Building Newlaw

Join Peter, Natalie, and special guest co-host Laura van Wyngaarden as they speak with Rebecca Kacaba and Mat Goldstein from DealMaker about their journey to create a new way for companies and investors to streamline the capital-raising process. Rebecca and Mat share their insights into how implementing workflows, thinking outside the box, and collaboration with experts outside the legal industry can help you build a better product. 

Developing personal relationships and fostering greater understanding of your client's needs are as important as ever in the legal world. In this episode, Natalie and Peter chat with Mark Le Blanc about how the changing dynamic between in-house counsel and external law firms can help lawyers deliver more value and drive change in the legal industry as a whole. 

Extensive education is essential for producing lawyers that will meet the needs of your firm and clients. In this episode, Peter and Natalie speak with Bill Henderson about how he aims to teach both law students and established legal professionals the skills they need to innovate their practice and maximize efficiency. The expansion of legal skillsets through modernized education and training will be fundamental in building new law.

Alma Asay didn't plan to become a legal entrepreneur. But when she looked for a tool that would help her manage information in her litigation practice, she didn't find it. Instead, she found herself building a piece of software called Allegory that does just that. Peter Aprile and Natalie Worsfold talk to Alma about what she learned when she quit her job to start a company – and what she would want others to know before they make the same choice. Alma talks about the importance of empathy to a legal practice and why your files should always be organized well before trial appears on the horizon. CPD Lawyers that have completed the S03E07 BNL CPD can claim a 50 minute Professionalism CPD credit. To access the S03E07 verification examination click this link.

Good lawyers are good writers. In this episode, Peter and Natalie speak to Ivy Grey about techniques and technologies that will help make you a better writer and a better lawyer. Peter, Natalie and Ivy explore the technology and training methods that will put you in a position to streamline your writing, win more, and move up the ranks.

Aly Haji is researching what it means to be a millennial at a law firm – why they’re leaving en masse, why they find their jobs soul-crushing, and why all of this is a real problem for law firms. Peter Aprile and Natalie Worsfold talk to him about the stories his research is uncovering and get him to explain the unnerving results so that law firm leaders can figure out some concrete next steps to stall the exodus.    Also joining BNL for the first time is Brittany Rossler, summer associate at Counter Tax Lawyers. We dragged her in front of the mic to give her opinion as a real-life millennial working at a real-life law firm – and, spoiler alert, she gets a bit riled up.  CPD Lawyers that have completed the S03E05 BNL CPD can claim a 50 minute Professionalism CPD credit.  To access the S03E05 verification examination click this link.

Litigators and clients find it difficult to collect cell phone and social media evidence. Peter and Natalie speak with Puneet Tiwari about his new tool that will help you search and collect evidence. This way, you won’t miss the important evidence to support your case.

This episode is a bit different: it’s a recording of a talk that Peter gave at the Clio Cloud Conference in 2017 called The More Complete Law Firm. If you’ve ever wanted to hear more from one of BNL’s beloved hosts, now’s your chance. In the episode, we get a closer look at some of the philosophies that drive Counter Tax Lawyers, with a focus on long-term thinking, building effective processes, and having the courage to take risks.  It’s a behind-the-scenes look at the ideas and stories that come out of building a real NewLaw firm.  CPD Lawyers that have completed the S03E04 BNL CPD cam claim a 30 minute Professionalism CPD credit.  To access the S03E04 verification examination click this link.

Peter Aprile and Natalie Worsfold interview Ron Friedmann, founder and principal of Prism Legal Consulting and consultant at Fireman & Company. They talk the nitty gritty details of NewLaw: building knowledge management systems, handling budgets, and managing change.  Peter and Natalie dig into Ron's Do Less Law philosophy, and he tells us about why lawyers have to change the way they work.  CPD Lawyers that have completed the S03E03 BNL CPD cam claim a 40 minute Professionalism CPD credit.  To access the S03E03 verification examination click this link.

Peter Aprile and Natalie Worsfold interview Mark Cohen, co-founder of Clearspire. The group discusses the Clearspire story, why  its bleeding-edge technology and legal expertise weren’t a commercial success, and the lessons NewLaw needs to learn. Lawyers that have completed the S03E02 BNL CPD cam claim a 60 minute Professionalism CPD credit.  To access the S03E02 verification examination click this link.

Peter Aprile and Quinn Ross discuss the Ontario Bar Association’s inaugural “Innovator-in-Residence” Program and the reasons that Peter chose to analyze traditional law firm structures and leadership, and his belief that the paradigm that underlies traditional law firms is the root cause of the legal industry's disempowerment, diversity, and innovation issues. Peter discusses his early research into new distributed power models - and Counter's experience shifting to a new model - designed to make law firms more innovative, productive, fulfilling, and meaningful.   CPD Lawyers that have completed the S04E01 BNL CPD cam claim a 35 minute Professionalism CPD credit.  To access the S04E01 verification examination click this link.

Peter Aprile and Natalie Worsfold interview Lena Koke, co-founder of Axess Law, Canada. The group discusses the innovative approach that Axess uses to deliver legal services. The law firm works in retail spaces across Ontario, with 12 locations in the greater Toronto area, ten of which are in Walmart stores. In 2016, Axess served 40,000 clients across the province and saw a significant increase in revenue. In this interview, Lena tells BNL how she and her partner, Mark Morris, came up with the idea. CPD Lawyers that have completed the S02E11 BNL CPD cam claim a 45 minute Professionalism CPD credit.  To access the S02E11 verification examination click this link.

Jamie Gardiner believes that most lawyers' complex litigation analysis is weak so he set out to find a better way. Jamie believes that litigation tools can help lawyers and clients better understand litigation value and risk so that clients can optimize their litigation decisions.  Peter Aprile and Natalie Worsfold talk to Jamie about the current structure, methodology, and thinking that underlie most litigation analysis and client reporting. The group discusses how lawyers can leverage technology and process (including risk and decision analysis and sensitivity analysis) to think deeper and deliver a more sophisticated analysis to predict outcomes better, and puts clients in the best position. CPD Lawyers that have completed the S03E09 BNL CPD cam claim a 35 minute Professionalism CPD credit.  To access the S03E09 verification examination click this link.

Peter Aprile and Natalie Worsfold interview Mitch Kowalski, author, advisor and innovator in the global legal services industry.  The group discusses Mitch’s newest book, The Great Legal Reformation: Notes from the Field.  Natalie, Peter, and Mitch talk candidly about law firm financing, outside expertise, Alternative Business Structures, regulatory requirements, technology, and legal education in Canada. CPD Lawyers that have completed the S02E10 BNL CPD cam claim a 30 minute Professionalism CPD credit.  To access the S02E10 verification examination click this link.

John Chisholm did not think that he would end up researching, writing, and consulting about law firm pricing. However, John learned how the billable hour model is limiting law firm profitability, and he became a passionate value pricing advocate. Peter Aprile and Natalie Worsfold talk to John about why he believes that law firms should stop hourly billing and start value pricing. The group discusses why and how the hourly billing model is hurting you, your law firm, and your clients. Also, Peter, Natalie and John discuss how the current model is creating an environment that hurts associate development and retention. Oh, and Counter decides to stop offering hourly billing on all new files, and to stop tracking time on January 1, 2019.  CPD Lawyers that have completed the S03E08 BNL CPD cam claim a 35 minute Professionalism CPD credit.  To access the S03E08 verification examination click this link.

Peter Aprile and Natalie Worsfold interview Jack Newton, co-founder of Clio. If you’re not familiar with Clio, then you might have been living under a rock. Clio is the most widely used cloud-based legal practice management system in the world. The group discusses the company’s mission to transform the delivery of legal services (for good), the 2016 Legal Trends Report, and what to look forward to at this year’s Clio Cloud Conference. CPD Lawyers that have completed the S02E09 BNL CPD cam claim a 45 minute Professionalism CPD credit.  To access the S02E09 verification examination click this link.

Alma Asay didn't plan to become a legal entrepreneur. But when she looked for a tool that would help her manage information in her litigation practice, she didn't find it. Instead, she found herself building a piece of software called Allegory that does just that. Peter Aprile and Natalie Worsfold talk to Alma about what she learned when she quit her job to start a company – and what she would want others to know before they make the same choice. Alma talks about the importance of empathy to a legal practice and why your files should always be organized well before trial appears on the horizon. CPD Lawyers that have completed the S03E07 BNL CPD cam claim a 50 minute Professionalism CPD credit.  To access the S03E07 verification examination click this link.

Peter Aprile and Natalie Worsfold interview Casey Flaherty, a former outside and inside counsel known for creating the Service Delivery Review, a tool that facilitates communication between law firms and clients. The interview focuses on Casey’s new book “Unless You Ask,” which helps law firms use conversations to improve their working relationships with clients.  In the interview, Casey points out that building client-centric law firms is laudable but doesn’t always offer an immediate return on investment.  CPD Lawyers that have completed the S02E08 BNL CPD cam claim a 35 minute Professionalism CPD credit.  To access the S02E08 verification examination click this link. 

John Grant has a lot of experience bringing change to law firms – or trying to. As you might expect, John has seen both success and failure in those attempts, and he brings all of those stories to his discussion with Peter Aprile and Natalie Worsfold. He's seen the marketing brochures trumpeting project management tech that only five people are actually using. He's seen the lack of strong executive leadership. He's also seen individual lawyers push a new idea through a whole office, purely on the strength of conviction. In short, he has been exactly where many of our listeners are, and he has wisdom to spare.  CPD   Lawyers that have completed the S03E06 BNL CPD cam claim a 60 minute Professionalism CPD credit.  To access the S03E06 verification examination click this link.

Peter Aprile and Nathalie Worsfold interview Jordan Furlong.  Jordan is a leading global legal market analyst and the interview focuses on Jordan’s new book Law Is A Buyer’s Market: Building A Client-First Law Firm.  In the interview, Jordan shares how clients are influencing the changes that law firms must make to prosper.  CPD Lawyers that have completed the S02E07 BNL CPD can claim a 35 minute Professionalism CPD credit.  To access the S02E07 verification examination click this link.