Consider this…
Lawyers should not have to work harder and less efficiently — not when technology can help us work smarter.
Technology can be a huge advantage for lawyers, especially for solo and small firm lawyers. And here’s what more lawyers need to understand…
Practicing law is a form of knowledge work, which is to say, it’s about processing information. Lots and lots of information. And the faster and better you process it, the bigger the advantage you have.
I came to discover this first while working in a big firm, which is where I went after law school.
I would have preferred to work in a small firm, but back in 1987 only big firms could afford computers and I wanted to use computers in my law practice.
Back then computers made some lawyer work more efficient, like legal research and word processing.
Other things? Not so much.
For example, managing my case information. Because most of that information was trapped in paper. Lots of paper stuffed in lots of boxes, organized by lots of paralegals.
Paperless breakthrough
But then, one day, a friend showed me how to scan paper into my computer. And he showed me how to make the information instantly searchable.
Suddenly everything changed. Suddenly there was a frictionless way to handle all my cases.
Suddenly no more paralegals. No boxes stuffed with paper. Just me and a laptop, processing massive amounts of information at light speed.
I rushed over to a colleague’s office to share this amazing discovery.
He nodded, smiled, and tuned me out. He didn’t get it. None of the other lawyers got it.
To them, technology was the enemy. Because more efficiency meant fewer billable hours, and less profit.
Hurricane Katrina
In 2005 Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and threw everything into chaos. Our 40th-floor office was surrounded by helicopters, FEMA workers, and frenetic first responders.
And our case files? All locked inside our office. Totally inaccessible and totally useless.
In short, we were screwed.
A few weeks later, the firm set up shop in a massive amphitheater in the nearby city of Baton Rouge.
I kept working just as easily as before the storm. My laptop had all my information and I knew how to use it to work smoothly.
But my colleagues? Let’s just say watching them use their computers was like watching cavemen use cellphones to pound rocks.
That’s when I decided to leave.
Suddenly solo
A month later I was practicing on my own, just me, a smartphone and a laptop.
To be honest, leaving so suddenly was a rash move. I was giving up significant income with no guarantee of success and no safety net if I failed.
But that was water under the bridge so…I threw myself into a new case and hoped for the best.
A key deposition
I soon found myself in a high-stakes deposition staring at a dozen big-firm lawyers who were surrounded by paralegals and dozens of banker’s boxes.
All stuffed with paper.
The information in those boxes was vital for the witness to reconstruct key events.
For the big shots finding information wasn’t so easy. It took them ages to find every important document — and one document they spent over an hour looking for was never found.
I found it in seconds, along with every other document I wanted. And no, I did not let them know I had an advantage (although part of me really wanted to).
An angry judge
So I was more efficient than big firm lawyers. But so what?
What about using tech to actually win cases? That was the next step, and it happened like this…
One day I was napping (oh, the joys of a solo practice) when my phone rang. A secretary said, “Please hold for the judge.”
I bolted upright and grabbed my laptop. Opposing counsel was on the line, and the judge was about to grill them over something they wrote in a memo.
I listened as the attorney, trying to muffle the phone, frantically shouted for a paralegal to fetch the right box.
The judge waited.
We all waited. His patience wore thin.
I had the document pulled up instantly, so I took a risk, and answered the question the judge had posed to the other lawyer. The judge, now realizing I could find what he needed faster than the other side, started directing his questions at me.
Defeating Goliath
Eventually, the judge’s frustration with the big firm’s inefficiency boiled over, and he ruled in my favor. The case settled soon after — on favorable terms for my client.
That’s when I knew for sure: technology wasn’t just about efficiency. It was also a powerful weapon.
And I was eager to help others wield it.
Teaching others
I started speaking at conferences all around the country, and even ran conferences of my own. Solo and small firm lawyers seemed to really appreciate my advice, which felt good.
But was it improving their practices? And if so, how? I wasn’t really sure.
Then one day a lawyer named Patrick Slaughter who had been to one of my conferences posted something on Facebook. He wrote about how he and his wife were finally able to visit Disney World — a vacation they had been dreaming of for years.
He said that they’d never have been able to do that if not for his paperless law practice.
Unexpected epiphany
Patrick’s post made me realize that technology doesn’t just help you become more efficient or defeat lumbering Goliaths.
It’s also about gaining freedom — freedom to practice in a simpler way. The freedom to travel more. The freedom to spend more time with people you love.
In short, the freedom to create a better life.
The bottom line
Lawyers should not have to work harder and less efficiently — not when technology can help us work smarter and have much richer lives.
I gave up practicing law to spend all my time helping other lawyers do this. And, as it turns out, I’m much happier as a teacher than I ever was as a lawyer.
How I Help
How do I help lawyers? Basically I simplify technology so they can get the most out of it without feeling frustrated or overwhelmed.
My process begins with these steps:
- Comprehensive Tech Assessment: Take my 50-question assessment to evaluate your current technology use. Your answers will help me pinpoint gaps and opportunities in your current setup.
- Best Recommendations: I will provide you with unbiased advice specifically tailored your unique situation. I will do this via a short video where I go over your answers and offer my best recommendations for improving.
- Ongoing Guidance: Leveraging technology is about making consistent progress through ongoing discussion and collaboration.After completing the strategic assessment, you’ll be able to join my Inner Circle—an online community with regular Zoom sessions, and a trove of other helpful resources.
Ready to Start?
When you work with me, I’ll simplify technology so you can focus on the key elements that make the biggest impact.
If that’s what you want, then click the button below.
