Legal Talk Network - Law News and Legal Topics

The Case Doctors explore what legal recourse Taylor Swift fans might have when the tickets they bought for $14,000 didn’t turn out to be what they paid for. Plus, John Simon and Alvin Wolff discuss strategies for an attorney contemplating how to handle a case involving 200 garden gnomes that allegedly violated Homeowners’ Association rules. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Leadership doesn’t always come naturally; it is a skill developed through service, mentorship, and a deep commitment to others. In this episode, Amanda Arriaga and Patrick Palace welcome Nate Alder, a longtime leader in multiple associations, including the NCBP. Drawing on his many years of service, Nate shares insights that deepen our understanding of how to lead with humility and a genuine commitment to stewarding and elevating the next generation of leaders in the legal profession. Nate Alder is a shareholder at Christensen & Jensen, where he litigates, tries, and resolves complex civil cases. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 595 of the Lawyerist Podcast, we’re revisiting Stephanie’s conversation with Lawyerist financial coach Bernadette L. Harris about the financial KPIs every law firm owner should understand as a new year begins. We’re bringing this episode back because it’s especially timely for firms setting their strategy, goals, and financial benchmarks for the year ahead. It’s important to continue finding a clear, practical approach to understanding the numbers that drive a healthy firm.  Unlock a clearer view of your law firm's financial health in the latest Lawyerist Podcast. Join host Stephanie Everett as she dives into the essential key performance indicators (KPIs) that can transform how you understand your practice, guided by the expert insights of Bernadette Harris, Lawyerist Lab's finance coach.  You'll gain practical knowledge about five crucial areas that directly impact your firm's success. Understand your net profit margin like never before – not just the surface numbers, but the true profitability that informs your strategic decisions. Explore utilization rate and discover how to optimize your team's time for maximum productivity. Learn the critical importance of your realization rate and practical steps to ensure you're capturing the revenue you've earned. See how mastering AR aging can directly impact your cash flow and create financial stability. Plus, uncover the strategic advantage of understanding your revenue by practice area, empowering you to make smarter choices about your firm's financial future.  For straightforward, actionable insights into these vital financial indicators – the kind that can immediately help you manage your law firm more effectively – tune in to hear Bernadette Harris share her expertise.    Listen to our other episode with Bernadette Harris:  #457: Healthy Profits: Understanding the Story Your Numbers Tell, with Bernadette Harris Apple Podcast | Spotify |  Lawyerist  #523: Financial Red Flags: Are You Hiring Too Soon?, with Bernadette Harris Apple Podcast |  Spotify | Lawyerist  #418: More Income, Fewer Taxes, with Bernadette Harris Apple Podcast |  Spotify | Lawyerist    Have thoughts about today’s episode? Join the conversation on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X!  If today's podcast resonates with you and you haven't read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Looking for help beyond the book? See if our coaching community is right for you.    Access more resources from Lawyerist at lawyerist.com.    Chapters:  00:00 Why We’re Remastering This Episode for the New Year02:55 Law Firm KPIs and Financial Health05:21 Net Profit Margin for Law Firms09:38 Utilization Rate and Team Capacity14:35 Realization Rate and Getting Paid20:05 Accounts Receivable and Cash Flow24:19 Revenue by Practice Area27:16 Using Financial Metrics to Set Strategy  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three trends dominated this year's coverage. ----- We've made it to the end of the year! And what do we have to show for it as a profession? Our most elite law firms signed deals rather than stand up for themselves in the face of illegal Trump bullying efforts. Others quietly tried to erase their history to avoid the administration's ire. But some firms did fight back and achieved consistent success in court, while the dealmakers got heckled and derided by young lawyers. And, as anyone who has ever watched Star Wars knows, deals with authoritarians just get worse all the time. The New York Times even wrote a feature on a certain publication covering this story. We also ran headlong into a constitutional crisis marked by DOJ lawyers lying to courts -- when the DOJ even bothers to field lawyers legally -- senior government officials declaring "war" on federal judges, and judges being arrested. As right-wing threats against federal judges escalated, the Supreme Court responded with disinterest, preferring to fan the flames with nakedly partisan shadow docket rulings to grease the wheels of Trump's assault on the structure of government. And, finally, we look at the year of AI in legal. Hallucinations dominated the conversation -- from law firms and judges alike -- but this was also the year legal tech made huge bets on AI and folks started to realize that the profession can't avoid the technology. The billable hour may finally be on the decline, but does AI risk making lawyers dumber? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A document dump. Disappearing evidence. And a new depo the first night of trial. Despite all this, Katie pulled off a win and shares what she learned, including how to use a snowstorm to your advantage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices