I love speaking to solo and small firm lawyers who want to improve their practices — especially through the strategic use of technology.

Obviously, there are challenges to using technology for many lawyers, but the effort to learn to use it effectively is absolutely worth it.

I discovered this for myself (about twenty years ago) when I created a 100% paperless, highly automated law practice.

As a result, I could work less but accomplish more, while earning enough to be happy and get away from work when I wanted to.

This was quite satisfying, obviously. But even more satisfying is the time I now spend helping other lawyers who want to make dramatic improvements in their own practices.

Even though I’ve helped hundreds of lawyers over the past decades (and even won awards like this one from the ABA)…

My approach does not suit everyone. These are the kinds of lawyers I’m best able to help.

So, if you believe I’d be a good fit for your audience, scroll down to learn more.

Working with me

I understand the challenges that event organizers face, and I try hard to make their lives easier. People who’ve invited me to speak say some nice things.

What They Say…
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Mark RobertsonABA

“I have known Ernie for a number of years as a member of the Law Practice Division of the American Bar Association and worked with him in his speaking and writing capacity – helping lawyers become better lawyers. Ernie is a terrific writer and speaker and I would endorse him and give him high marks in both areas.”

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Stephanie PhelanMyCase

“Ernie was really amazing to work with from start to finish. He was responsive and had great suggestions. He always responded to my requests same day and provided materials well ahead of deadline.”

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Jared CorreiaMassachusetts Bar Ass’n

“When my company was looking for a presenter on that topic for a webinar to be broadcast online and for our holiday party, Ernie’s was the only name I considered…Ernie brings good humor and an engaging affability to every presentation he gives, and is always thoughtful and professional. He is sensitive to deadlines, prepares himself well and can adjust to technical difficulties and unexpected hiccups. Ernie the Attorney is, without a doubt, one of the top continuing legal education presenters in the United States.”

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Sean DesmondFlorida Bar Ass’n

“As Conference Chair for the recent Solo & Small Firm Technology Conference at The Florida Bar Winter Meeting, I was thrilled with the service that Ernie provided me and all of the conference attendees. From assisting with planning the conference and speaking during numerous segments during the conference, Ernie has proven himself to be a fantastic resource for all things technology based as they relate to the practice of law. He is a dynamic speaker who really really knows his stuff!”

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Marc MathenyIndiana Bar Ass’n

“As Vice-Chair of the Indiana State Bar Association Solo Small Firm Conference, I had the pleasure of asking Ernie to give the Keynote Address at our Conference in June, 2012. Having seen “Ernie the Attorney” several times as a speaker at ABA TECHCHOW, it did not surprise me that Ernie gave one of the most compelling presentations I have ever seen, giving his viewpoint on the advantages of the solo practice of law. The audience … gave Ernie one of the highest speaker ratings given to a presenter in the history of the Conference. I would highly recommend Ernie as a speaker and cannot wait to have him return.”

My Guidelines

Here are some things you should know before you invite me to speak.

Speaking Topics

I only speak on the topics that I’ve refined through frequent presentations (scroll down to see the list).

Signature Talk

My “LawFirm Autopilot” presentation is foundational. The other topics I cover build off of this presentation, so you must request this topic. If you ask me to do more than one topic, this is the one I need to present first.

Written Materials

I have developed written materials for all of my presentations and carefully refined them. I will not create new written materials, so if that’s required do not ask me to speak.

Assisting with Promotion

I’m happy to help promote your events through Twitter and Facebook. I will also send a broadcast notification to people on my email list.

At the Event

I love meeting folks at the live events I’m invited to, and will happily attend any dinners, receptions, or other social gatherings.

Honoraria, Travel & Hotel Costs, etc.

I don’t charge for speaking to bar association groups (or similar organizations) because I know that they operate on limited budgets. But if getting to the event requires me to travel outside of Louisiana then I need to have the following costs reimbursed: plane fare (or car mileage) and two nights’ hotel stay (or an additional hotel night per each additional day of speaking that you want me to do).

Co-Presenters

Developing and refining a solo presentation is hard enough, so I don’t do joint presentations or panel presentations.

Speaking Time

My talks are created to last for 60 minutes. But some state CLE rules call for 50-minute talks to get 1 hour of credit. Bottom line? I will adjust the time of my speech to meet your requirements.

Best of All?

I know how disruptive it is for event organizers when speakers exceed their allotted time. So I’m obsessive about ending on time (or before my time is up).

Speaker Brochure

If you need a speaker kit (with photo, biography etc.), shoot me an email and I’ll send it out to you right away.

LAWYER COMMENTS
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Ernie helped me organize, mobilize, and optimize my personal injury law practice…Following his advice, I’ve made more money than ever while lowering my stress levels and overhead.

Parker Layrisson
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I had the chance to hear Ernie at a Florida Bar conference, all I can say is wow. I thought I was pretty tech savvy before hearing Ernie speak. After about 5 minutes I stopped doodling and started listening. My first day back at work had me implementing his tips, purchasing his book and signing up for his newsletter.

Don Morrell
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What I found most appealing about Ernie’s presentation though was his genuine and sincere desire to help fellow lawyers leverage technology to achieve their goals.

Sierra Anne Pino
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My biggest sensei in starting my solo law practice was Ernie Svenson. Not only did he give me good advice about the business end, he was also my spiritual guide…Ernie is an amazing guy.

David Sparks
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I both give and hear a lot of speeches. Ernie, who I first discovered as a fellow blogger back in the long ago days when blogging was a rarity for lawyers, is first class. I recently heard his speech on Adobe Acrobat, one of his areas of expertise, and not only thoroughly enjoyed the presentation, but learned a lot, even though I thought I was a pretty experienced user. Highly recommended!

Michael Fox
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I have had the opportunity to hear Ernie present on law and technology multiple times in different settings. Each time I have found his presentations engaging and informative. His passion for learning and using technology to improve the practice of law is evident, and the practical solutions offered in each presentation reflect his depth of knowledge and well preparedness. I have left each presentation with new ideas and techniques to implement in my own practice

David Ogwyn
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An incredible value and experience! Ernie gave me so much information that I was looking for in planning my solo firm, and saved me so much time, instead of trying to find answers on my own.

Carlee Gonzales
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I recently attended a presentation by Ernie at the ABA Tech Show about the use of Adobe Acrobat and was extremely, extremely impressed. Ernest is extremely knowledgeable about technology issues and a superb public speaker. As a result of his one-hour presentation, I learned a tremendous amount about the use of Acrobat that will make me a more effective and efficient attorney. And Ernie went above and beyond the call of duty, and helped me set up a digital signature using Acrobat following his presentation. I cannot recommend Ernie highly enough – if you are looking for a speaker on technology issues (especially Acrobat), he is the one you want – you will not find anyone better!

Greg Goonan
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It is clear that you love helping people

Catherine Fairchild

My Biography

(If you book me to speak feel free to copy whatever you want to use as a biography)

Ernie Svenson worked in a big firm for 18 years handling complex, paper-intensive business litigation matters.

Then he learned to leverage technology to create a paperless solo practice. His low-cost website attracted a steady flow of good clients, which made his practice financially successful as well.

Now, through his LawFirmAutopilot website, he helps other lawyers build their own dream practices. Ernie is a nationally recognized speaker and author on various topics such as paperless lawyering, email efficiency, document automation, and online marketing.

He speaks regularly at state bar association events and industry conferences, including the ABA TechShow. He has written two ABA-published books: Acrobat in One Hour for Lawyers, and  Blogging in One Hour for Lawyers.

He has received numerous awards for his work, including the ABA’s 2018 Solo & Small Firm Trainer Award. Ernie was also chosen to be a FastCase 50 honoree.

Topics I Cover

Working Smarter

How to Run an Enjoyable, Stress-Free Law Practice

Technology can help you create a hyper-efficient, profitable and enjoyable practice. Unfortunately, for most attorneys, tech winds up being more frustrating than helpful.

In this session, you’ll finally discover the vital keys to harnessing paperless automation, low-cost outsourcing, and well-crafted systems.

Session Covers

  • The #1 reason most lawyers struggle to create smooth-running practices (it’s not related to the use of technology)
  • The only realistic solution to the problem mentioned above (it’s not practice management software)
  • Best practices for leveraging automation in your law practice, especially document automation
  • Best practices for using outsourcing in your law practice (i.e. the #1 key to gaining more freedom)

Paperless Lawyering

How to Shed Paper and Gain Freedom

In this session, you’ll learn how to reduce paper and create more frictionless workflows. You’ll also discover the best way to organize digital files, and ensure they’re safe from loss or damage, as well as infiltration by hackers.

The result will be that you’ll have less stress — and more freedom, flexibility & peace of mind.

Session Covers

  • The biggest misconception about creating a paperless law practice.
  • Best practices for organizing your digital documents so you can easily find anything you need in seconds
  • Which documents you MUST keep in paper form (it’s not as many as you might imagine).
  • How to leverage the power of PDFs to make your paperless workflows Ninja efficient.
  • How to smoothly transition to a more paperless practice (the answer will probably surprise you!)

Effective Marketing

Get More Good Clients By Leveraging Trust

Referrals are far and away the best way of getting new clients for most professional service businesses, especially lawyers. According to one key study, 81% of prospective clients who shop for a lawyer seek a referral. Existing trust is why referral marketing is so powerful.

But to get referrals, you must be in the forefront of a referral source’s mind at the moment they’re thinking of whom to send the case to. How can you make sure this happens in the best, most cost-effective way? That’s what this session is all about.

Session Covers

  • How trust is best created and maintained, whether you’re interacting with a prospective client online or in person.
  • Why email is the best way to create and build up trust (even though it’s overlooked by 95% of lawyers)
  • The best tool use for starting to do email marketing, which is 100% free.
  • How to connect a website to your email marketing system, and if you don’t have a website, you can set one up for only $500.
  • How to use email automation to create and build trust with new prospects, without you lifting a finger or even having to think.

Effective Email Processing

How to Tame Your Inbox

Email is now the bane of our existence: necessary, but overwhelming. Email often keeps us from accomplishing more important tasks. And it definitely stresses us out. However, there are ways to keep email in its place, so you can be much more productive, and much less stressed. This session will show you how.

Session Covers

  • Why our brains were not equipped to deal with a constant stream of emails
  • How to process emails in a way that leaves you feeling calm, confident, and in control of your life.
  • How to filter unproductive emails automatically (without spending even one minute setting up filters or fooling with technology).
  • How to spot emails sent by hackers who are waiting for you to click a booby-trapped link so they can get complete control of your computer and all of your data.
  • How to crank out responses to emails 300% faster than you’re used to.

Law Practice Systems

The Key to Gaining More Control and Freedom

If you want a smooth-running practice that gives you more time away from work, you need to create documented systems. But what does that mean, exactly? And how do you best make that happen? That’s what this session will show you.

Session Covers

  • The main types of systems for lawyers, and which ones to work on first.
  • Drafting procedures effectively (so work gets done right every time — even by newbies.)
  • The difference between procedures, policies, and processes (and why it’s something you absolutely need to understand)
  • The best software for documenting procedures & policies — that is, the ideal one for solo and small firm lawyers
  • How to quickly document procedures using a powerful tool that’s 100% free.

Call Ernie About Having Him Speak

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