Un-Billable Hour: Business Management Strategies for the Busy Lawyer Around the Community Table

The world of legal technology can seem overwhelming. Fortunately, we have a guide in Chelsey Lambert, founder and author at the legal tech education, consulting, and guidance platform Legal Tech Decoded, which features articles, reviews, and opinions on the latest in legal tech.

This episode is kind of about marketing, but kind of about operations, but also kind of about AI, because tech is coming for every aspect of your legal practice. What developments will drive your firm forward, and what’s smoke and mirrors?

Lawyers who’ve been in the business long enough have gone from reviewing cases on paper and in books, maybe even yellow legal pads, to the Internet revolution, to online research and filing, to today’s AI revolution. Is AI remaking the practice of law, or just the next progression? (Spoiler, it’s kind of a big deal.) 

“I don’t know that we’ve ever trained lawyers how to buy technology in the first place,” Lambert says. Now add the complexity of AI, a tool you have to train, guide, and trust. Hear about the evolving world of legal tech, even developments you probably haven’t heard of, and the evolution of the profession, including the potential for non-lawyer ownership and private equity. Don’t fear or ignore the revolution, embrace it.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Association for AI in Legal, A4l.law

CaseMark

RocketLawyer

LegalZoom

Nolo

Foundation AI

In this episode’s discussions around the Community Table, getting a worrisome associate, and the entire team, on track. Plus, communicating with clients and assuring them you have their back:

 

A manager struggles to help an associate manage tasks and produce work on time, could tools help through redundancies and accountability.

Daily “standups” or “scrums” can help legal teams clear logjams and stay on track. Christopher offers a concise explanation of how time management and accountability systems drive productivity.

Assuring clients you have their best interests at heart is vital, especially when they think you’re “part of the system.” What are “The Four Agreements” and how can they help you understand clients and communicate? Ask, listen, and explain.  

Mentioned in This Episode:

“The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz

Notion legal software

Asana

Microsoft Teams

PCLaw

Microsoft 365

Trello

Todoist

Book, “The Lean-Agile Way” 

Scrum.org

Clio

ClioCon 2026, Oct. 26-27, 2026

Every firm knows it should be marketing. But go deeper. How should you be thinking about your firm’s own individual goals, brand, and budget?

If you’re at a smaller or mid-size firm, you don’t get a pass on marketing. You still need to reach potential clients. But you’ll have to do it on a smarter, scaled level. Guest Erika Steinberg spent decades developing marketing strategies for large firms, then she formed her own company, CMO2go, which helps smaller and mid-size firms develop and execute marketing strategies that fit their budgets. 

Don’t feel overwhelmed by the word “strategy” or be intimidated by the very idea of marketing. Strip it down to the essentials and take it step by step. A good marketing brainstorming can help you not only focus your strategies but also understand your firm’s goals and target audience. 

Are you committing the sin of “random acts of marketing?” Find out on this episode of the Un-Billable Hour.

 

Ask us anything for the Community Table. Leave us a question online!

Join the next Community Table discussion live! Always the third Thursday of the month at 3pm Eastern.

In this episode’s discussions around the Community Table, recorded in person at the October 2025 ClioCon legal tech conference:

After a new client comes on board, within a week, your team needs to check back in. This is your chance to delight. If there’s an issue, a misunderstanding, or a question, this is an opportunity fix it. Delighting a client is always better than simply satisfying a client.

The right team answering incoming calls is vital. But how do you outsource that? How do you pay someone and where do you find them? And when is it time to hire your own, in-house, full-time employees to convert those calls to clients?

Modern times lead to modern solutions. Today’s buy now, pay later tools can help your firm retain clients by helping them manage payments. Alternative fee arrangements work, and innovative payment methods can remove barriers to attorney/client relationships.

Ask us anything for the Community Table. Leave us a question online!

Join the next Community Table discussion live! Always the third Thursday of the month at 3 p.m. Eastern.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Clio Capital

LawPay

Affirm buy now pay later

Sunbit buy now pay later

Highlights from ClioCon 2025

Clio

ClioCon 2026, Oct. 26-27, 2026

Today’s episode is about you and your mindset as it pertains to generating wealth through your business. Guest Lauren A. Klein was a corporate attorney when she came to a crossroads, would she follow the corporate path and accept a paycheck, or strike out on her own and build wealth on her terms.

She started by asking questions about how lawyers make money and build wealth. What does it actually mean to make partner at a firm? And she came to the conclusion that there had to be more, that she could do better on her own, knowing full well, as she says, running a law firm is “not for the weak of heart.”

In addition to driving the elder law and estate planning firm Flourish Law Firm she co-founded with her best friend, she’s also the host of the podcast “The Wealthy Law Squad.” She learned from corporate law that getting a salary and spending it on lifestyle isn’t wealth. Wealth is investing, creating tools that generate passive income, and building net worth. 

What can you invest in today that gives you the financial freedom to do whatever you want later? A “wealth mindset” is about creating freedom, not being chained to the golden handcuffs of a paycheck. What are you working toward?

 

Ask us anything for the Community Table. Leave us a question online!

 

Join the next Community Table discussion live! Always the third Thursday of the month at 3pm Eastern.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

The Wealthy Lawyer Squad podcast

Clio