Category: Podcast

Preparing and working with the client is so critical to a good direct exam. Success starts with our clients going in with a mindset that the jury consists of smart people who can smell good versus bad. Therefore, they just have to set their fears aside and trust the process. We also have to ask enough questions to get the information we need while making them feel at ease and comfortable. The challenge is to keep the direct exam conversational and simple. 

In today’s episode, we’re joined by Jason Erlich, an employment attorney who exclusively represents workers who have been treated wrongfully. Jason handles cases related to workplace disputes, such as wrongful termination, wage and hour violations, sexual harassment, and class action lawsuits.

In this episode, you will hear:

• The three things that make a successful direct client exam
• Preparing direct exam questions
• Things to prioritize for the direct exam
• Making last-minute changes to your questions based on the opening statement and witness testimony
• Visual aids he used in the courtroom
• Free-flow questioning vs. sticking to a script

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. 

We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

If you would like to learn more about Jason and his practice please visit his website: https://erlich.lawyer/attorneys/jason-erlich/

If you have questions or a particularly challenging client preparation, email Elizabeth directly for assistance: elizabeth@larricklawfirm.com.

Episode Credits:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their businesses and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

As trial lawyers, it’s important to remind ourselves about our goals for preparation for any case event. Even when that person has been deposed before or they’ve been to a hearing before, it’s still best that we provide them with a roadmap. 

First, make sure to teach them about what the whole event is and how it fits into the case. Then talk about what they can expect and correct any bad expectations if they have any. Ultimately, you want to gear them up for their role.

Either way, it’s a give-and-take conversation. Otherwise, people will hold on to misinformation or misconception that causes confusion, and sometimes anger when it doesn’t go the way they think it’s supposed to. The last thing you want to do with any client is to shut them down. 

In this episode, I’m going to discuss the things that we could be doing, whether consciously or subconsciously, that can shut people down – and some ways we could do better as trial lawyers.

In this episode, you will hear:

• How to avoid interrupting people
• Why client comparison shuts down a client
• Things to consider when using yourself as an example

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. 

We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

If you have questions or a particularly challenging client preparation, email Elizabeth directly for assistance: elizabeth@larricklawfirm.com.

Episode Credits:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

We spend a lot of time working up our cases. We spend a lot of hours on discovery and go into deposition testimony to form that strategy, that we can test with focus groups. But if we get unreliable feedback, then it’s just a waste of our energy, time, and resources. 

In this episode, we’re going to talk about the four factors that can cause unreliable feedback from focus groups, and what you should do to avoid them. The ultimate goal is to always have quality feedback so we can rely on it, use it, put it into our cases, format it, and make our cases better.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Why you need to avoid repeat participants 
• Revealing your back office
• Planting things that hold the presentation down
• Delivering information in a way that allows them to process it
• Using visual aids in your presentation to keep the people engaged
• Being careful with slanted questions

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. 

We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

If you have questions or a particularly challenging client preparation, email Elizabeth directly for assistance: elizabeth@larricklawfirm.com.

Episode Credits:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their businesses and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

It’s a new year and it’s time to look at new opportunities and new ideas for you to plug in and use. Today, let’s start with the best time to run focus groups. Sure, you can run a focus group at any time. But if you want to get the most out of it, there are actually six spots to run a focus group in your case. 

These are great places to help you prepare the case better. You may not get through to the trial and just get through mediation. But these are all opportunities for you to grow the case better and to help you look at things with a new set of eyes. You can always do more –  or less, but at least do one or two to have that outside perspective that will help keep you moving along. 

In this episode, you will hear:

• Running a focus group during case planning (before the lawsuit)
• What to focus on after key deposition testimony
• Why do short focus groups 30 days before mediation
• The purpose of a focus group 90 days before the end of discovery
• Things to consider 60 days before trial
• What to do 30 days before trial

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. 

We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

If you have questions or suggestions, email Elizabeth directly for assistance: elizabeth@larricklawfirm.com.

Episode Credits:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their businesses and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

In today’s episode, I’m sharing 22 lessons from 2022 – things that I have picked up on this year, things I have studied, and things where I just had some aha moments. These are valuable lessons that have helped me and my practice big time – from keeping up to date with technology and using visuals in focus groups and even during prep – all the way to letting go of toxic clients, investing in a coach to help you level up, and investing for retirement. 

It’s so easy to get lost and forget all the things we’ve learned from previous years. Therefore, it’s important to take the time to reflect on these and potentially use them as our basis for creating next year’s strategies and game plans as we move on to the future.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Double-checking your technology for uploading documents
• How virtual assistants can help you
• How to solve spam coming in from focus groups
• The power of using visual aids and videos
• Mindset is key for lawyers – and clients
• Using visuals for preparation 
• Letting go of toxic clients
• Investing in a coach to help get you to the next level
• Looking for ways to save for retirement
• Why you need to have a visual aid for timelines
• Making a conscious effort to take a vacation

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. 

We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

Influence is Your Superpower by Zoe Chance https://amzn.to/3IIlfTV

Retire before Mom & Dad by Rob Berger https://amzn.to/3GByVxn

www.slack.com

https://otter.ai/

 

Episode Credits:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their businesses and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

As a trial lawyer, what is your mindset around deposition preparation? Today, we focus our discussion around that. Lawyers have different mindsets going into deposition preparation. You want to get the most value from every single case but it’s also important to do things using a humanistic approach.

At the end of the day, our mindset should be focused on helping our client as they go through seemingly difficult chapters in their lives. They’re probably going through something horrible, whether that’s related to employment, injury, or a business situation – that’s impacting their life. And as their lawyer, you’re there to help them deal with whatever legal situation they’re in. 

In this episode, you will hear:

• The different mindsets lawyers have when approaching deposition
• Selling your case is a disappointing mindset
• The importance of shifting your mindset and using a humanistic approach
• How your 30-minute conversations reflect the value you want to have

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. 

We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

If you have questions or a particularly challenging client preparation, email Elizabeth: elizabeth@larricklawfirm.com.

Episode Credits:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their businesses and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

As we’re approaching 2023, this is the perfect time for planning, especially if you have cases that are going to be filed in 2023. And one useful case planning tool is a pre-litigation focus group.

Maybe you’ve had this case for a couple of months now and you’ve done a little bit of investigating. So you have a little understanding of the facts around what happened, but you haven’t actually filed the case yet. This can also be the time for you to use a pre-litigation focus group for more in-depth planning.

The perfect time to use a focus group is when you have the information that allows you to make some predictions, and there aren’t any huge missing facts going on so you can pretty well predict the damages. 

In this episode, I’m going to discuss planning for focus groups before you file a case, the importance of a pre-litigation focus group, what it looks like, what things you need to be looking for, and the benefits of using it. 

In this episode, you will hear:

• What happens during the pre-litigation focus group
• Questions to ask and where to gather more information
• Factoring in your expenses in terms of time and money
• Ways to pick a case for a pre-litigation focus group

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. 

We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

Email with questions? Elizabeth@larricklawfirm.com 

Download for FREE the Virtual FG Checklist https://fantastic-designer-3528.ck.page/635800b2c4

Episode Credits:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their businesses and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

As a trial lawyer, you probably know what goes into client preparation like the back of your hand but there could still be things missing in your process that you wish to improve on. 

In this episode, I’m going to discuss four simple advice tips for successful client prep. These are simple yet sometimes overlooked, tried and true tips for nearly every single client and every single case. 

These are small things you don’t want to miss during client preparation so you can learn more about the client, have an easier time preparing the case, and have more success at your client depositions.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Why you should prepare the client alone
• The pitfalls of preparing people together
• Giving the client homework before the first client preparation session
• The importance of creating timelines together and making them interactive
• Breaking down the client preparation into two sessions

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. 

We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

Got a suggestion for an episode? Question to ponder? Email Elizabeth Elizabeth@larricklawfirm.com. 

Episode Credits:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their businesses and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

Bonding versus preparing a client for deposition are two things that we are told we need to do as trial lawyers to set ourselves up for success. Indeed, both are vital and important parts of client interaction, but where do we draw the line between the two?

Sometimes, when you’ve already built a solid relationship with a client, this can be difficult to separate. But bonding and preparing a client for deposition are two different things. They serve different purposes. Bonding is taking a separate interest in our clients, outside of the legal matter. It’s as simple as asking clients about their families or sharing a common interest. You could also be sharing with this person about yourself or other family details. It’s an important part of any relationship because it helps establish rapport with people. Conversely, preparing a client for deposition is a highly focused training and coaching task that involves things like teaching the client what to expect. 

In this episode, we’re going to talk more about how they’re different and what you can do to resist the urge to bond with a client so you can bring it all back to the main task of preparing them for deposition. 

In this episode, you will hear:

• How small talk sets you up for success
• Your specific tasks as you’re preparing your client for deposition
• Things you have to do during preparation, which you never do when bonding
• Resisting the urge to move into the relationship-building mode

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. 

We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

Influence by Robert Cialdini

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Email me: elizabeth@larricklawfirm.com 

Episode Credits:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their businesses and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

Every witness gets asked about what documents they used to prepare. As lawyers, we have to be on the front end of things before meeting the client. This week, we are going to continue our two-part series on how to decide what documents to use in deposition prep. 

Whether it’s personal injury, an employment issue, or a business dispute, cases involve dealing with a ton of documents. Depending on the type of case, think about tens and thousands of medical records, employment files, or email communications. 

As a lawyer, all this can get super overwhelming. Therefore, having a good organization of these documents is definitely a must. The sooner you can start organizing cases, the better. You’re able to better prepare yourself for events such as hearings, depositions, and mediation. 

In this episode, you will hear:

• Two sets of documents you need to prepare
• Creating a list of “must” documents
• The importance of preparing visuals
• Documents in the case that are already discoverable
• Asking how a document can help or hurt 
• Looking at the 30,000-foot view of helping them

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. 

We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

Comments? Questions? Please email me: elizabeth@larricklawfirm.com

Episode Credits:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their businesses and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com