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Bad Vibes: Don't Hire Without Running Your Numbers

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‘ Vibe coding ’ references the use of generative AI programs to develop code for building software .  More and more non-coders are using it .  Of course, vibe coding is not so great, for complex coding or for maintenance.     Lawyers tend to hire on vibes, as well – with equally problematic results.     Now, if there’s one thing you have to do, before you hire – it’s to run the numbers.  Figure out the total cost of your new employee = salary + benefits + incidental costs .  Then, determine how much work you have to distribute to that new hire, and the value of the work .  Figure out the difference, and that’s your profit margin & every law firm employee should be a ‘profit center ’.     That’s sounds really easy – but, most lawyers don’t engage in that simple process.     Do it & you’re more likely to hire successfully.     Fail to do so, and you’re just crossing your fingers.  That’s a re...
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Now, That’s a Horse of a Different Color: AI-First Software Will Change the Game

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There’s a new generation of software, that is ‘AI-first’ – and, you’re already using it .  ChatGPT, for example, is a software buil t on a n AI platform, attached to a large language model (LLM) .  That kind of software is fundamentally different tha n a software program that was created without using AI .  AI-first software is better suited for the AI use case .  And, in time , most of the softwares you’ll use will be AI-first software, in the same way that mostly all of the software you use now, are cloud products, buil t for the cloud. Next up: AI products, built for AI.   This is very similar to what happened with the development of cloud software .  In the realm of legaltech , most notably: case management softwares , starting with Clio + RocketMatter were built for the cloud – and, have replaced desktop softwares that weren’t .  If you’ve ever tried using a desktop software that was converted for use in a cloud environment –...
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Dark Horse: Big Time Marketing Strategies for Small Firms

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Big firms may seem unassailable, in terms of how they market their businesses .  They just have tons of money !  If you’re a small firm attorney, how can you even compete, with the bags of cash, that those big law firms would be able to leverage.   Well, don’t give up: because there are some cracks in that armor.     The thing is: big law firms tend to do similar things, in terms of how they market their businesses .  And, a lot of that is based on SEO – such that they’re paying digital marketing agencies lots of money to rank in search .  However, that’s not the only way to market a law practice .  So, what can you do to find alternative methods to market your small law firm – looking in the places that larger law firms are not?   Here are a few:     - Personalized content marketing strategies.   Big firms tend to reduce the importance of the individual, in favor of the brand, as a whole.  As a small firm attorne...
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