe they want from women.”
Episode #406 Harnessing Anxiety for Good, with Dr. Wendy Suzuki
Every person deals with anxiety on some level. What if you could take your anxiety and use it for your benefit? Dr. Wendy Suzuki, the author of Good Anxiety, discusses the root causes of anxiety, negativity bias, joy conditioning, and how to channel anxiety into actionable steps to fuel productivity.
A line that made us think: “Let me ask everybody out there once the last time you consciously sat back and remembered a joyful memory. Like, one of the best, one of your top three in your life. That’s joy conditioning. That’s something that everybody can do to kind of counter all that fear conditioning that has happened all the time.”
Episode #405 The Diverse Ways People Think, with Temple Grandin
Have you considered how members of your team think differently? This doesn’t mean where they stand on the issues of the day. Instead, it means how they literally think, process information, and problem-solve. Dr. Temple Gradin, academic, animal behaviorist, and Autism rights proponent, talks about different types of thinkers, their strengths, and why it’s important to have different thinkers on your team.
A line that made us think: “You need to have both because the visual thinkers tend to ramble and the mathematical thinkers put in way too much detail. You see, you need to have all three kinds of thinkers.”
Episode #384 Delivering Bad News to Clients, with Marjorie Aaron
Delivering bad news to clients is, unfortunately, inevitable. But there is a way to do it better. Marjorie Aaron, Director of the Center for Practice at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, details how lawyers can communicate more effectively to deliver bad news to clients better. You may find yourself surprised by her suggestions.
A line that made us think: “If you get off on the wrong foot, if you say something that’s a little off to the client right in the beginning, does that mean that there can’t be a recovery? No, but it’s a lot better if you start off well.”
Episode #401 How to Value Your Law Firm, with Tom Lenfestey
Every firm owner should focus on building something that has value and having an exit strategy means what you’ve built will continue. Tom Lenfestey, owner of The Law Practice Exchange, details four different approaches to defining the value of your firm.
A line that made us think: “I really think it’s going to help with mental health as well. Just not feeling so locked in. I don’t have any options. This is where I’m stuck. If you build it the right way, you should have options.”
Episode #378 Pulling the Trigger on Hiring, with Allison Harrison
Before joining Lawyerist Lab, Allison Harrison didn’t have a clear direction. Almost immediately after working with Lab coaches, she found her focus. And she learned when it’s the right time to hire and how to hire the right person for the job, or let a wrong hire go quickly.
A line that made us think: “If you wait and hire when you can’t see straight, you don’t have the time to train anyone. And then you’re not gonna be happy with who you’ve hired or their performance because you didn’t give a fair chance.”
Whew! That’s it. And they are all not-to-be-missed conversations. Visit our podcast page and subscribe to The Lawyerist Podcast, wherever you listen to podcasts, to stay up to date.
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Last updated January 5th, 2023
