Legal Talk Network - Law News and Legal Topics

What are you charging your clients for, “minutes” or “results?” Guest John Rafferty started his own firm, Highfield Law, in the Philadelphia suburbs, specializing in guardianships and estates. He’s a convert to flat-fee, results based, billing. No more “billable hours.” And it works.

Rafferty is also a tech guy. Zoom, phone, face to face, it’s all at the client’s choice. Meeting clients where they want is key, and Rafferty finds many prefer some mix of online and in-person contact. It’s a new world. (And that goes for hiring online and part-time administrative help, too).

Hear how Rafferty reinvented his legal practice, from billing to remote work, and how he sets his flat-fee rates based on value and the market. Having the confidence to set a rate, and stick to it, is important. It takes courage, but it’s worth it.

And one more thing: “All funds are due up front.” Does this all sound blunt and, frankly, different? Perhaps, but it can take the focus off the money and hours and let clients focus on getting the results they want.

(Plus, a bonus tip: where to find the best Philly cheesesteaks!)

Questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at NewSolo@legaltalknetwork.com.

Topics:

Flat-fee billing works if you have the confidence to set your fee and stick to it. John Rafferty went out on his own and established a results-based firm. No more “billable hours.”

Meet clients where they are. That doesn’t have to be in an office. Clients are busy, too. Sometimes an online video chat or a phone call is better than having someone “drop by the office.”

For solo practices, tech matters. Get comfortable with digital platforms and let them speed up the routine tasks. If a flat-fee project takes fewer hours than you estimated because you were efficient, that’s pure profit.

Subscribe to New Solo: https://play.megaphone.fm/snklydceswminrbke6phsq

Resources:

“Ditch the Billable Hour! Implementing Value-Based Pricing in a Law Firm,” by Shaun Jardine

Previously on the Legal Talk Network, “No More Billable Hours: The Move To Value-Based, Results-Based Pricing,” The Un-Billable Hour

Clio legal software

Smokeball legal software

CARET legal software

Claude AI

Microsoft OneDrive

Quo phone system

Zoom

ClioCon 2026

ABA Techshow 2027

Hosts John Simon and Tim Cronin dig into how to read a witness in the first 15 minutes, when to be deferential versus direct, and why walking in with a rigid game plan can cost you if you're not willing to throw it out in the first of a new multi-part series on deposition strategy. They break down what separates attorneys who simply gather information from those who use every deposition to actively build their case and share real war stories from decades of practice. The episode covers five tips on style and approach and four tips on brainstorming before you even build an outline, laying the groundwork for the deeper series ahead: deposition goals, thorough preparation, in-the-room tactics, and cross-examination strategy. As John and Tim put it, the case goes as the deposition goes and this episode explains why.

Subscribe to The Jury Is Out: https://play.megaphone.fm/td_bgp7ytmwvduhtrxauqq

After passing the bar, attorneys take an oath to uphold not only the United States Constitution, but their state constitutions as well. But how well do lawyers understand the rights and protections found in their own state constitutions, and how often do they put them to work in their legal practice?

Rocky Dhir welcomes Judge Jeffrey Sutton to explore the often-overlooked role of state constitutions in American law. Judge Sutton shares practical examples of how state constitutional provisions can shape legal arguments and outcomes, and explains why attorneys should look beyond federal law when advocating for clients. By giving greater consideration to state constitutional authority, lawyers can help create a more balanced and nuanced understanding of individual rights at both state and federal levels.



Subscribe to State Bar of Texas Podcast: https://play.megaphone.fm/_hh0l5izt4mfkr1zmxo_cg

Attorneys are held to a strict ethical code, but that does not mean they always follow it. Attorney Cynthia Payne, Executive Vice President of US Legal Groups, joins the show to unpack why it took until 2002 for the American Bar Association to formally address whether attorneys can have sexual relationships with clients, and why the power imbalance in that dynamic makes consent far more complicated than it appears. Payne walks through real cases from her decades in the profession, including an attorney whose relationship with a client on a murder case led to a vacated conviction, a case involving a client who felt coerced into a relationship with her own divorce attorney, and an especially extreme case of an attorney who bribed witnesses, revealed client confidences in court filings, and was ultimately disbarred after shooting someone in his office. The conversation also turns to judges who abused their positions, from arrests involving drugs and domestic violence to one particularly bizarre courtroom scandal, and to the gender dynamics Payne has witnessed firsthand across thirty years of practice, including moments early in her career when jurors commented on her appearance rather than her performance. Payne closes with guidance for anyone who feels taken advantage of by their attorney, including how to seek a second opinion, file a disciplinary complaint, and exercise the right to fire an attorney at any time, even mid case.

Subscribe to Confessions of a Divorce Assassin: https://play.megaphone.fm/yddxa_zfqjimbgjtoqzijw

Get a look into a part of the legal world that paralegal professionals work with closely, but often don’t get to know: court reporters and transcription and documenting professionals. Guest Jennifer Hines, the founder of Hines Reporters and a 40-year veteran court reporter, chats with Mila Alcantar, a stenography student who represents the next generation of courtroom recording and transcription professionals.

The field of professional documentation, recording, and legal transcription is constantly evolving. Depositions, video conferencing, and even understanding languages and dialects are all vital parts of the legal process that intersect directly with the paralegal profession.

As the court reporting profession works through a shortage of trained workers, hear how ASR, automated court reporting, voice recording, and even a potential problematic trend in “digital” recording is challenging the field.

Curious about how the transcripts you include in legal filings get made and how state requirements vary? How do you know you’re working with a valid, defensible transcript? This episode of Paralegal Voice digs into the process and ethical standards of legal reporting and explains what paralegal professionals need to know.

Resources:

California Court Reporters Association

National Court Reporters Association

NCRA A to Z Online Program

NALA, The Paralegal Association

NALA Conference & Expo 2026

Subscribe to The Paralegal Voice: https://play.megaphone.fm/sq1e-saoq6ga2fue1-y_qw