#569: Your Head is a Crappy Office, and Other GTD Principles for Attorneys, with David Allen
Many lawyers feel overwhelmed by never-ending to-do lists, constant context-switching, and the mental clutter of trying to keep it all straight. In this episode, Zack Glaser talks with productivity pioneer David Allen, author of Getting Things Done (GTD), about how lawyers can break free from chaos and reclaim control—both personally and as a team.
David shares the five key steps of the GTD framework and explains why a “clear mind” isn’t a luxury —it’s a leadership necessity. You’ll learn how to stop relying on your brain as a filing cabinet, how to set up simple systems that actually stick, and how to build a law firm culture where everyone knows what to do next.
We also explore concepts from his new book, Team: Getting Things Done with Others, including how to reduce bottlenecks, clarify roles, and avoid burnout by working smarter not just harder.
Whether you’re a solo lawyer juggling everything or a leader scaling a team, this episode will help you create space to think, lead, and grow.
Listen to our other episodes on systems & productivity:
#419: Free Yourself from Productivity, with Oliver Burkeman Apple | Spotify | Lawyerist
#514: The Hidden Value of Doing Less, with Leidy Klotz Apple | Spotify | Lawyerist
#485: Unleash Your Law Firm’s Potential with an Internal Coach, with Robin Carberry Apple | Spotify | Lawyerist
#516: Flexing Your Discipline Muscle to Stay Motivated, with Sara Muender Apple | 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/Timestamps:
00:00 – Introduction: What Is GTD and Why Lawyers Need It
00:46 – Staying Ahead of the Wave: Zack’s GTD Takeaway
02:18 – Brain Dumping for Clarity: A Lawyer Coaching Example
05:34 – Introducing the Small Firm Scorecard
09:54 – Meet David Allen: Creator of Getting Things Done (GTD)
13:47 – Mind Like Water: The Mental State of True Productivity
15:59 – Your Brain Is a Terrible Office: The 5 Steps of GTD
24:52 – From Inbox to Action: Making Systems Stick
27:06 – Avoiding Burnout with Weekly Reviews
31:25 – From High Performer to Dysfunctional Team
34:46 – The Soccer Analogy: Great Players Still Need Teamwork
39:28 – The Power of Saying No: GTD’s Boldest Lesson
42:32 – First Steps: Start by Capturing What’s on Your Mind
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#568: How to Build a Law Firm You Can Sell, with Victoria L. Collier
Most law firm owners build a business that depends entirely on them—then wonder why no one wants to buy it.
In this episode, we talk with Victoria Collier, founder of Quid Pro Quo, about how to build a firm that’s not only profitable, but truly sellable. Victoria shares what she learned selling her own estate planning and elder law firm after 18 years—and how she now helps other lawyers do the same.
You’ll learn what buyers actually look for (hint: it’s not just revenue), why your firm needs to run without you, and how a shift in mindset can create more freedom and future value. Victoria also shares surprising truths about law firm sales—like the possibility of getting cash upfront—and how AI is quickly becoming a key part of due diligence for buyers and sellers alike.
Listen to our other episodes on the selling your practice:
#369: Selling Your Practice, with Tom Lenfestey Apple | Spotify | Lawyerist
#326: A Succession Plan for Your Law Practice, with Tom Lenfestey Apple | 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/Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction: The Mindset of a Sellable Law Firm
02:45 - The Dangers of Being the Bottleneck: Why Delegation Matters
06:58 - Lessons from a Successful Firm Sale: What Works and What Doesn't
09:22 - What Buyers Look For: Red Flags and Green Lights in Your Firm
21:52 - Surprising Realities of Selling a Law Firm: Financing and Debt
31:21 - AI's Role in Increasing Your Firm's Value
34:02 - Life After Law: Preparing for Your Next Chapter
36:46 - The Fundamental Mindset Shift: Owning a Business, Not Just a Job
37:50 - Taking the First Steps Toward a Sellable Firm
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#567: From Quiet to Confident: Redefining Success as an Introverted Lawyer, with Heidi Brown
This episode of the Lawyerist Podcast offers a thorough exploration of understanding introversion, shyness, and social anxiety, and how these traits can be leveraged as strengths, particularly in the legal profession. You'll hear Zack Glaser's conversation with law professor and author Heidi Brown, who shares insights from her book, The Introverted Lawyer.
Heidi provides clarity on the distinctions between being an introvert—someone who processes information internally and recharges with solitude—versus shyness or social anxiety, which stem from a fear of judgment or criticism. Heidi Brown, a public speaker and author who identifies as an introvert, demonstrates that it's possible to be confident and professionally effective while embracing introversion.
You'll discover how introversion can be a "superpower," bringing valuable assets such as active listening, thoughtful problem-solving, empathy, sensitivity to nuance, and strong writing skills to any professional dynamic. The conversation also covers practical steps for introverts to show up authentically and confidently, including mental and physical reflection techniques, reframing negative self-talk, and developing pre-game and game-day routines for high-pressure situations.
Heidi offers perspectives on supporting introverted team members to foster a shared vocabulary around individual strengths. Learn how to recognize and harness your unique qualities, or those of your team, to excel in the legal profession.
Listen to our other episodes:
#564: The Gift in the Struggle: Leveraging Emotional Intelligence for Growth, with Sara Muender Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Lawyerist
#535: Lawyer Burnout: 5 Hidden Signs You’re About to Crash, with Natasha Evans Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Lawyerist
#506: Managing Stress & Avoiding Burnout, with Emily Nagoski Apple Podcasts | 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/Timestamps:
00:00 Introversion, Shyness, and Social Anxiety Defined
05:14 Internal vs. External Processing: Understanding Different Communication Styles 15:56 Introversion as a Superpower in the Legal Profession
18:32 Authenticity and Confidence: Mental and Physical Strategies
25:52 Embracing the Blush: Reframing Physical Responses
30:52 Building Confidence: The Power of Pregame and Game Day Routines
34:29 Supporting Introverts in the Workplace
41:36 Your Place in Law: A Message of Empowerment
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#566: Building Solutions from Legal Experience, with Katya Fisher
What happens when a lawyer stops accepting inefficiency as “just the way things are”? In this episode, Zack Glaser talks with attorney and legal tech founder Katya Fisher about her journey from launching a solo practice during the Great Recession to building scalable tools for transactional lawyers.
Katya shares how her legal experience—spanning BigLaw, in-house, and solo practice—revealed pain points in the dealmaking process that technology still hadn’t solved. She explains how she went from identifying those issues to building software that brings clarity, organization, and efficiency to high-stakes legal work.
Along the way, Katya unpacks:
The scrappy start to her legal career
How working solo gave her an edge inside a global corporate group
What legal professionals need to know about scaling their ideas
Why tech tools fail lawyers—and how that can change
Whether you're a lawyer thinking beyond the billable or simply curious how innovation happens in the legal world, this episode delivers practical insights with an entrepreneurial twist.
Listen to our other episodes on entrepreneurship:
#411: Staying Entrepreneurial at a Bigger Firm, with Nick Pleasants Apple Podcast | Lawyerist
#268: Riding the Entrepreneurial Rollercoaster, with Cameron Herold Apple Podcast | Lawyerist
#205: Entrepreneurial Poverty & Why Average Law Firms Lose, with Mike Michalowicz Apple Podcast | 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/Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction: The Entrepreneurial Lawyer
01:02 Quarterly Planning: Intentional Business Growth
07:15 Solo Practice Origins: Scrappy Beginnings
13:36 The Competitive Advantage of Broad Experience
17:51 ADHD as a Superpower: Hyperfocus and Foresight
23:36 Accurately Identify a Business Problem
30:40 From Idea to Product: Building a Product or Workflow
36:10 Articulating Vision and Gaining Buy-In
41:14 Lessons Learned: Advice for Aspiring Innovators
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#565: Becoming the AI Driven Leader, with Geoff Woods (Remastered)
This special remastered episode of the Lawyerist Podcast features Stephanie's conversation with Geoff Woods, author of The AI-Driven Leader. We're re-releasing it due to positive feedback on the depth of this discussion, ensuring you'll gain new insights and "aha!" moments with every listen.
In this episode, we explore AI's transformative power, viewing it not as a threat, but as a liberator that enhances our work. We dive into the five core human skills to emphasize in an AI-driven world: strategic thinking, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, and creation. We demonstrate how to leverage AI strategically, from evaluating business plans to acting as a growth-minded board member, and you'll hear how we're integrating AI into our own leadership meetings.
Geoff shares real-world examples of using AI as a "thought partner" to stress-test major strategic decisions, even creating an "AI board of advisors." He also provides practical applications for lawyers, such as using AI to review NDAs, stress-test legal arguments, and role-play closing arguments with AI as your jury. To guide your own AI journey, Geoff outlines his "CRIT" framework (Context, Role, Interview, Task) for effective prompting and highlights the importance of understanding AI model settings for data privacy and confidentiality.
Listen to our other episodes on the AI revolution:
#555: How to Use AI and Universal Design to Empower Diverse Thinkers with Susan Tanner Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Lawyerist
#553: AI Tools and Processes Every Lawyer Should Use with Catherine Sanders Reach Apple Podcasts Spotify Lawyerist
#550: Beyond Content: How AI is Changing Law Firm Marketing, with Gyi Tsakalaki and Conrad Saam: Apple Podcasts | 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.
The AI-Driven Leader
Chapters/Timestamps:
0:00 - Episode Introduction and Why This Remastered Version is Special
1:22 - AI as the Next Big Shift for Lawyers
6:28 - Geoff Woods: Redefining Leadership in the AI Era
9:11 - The Five Core Human Skills Enhanced by AI
10:36 - Strategic AI: Beyond Basic Tasks
14:24 - AI as Your Strategic Thought Partner
19:47 - Navigating AI: Threat vs. Opportunity for Lawyers
20:56 - Practical AI Applications: NDA Review and Valuation
28:51 - Building Your AI Habit: The "CRIT" Framework
32:19 - AI Security and Data Privacy for Legal Professionals
34:40 - The Risk of Inaction and Building the Future Firm
The Lawyerist Podcast is your ultimate guide to building, managing, and growing a successful small or medium-sized law firm. Tailored for lawyers and attorneys who aspire to thrive in today’s fast-paced legal landscape, this podcast delivers actionable advice, proven strategies, and cutting-edge insights to help you run a modern law firm with confidence.
Whether you're a solo attorney starting your practice, managing a growing firm, or looking to optimize your operations, The Lawyerist Podcast provides the tools you need. From mastering law firm marketing, streamlining workflows with legal technology, and improving client relationships to building sustainable firm culture, we cover everything that matters to entrepreneurial lawyers.
Hosted by industry leaders and packed with interviews featuring top legal professionals, tech innovators, and law firm management experts, each episode dives deep into topics like law firm profitability, automation, time management, and future trends in legal services.
If you’re searching for practical advice on how to run a law firm, grow your legal business, and stay ahead of the curve, The Lawyerist Podcast is the resource you’ve been waiting for. Subscribe now to elevate your practice and build the law firm of your dreams.
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