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The Renegade Lawyer Podcast
I am more convinced than ever that nothing that traditional bar organizations are doing is going to move the needle on the sad stats on lawyer happiness ...
The root cause of all lawyers' problems is financial stress. Financial stress holds you back from getting the right people on the bus, running the right systems, and being able to only do work for clients you want to work with. Financial stress keeps you in the office on nights and weekends, often doing work you hate for people you don't like, and doing that work alone.
(Yes, you have permission to do only work you like doing and doing it with people you like working with.)
The money stress is not because the lawyers are bad lawyers or bad people. In fact, most lawyers are good at the lawyering part and they are good people.
The money stress is caused by the general lack of both business skills and an entrepreneurial mindset.
Thus, good lawyers who are good people get caught up and slowed down in bringing their gifts to the world. Their families, teams, clients, and communities are not well-served because you can't serve others at your top level when you are constantly worrying about money.
We can blame the law schools and the elites of the profession who are running bar organizations, but to blame anyone else for your own woes is a loser's game. It is, in itself, a restrictive, narrow, mindset that will keep you from ever seeing, let alone experiencing, a better future.
Lawyers need to be in rooms with other entrepreneurs. They need to hang with people who won't tell you that your dreams are too big or that "they" or "the system "won't allow you to achieve them. They need to be in rooms where people will be in their ear telling them that their dreams are too small.
Get in better rooms. That would be the first step.
Second step, ignore every piece of advice any general organized bar is giving about how to make your firm or your life better.
The Renegade Lawyer Podcast
Ep. 186 – Renegade Lawyer Marketing (Audio Book) – Chapter 16: Don’t Let Systems Scare You
Chapter 16: Don't Let Systems Scare You
Ben tackles the common resistance lawyers have to building systems—especially those who think their practice is "too personalized" for repeatable processes. Spoiler: it's not.
In this short but powerful episode, you'll learn:
- Why 95% of your law firm’s work is repeatable—and how systems protect your standards.
- How to explain your systems to clients so they feel more taken care of, not less.
- The real difference between having a job and owning a business that works when you’re away.
If you’ve ever told yourself you’re “just not a systems person,” this one’s for you.
Next up: Chapter 17 – Your One-Page Marketing Bible.
🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Ben Glass is a nationally recognized personal injury and long-term disability insurance attorney in Fairfax, VA. Since 2005, Ben Glass and Great Legal Marketing have been helping solo and small firm lawyers make more money, get more clients and still get home in time for dinner. We call this TheGLMTribe.com
What Makes The GLM Tribe Special?
In short, we are the only organization within the "business builder for lawyers" space that is led by two practicing lawyers.
One thing we're sure you've noticed is that despite the variety of options within our space, no one else is mixing
the actual practice of law with business building in the way that we are.
There are no other organizations who understand the highs and lows of running a small law firm and are engaged in talking to real clients. That is what sets GLM apart from every other organization, and it is why we have had loyal members that have been with us for two-decades.
Welcome to the Renegade Lawyer Podcast, the show that challenges the way lawyers and professionals think about life, business and success. Hosted by Ben Glass, attorney, entrepreneur, coach and father of nine, this show is about more than just practicing law. For over 40 years, ben has built a law firm that stands for something bigger. He's helped thousands of lawyers create practices that make good money, do meaningful work and still make it home for dinner. Each week, ben brings you real conversations with guests who are challenging the status quo Lawyers, doctors, entrepreneurs, thinkers and builders. These are people creating bold careers and meaningful lives without burning out or selling out. If you're ready to stop playing small and start thinking like a renegade, you're in the right place. Let's dive in.
Speaker 2:Hey, this is Ben, and we're back with Chapter 16 of Renegade Lawyer Marketing, where we're bringing you the audio version of my book to you for free. Chapter 16, don't Let Systems Scare you. If you want to move from your well-paying job to being a business owner, you need to get good at building systems. I hear it, but Ben McDonald's was built on systems. Teenagers can run it. My law practice is different. I give individualized care and I can't imagine building my practice in order to franchise it. That's just not the practice of law. Yeah, that's baloney. Think about it. Track what you and your staff do all week. I'm betting that upwards of 95% of all that happens in your practice is repeated each week, and some is repeated every single day, and most of it is repeated by people who are not you. Why would anyone be afraid to put into place processes that guarantee that when something is repeated in your office, it is repeated to your high standards? Why are you involved in anything that you could model and then have others in your firm repeat or outsource, even to a diligent worker in another country? Creating a system that even a teenager could run frees you to do what your client paid you to do to be the chief strategist who can direct the solving of the client's problem. That's your primary job, and your second most important job is to create those systems or, better yet, hire someone else to create them. Here's your renegade pro tip Until you have systems in place, written processes, procedures, scripts and digital tools to automate and track everything, you've only got a job. Systems give you a business that can run itself. Even when you're on that cruise ship with your family for three weeks, they will be happy and proud of you.
Speaker 2:Used to think their clients wanted and expected me to be familiar with all the parts of their case all the time. That was a lot for me to keep up with. After all, I run a busy practice and I'm good at marketing. Today, here's the conversation that goes on during a meeting where a fee agreement is being signed. This is where we explain how it works around here to the client. Okay, here's how this works.
Speaker 2:I'm the chief strategist and trial lawyer on your case, but there's hundreds of things that go on in the case that don't really involve me directly. I'm responsible, of course, but I've hired and trained a team of folks who can do these things for you and me in this case. So, sally and Bill, their job is to go out and work with you to track down all the important data for your case. Susie's job is to manage all that data as it comes in, and together they bring to my attention any problems or issues From time to time. When they report to me that issues are cropped up, that's when I get involved. We have great systems for getting this done, and if you ever feel the need to talk directly to me, let us know. We'll set that up. Once all that data is in, I work with you to arrive at a settlement strategy. If it doesn't result in a settlement, we're into litigation. Here's the litigation team and here's what they do, and here are the systems for making sure that what they do will get done to my very high standards. And if that doesn't work well, I'm your trial lawyer for the case. So not only are they not disappointed that I'm not involved in every detail and don't know about the status of their entire case every single day, they love the fact that my skilled, trained team has their backs for real.
Speaker 2:Next up, we'll talk about marketing. We'll take you to the basics of marketing. We'll start out with your one-chapter marketing bible, and we'll give you a broad overview. Subsequent chapters will deal with such matters as to how to design your marketing material around your avatar client and how to launch your marketing campaign. We'll be giving you a good number of steps to follow, but I guarantee you they'll all lead to a pot of gold. So next time chapter 17, we'll start with your one chapter, marketing Bible.
Speaker 1:Until then, that's it for today's episode of the renegade lawyer podcast, where we're rewriting the rules of what it means to build a great law practice and a great life. If something sparked a new idea or gave you clarity, pass it on, subscribe, leave a review and share this with someone who's ready to think bigger. Want more tools, strategies and stories from the trenches? Visit greatlegalmarketingcom or connect with Ben Glass and the team on LinkedIn. Keep building boldly. We'll see you next time.
