Episodi

  • Seat at the Table: Cash Flow Practices That Support Firm Growth

    Seat at the Table: Cash Flow Practices That Support Firm Growth
    Oct 13 2026
    In this episode of the Un-Billable Hour’s Seat at the Table: Being a great lawyer is important, being able to afford to be a great lawyer also matters. Billing and collections are an important part of your firm. How much time do you spend understanding how you run your business vs. How much time you spend “working.” You’ve got to bill as well as produce results. Take control of how you’re paid and when. Cash crunches happen. But you can navigate them if you plan, prepare, and keep an eye on your bottom line, every day. The money often shows up later than the work does. Nobody told you that. Practicing law and producing results that help real people with real problems are wonderful things. But you are also a business, and people depend on you, and cash flow matters. Here’s where it gets tough. So how do you know from looking at the bottom line, how a firm – your firm – is really doing? Is it making money? What percent of revenue should go to payroll or marketing, where are your leaks? This episode of Seat at the Table features money experts Amira Hasenbush, Brooke Lively, and Joy Lutz as they share insights with Christopher T. Anderson and get into the nitty gritty of running a law firm that not only produces results for clients but also produces profits for the owners. Hear how a firm can look profitable on paper but still not produce profits. Taxes, expenses, debt, billing “slippage,” and collection slowdowns all add up. Are you seeing the big picture? Cash flow, payroll, unintended outflows, and bookkeeping are all vital to your bottom line. Learn how to train yourself for profit. Mentioned in This Episode: Clio Legal Trends Report Lawpay ClioCon 2026, Oct. 26-27, 2026 Legal Talk Network Unbillable Hour …And of course Wimpy!
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    44 min
  • Want To Delegate But Don’t Know How? Let’s Break It Down.

    Want To Delegate But Don’t Know How? Let’s Break It Down.
    Sep 22 2026
    In this episode, a little about production and a little about you. When you sit down at your desk, are you doing billable legal work – the real work – or are you doing administrative tasks? Guest Gina Cotner is the founder and CEO of Athena Executive Services, a virtual assistant firm that frees busy professionals from mundane tasks so they can focus on serving clients, solving problems, and growing their business. If you’ve been told (maybe over and over) that you need to delegate, you’ve probably never been told how. This may be the episode that helps you untangle that problem and finally take that first step. Cotner shares how she helps attorneys work with assistants and build the trust that opens up space for additional billable hours instead of routine administration. If you’ve been told to delegate but can’t let go, Cotner’s insights learned through years of experience helping busy executives turn over tasks may be what you’ve needed to hear.
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    42 min
  • Seat at the Table: Firing an Employee Without Causing Collateral Damage

    Seat at the Table: Firing an Employee Without Causing Collateral Damage
    Sep 8 2026
    In this episode of the Un-Billable Hour’s Seat at the Table: How do you know when a hire isn’t working out (hint: you already know) and then pull the trigger and let them go? It happens: you hire someone, and it doesn’t work out. So many firms put off the hard discussion: terminating an employee. It’s not pleasant, but it’s necessary. That’s where planning, preparation, and an established process come into play. Is it a lack of communication? Or a truly bad fit? Establish performance metrics and address issues early on and help avoid surprises. When it’s time for the firing discussion, everyone should already know what’s coming because it’s been out in the open for a long time. Clarity can reduce the risk of labor law tangles after the termination. Don’t let a fired employer create more problems. Reviews, management consultations, and documented steps can both guide your employee to better performance, which is optimal, or protect your firm after the firing. You saw the signs. You knew it was coming. But now it’s time to take action and let an employee go. And if we all know the mantra “hire slow, fire fast,” we also know lawyers don’t always follow that rule. We can be way, way too slow to fire when an employee just isn’t working out. So how do you know when the time has come? Our panel of legal management and HR pros digs in. As one panelist says, “If you wake up three mornings in a row thinking about somebody who’s not your spouse, they’ve got to go.” You know when someone is taking up too much time and derailing the office. The problem isn’t recognizing the problem, it’s not recognizing that you’ve already recognized the problem. Have a plan, specific policies, metrics, management consultations, and a process for firing someone before you reach that point. Without clarity, even experienced HR professionals struggle. Every process should account for your firm’s vulnerability. Labor laws, password management, access to client documents, even physical access to your office with keys or key cards should all be part of the process before the termination discussion. Dig into an episode today that can help your firm prepare for the future! REFERENCES MENTIONED: ClioCon 2026, Oct. 26-27, 2026 Legal Talk Network Unbillable Hour
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    44 min
  • Law Firm Growth Doesn’t Happen by Accident, Tips You Can Use Today

    Law Firm Growth Doesn’t Happen by Accident, Tips You Can Use Today
    Aug 25 2026
    Growing your business starts with you, and your front door is your web presence. The beating heart of your business is your technology. Guest Colleen Joyce is the CEO of the lawyer-client matching platform Lawyer.com and the founder of the Lawyer Growth Summit gathering. Joyce shares how she started working with lawyers who didn’t know a lot about even their own website and expanded to begin helping attorneys and firms build their brand online and make themselves more accessible to potential clients. Running a law firm requires marketing, it’s letting the world know who you are and how you can solve problems. But how you market online matters. Every dollar counts, and tracking your spend is vital. Know where you are reaching clients, and where you may need guidance. If your firm isn’t growing, it’s stuck. Are you changing things up? Are you reinventing yourself and your presentation? What are you doing right, and what could you do better with just a few small tweaks? (Oh yes, AI fits into this, too).
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    38 min
  • Seat at the Table: Understanding and Building Your Firm’s Culture

    Seat at the Table: Understanding and Building Your Firm’s Culture
    Aug 11 2026
    In this episode of the Un-Billable Hour’s Seat at the Table: A law firm’s culture. What is it? Your firm has a culture even if you’ve never identified it. The problem is, if you don’t create an intentional culture, an identity, you may slip into a culture you didn’t want to be part of Start with what you want to be, how you want to be known, who you want to work with. Understanding your culture can help your firm come together, move as a team, and even keep you from making a hire that’s doomed from the start. “Everybody on the same train, moving in the same direction, with the same values” matters. Develop the workplace you want to work in. Communicate it. Live it everyday. First, what is “firm culture?” The personality and backbone of the firm? Is it what happens when the boss isn’t around? Is it what people say about your firm when you’re not in the room? Every firm has a culture, whether you know it or not. Guests Lori Brown-Simmons, Hannah Hembree Bell, and Ben Hockema are experienced professionals who share their thoughts with host Christopher T. Anderson on building a healthy firm culture. For a lot of firms, “culture,” is an afterthought, if it’s thought about at all. But every firm develops a culture, either by accident or intentionally. (Intentionally is better). Understanding your firm’s culture, its mission, values, and goals helps everyone work together, collaborate, and even helps your firm from making a hire that may look good on paper but “wasn’t a good fit.” Do you have the right people in the right seats? Do your clients represent you and your goals? You can be a team with a recognized reputation, or you can be an office with a bunch of lawyers chasing billable hours. An intentional culture is the difference. Mentioned in This Episode: Clio ClioCon 2026, Oct. 26-27, 2026 Legal Talk Network Unbillable Hour
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    43 min
  • Cybersecurity and Your Firm: Where Do You Stand? You Need to Know.

    Cybersecurity and Your Firm: Where Do You Stand? You Need to Know.
    Jul 28 2026
    When it comes to your firm’s – and your clients’ – security, AI is changing the game. Cybersecurity isn’t new but how it fits in with AI is. Guest Nick Martin is a recognized expert and leader in cybersecurity. The cloud, data portals, and connectivity all impact how we treat data and client relationships. It’s complicated. Where’s your data? Who’s backing it up? Who can access it? Martin is the CEO of cybersecurity firm FileScience. He breaks down the evolution of cybersecurity and secure storage of data, even when there’s a power outage or an online hacking attempt. The game has changed, and both your case and your client’s security are at risk around the clock. Is your firm living with a false sense of security? Do you understand your security measures? Are you potentially liable for a security breach. You need to know, and you can’t put it off. Don’t miss this episode! Mentioned in This Episode: Clio legal solutions MyCase Actionstep legal NetDocuments iManage Microsoft SharePoint Smokeball Google Threat Intelligence "Public Officials Separate Workplace and Personal Online Lives. Hackers Don't Care," Wall Street Journal
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    40 min
  • Growing Isn’t Scaling. Why Law Firms Need to Know the Difference.

    Growing Isn’t Scaling. Why Law Firms Need to Know the Difference.
    Jun 23 2026
    What happens when your firm grows faster than your infrastructure can support? Growing pains. It’s a good problem to have, it means your firm is prospering. But you can’t ignore the issue. Guest Lori Brown-Simmons is a law firm operations executive and founder of Fractional Firm Advisors, offering fractional COO and CFO leadership to growing firms, helping them scale in an orderly, profitable manner. She explains how midsize firms often experience what she calls “profit squeeze,” when a growing firm is starting to experience the same issues as bigger firms, but without the tech, the leverage or confidence to raise rates, and the human capital to maintain control, standards, efficiency, and momentum. Simply attracting more clients might mean your business is “growing,” but it’s not scaling sustainably. As a firm grows up, it’s easy to leak efficiencies by setting rates incorrectly, using outdated workflow, skimping on tech, missing opportunities to outsource through fractional employees and virtual assistants, and even making mistakes with real estate and office space. (And yes, AI fits in here, too. It’s not going away). Mentioned in This Episode: Legal Talk Network
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    38 min
  • Seat at the Table: Success at Every Stage of the Hiring Process

    Seat at the Table: Success at Every Stage of the Hiring Process
    Jul 14 2026
    In this episode of the Un-Billable Hour’s Seat at the Table: Hiring is hard. It’s harder if you don’t know what you want, can’t describe the position, and don’t make an effort to attract the right candidates (and reduce the number of candidates you don’t want) Develop an intentional, consistent plan for reviewing a candidate’s credentials. That includes knowing the questions you want to ask – and don’t want to ask – candidates and uncover a candidate’s willingness to grow, learn, and adapt. Once you know what you want, be upfront about what you offer. Sharing the compensation package is becoming a must. Younger workers may pass if you’re being too coy. Share what makes you special: Educational and travel opportunities? Paid bar dues? Bonuses? Time off? Culture? Transparency counts. If you’ve done well with your marketing and you’ve delighted clients who are happy to refer new clients, maybe it’s time to hire some additional team members. Host Christopher T. Anderson brings in regular guest Rob Leitner along with HR and management pros Laytoamb Wiggins, Lori Brown-Simmons, and Jeff Levin for a seat at the table to discuss how to approach the hiring process, and the pitfalls to avoid. Successful hiring starts before you post a help wanted sign. Start by understanding what you want. What does the perfect hire do? What outcomes do you need? If you don’t know what you want, you won’t get it. The best job postings attract candidates you want and weed out mediocre candidates. Don’t waste your time or theirs. Once you’ve developed an intentional job description, make time during the interview to understand not only what the candidate already knows, but also the candidate’s capacity to learn, grow, and adapt. Developed a “score sheet” that helps you accurately compare candidates consistently. Create an interview plan before you welcome the first candidate – and stick with it. What about signing bonuses, compensation (yes, be upfront), intangible benefits like flexible schedules and bonuses? These things matter, put them first in your posting. Hiring is tough, and failure comes with costs both financial and cultural. Hear how Christopher and the panel find ways to get the job of hiring for the job done right. REFERENCES MENTIONED: “10 Best Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) of 2025,” Wellness360 Clio ClioCon 2026, Oct. 26-27, 2026 Legal Talk Network Unbillable Hour Special thanks to our sponsors Wyzer Staffing and CallRail.
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    46 min