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

Reputational management and referral marketing in a crowded field are valuable commodities. But how are law firms and legal leaders building their business through reputational development? Guest David Craig is an experienced and recognized attorney specializing in trucking accidents and liability. He developed a reputation through legal acumen, public service, and as the author of the book “It’s Never Been Easier to Hire the Wrong Attorney.” But he also says a firm’s reputation can be defined by the people it hires.

Craig is the managing partner and a founder of the Indiana personal injury firm Craig, Kelley, and Faultless LLC. He shares what he learned about reputational development over years of work. It all starts inside the firm, not the courthouse. You can’t say one thing but have anyone inside the firm doing another. 

Start with hiring. The people you hire represent your firm as much as you do. Hiring, monitoring performance, talking with clients, and online reviews all matter. Strong firms (and leaders!) take an interest in how every member of the team both performs and represents the firm’s bedrock principles. 

Clients don’t want to hire the wrong attorney, but sometimes they don’t know how to hire the right one. Building a reputation creates positive reviews, community support, and referrals. Hear how your firm – from top to bottom – can ensure a consistent positive client experience that turns into repeatable business.

Everything you and your team do, starting with informational meetings and helping prospects feel welcome and appreciated, down to making sure clients remain comfortable and informed, builds your firm’s reputation. 

Mentioned in This Episode:

“It’s Never Been Easier to Hire the Wrong Attorney,” by David Craig

Clio legal software

Legal Talk Network

In this episode of the Un-Billable Hour’s Seat at the Table:

Establishing a brand is one thing, sharing that brand with potential clients who need what you’ve established as a brand – your solutions – is next

It’s easy to waste money on marketing when your efforts are unfocused. Be strategic. Learn from others. What works?

Don’t just pursue all the potential clients in the world, speak directly to the clients you want. The ones who are ready to hire you, not just kick the tires.

Take a “seat at the table,” with host Christopher T. Anderson and guests Rob Leitner, John Reed, Kristen David, and Elliot and Erik Alicea, all experienced pros in building and running successful law firms. In this episode, dig into marketing, the next step once you’ve established your brand identity. How does marketing share your vision and attract the clients you want?

Share how, and why, you and your firm are the solution to your potential clients’ problems. Because that’s what clients want: solutions. As we’ve learned, branding is who you are and what you stand for. But marketing is about connecting with potential clients, sharing that brand, and creating that “Bam, that’s who I want to work with” revelation. 

Learn to connect your value proposition to your target audience. Define your ideal clients, find them, and let them know you understand their situation and can help. Then, after the initial contact, get them in the door and cement that connection.

Avoid wasted effort by connecting your brand to your marketing, making your voice heard and your capabilities recognized. It all has to work together to help you interest, connect with, and land the clients you want. 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Clio

ClioCon 2026, Oct. 26-27, 2026

Lawyers, even busy lawyers, deserve to feel joy and satisfaction. Burnout, time management crises, and stress are signs that your business is running you instead of you running you. The secret may lie in better energy management and better focus on what makes us happier and more productive. 

Guest Wendy Meadows runs a successful family law firm. But a few years ago, she realized her busy practice wasn’t as fulfilling as it could be. She turned inward and focused on what made her happy. She transitioned her practice from litigation to mediation. And she learned how to let herself experience her own successes and recognize the bright moments around her.

Meadows turned what she learned into a coaching practice and a top-selling book, “Sparkle & GRIT,” helping other attorneys reboot old habits and create purpose to build their best life. Learn to understand how you work best and what makes you happy. 

Sometimes just spending five minutes on yourself at the beginning of the day can help you enjoy a more purposeful, and less stressful lifestyle. If you won’t “manage yourself,” it’s hard to manage a firm. Take a moment to reflect on your day prior, what made it a good day? Think about the upcoming day, what will you focus on? Make tomorrow the day you wake up feeling great. 

Mentioned in This Episode:

“The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment,” by Eckhart Tolle

Clio legal software

Legal Talk Network

In this episode’s Seat at the Table, let’s dig into the bedrock of your business: Your identity. That’s what branding is, it’s defining yourself. Who are you?

 

If you’re starting a new firm, or trying to grow your existing firm, start with your brand. Do you know what it is? And is what you thought you wanted

One part of your brand is easy to express and hard to deliver. Do what you say you are going to do. If you promise something, if you pitch something, live up to that.

Build your business on results, on meeting clients where they are, and on meeting client demands and expectations. A slick website is meaningless if you are disappointing or even inconveniencing your clients.

Should you rebrand, or refresh your brand, or invest in branding? What is a brand? What’s your brand? Good intentions and hope are not a business plan. Do something tangible by defining your business and living up to your promises.

In this new Un-Billable Hour series, “Seat at the Table,” we dig into helping lawyers attract clients, build the business flow, and branding, all while turning your vision into reality, profit, and success.

New guest hosts Kristen David, Rob Leitner, and brothers Elliot Alicea and Erik Alicea are experienced pros in business development and marketing for law firms. With proven track records, they join host Christoper T. Anderson and dig into the real needs of growing firms. 

If you’re getting started, hear how creating a brand – and building trust – sets you on the right path. Are you doing the things you say you’re going to do? It’s important to deliberately help potential new clients understand who you are and what you do (and avoid the most common branding mistakes startups trip over).

 Mentioned in This Episode:

Michael Gerber “The E-Myth Revisited” 

Pragmatic Institute

Clio

ClioCon 2026, Oct. 26-27, 2026

A part of the legal marketing landscape we don’t talk about enough is referral marketing. Sure, we focus on digital marketing, search engines, and paid advertising. But maybe one of the best – and cheapest – forms of marketing could be referral marketing, working with other layers who know, like, and trust us. 

Guest John Reed is a former practicing attorney and the founder of Rain BDM, a marketing firm that helps lawyers build exceptional relationships. Hear how professionals learn and play “the referral game.” 

Asking for referrals may not feel natural, even a bit awkward. But like any marketing campaign, it can be planned, initiated, and tracked. And it can be fun and rewarding. Don’t try to make a relationship “transactional,” just go out and meet and help people. Let it be more relaxed and natural. 

Hear about the “four questions” and a personalized “grid” plan that can get the ball rolling when you meet another attorney. If you’ve struggled with building intentional relationships with other attorneys and expanding your network, you’ll want to hear this free “relationships 101” lesson from a proven, experienced pro. 

Mentioned in This Episode:

“Endless Referrals” by Bob Burg

“Never Eat Alone” by Keith Ferrazzi