The Art of Time Management: Tips and Tools To Master Efficiency For Your Law Firm
09/03/24 • 11 min
Summary
In this episode, Zinda Law Group CEO and founder, Jack Zinda answers questions from the listeners about tips and tools to improve efficiency and time management.
Discussed in this Episode:
- How to structure your day for maximize productivity
- The biggest time management challenge as a Lawyer & CEO
- Finding your priorities
- Technology tools for time management
How to Structure Your Day for Maximum Productivity
Jack talks about what his days used to look like before reading the book Getting Things Done. He talks about how scheduling specific tasks to be completed during specific times is a great way to ensure that you’re not scatterbrained or scrambling to stay on top of your to-do list during the day.
The Biggest Time Management Challenge as a Lawyer & CEO
The hardest transition can be when you jump from a small to mid-sized firm. Jack talks about how things changed when they went from a five person to a twenty person team. Having good management and training systems in place are the best way to ensure smooth transitions as the business grows.
Finding Your Priorities
Next is to look at your own personal responsibilities. Lay them out on a white board and be sure to include your personal life as well. Being a good partner and parent comes along with a work/life balance. Find things that you can delegate to other members of your team and restrict yourself to working on the things that only YOU can do.
Technology Tools for Time Management
Jack talks about how technology can sometimes be a red herring as these tools can end up causing more headaches than not. Relying on A.I. can prove problematic as the technology is not foolproof yet. He talks about tools that do work including: Asana for project management and Evernote for note taking.
You can reach Jack at:
512-246-2224
Summary
In this episode, Zinda Law Group CEO and founder, Jack Zinda answers questions from the listeners about tips and tools to improve efficiency and time management.
Discussed in this Episode:
- How to structure your day for maximize productivity
- The biggest time management challenge as a Lawyer & CEO
- Finding your priorities
- Technology tools for time management
How to Structure Your Day for Maximum Productivity
Jack talks about what his days used to look like before reading the book Getting Things Done. He talks about how scheduling specific tasks to be completed during specific times is a great way to ensure that you’re not scatterbrained or scrambling to stay on top of your to-do list during the day.
The Biggest Time Management Challenge as a Lawyer & CEO
The hardest transition can be when you jump from a small to mid-sized firm. Jack talks about how things changed when they went from a five person to a twenty person team. Having good management and training systems in place are the best way to ensure smooth transitions as the business grows.
Finding Your Priorities
Next is to look at your own personal responsibilities. Lay them out on a white board and be sure to include your personal life as well. Being a good partner and parent comes along with a work/life balance. Find things that you can delegate to other members of your team and restrict yourself to working on the things that only YOU can do.
Technology Tools for Time Management
Jack talks about how technology can sometimes be a red herring as these tools can end up causing more headaches than not. Relying on A.I. can prove problematic as the technology is not foolproof yet. He talks about tools that do work including: Asana for project management and Evernote for note taking.
You can reach Jack at:
512-246-2224
Previous Episode
Navigating Child Injury Cases: Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Summary
In this episode, Zinda Law Group CEO and founder, Jack Zinda talks about common child injury case mistakes and how to avoid them.
Discussed in this Episode:
- You cannot treat a child case like an adult case
- Creating a case on behalf of a child
- Who has the right to pursue the claim?
- Best practices for money distribution
You Cannot Treat a Child Case like an Adult Case
There are a few key things that make a child case different. Their recovery, damages, who can bring the claim on their behalf, levels of approval and money allocation are all different from an adult case. It can be very easy to make mistakes which can affect your client’s long-term recovery and future.
Creating a Case on Behalf of a Child
In the situation where a parent dies and leaves a child with no support, it’s very important to establish a Guardian Ad Litum to protect the child from other family members who may want to claim their rights as a guardian only due to the financial implications.
Who has the Right to Pursue the Claim?
Just because a person claims to be a parent or guardian does not mean that it’s true. It’s important that you do the initial leg work to prove that the person does have the legal right to bring the claim on behalf of the child. Do not take your client’s word for it when they talk about personal matters including adoption or divorce.
Best Practices for Money Distribution
Unless it’s a very unique case, the court will not allow you to give the money to the parents. Instead, it’s much more common to put the money into a structured settlement, the registry of the court (although the interest rate is much too low for a long-term payout) or into a trust.
You can reach Jack at:
512-246-2224
Next Episode
The Rise of AI: Transforming Your Law Practice for the Future
Summary
In this episode, Zinda Law Group CEO and founder, Jack Zinda answers questions from the listeners about how AI is being used to transform the way we operate our practice.
Discussed in this Episode:
- How have you seen AI impact the industry so far?
- Can AI change the way firms interact with clients?
- Can AI help in settlement negotiations?
- The pitfalls of AI
How Have You Seen AI Impact the Industry so far?
Jack talks about how AI technology is not quite at the place to disrupt the industry, but that it’s on its way in the coming months and years. He then talks about how AI can be helpful for work that paralegals are doing, taking deposition notes, helping with scheduling and other routine tasks.
Can AI Change the Way Firms Interact with Clients?
Jack warns about the use of AI for online interactions as it can feel impersonal and make the client lose trust before the person-to-person connection can begin. Where it can be helpful is case summaries, email updates and medical follow-ups.
Can AI Help in Settlement Negotiations?
One thing AI is great for is data mining. Being able to cull data from the internet to find out what a similar case is paying out, would be a very effective tool and potentially save 10s if not 100s of hours gathering that data manually. Using it for focus groups to predict what an outcome could be is another way that AI could play an important role in whether or not you take a case.
The Pitfalls of AI
When using a new tool it’s important to look at the legal ramifications as well. Are confidentiality agreements violated by using these tools? Is it possible that there are ethical concerns as well? Make sure you spend plenty of time researching before you go ahead and use your clients as guinea pigs.
You can reach Jack at:
512-246-2224
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