Lawyers Gone Ethical

We can't end 2020 the way we end most years, with improving office organization and reviewing fee agreements.  Rather, this is a year to end with a focus on being kind to ourselves, setting new types of goals, and …

Thousands of California online bar exam takers were flagged for review, and an untold number of them have received Chapter 6 notices.  A Chapter 6 …

George Psiharis joins Megan to talk about the Clio Legal Trends report for 2020, the ongoing release of new information, and how Covid has impacted this important project.

Resources Mentioned:

Clio Legal Trends Report

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Professor Cat Moon teaches a fantastic class at Vanderbilt Law School called Law as a Business.  Megan was honored to be one of the guest speakers …

Professor Cat Moon teaches a fantastic class at Vanderbilt Law School called Law as a Business.  Megan was honored to be one of the guest speakers …

Screen addiction impacts most of us, and there's little doubt it has a negative impact. Overuse of screens leads to anxiety, depression, decreased productivity, and more.  Its impact is also clear in children. It turns …

We know the profession has a mental health crisis.  We have serious concerns about bars asking applicants about their mental health. But do we really understand the position these questions can put an applicant in?  

In …

A large number of ethics complaints begin with lawyers taking on more work than they can handle, leading them to miss deadlines, fail to be responsive to clients, and otherwise drop the ball.  A booming business seems …

A niche, or narrow, law practice might sound risky, but it's actually a fantastic way to build a rewarding practice.  Lyndosha Jamison has created a niche for herself that is exciting professionally and financially …

First, it sounds like the Florida Bar might be listening to this podcast.  (Jut kidding, of course.)  It issued a proposed advisory opinion allowing out of state lawyers to practice remotely from Florida without UPL …

There are lots of reasons for lawyers to move from state to state, but when a bar exam gets in the way, it turns into a real pain.  Whether you're a …

Note:  This is a replay of our most popular episode - Episode 28

The bar exam has gone from traditional end-of-July ritual to a jungle of uncertainty, constantly changing dates and conditions, and total chaos for …

Many families will have the kids home this fall, whether by choice or school policies. If you're going to be running your law firm from home in the …

Bar exams are a rite of passage for attorneys graduating from law school and being sworn in to practice law. But what if the bar exam is not …

In two contexts, lawyers and bar applicants worry about hiring an ethics lawyer. In moral character applications, applicants are often concerned that …

We've been scouring the internet to figure out what lawyers are asking about, and it turns out IOLTAs are a hot topic. In this episode, Megan answers …

Mental health is tough to tend to, especially as solo and small firm lawyers make a ton of excuses why we cannot be out for even one day. So how do …

Good policies and procedures make a law office run ethically, but file destruction is one where a lot of lawyers have questions.  How long should we …

As teams disperse to remote work environments, the lawyer's duty to supervise takes on new wrinkles. Pennsylvania issued an ethics opinion to help guide us; it brings together past ethics opinions and adds details for …

We typically think of team-building as bringing on full-time or infinite-duration members, but this mindset overlooks a great source of shorter-term …

Even the United States Supreme Court has had to adapt to working remotely during COVID-19.  Still, long-term lockdown (plus further uncertainty with …

The king of subscription legal service, Jon Tobin, sat down with Megan in the midst of COVID-19 to talk about how lawyers can evolve in the way they …

Stemming from her popular post on Attorney at Work, Megan tackles the ethical considerations for attorneys handling consultations, particularly …

Megan is joined by John Grant, who lends his systems background to lawyers looking to streamline their law practices with better processes and procedures.  In this episode, he and Megan explore the impending massive …

Let's talk marketing -- the usual and the highly unusual in a time of worldwide crisis.  Ollie Lash-Williams has a background in public relations, and he joins Megan to discuss the enormous worldwide crisis of the day, …

Building a rural law practice in 2020 is much different than it would have been 20 years ago.  Chris White, the Managing Partner of White Law Office …

Senator Tammy Duckworth tweeted that she spoke to her child while working from home unmuted on a call to the Democratic Caucus.  If the Illinois Senator can reveal some authenticity about the challenges from working …

The coronavirus has thrown how lawyers work into absolute disarray.  Brick and mortar lawyers with onsite servers are lost; even remote lawyers are …

Are you interested in learning how to start your own solo practice?  Your driving fear may be "I'm not going to have any clients."  When a lawyer …

Clients and lawyers should work well together. It makes for a smoother relationship, better work product, and better outcomes. It also reduces the …

Autonomous vehicles sound like Knight Rider's Kit, but they are in real development for use on the roads -- and to some extent, they are already here.  In this episode, Megan is joined by Damien Riehl, legal …

Megan reports on ABA TECHSHOW 2020

Resources Mentioned:

TECHSHOW Site

Erin Levine of Hello Divorce on Twitter

Jess Birken on Twitter

Jayne Reardon on Twitter

Clio

Thanks for listening!

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Mistakes in handling funds entrusted to lawyers account for a large percentage of bar complaints and prosecutions. Most lawyers realize that mishandling their trust account can lead to big trouble, but many still …

We have made it to 100 episodes, which is so exciting!  Megan is so grateful to her listeners, guests, and production team.  

Many lawyers have …

Mark Palmer, Chief Counsel in the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism (also known as 2Civility), sat down with Megan at Clio Con 2019 to talk about the disappearing rural lawyer. We know that there is a …

What is a law firm’s culture? It does not have to be any one thing, any stereotype, or inspired by a movie. Every firm has a culture, even if it has …

Lawyers often hide their real selves behind their lawyer personas, but Shreya Ley and her husband Colin have built their practice largely on the …

Consumer-facing digital legal products assist self-represented consumers, but lawyers need education and guidance too.  Frequent guest and contributor Erin Gerstenzang is an accomplished trial lawyer, and in this …

Lori Gonzalez, founder of Rayna Corp., knows more than a thing or two about supporting lawyers. Her business’s purpose is to bring admin superpowers to law firms around the country. At Clio Con 2019, Lori spoke about …

It is quite clear that lawyers could use some work on client service. In our last episode, we talked about the Clio Legal Trends Report, which made …

Lawyers as a profession are pretty bad about using data, but it is extremely powerful. Clio recognizes this fact and creates the Legal Trends Report …

Automation can make a practice run much more smoothly, giving you peace of mind, fewer errors, and fewer hours of work.  In this Christmas episode, Megan runs through some ideas for how you can introduce automation to …

Immigration lawyer and Congressional candidate Ruby Powers talks about using the power of the public forum in advocating for clients.

Guest Info:

Ruby Powers:

Ruby's Law Firm

Ruby's Campaign

Ruby on Twitter

Ruby on …

"Emotional Lawyering" - Should lawyers think more critically about responding to their client's pain points and focusing on their emotional needs and …

Nicole Abboud, known to audiences as the host of the Gen Y Lawyer Podcast, has launched a varied career since graduating from law school.  Speaker, …

Megan and Mark Britton sat down at Clio Cloud Conference 2019 to talk about the future of law, legal regulatory changes, what Mark has been up to …

Thanksgiving is Megan's favorite holiday, and in this special episode she discusses gratitude for lawyers,  happy lawyer stories, and why she is …

At Clio Con 2019, Jayne Reardon of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism joined Megan to talk about the changing regulatory …

Megan is joined by Sean Bernstein, organizer of Legal Innovation Summit at Fireside, to talk about that event and others in an unconference format. …

There is so much to talk about from Clio Con 2019, including the Legal Trends Report.  In this episode, Jack Newton stops by the Lawyers Gone Ethical recording booth.

Resources Mentioned:

Medium Article discussing …

LAWCLERK was started by three partners who saw a growth market in outsourced substantive legal work.  Answers to ethics questions were critical to establishing a marketplace for lawyers seeking lawyer help on their …

Megan was a true solo for a long time, then dabbled in having a bit of close-to-home help.  A year ago, she took the leap of hiring a virtual team to …

 While ADD and ADHD affect 4% of the general population, they impact 12% (or more) of lawyers.  Marshall Lichty recently found out he is one of them, …

Lawyers travel frequently for business, be it conferences or client work or other professional development.  As Megan gets ready to head to the California Lawyers Association annual meeting and the Clio Cloud …

Lawyers are given a script in law school for how their career is supposed to go.  But what can be achieved if we go off-script, and we build …

Wisely chosen, legal conferences can be great opportunities for solo and small firm lawyers.  Megan's top tips for making the most of your time at a …

Lawyer for lawyers and their firms, Jonathan Hawkins, joins Megan in this episode to talk about the business side of law firms.  Partnerships and …

Lawyerist is a community of forward-thinking lawyers, and its leadership team has written a book to help lawyers build their own small law firm of the future.  In this episode, Megan sits down with co-author Stephanie …

Estate planning lawyer Dylan Hyatt joins Megan on this episode to talk about how to protect a solo lawyer's biggest professional asset - their firm. …

The UPL exceptions proposed by California's task force seem to be stirring up a lot of anxiety amongst lawyers.  In this episode, Megan breaks down the actual proposals and encourages public comment on each of them. …

If you think that the laws we study in law school, from cases to statutes to regulations, are free, think again.  Copyright claims over the laws …

The UPL exceptions proposed by California's task force seem to be stirring up a lot of anxiety amongst lawyers.  In this episode, Megan breaks down the actual proposals and encourages public comment on each of them. …

Legal coaching, or limited scope representation, can address a tremendous need for participants in the justice system to get access to information not otherwise available to them.  In this episode, criminal defense …

Non-lawyer ownership of organizations providing legal services is a broad topic encompassing solos sharing their operating accounts with their …

So often lawyers are afraid to try something new (or new to them), and they often cite the ethics rules as one of the reasons they cannot do whatever …

As California's Task Force on Access Through Innovation of Legal Services makes its recommendations and the Board of Trustees puts them out for public comment, the country is watching closely.  Every lawyers, member of …

While we all wait for the ethics rules to change and open up avenues of innovation such as non-lawyer ownership in law firms, there are lawyers …

We talk a lot about lawyer wellness, including getting out of the office and disconnecting from professional life, but we can address wellness issues from inside the office too.  In this episode, we explore ideas for …

Lawyers are terrible at customer service.  Many bar complaints could be prevented with far better client service.  We have all experienced amazing …

Lots of questions from listeners pop up again and again.  This episode, we tackle some of those frequent questions.  Among them:

- How do I report my IOLTA to the State Bar?

- Must I continue representing someone who …

Erin Gerstenzang and Megan presented a workshop on Women Mentoring Women at the Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women Empowerment Conference in March 2019.  On this episode, Megan and Erin talk about women mentoring …

Lawyers are well-known for not paying enough attention to our mental health and ultimately getting ourselves in trouble as a result.  But all the …

Being a lawyer is a complex and strenuous profession and throwing forensics into the equation creates an entirely new concept to master. …

Being on probation with the State Bar can be more complex and significant than you might anticipate. When you are on probation, even the most unintentional or seemingly trivial mistake can lead to monumental …

Did you know that potential clients are judging you based on what others are saying about you online? In this episode, we listen in on ABA TECHSHOW 2019 where Megan presented with Jordan Schuetzle Director, Proposition …

A struggle for all law practices is getting paid. Even when you think you have a clear fee agreement, without effective communication and ease of payment, you may well find yourself with mounting receivables. 

Today …

Social media is a necessary part of doing business in the digital age. As a lawyer, it’s important to be personable, likable, and professional on social media, but how exactly does one do that? In this episode, two …

When do we tell a client we made a mistake - whether big or small? Delivering bad news is not easy, so it helps to know how to handle these situations. Today, we discuss ABA opinions that deal with specific instances of …

The importance of community and supporting each other as we build our practices can’t be overstated. Understanding that you are not alone as you …

Have you ever sent in an application and had no idea what the processing time of it being completed would be?  The moral character application is …

Do you take time to work on your own wellness? Wellness has gotten a lot more attention in recent years within our profession, which is good. Wellness activities can be group runs, yoga classes, and maybe even workshop …

Have you felt the pressure to take on a client that you knew might not be a good fit for you? There are many consequences if you take on these clients because of the pressure to pay the bills. 

Today we will learn how …

Have you seen something on social media lately that makes you angry or makes you want to help? Today we hear how social media can be one of the most …

Technology is pulling lawyers and law practices into the modern age but how can you, as a lawyer and business owner, use technology to improve your …

On Today’s episode, we will discuss representing yourself, and how it can be the only feasible option for some lawyers. Our host Megan does not think self-representation is such a terrible idea. Tune in today and hear …

On today’s episode, we will discuss Trust Accounts, Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA). We are is finding there are a lot of questions about …

We’ve all heard tales of the horror stories from attorney-client relationships that have gone horribly wrong. Regardless of who is right and who is wrong, both parties suffer when this happens. With a few simple …

With increased competition from other lawyers as well as legal companies, the legal client nowadays has a lot of choices when it comes to hiring legal help. That’s why it is crucial for lawyers to recognize the …

I recorded this episode while I was in the middle of a trial. I noticed that while we cover a lot of ethics-related topics on this show, all of the topics, like self-care and crossing ethical boundaries, become …

As the dialogue about overcoming implicit bias and workplace inequity gets louder in other industries, I’m taking a closer look at the state of unconscious bias in the legal industry to better understand how we can …

Do you ever think about your competition? As much as we'd all like to think we're not interested in checking out the competition, we can’t help but wonder if someone else in a similar space as us might be coming for our …

As your firm grows and expands, what type of ethics issues might you encounter during this time of change? From effective waivers during mergers to managing client relationships, my guest Jessica Beckwith joins me to …

As the year winds down, it’s common for many us lawyers to look back on the year and feel discouraged by all that we thought we would accomplish but …

Although it is relatively new, the cannabis industry is already seeing a boom in startups and businesses looking to capitalize on this new-found legalization (in certain states). With this growth comes a wave of lawyers …

As 2018 comes to a close, I thought it would be fun and useful to discuss some things you can be doing right now to end the year on a high note and …

Following our presentation at Clio Conference, my co-presenter, Jess Birken, and I sat down to reflect on our discussion of our presentation topic  - …

For many lawyers, making the decision to take on a new client doesn’t require much thought. After all, all paying clients are great clients, right? …

When you’re overwhelmed with work and the paperwork on your desk keeps piling up, that’s usually a good indication that you need help! Being busy is certainly better than the alternative when you’re running your law …

They say your “network is your net worth.” This is especially true in the legal profession. Surrounding yourself with the right people and building your network can prove to be crucial to your success and career …

For many lawyers with innovative ideas for their practices, those ideas rarely get a chance to blossom because of certain restraints in the ethics …

Just like with obstacle course races, lawyers’ careers are long, tough, and full of unforeseen obstacles. In this replay of my recent keynote …

ABA Model Rule 1.1 states that a lawyer shall provide competent representation to a client. While this duty has existed for a while, the more recent …

Lawyers are charged with upholding the law and abiding by the ethics rules while we’re practicing as well as when “off the clock.” The ethics rules …

No one wants to think about it but there might come a time in your legal career where you have to deliver bad news to your client – whether it’s due to a lawyer error or otherwise. How can you deliver this news to your …

Social media can be a great place to connect with colleagues and grow your law practice, when used correctly. For many lawyers, however, the thought …

Kenneth Lawson went from running a successful practice in Ohio to having his license revoked because of misconduct while addicted to prescription …

If you’re a new lawyer just starting out in your legal career, you’ll want to tune in to episode to hear my top 10 tips (and 1 bonus one!) to help you succeed. 

If you’re a more seasoned attorney, I’d love to hear your …

You’re a busy lawyer and some days make you wish you could multiply yourself. Well, until that day comes, you must learn to delegate. But where …

Many law students fear seeking the necessary attention and help for their mental health issues because they know they’re likely to have to report it on their moral character application. Even though few applicants are …

We’re all trying to do too much. From having too many commitments, to too many activities, and too many work projects - we’re all doing way too much. …

Completing your CLE’s might not be the most exciting part of practicing law but it is mandatory.

If you don’t take them seriously and complete them, then you can find yourself in a lot of trouble with your State Bar if …

For many solo practitioners, they believe they need to be the CEO’s and the experts of their law practices. After all, more often than not, it’s just …

Content marketing presents a great opportunity for lawyers who wish to increase their visibility online and grow their practices. Through blogging and video creation, lawyers can begin to establish genuine relationships …

Whether you’re a new lawyer or you’ve been practicing for many years, this is a great episode that will serve as advice (or as a reminder) for how to make the most of being a lawyer and be the best you can be. 

The Top …

If you’re involved in the discipline process, a lot of that stress you're dealing with carries over and affects your family too. So how can you help …

The legal industry has been stagnant when it comes to making any sort of ethics reform. For the states that are making changes to their ethics rules, …

I’m diving into the changes that came about with the new revamp of the California Rules of Professional Conduct. Several years ago, the California …

There are many instances when a lawyer might want to turn to the press and media to engage them in a way that helps their existing clients. While there are certainly numerous marketing benefits to engaging the press, …

It’s not enough to be competent in your practice area, now clients expect lawyers to be decent human beings as well. In this episode, I share my thoughts on the importance of being a good person and how that has a …

Scheduling software programs help you keep your appointments organized, but they can do so much more for your practice.  From helping you set up …

In this episode, I get a little bit more personal and share my candid thoughts about why the legal profession is ripe for legal ethics reform, and more importantly, why that’s not a scary proposition.

There are many …

The better your law practice is managed, the less likely you are to fall short on even basic ethics duties like competence, diligence, and …

What are some proper billing practices that can help reduce the potential for bar complaints against you? In this episode, I share several best practices when it comes to billing clients for work performed.

What I Cover …

Technology is pulling lawyers and law practices into the modern age but how can you, as a lawyer and business owner, use technology to improve you …

Lawyers are catching on to the importance and value of integrating law bots into their practice, whether as chat bots on their websites or as client …

Send any ethics questions that you’d like me to address in a future episode. Reach me at megan@zaviehlaw.com or Tweet me @zaviehlaw  

Lawyers no longer have to fear ethics constraints when crafting a law practice that …

What should your social media profile(s) include? Are you compliant with the ethical rules when you build out your social media profiles? In this …

Interest in mindfulness and meditation is on the rise in the legal profession and for good reason! There are numerous benefits to incorporating …

The moral character application might seem like it’s only something law students need to worry about but if you’re a lawyer who’s looking to be admitted in other jurisdictions, then you’ll certainly want to pay …

The legal profession is evolving and yet, so many of the ethics rules can’t seem to keep up. They are simply outdated and need a 21st century …

What does kindness have to do with ethics complaints? Well, possibly a lot! I believe that if more lawyers practiced kindness towards their clients …

Show Notes

Is that contact form on your website compliant with the ethical rules? How should you handle negative online reviews by clients? The …

In my first episode, I start off with a short introduction of who I am. I am an ethics attorney practicing primarily in California, and in short, I …