
The Free Lawyer
By Gary Miles

The Free LawyerDec 08, 2022

113. Unlocking the Power of KPIs: A Guide for Law Firms
How well is your law firm doing? Which of your attorneys is most profitable and contributes most to your success? How satisfied are your clients? What kinds of matters are most profitable? What is the cost of acquiring a new client or a new matter? What client development activities are most successful?
These are all fundamental questions that many law firm partners do not know the answers to. Yet, they are critical for our success. The law firm must answer those fundamental questions using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). It seems everyone now is throwing around the term “KPI.”. But do we understand KPIs, how they work, and how to best utilize them?
In this episode, we will discuss KPIs and the important reasons to use them. We will analyze some common drawbacks and concerns about KPIs. Finally, we will go over a step-by-step process for using them in your firm. If you want to learn how to run your firm as a business and to be more profitable, this podcast is a must listen.
Want to learn more about how to be profitable in your law business? Please feel free to reach out to me at https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call. Let’s chat!!.

112. Keeping Your Heart Open in the Practice of Law
Stephanie McDonald joins us today with a unique story of transformation and growth. Stephanie is an employment law attorney with her firm in Canada. She took charge of her career and developed a practice that aligns with her values. Stephanie shares her insights on:
-The challenges of toxic law firms today, where there is a lack of compassion and self-awareness
-The benefits of listening to your intuition to determine what you want to do and who want to represent
-The importance of aligning with your values to create happiness and freedom
-The benefits of using outside help to identify your goals and to support you on your journey
-The struggles with mental health in the law profession and the tools to manage the stress that we all face
-How to find personal freedom by practicing law with your heart
Stephanie McDonald is an employment lawyer living in downtown Toronto. She began her career at small to medium-sized plaintiff-side employment law firms, where she gained excellent experience and training.
Stephanie is passionate about making workplaces better. Unfortunately, Stephanie has experienced less than favorable work environments, and many of her employee clients deal with employers who act unlawfully, fail to treat employees with dignity and respect and fail to make their workplaces enjoyable. Stephanie is uniquely qualified to attack this problem by helping employees empower themselves and working with self-aware employers to open their hearts and lead with vulnerability.
Having spent years in firms unable to be her authentic self, Stephanie is committed to being true to herself and serving her clients uniquely.
Stephanie runs a human-first practice. She holds space for her client's difficulties while maintaining an analytical and practical lens to solve her client’s problems. She leads with her heart and mind and encourages her client to follow her example.
Want to learn more about how to align your practice with your values? Please feel free to reach out to me at https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call. Let’s chat!!.

111. From Burnout to Balance: How a Personal Coach Can Help Lawyers Thrive
Do you ever feel overwhelmed? Are you stuck? Do you sometimes wonder if you are in the right place? Do you feel frustrated, stressed, and unsure of how to create the satisfaction you crave?
As a lawyer, it's easy to get caught up in the demands of a busy legal practice. Finding time and energy to focus on personal and professional development can be challenging between long hours, high-pressure situations, and the need to improve skills continually. A coach can help you achieve your goals.
I discuss the benefits of having a mentor or coach for lawyers. As someone who has been practicing law for 45 years, I have seen firsthand how a coach can help lawyers achieve their goals, provide accountability, and improve communication skills.
I encourage lawyers to consider working with a coach to unlock their full potential and achieve success. A coach can provide valuable insights and support, helping lawyers to overcome obstacles and reach their goals. With the right coach by your side, you can take your career to the next level and achieve the success you deserve.
In this episode, we'll explore why every lawyer should consider working with a coach and how it can help you to succeed in your legal career and beyond. We will also explain the common objections to using a coach, the traits you should look for in a coach, and how to find the right coach.
Want to learn more about how coaching can help you? Please feel free to reach out to me at https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call. Let’s chat!!.

110. From Zero to Freedom: How to Achieve Freedom by Building Your Own Thriving Law Firm
Marco Brown, esteemed Utah family lawyer and owner of his own thriving firm, joins The Free Lawyer today to share his thoughts about how to practice law the right way, and to achieve financial freedom at the same time. In a very short time, Marco has overcome incredible hurdles and built a profitable law firm of 11 attorneys and more coming. We discuss:
-How to handle family law cases in a respectful way, seeking solutions through mediation and putting the children first
-The importance of treating other attorneys the right way, and showing courtesies with other counsel
-The benefits of living life in a way that seeks to make others better
-The keys to building a successful firm, including rainmaking, selling and closing
Are you interested in learning the keys to building your own firm? Have a listen!
Marco grew up in a small village in Alaska called Cold Bay (population 85). He never did manage to graduate from high school, getting his GED before moving on to college, and eventually graduating with honors from law school.
In 2010, Marco and his wife, Demaree, moved to Utah and Marco started Brown Family Law, with no clients and no network, on the floor of their condo. They were $160,000 in student loan debt at the time.
Since then, Marco has been awarded Utah family law attorney of the year, as voted on by his peers in the Utah Bar Association. Brown Family Law has grown and helped over 4000 through divorce and family law situations in Utah, and its expanding beyond Utah to help people in other states.
In his free time, Marco spends most of his time with his wife and three kids. He also loves to cook and travel, usually to Italy. For exercise, he does what he enjoys: walking and lifting heavy things and puts them down.

109. Unlocking Financial Freedom: The Importance of Business Development for Lawyers
You have been practicing law successfully, handling files, winning cases, working tirelessly and billing many hours. But, now you hear you are expected to engage in business development. “What does that mean? How do I do it? Where do I find the time? I was never taught anything about this in law school!"
As we progress from young associates to successful majority partners, we learn that we are expected to develop business for the practice. Yet, we need training in business development. We never learned about it in law school. We have so little time. Why is this important, and how can we make it happen?
In this episode, I discuss the importance of business development for lawyers and provide ten practical steps for developing a successful business development plan. Building a book of clients not only makes lawyers more valuable to their firm but also gives them the freedom to move to another firm or start their own practice. However, many lawyers face common obstacles when it comes to business development. To overcome these obstacles, I provide steps such as establishing oneself as a thought leader, focusing on exceptional client service, and leveraging technology to streamline business development efforts.
These are 10 steps to follow:
1. Develop your niche.
2. Identify your target market.
3. Build your network.
4. Choose the path that suits you.
5. Establish yourself as an expert in your field.
6. Focus on exceptional client service.
7. Market effectively.
8. Be proactive.
9. Leverage Technology.
10. Measure your results.
Want to learn more about how to start developing your business? Please feel free to reach out to me at https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call. Let’s chat!!.

108. How to Put Profit First and Create Your Financial Success
Susanne Mariga, CPA, Fractional CFO, author and entrepreneur, joins The Free Lawyer today to show us how to best maximize profit in our law practice.
Doesn't it often seem like we work so hard, trying to produce fees and generate new files, and yet have a hard time creating profit?
Susanne shows us how to create that income we deserve by putting our profit first. She shares her wisdom on:
-The Profit First system and how it can work in your law practice
-How to keep your expenses in line with industry targets
-How to intentionally create the profit we want and eliminate unnecessary expenses
-Important tax tips for lawyers and entrepreneurs
-Key tips for maximizing profits in your law practice
-Crucial cash management tips
Don't we all want to make more profit? Susanne shows us how! You will enjoy listening to her. Susanne Mariga is a CPA and Fractional CFO specializing in high net worth strategies for 7 and 8 figure entrepreneurs using the Profit First System.
Susanne is the CEO of The Mariga Group which is a Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business, the 2021 Profit First Professional Firm Of The Year, and a recipient of the 2011 Houston Minority Supplier Development E-10 Award. Susanne has been featured in the Houston Business Journal, MBE Magazine, and in a variety of other media outlets. She is the author of Kirkus reviewed and Publisher’s Weekly’s Editor’s Pick, Profit First For Minority Business Enterprises which was written in collaboration with Mike Michalowicz, under the Profit First brand. She is the host of the Profit Talk Podcast.
Before founding her own firm, Susanne worked at Arthur Andersen LLP, as well as one of the Big 4 firms, KPMG. Combining her industry knowledge with her own experience of growing a small business has allowed Susanne to help her clients design unique, profit-first based business plans that ensure success and long-term financial stability.

107. Why Lawyers Should Focus on Personal Branding
Have you ever thought about developing your brand? How might it help you grow your practice? Do you ever wonder if it is worth it to you as an attorney to brand yourself?
Personal branding has become increasingly important in a world overflowing with attorneys and an atmosphere of intense competition. How can you stand out in a crowded field? How can people grow to trust you as a professional? Personal branding is the answer.
In this episode of The Free Lawyer, I will explain what it means to have a personal brand and the benefits to us as attorneys to develop our brand. I will review common objections often expressed about branding and some common mistakes that we make. Finally, I will provide 10 tangible tools for you to start creating your brand:
1. Identify what makes you unique and valuable.
2. Know your audience, their pain points and concerns.
3. Be consistent,
4. Develop a unique and memorable tagline
5. Create a powerful online presence.
6. Publish content that educates and informs.
7. Network and collaborate
8. Use visual branding
9. Ask for referral and recommendations.
10. Get feedback.
Want to learn more about how to set yourself apart and find the success you crave? Please feel free to reach out to me at https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call. Let’s chat!!.

106. How to Help Your Law Practice to Soar
HR Huntsman joins The Free Law today. HR is an organizational strategist, executive coach, published author, and accomplished speaker. HR is passionate about helping leaders get the time freedom and financial freedom they desire. He coaches lawyers and law firm managers to get unstuck and grow their practice. We discuss the following:
-Law firms face a talent problem, recruiting lawyers who are the right fit, and then retaining them.
-Law firms struggle from the silo effect, with lawyers working separately from each other and inadequate inter-department communication and collaboration
-Law firms should strive for more teamwork and collaboration and less competition
-Hiring decisions should not be based so much on class rank and more on whether the individual is compatible with the firm's culture
-Leadership development is critical for lawyers. The essence of leadership is humility and vulnerability, authenticity, asking good questions, and effective listening.
HR's Insights are so valuable. HR’s genius is his ability to see an organization's cultural and strategic sides. HR has helped transform dozens of companies by assisting them to scale their size and strengthen their teams. HR is also a published author and an accomplished speaker, having given roughly 3000 talks worldwide to approximately 400k people.
You can reach him here:
hr@yourleadersedge.com
Website
yourleadersedge.com
www.linkedin.com/in/hr-huntsman
Vimeo link
https://vimeo.com/yourleadersedge
Getting Started link
https://getstarted.yourleadersedge.com
His “Why” Video
https://youtu.be/yN3TZQeAO8c
Would you like to learn more about my mentoring program? You can find out more about my program here: https://www.garymiles.net/coaching
Would you like to have a courtesy call to chat about where you are, what is holding you back, and how to break through? You can schedule it here: https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call

105. Building Bridges: Networking Strategies for Lawyers
Do you ever think about spending time networking? Are you uncomfortable talking with strangers? Do you feel you do not have enough time to network? Is your practice strong enough that you do not need to invest time and energy in networking?
In my career, I have struggled with all those questions. I often wondered if I could network well or if it was worth it. But I have learned that one of the most critical aspects of our growth, both individually and professionally, is having an organized, dedicated networking program. Networking develops career possibilities, grows our practices, and develops important professional connections.
In this Episode, I will explain why networking is so important, review the most common objections, and discuss how we can still network well even if we are introverted or lack time. I will also discuss the most common characteristics of a good network and lay out tangible steps to help you be a better networker. Do you want to network better? Have a listen!
Please feel free to reach out to me at https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call. Let’s chat!!.

104. Law and Life: How to Be Successful and Happy Both in Your Legal Career and in Your Life
Heather Moulder joins the Free Lawyer today. Heather is a former Big Law partner turned lawyer leadership and business coach, and host of the Life & Law Podcast. After more than 18 years in private practice and a battle with breast cancer, she traded in her $2.5MM practice to help lawyers confidently build the practice they actually want while ditching stress, overthinking and perfectionism.
Heather uses her one-of-a-kind, 4-part framework (Rewire-Reconnect-Redefine-Realign) to help her clients increase focus, energy and impact so they can accomplish their big goals in both law and life. This practical framework has been known to help her clients more than double (even triple) revenues while reenergizing professionally.
When not helping her clients achieve more doing less, you’ll either find Heather cooking a never-guess-it’s-gluten-free meal from scratch or cheering on her 2 baseball-obsessed (only slightly mischievous) boys in the searing hot Texas sun.
Would you like to learn more about my mentoring program? You can find out more about my program here: https://www.garymiles.net/coaching
Would you like to have a courtesy call to chat about where you are, what is holding you back, and how to break through? You can schedule it here: https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call

103. How to Create Fulfillment by Living Your Legacy Every Day
Do you ever think about how you want your friends and family to remember you when you are no longer with them? How would you feel? How would you behave differently?
Too often, we just churn through life, nose to the grindstone, trying to be productive and successful, perhaps accumulating financial rewards. But sometimes, we are not yet living our life how we want to be remembered.
In today's episode, I will briefly discuss the inspirational bestseller Everyday Legacy; and review the problems that arise when we do not live our life the way we want to be remembered. I will also explain some of the ways we might want to be remembered and analyze the benefits to us if we start creating our legacy today. Finally, I will give you tangible tips on how to create the life of your dreams and leave a powerful impact on those around you.
If you have not read it yet, I encourage you to read Everyday Legacy by Codi Shewan. You can listen to Codi explain his work in this episode of The Free Lawyer: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/OutWiqe1Uyb
I now have a passion for helping and serving others as I have. If I can ever be of any support to you in any way, please let me know. I would love to connect with you and discuss any challenges you are facing privately and confidentially. Please feel free to reach out to me at https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call. Let’s chat!!.

102. Lawyering While Human: How To Practice Law in a Healthy, Fulfilling Way
This is a blockbuster important episode. Mike Kasdan joins The Free Lawyer today to share his insights about maintaining our wellness and mental health while being a successful lawyer. Mike has journeyed through a bout with severe depression and now shares his story publicly to inform the legal community about how to practice law in a healthy and fulfilling way. These are some of the important topics we discussed:
-How depression manifests itself and how to overcome it
-Why and how law firms can help create a healthier legal profession
-The benefit of community to obtain the support we all need and deserve
-How to best handle the stress of our profession
-How we can benefit by sharing our struggles with others
-The importance of knowing we are never alone and there is always an answer
-How to achieve true personal freedom by being genuine and true to ourselves
Mike is a graduate of the Univ. of Pennsylvania, and received his J.D. from NYU School of Law, where he now teaches as an Adjunct Professor. He has worked in law firms of all sizes, for over 20 years. Mike is presently a partner in the IP Group at Wiggin and Dana LLP in their New York City office and has served on their diversity and pro bono committees.
For the last ten years, Mike has also been in leadership at The Good Men Project, where he has served numerous roles on both the editorial and business side, including editing and running its mental health section, and now serves as Director of Special Projects (and Sr. Sports Editor). He has written articles, appeared on television, radio, and podcasts, developed videos and social media campaigns (#NotWeakJustHuman, #WeRageForLove), and created and led training and workshop groups focused on mental health for over a decade.
Most recently, Mike has married his interests in mental health advocacy and the legal industry under the umbrella of Lawyering While Human, which he founded in 2022. In this regard, he also serves on the Communications Committee of The Institute for Well-Being In Law. His own personal experience with depression, while working as a practicing lawyer, has given him some unique insights, and he is happy to have this opportunity to share his perspective and what he has learned with others in the field.
Would you like to learn more about my mentoring program? You can find out more about my program here: https://www.garymiles.net/coaching
Would you like to have a courtesy call to chat about where you are, what is holding you back, and how to break through? You can schedule it here: https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call

101. The Key for Growth- Asking for Support!
Have you ever felt confused or lost? Are you not sure where you want to get to? Or are you trying to figure out how to get there? Have you felt frustrated and wondering why? Have you felt stressed? Would it be good to ask for support but are unsure who to ask or how to ask?
Those feelings are not at all unusual. Most of us have felt that way at times. We know we need help and guidance but are afraid to ask for it. In this week’s newsletter, I will share my varied experiences with mentorship. I explain how we sometimes let fear, self-consciousness and ego get in our way of asking for the support we need and deserve.
We will delve into the gifts we receive from obtaining the guidance we deserve:
1. Deeper relationships.
2. Greater success.
3. More resilience.
4. Development of a growth mindset.
5. Improved emotional stability.
6. Inspiration to others.
We should never let our fear stop us from seeking the support we need. Good coaching can set us in a new direction and help us handle the obstacles we face. I now have a passion for helping and serving others as I have. If I can ever be of any support to you in any way, please let me know. I would love to connect with you and discuss any challenges you are facing privately and confidentially. Please feel free to reach out to me at https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call. Let’s chat!!.

100. How To Effectively Mediate Your Case
What a powerful episode! Winter Wheeler, a dynamic mediator and formerly a very talented litigator, joins the Free Lawyer today to discuss her journey as a civil defense trial attorney and her transformation into being a very highly regarded mediator.
She shares her exprience and insights about:
-The biggest problems lawyers face today- a lack of time and the pressures it creates
-The need to slow down in our practices
-The importance of empathy in our practices
-The underutilized gift of active listening and how it can benefit us
-The Four Cornerstones of Mediation
-How to most effectively mediate your case
Winter is a former top civil litigator who has made her niche as an expert mediator. She is sought out for her unique, compassionate, and successful style of handling complex matters that involve a diverse range of cultures, including Spanish-speaking clients.
Winter is the creator of The Four Cornerstones of Mediation™, which she introduced to the world in her first TEDx talk in March 2021. She has turned that methodology into a 14-hour mediation and certification course. Winter’s second TEDx talk titled, “Confessions of a Mom Who Has It All,” was given in June 2021. She is the co-author of the bestselling book #Networked and
the creator and host of The Mediate Now® podcast.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

99. Fuel Your Success by Overcoming Your Fear of Failure
Do you ever worry that you might fail at something in your law practice? Do you ever feel that your fear of failing at something hampers your success? Or causes you stress?
Despite our confidence, many of us struggle with internal fears. But, overwhelmingly, the most challenging and frequent fear is that of failure. That fear can be a self-fulfilling prophecy, making our failure more likely. It also creates stress for us. In this episode, I will discuss how our fear of failure harms us and give four tangible tools to overcome them:
1. Change your thoughts and your attitude.
2. Forget the outcome and focus on the process.
3. Get into action.
4. Keep your target.
Have a listen for a detailed discussion of each of these.
Would you like to learn more about my mentoring program? You can find out more about my program here: https://www.garymiles.net/coaching
Would you like to have a courtesy call to chat about where you are, what is holding you back, and how to break through? You can schedule it here: https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call

98. How to Authentically Build Your Personal Brand as an Attorney
How do we stand out for our expertise in such a crowded field of attorneys? How do we authentically show our clients how we best serve them?
Nancy Evans, author, podcaster, and personal branding expert, joins The Free Lawyer today to answer these questions. She explains:
- How we already have a personal brand, whether we like it or not
-What is a personal brand, and why is it important
-How do we best create a personal brand that reflects who we are and what we do
-What are our most important steps in developing our brand
-How lawyers can benefit from having a personal brand
-How can our brand build our practice and develop personal freedom by giving us a choice
Nancy Evans is the Founder of BYOB Agency (Build Your Online Brand), a Personal Branding Agency committed to helping entrepreneurs, coaches, and consultants build their online presence so they can expand their reach and grow their businesses.
Nancy and her husband, Scott are full-time entrepreneurs and run multiple businesses, all aimed at supporting entrepreneurs and professionals in growing their businesses, building their brands and showing up authentically. Nancy and her team are experts at helping entrepreneurs create compelling content that connects with their ideal clients, builds authority and visibility, and grows their business.
Nancy is the author of "How to Build Your Personal Brand on Social Media", and lives in New Jersey with her husband Scott and fur kids Ben, Mortimer, and Ruby.
You can connect with Nancy on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyevans1/
Check out her new book on Amazon, "How to Build Your Personal Brand on Social Media": https://www.amazon.com/Build-Personal-Brand-Social-Media/dp/B0BSJ9XM5M/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1672071503&sr=8-3
Are any of you suffering from burnout and difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

97. Surviving and Thriving: Why Resilience is Key for Lawyers
We all have encountered stress and unexpected setbacks in our legal practice. We try a case, but we receive a negative result. Our client, to whom we have provided outstanding service, has decided to leave. An attorney in our firm suddenly decides to depart, causing workload issues. Due to some big cases, our firm's cash flow has become tight.
Haven’t we all experienced issues such as that? How do we respond? Do we feel depressed and ready to give up? Or, we evaluate what happened, learn what we can, and develop a plan for success?
The difference in how we respond is based on the critical trait of resilience. In this Episode, I will explain what resilience is; what problems we experience when do not persevere; the gifts we enjoy when we develop our perseverance; and ten key tools for becoming a more resilient lawyer:
1. Develop a Positive Mindset
2. Practice Stress Management Techniques
3. Learn How to let go
4. Practice mindfulness
5. Build a a support network
6. Learn from your mistakes
7. Take care of yourself
8. Focus on your vision
9. Practice gratitude.
10. Seek support when needed
We, lawyers, face incredible challenges. One of the most critical traits we need to develop to be successful professionally and happy and fulfilled is our talent for resilience. This is always a skill we can improve. We are never perfect, but focusing on these tools to become more resilient will help us become more successful attorneys.
Would you like to learn more about my mentoring program? You can find out more about my program here: https://www.garymiles.net/coaching
Would you like to have a courtesy call to chat about where you are, what is holding you back, and how to break through? You can schedule it here: https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call

96. The Impact of Addiction on Families And Loved Ones
So many of us have been affected by the disease of addiction. Its impact on family members and loved ones can be overwhelming. How can we best show up through that crisis and still function effectively? How can we best support our loved one who is struggling with addiction?
Today's guest is Nancy Espuche. For the last decade, Nancy has been an experienced sales professional who has been an active participant in the recovery community as she faced the daunting challenge of her son’s substance use disorder. In addition, she is a speaker and author. Unfortunately, on December 19th, 2016, her beloved son Lucas lost his battle. Her mission, through KardBoard House, is to address the impact of addiction on loved ones, family members, and, ultimately, the workforce. With business leaders, executives, educators, and mental health/treatment professionals, Nancy works with organizations to guide and support those whose professional and personal lives have been disrupted by someone’s substance use disorder.
She shares her powerful insights on so many important topics:
-The importance of doing it out of unconditional love, not to achieve the desired result
-The powerful gift of acceptance as a tool for building freedom in an overwhelming situation
-The need to understand we are truly powerless over everyone else's journey. We cannot chart the course of another's life.
-The need for self-care to help manage the trauma of another's addiction
-The benefit of the community and the gift of sharing with others what we are going through, so we know we are not alone, and we receive the support of others.
-The need for forgiveness of ourselves and the addict
-The benefits of speaking our truth about the situation
-How law firms and employers can best support their staff as they work through the addiction process of a loved one
This is a deeply human, intensely personal, and very moving episode not to be missed!
Nancy has frequently spoken on this topic, including with Newsweek, the St. Paul Press, the New York Bar Association, and the Lawyers Assistance Professional Conference. Her website is kardboardhouse.com. Her powerful book Kardboard House; My Life-Altering Journey Through Lucas's Addiction is available on Amazon. You may reach her by email @Nancy18@KardboardHouse.com.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

95. Always Do Your Best (pt.5)
Do you struggle with perfectionism? Try to do everything perfectly and procrastinate because you are afraid to make a mistake? Or be too hard on yourself because your work product is not just so? Or are there some days when you do not put forth the effort at work or home?
Today we conclude our 5 part series on The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. Ruiz suggests these Four Agreements as tools for living:
The Four Agreements
Be Impeccable With Your Word. Don't Take Anything Personally. Don't Make Assumptions. Always Do Your Best.Today, we will examine the final of the Four Agreements, “always do your best.” We will discuss what that means, what it is not, the benefits of doing your best, and explain how to achieve that. We do not have to be perfect- just do our best under the circumstances. And, it is so important to practice self-acceptance and be good to ourselves.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout
I have now opened the doors to The Free Lawyer mentoring program to a limited number of lawyer clients. Would you like to be one of them? My clients receive personalized attention, and I work with them one-on-one to overcome their obstacles and enjoy the success they crave. I provide tangible, practical tools to help my clients overcome their obstacles freeing them to enjoy the success and fulfillment they have always dreamed.
Would you like to learn more? You can find out more about my program here: https://www.garymiles.net/coaching
I would like to have a courtesy call to chat about where you are, what is holding you back, and how to break through. You can schedule it here: https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call

94. How Women Lawyers Can Find Joy in the Legal Profession
Erin Gerner joins the Free Lawyer today to discuss how women lawyers can find joy and fulfillment in their practice. Erin is a lawyer turned life coach who helps female attorneys break out of the toxic legal narrative, redefine success, and build a life and career they love. Key takeaways:
-How we can learn to manage the overwhelm
-The importance of enjoying the unpredictable journey
-How we find more peace by showing grace and compassion to ourselves
-The four key questions to ask ourselves when we are feeling stuck: 1. Who am I really? 2. How do I feel? 3. What do I need? 4. What is the one think I can do to remove the friction?
- How to start taking action when we are feeling overwhelmed
-How our brain can keep us in a safe comfort zone, where we do not grow, and how to break free, step out, and take on new challenges.
-Achieving personal freedom by finding peace, joy, happiness and fulfillment in our life
This a blockbuster episode. You will love what Erin has to share. After 7 years of practicing law, Erin decided to leave the legal profession, and is now one of the top coaches in the Dallas area. She’s been featured in podcasts and publications like Goss Magazine, Voyage Dallas, and Influence Digest. She’s a wife and a mom of 2 and currently lives outside of Dallas with her family.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

93. How to Stop Hurting Ourselves By Making Negative Assumptions (Pt. 4)
Have you ever invited someone else for an evening, and they said no without an explanation, and you began to wonder why? Have you done something wrong? Really upset you about something? You began to assume that they no longer liked you or wanted to have a relationship with you, and you keep telling yourself that story.
Or, have you ever called someone or texted and they did not return your message? And called again, and still no return calls. What did you do wrong? Why were they avoiding you? Are they agitated at you about something?
We frequently cause ourselves pain by making assumptions about other people, their feelings, emotions, and actions. We do not know if those assumptions are true, and they are often very negative. We place ourselves in a negative mindset by assuming the worst.
Does that ever happen to you? If so, you are not alone. In this episode, we will examine we the third of Don Miguel Ruiz’s four agreements, “don’t make assumptions.” We will discuss the problem with making such assumptions, why we make assumptions, and how we benefit from not making assumptions. I review in detail these six tools to help us not make assumptions:
1. Practice self-awareness.
2. Ask for clarification.
3. Speak our truth.
4. Practice self-compassion.
5. Focus on the truth.
6. Choose positive thoughts
Want to learn more? Have a listen!
Are any of you suffering from burnout and difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

92. How to Land Your Next Dream Position
Do you ever feel stuck where you are? Are you interested in finding your dream job and not sure how to start? Today you can learn the answers!
Melanie Wexler joins The Free Lawyer to share her expertise on how you can find your dream position. Bringing over 20 years of recruiting and staffing experience, Melanie started Career Coaching in 2017 to help people find meaning and fulfillment in their lives and careers. Her road to owning and launching her own practice was not easy, from pivoting her career and overcoming entrepreneurial challenges.
Today, Melanie has taken her success as a recruiter and an innate knowledge of the market to help her clients navigate the job search process. She thrives on helping her clients better understand themselves, understands the job searching process, creates stellar resumes, and understands how to network and succeed in interviewing so that they can achieve their goals and land their dream jobs, find their passion, achieve their goals, and succeed in their careers.
Melanie explains:
-How to create the ideal resume and LinkedIn profile
-Essential job search strategies
-How to effectively network
-Key interview skills
-The importance of understanding the relevant job market
-Turning your setbacks into opportunities
-Evaluating what is important to you in your career so you can target your search to just the right positions
-What to do when you feel stuck at work
When not working with her clients, Melanie partners with her best friend and her daughter in building their non-profit Hearts 4 Honduras which helps support the Children’s Education Center in the village of Limon in Choluteca, Honduras.
Where you can find me:
Website: www.findsucceedachieve.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniewexler
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AchieveinFindingSuccess
Instagram: @mwexlercareercoach
Clubhouse: @Melaniewexler
Twitter:@mwcareercoach
Hearts4Honduras: https://givebutter.com/hearts4honduras
Are any of you suffering from burnout and difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

91. How To Stop Taking Things Too Personally (Pt. 3)
Have you ever had someone say something nasty about you, and your feelings get hurt? They may say something behind your back to another person, criticize you or make fun of you. How often do we allow the opinions of others to affect our happiness? Why?
I have certainly had that experience. Almost all of us have. So today, we will examine the 2nd of Don Miguel Ruiz’s four agreements, “don’t take anything personally.” We will discuss what we do when taking things too personally, what is going on when things are said about us that bother us, and give tangible tools to help overcome this problem. It is not easy to stop taking things so personally, but it is critical to building a life of freedom. It is our journey, not theirs.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

90. Choose What You Want Your Life to Look Like
Do you ever feel stuck? Need help knowing where you want to be? Our life often takes unexpected twists and turns. Today, Lisa Lang explains how important it is to be open to learning from different roles in our lives and choosing the life you want for yourself. Lisa discusses:
-It is our choice to determine what we want our life to be3
-If you want to change, be the change and change yourself
-How to achieve work/life integration
-The importance of knowing what we can control and what we cannot
-How to transition to a general counsel role
-Finding personal freedom by integrating your work and personal life in a way that makes you happy
Lisa Lang serves as Vice President and General Counsel for Ohio Northern University (ONU). Before coming to ONU, Lisa first worked in private practice specializing in insurance defense for a law firm in Louisville, Kentucky. In 2008, Lisa transitioned into the public sector to work for the Commonwealth of Kentucky in the Office of the Attorney General as an Assistant Attorney General and then for the Kentucky Department of Education, serving in various in-house roles beginning in 2011 until 2017 when she was hired as to serve as the General Counsel for Kentucky State University (KSU). Lisa served as KSU's General Counsel until accepting her current role at ONU in November 2022. In addition, she volunteers with Miss JD, helping women transition into the career in law they find fulfilling.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

89. Are We Truly Impeccable With Our Word? (Pt. 2)
Have you ever had the misfortune of saying completely the wrong thing at the wrong time and regretting what you did? I know I have. Or, sharing something important and personal, and the other person responds with some dismissive comment?
We of course all know that we should be impeccable with our words and most of us feel we do a great job at that. But do we really? It is not as easy as it sounds.
Last week we began our review of Don Miguel Ruiz's Four Agreements. In today's we explore the first of the four, be truly impeccable with our word. I will examine exactly what it means to be impeccable with our words, the challenges in doing so, the benefits of using our words carefully, and 10 tools for improving in this arena.
We receive so many powerful gifts when we listen attentively, are thoughtful about what we say, and say what we mean and mean what we say. Have a listen!
Are any of you suffering from burnout and difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

88. Lawyer Life Design for Increased Success
What a blockbuster episode! Wendy Witt, a consultant to over 8,000 lawyers and small firms, shares her insights about how to find the career of your dreams by learning how to find joy and create impact in your profession. Wendy shares her insightful wisdom on these topics:
-Taking advantage of unexpected opportunities when they present themselves to you
-Finding the courage to take the next step forward when you do know where it is going
-The importance of determining the life values that are most important to you
-How to accept being uncomfortable by stepping out of our comfort zone; that is where real growth occurs
-Managing our terror barriers
-Design your life and know that you can build it
-You can do the work you love, make more, and work less
-Our mindset can propel us forward or hold us back; the choice is ours
-Create personal freedom by developing choices in your life, what we do, who we work with, etc.
Wendy Witt is the founder of the private consulting firm, Million Dollar Attorney, where she serves as a Law Firm Business Strategist. Over the past 23 years, she has helped more than 8,000 solo and small law firm owners build their law firms so that they can have the life they love. Wendy is also a co-founder of Purely Estates Law Group; her guidance has been seen on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, Huffington Post, Forbes, and the like.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

87. The Four Agreements- Tools for Living a Free Life (Pt. 1)
"Whatever happens around you, don't take it personally... Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves"
- Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements
Do you ever feel that life controls you? And you have a hard time finding peace and serenity with all that is whirling around you?
In his huge bestseller, The Four Agreements, famed author Miguel Ruiz lays out a recipe for creating freedom in our life. In this episode, I will explain the background of how the world can control our happiness; how to break out of that prison; and four tools for living a life of peace and freedom.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

86. Turning Disputes Into Opportunities
We lawyers are so often involved in situations of conflict. Disputes arise from many directions. Sometimes we do not respond correctly, and it all goes downhill. But instead, we can navigate through differences with others in ways that produce positive, healthy, and peaceful outcomes.
Dr. Debra Dupree joins The Free Lawyer today. She is a high-conflict expert, dispute-resolution specialist, instructor, and author. She shows us today how to transform challenges into learning opportunities. In addition, she shares powerful insights about:
-Conflicts arise from a difference of perspective, not right and wrong
-The importance of mindfulness and self-awareness
-In a challenging situation, how to pause before responding, reflecting, and asking insightful questions to obtain more understanding
- How critical it is not to take things personally and to understand the other party's unpleasant approach is more often a reflection of what their issues
-Using deep breathing techniques to relieve stress
Dr. Debra Dupree is a Dispute Resolution Specialist, Conflict Coach, Mindset Doc, International Trainer, and Keynote Speaker. Dr. D is the host of the bi-weekly podcast ‘Decoding the Conflict Mindset’ bringing ‘thought leaders’ from various disciplines to gain insight on engaging themselves and others in difficult conversations, high emotions, and tough negotiations. In addition, Debra delivers training throughout North America, Australia, India, and the Pacific Rim in workplace mediation strategies and advanced mediation strategies for leaders and dispute resolution professionals for today’s hybrid work world.

85. The Importance of Integrity in the Legal Profession
Have you ever heard all the lawyer jokes made? Mocking the legal profession for a lack of honesty? We are often perceived as lacking in integrity. Why is that? Is that justifiable? And what can be done about it?
In this episode, I will discuss what integrity is; its hallmarks, the perception of the legal profession for integrity, what are the gifts of integrity, and how to be more successful in practicing integrity as an attorney. We can together improve our own future and the reputation of the legal profession.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

84. No Judge Should Be Above the Law
Wow, what a blockbuster episode! Aliza Shatzman, President and Co-Founder of the Legal Accountability Project, shares her harrowing story of harassment and retaliation in her clerkship at the hands of a former judge. Fueled by lack of effective means of redress, and the cloak of secrecy around judicial misconduct, Aliza is now seeking to remedy that situation. She is attempting through her non-profit to bring transparency to the clerkship process and support for the law clerks. She details her disturbing story of mistreatment by a former DC judge, and the hurdles she faced in seeking relief from the retaliation. She lost her dream legal position as a result.
But that did not stop her. Aliza's story is one of courage, resilience and passion. She is now attempting to bring dramatic changes to judicial accountability. Your eyes will be opened when you hear Aliza's journey and how she is creating a new clerkship world.
Aliza Shatzman is the President and Founder of The Legal Accountability Project, a nonprofit aimed at ensuring that law clerks have positive clerkship experiences, while extending support and resources to those who do not. Aliza earned her BA from Williams College and her JD from Washington University School of Law. After law school, Aliza clerked in D.C. Superior Court during the 2019-2020 term. In March 2022, Aliza submitted written testimony for a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing about the lack of workplace protections in the federal judiciary, detailing her personal experience with gender discrimination, harassment, and retaliation by a former D.C. judge, in order to advocate for the Judiciary Accountability Act, legislation that would extend Title VII protections to judiciary employees, including law clerks.
Aliza now writes and speaks regularly about judicial accountability. Want to help?? You can contact her directly at Aliza.Shatzman@legalaccountabilityproject.org, https://www.legalaccountabilityproject.org/
Connect with her on LinkedIn / Follow her on Twitter @AlizaShatzman
Want to learn more? See her written testimony, submitted to the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet on March 17, 2022; her article with the Harvard Journal on Legislation, The Conservative Case for the Judiciary Accountability Act; her article with the UCLA Journal of Gender & Law, Untouchable Judges? What I've learned about harassment in the judiciary, and what we can do to stop it; her article with the Administrative Law Review, The D.C. Courts Are Article I Federal Courts, and They Should Be Regulated That Way; and The Legal Accountability Project's website: legalaccountabilityproject.org.

83. Other People's Opinions of Us Do Not Matter
Do you ever find you spend too much energy wondering what others are thinking about you? Do you worry that others might be judging you or thinking less of you because of something you are doing or some project you are undertaking? Are you concerned that if you fail at some task they will think less of you? Are you ever afraid to take on a new challenge because you wonder what others will think of you? And how does that make you feel?
I know I have. I have frequently let myself be controlled worrying about what others think of me, and what opinions they hold of me. This is a very common problem for many of us, but not healthy. And we do have it within our power to escape from this prison.
In this episode of The Free Lawyer, I will talk about why we worry so much about what others think of us; discuss some of the problems that causes for us, explain why other people’s opinions of us really do not matter; and give you tangible tools to start living your life free of the opinions of others.

82. How to Create the Law Practice You Are Excited to Work In
Owen McGrann reinvented his legal career after overcoming a life-threatening health scare. Today he has built the law practice of his dreams, practicing law the way he chooses, creating synergy with his clients, and finding the balance he has always craved. In this dynamite episode, he explains how we can build the law practice we are excited to work in. Key takeaways:
-Hourly billing creates enormous stress on the attorneys and conflict with the clients
-The importance of keeping our priorities in order, remembering that our health and happiness are foremost
-The many benefits of value based pricing, having the client agree to the fee up front, creating a sense of team with the client, relieving the client of the burden of worrying about the charge for each call, building more profitability and finding greater fulfillment
-The challenges of maintaining our mental health in today's legal market;
-Finding ways to do each day what we really love

81. How To Make The Law Of Attraction Work For You
Are you ever in a mindset where you think negative thoughts, expect poor results, and that’s what happens?
Or, alternatively, have you ever envisioned success, the good result, victory, and that has occurred?
In this week's Episode, we will examine the Law of Attraction, discuss what it is, its pitfalls, how it can affect your life, and give you tangible steps to make it work for you.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

80. Changemaking Tips For Women Attorneys
Kimberly Rice has a passion for helping women professionals be as successful and fulfilled as they can. Speaker, author, marketing expert, and professional coach, Kimberly explains some of the most important issues facing the female lawyer today and how to overcome them. Some key takeaways:
-Competency as a lawyer is just the price of admission; given the surplus of attorneys today, the attorney must also know how to build a book of business and develop a personal brand
-The 3 keys to being a successful business owner and lawyer is to build the essential relationships, to enhance our reputation, and to build those connections over time
-Women lawyers, although well-represented by percentages in the private practice are very underutilized in the key management roles in firms
-How important it is to have a supportive community lifting the female attorney
-How to build our prosperity and find fulfillment
-How to overcome the conflict between the logical, linear legal mind, and the creative forward thinking entrepreneurial role
-The importance of mental health and wellness and how to support it in our career.
This is a can't miss episode!

79. Can We Be Truly Happy As Attorneys?
A recent Washington Post article was entitled “Want to be happy? Then don’t be a lawyer.” Is it possible to be truly happy as an attorney? Are you fulfilled, and do you find enjoyment in your work? If not, how can we change that?
In this newsletter, I will briefly discuss the Washington Post Article; review some of the major stresses we face as attorneys, and share thoughts about how we can find joy and fulfillment in our legal practice. You, too can be happy as a lawyer!

78. How to Manage Stress and Burnout in the Legal Profession
Daya Naef, lawyer and executive coach, joins us today to share her expertise about how to enjoy the practice of law despite the pressures we all face. Key takeaways:
-Stress and burnout are becoming very common in the legal profession
-Consistently good sleep and keeping well hydrated help to fuel our performance
-The virtual world has additional pressures, making it harder to set boundaries between our office and home life and limiting genuine connection
-It is critical to take breaks during the day to help keep us fresh and alert
-Time blocking, planning our schedule, and eliminating multitasking help us to be more productive
-We create personal freedom when we have the flexibility to choose how we want to live our life
You will love the nuggets in this episode!

77. There Is A Solution
Have you, or anyone you know or care about, ever felt hopeless or that you had lost control? That there was some power running your life that was stronger than you? Or that you were controlled by some force that was holding you back?
Many of us have struggled with losing power to some negative force, such as addiction or depression. For example, I have suffered from alcoholism. Unfortunately, we also often suffer silently, feeling like we are alone and that our life is hopeless.
The legal profession confronts incredible struggles with addiction, substance abuse, depression, and other mental health challenges. But, unfortunately, many who face such obstacles do so alone and secretly.
It does not have to be that way. In this episode, I will discuss what our legal profession faces, share my personal story with addiction and recovery, and give five critical principles for us to focus on as we try to free ourselves or someone we care about from this prison. We can all transform our world from a dying caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly.

76. How to Effectively Use Negotiation As Your Everyday Superpower
Are you ever afraid to assert yourself, particularly when you feel the other party has more power than you? Ever wonder how to effectively ask for what you truly want?
Lucia Kanter St. Amour answers these questions and more today! Effective negotiation can be your everyday superpower in your profession, office, and home. Lucia is an incredible attorney, mediator, law professor, and best-selling author of For the Forces of Good: The Superpower of Everyday Negotiation. You will want to hear Lucia's insights about:
-The importance of building genuine rapport
-The need to set boundaries in our life
-How to manage bullies in the workplace
-The stress of hourly billing requirements
-The keys of listening and asking questions
-Building freedom in resolving our own problems by tapping into our autonomy and speaking up without fear of reprisal
Lucia Kanter St. Amour is a VP for UN women USA, practicing attorney, and law professor turned everyday negotiation superhero.
She’s the author of "For the Forces of Good: The Superpower of Everyday Negotiation" and is here to help you harness your everyday negotiation superpowers, so you can rock it in your job, get your kids to eat their peas, and be the most powerful person in the room!

75. How To Create The Future of Your Dreams
"If you don’t design your life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much."
– Jim Rohn
Are you happy with where you are? Are you making the kind of income that you want? Are you finding fulfillment and doing the area of practice you enjoy? Are you working with people you like and respect? Do you find joy in your life? Do you find enough time to be with your family and pursue hobbies that please you?
Sometimes we get stuck in the grind and need to reflect on what we want. Now, in the New Year, we have the essential time to reflect and choose what we want our future to be. We have the power to create the future of our dreams. We deserve it.
In this episode, I will explain some of the most important considerations to evaluate in determining our future and lay out a ten-step process for you to choose precisely who you want to be and how to create that future.

74. How to Use LinkedIn to Build Your Professional Brand and Grow Your Business
Do you ever feel that there is so much competition and it is hard to stand out from the crowd as an attorney? Scott Aaron, LinkedIn Coach and business expert for personal branding and business growth, joins The Free Lawyer today. He explains how we can best use LinkedIn to brand ourselves as professionals and grow our practices. Scott shares his expertise on these critical topics-
-Why LinkedIn is the best professional social media platform for business growth
-The Seven Advantages of LinkedIn
-How to best utilize LinkedIn to show your expertise
-The three best posts to do each week
-How our journey creates our own unique experiences and skills
-How to create meaningful content to show your zone of genius
-Creating personal freedom by living life with intention and creating space to enjoy the journey
Scott is truly a brilliant expert not only on LinkedIn but also on personal branding and business growth. You want to make sure to catch this episode!
Internationally acclaimed and award-winning online marketer, 3x best-selling author, top podcaster, and speaker, Scott Aaron, is
the go-to specialist when it comes to converting traffic, establishing connections, generating leads, creating sales, and
building personal brands, all using LinkedIn.
Fully immersing himself in learning LinkedIn and social media strategies, Scott quickly gained traction as a leader in generating
significant results for other entrepreneurs, online business owners, and business coaches.
Scott is passionate about helping fellow entrepreneurs succeed while building their network organically and without
complicated and costly marketing tactics. His program has helped thousands experience explosive growth
following his proven system and strategies.
People-focused and result-driven, Scott's strategic approach to teaching others how to create wealth online and organic traffic is
the game changer when it comes to competing in a saturated digital world.

73. How to Create Personal Freedom by Living in the Present (Part 2)
True personal freedom can only be created by mindfully living in the present. Last week, we reviewed the problems with living in the past (regret, resentment, shame) or the future (worry, stress, fear).
Today in part 2, we present the ten unique gifts of being present: peace, joy, freedom, gratitude, acceptance, success, productivity, better relationships, and happiness. Who would not want all that?? But how do we get there?
I give you ten practical steps for you to follow to begin creating the personal freedom you deserve by living in the present. Have a listen and start changing your life today!

72. How to Create the Life and Career You Have Always Wanted
Helen Pamely, a lawyer, psychotherapist, speaker, and career coach for lawyers from the UK, explains in this episode of The Free Lawyer how we can enhance our confidence, resilience, performance, and well-being. These are some key takeaways:
-How to overcome exhaustion and burnout and achieve a healthy work-life balance
-The importance of rewriting your narrative to realize you are enough just as you are
-The power of affirmations
-Finding balance by creating spaces in your day
-Building freedom by living your life intelligently with boundaries
Helen started her career at the Magic Circle law firm Linklaters. At just six years qualified, she was promoted to Partner in Dispute Resolution at the London City law firm Rosling King. With a passion for mental health and well-being, and a desire to understand how we can optimize these to reach our potential and perform at our best, a few years into her career, Helen retrained as a Psychotherapist and an Executive Coach. Helen now coaches lawyers to excel, thrive in their careers, and become the best and happiest versions of themselves.

71. Achieve Serenity by Staying Present (Part 1)
Do you ever find you are distracted, worrying about the future and how things will turn out? Do you worry about what other people might be thinking of you? Do you ever resent what people have done to you in the past? How often do you find yourself thinking about what happened yesterday or what might happen tomorrow? How does that make you feel?
So often, we waste our precious energy thinking about what has happened in the past, what has been done to us, or even what we might have done wrong. Sometimes we may obsess about the future, imagining bad results and poor outcomes.
One of the biggest challenges in creating personal fulfillment is living in the present and avoiding being stuck in the past or the future. Unfortunately, both of those create obstacles to our attaining personal freedom.
This is a two-part episode about creating personal freedom by living in the present. Today, I discuss the problems of living in the past and, even worse, in the future; I will give you tools to escape the past and avoid the future. Next week I will describe ten gifts of being present in the moment and give you tangible tools to achieve that.
Stay present and be free!!

70. How to Find True Happiness as an Attorney
Suzanne Shams joins us today to share her wisdom about how we as attorneys can find true happiness as attorneys. We chat about these important topics:
-How to overcome physical and mental health challenges
-The importance of accepting ourselves and managing the temptation to always doubt ourselves
-Stopping the energy leaks so we can be more productive
-Finding fulfillment through service
-Remembering we are not alone
-The gift of self-compassion
-Finding our true place in our profession that is in alignment with our values
Suzanne has been an attorney, a professor and now is The Counsel's Coach. She helps stressed and exhausted attorneys become more productive happy and fulfilled. You can connect with her on LinkedIn or at suzanne.shams@gmail.com.

69. Free Yourself Through Forgiveness
Have you ever had someone really hurt you in your life? Someone who treated you very badly, unjustifiably, for no good reason? And you feel, quite justifiably, resentful of how that person treated you? Who hasn’t been hurt by the actions or words of another? Those wounds can create a reservoir of anger and bitterness, sometimes even vengeance.
The key to freeing you from that prison of bitterness is forgiveness. Today I explain what is forgiveness; what is not forgiveness, why we should forgive; hurdles to forgiveness; what are the gifts of forgiveness; and what are the steps to take in forgiving someone who has unjustifiably harmed you. It is time to create that freedom you deserve!
Have a listen!

68. How to Enjoy Health and Wellbeing in the Legal Profession
Elaine Godley joins The Free Lawyer today to share her expertise on how to build a life of health and well-being as a lawyer in today's challenging and stressful legal profession. Elaine is a Health and Wellbeing Mentor in the UK who supports lawyers in their journey to have a healthy and fulfilling life.
She shares her tools on these topics:
-How to determine your profile so you can be in alignment with your true self
-How to manage stress and burnout as a lawyer
-The importance of self-awareness and mindfulness
-How to improve your nutrition to fuel your wellbeing
-How to find personal freedom in your profession
Elaine has an extensive background in the legal industry, having been the CEO of several large law firms in the UK. Having overcome numerous personal and health struggles, she now helps transform professional service firms to increase profits and health; she coaches lawyers and other professionals individually to build their well-being and fulfillment. You can connect with Elaine on LinkedIn or by email at elaine@elainegodley.com.

67. Why We Should be Compassionate Attorneys
Lawyers often have a reputation of being smart, confident, in control, and intensely logical. But sometimes, we have the unfavorable reputation of being arrogant, insensitive, and poor listeners.
One of the traits not focused on very much in the legal practice arena is compassion. Why is it so critical to be a compassionate lawyer? While it is so important to convey a professional image, we also should still be authentically human in our practice.
Today I will talk about what compassion is, how it is different from sympathy and empathy, how to be a more compassionate lawyer, and why it is in our personal best interest and the best interest of our profession to strive for being a more compassionate counselor. You will love this episode!

66. Sometimes You Just Have to Dance!
Christi Disparte, a dynamic in-house counsel, joins The Free Lawyer today to share her journey from a litigator in a law firm to an in-house counsel where she has found true fulfillment. Christi offers some powerful thoughts about how to find fulfillment and a healthy balance in the practice of law. She shares her insights on some of these topics:
-How to effectively manage the stress of being a practicing litigator in a law firm
-The gift of acceptance in handling those persons and situations that challenge us
-Take daily breaks to relieve the stress (listen to learn Christi's special break activity!)
-How our obstacles help us to grow and find our true calling
-The importance of professionalism and being kind in our practice
-Finding freedom by focusing on working to live instead of living to work
-Important wellness practices to help us stay balanced, healthy, and happy.
Christi is in-house counsel at AuditBoard. Before joining the in-house ranks, Christi was a litigation associate, where she worked on complex civil litigation matters. Christi loves collaborating with others and enjoys being part of her company's success. Christi supports others by sharing self-care tips and her journey through the legal profession. You can connect with her on LinkedIn or by email at cdisparte@gmail.com.

65. How to Build a Truly Tolerant Law Office
We all know the importance of tolerance, don’t we? We all believe it’s a great value. Is your workplace genuinely tolerant? Can we make it better? And if so, how?
Today I will chat about what tolerance is and isn’t, the benefits of having a genuinely tolerant workplace, and how we can improve our office setting to make it more inclusive and accepting. Here are some essential steps:
1. Lead by example.
2. Encourage open communication.
3. Be respectful to all.
4. Create an atmosphere where staff is listened to.
5. Hold everyone accountable, even the most powerful.
6. Set clear expectations.
7. Encourage all staff to seek help safely.
Please listen as I dive into each of these in more detail!

Hot Tips for How to Practice Family Law in a Professional and Effective Manner
Being a litigator can be so challenging, can't it? This is particularly true in family law. Managing the emotions of our client, and dealing with an often contentious opposing counsel, can create not only stress for us individually but also an obstacle in resolving our case effectively.
Ryan Kniznik, an incredible family law attorney in Ontario, joins The Free Lawyer today to share his powerful insights into practicing law professionally and effectively while also finding personal fulfillment. Ryan offers hot tips on these topics:
-The best way to manage the toxic attorney
-The importance of calling opposing counsel to determine together what can be resolved and what is at issue
-Respectfulness and professionalism as the keys to a successful practice.
-The benefits of early communication with the other side
-How not to engage with the problematic lawyer who only wants to fight
-The keys to building an effective relationship with opposing counsel
-How to remove emotion from communications and achieve a positive solution for the client
Ryan is a family lawyer in Ontario [Canada] who is resolution focused and can settle cases, whether addressing parenting or financial issues. He uses his experience gained from court appearances, mediations, and negotiations to help guide clients through the family law process, help problem-solve and generate solutions, and bring closure. Ryan aims to make the process smooth and less stressful by taking a client and goal-focused approach. Ryan can be reached through LinkedIn or at rkniznik@blaney.com
work number: 416-593-3921

How to Avoid Burnout in the Legal Profession
Have you ever felt overwhelmed at work? That you simply cannot handle anymore? Although you loved your profession, now you are tired of it and getting frustrated? Have you ever felt burned out?
This is, unfortunately, not at all unusual. So many lawyers are overwhelmed, overworked, stressed out, and unhappy. We need to set boundaries between our professional and personal lives. How can we change this?
In this episode, I explain why we feel this way, some warning signs, the consequences, and, most importantly, eight tips for successfully navigating these situations. We all have a right to be professionally fulfilled and have a satisfying personal life. Let's see how we can do that together.

62. How to Successfully Manage the Challenges of Practicing In a Large Law Firm
Emily Logan Stedman joins us for this blockbuster episode! Practicing for six years in two large firms, Emily shares her powerful tips with young lawyers, including:
-Her hot tips for the lawyer who is feeling overwhelmed- remember you are not alone, seek the fulfillment you crave, connect with your tribe, and know you always have choices!!
-The importance of mentorship for young attorneys
-How to set appropriate boundaries and find time for yourself
-Be aware of the stress you feel and share it with your associates
-Find fulfillment by focusing on finding solutions for your clients
Born and raised outside Atlanta, Georgia, Emily Logan Stedman has called Milwaukee home since June 2013. She obtained her B.A. (Spanish and History) in 2008 from Wake Forest University. In 2010, she enrolled at the University of Mississippi School of Law, graduating in 2013 and serving as Editor-in-Chief of the Mississippi Law Journal.
From 2013-2016, Emily clerked for Judge Pamela Pepper, now Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. In 2016, she joined Midwest Big Law as an associate at Quarles & Brady. Since November 2020, she has worked as a Senior Associate at Husch Blackwell, where she practices commercial litigation.
It was joining Big Law that brought on an increase in anxiety and low mood in Emily. After seeking solace with colleagues, therapy, and meditation, she began talking more openly about the need to improve well-being in the law. This started with programming while president of the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Wisconsin, then as a committee chair for the Wisconsin Taskforce on Lawyer Well-Being. Most recently, she has built a platform on LinkedIn where she posts regularly on the realities of being a Big Law associate and the need to destigmatize lawyer well-being.

How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome
Have you ever felt that you were not as good as other people think you are? Have you ever doubted your ability to achieve what you already have? Do you see yourself as unworthy or not good at what you do, even though others think you are? Have you ever felt you didn't belong? Or even, "what am I doing here?" I know I have struggled with some of those thoughts.
This is often labeled as "imposter syndrome." But trust me, if you have ever felt that way, you are not alone. It affects so many of us and causes us significant problems.
In this episode of The Free Lawyer, I will discuss the reality of imposter syndrome, what it is, its causes, how it affects us, and tangible tools to overcome it. Check it out!!
Want to learn more about how you can break out of the prisons holding you back? Reach out to me at gary@garymiles.net, and check out my website garymiles.net.

How to Overcome Stress and Find Fulfillment as an Attorney
Jenn Deal joins us today to share insights about managing the overwhelm and finding fulfillment as an attorney.
Jenn Deal is a lawyer (and former BigLaw partner) and a certified life coach. As a brand protection attorney, she handles contentious trademark, unfair competition, and false advertising matters. As a life coach, she helps high-achieving women who feel stuck, unfulfilled, and overwhelmed create careers and lives they love.
She shares her expertise on:
-The importance of acceptance of those things we cannot control
-How to become more self-aware of our thoughts and feelings
-Determining your values, priorities, and chosen path as an attorney
-Managing our thoughts to create tremendous success
- How to determine what is most important to us and choosing a path to achieve it
Jenn is an incredible leader, attorney, and coach. You will love hearing what she has to say!
For more, visit www.jenndealcoaching.com or connect with Jenn on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenn-deal-coaching/.

How to Be Mindful in Your Profession
“When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another – and ourselves.” -Jack Kornfield
Do you have days where everything gets under your skin and distracts you? Do you ever get stuck in your head thinking about issues other than the project you're working on? Or, do you have days where you are laser-focused, not easily rattled, and calmly go about productively solving your clients’ problems?
The difference is mindfulness. In this episode of The Free Lawyer, I will discuss what mindfulness is, how it makes a difference, the gifts of practicing law mindfully, and how to become more mindful in your law practice. Check it out!

Begin Creating Your Everyday Living Legacy Today
Codi Shewan joins The Free Lawyer today. Codi is a speaker, trainer, consultant, and, most importantly, author of the best-selling book, Everyday Legacy. For me and many others, Everyday Legacy was truly transformational. It encourages us through Codi's stories to treasure every moment, be grateful, be present with who matters to us, and begin today, creating our living legacy of how we wish to be known. Codi shares what inspired the book and how it has already started to change the lives of many who have read it.
What if your legacy isn't what you leave behind but something you create every day of your life? What if you started acting the way you want to be remembered - right now - and shared your unique gifts with the world? His message is simple yet powerful: In each moment, you can change yourself and those around you in profound ways. Codi inspires readers to redefine how they live and embrace the idea of living - not leaving - a legacy.Everyday Legacy shows us what it means to be deeply human, undeniably mortal - and how to choose a life that matters. This is a compelling episode!!

56. How to Build a More Successful and Fulfilling Law Practice Through Value Based Pricing
Do you ever find billing clients to be uncomfortable? Get tired of keeping time and meeting billable hour expectations? Are you interested in finding a better way to practice law?
Katherine Bromfield is an innovative, successful and fulfilled family law attorney in Western Australia. Katherine joins The Free Lawyer today to share her thoughts about the many benefits of value-based pricing. She discusses the many problems the traditional hourly billing system causes for attorneys- dissatisfied clients who do not know what the legal services will cost and have billing shock when the monthly bill comes; the lack of synergy between clients who are focused on the value they receive and the law firm who has a motivation to bill more hours; the attorneys who are stressed by the hourly billing requirements; and collection issues for the law firm.
Katherine explains how value-based pricing satisfies the client by providing the value they want at an agreed cost; creates synergy between the lawyer and client who both have a goal to efficiently and quickly resolve the client's issues; supports the wellbeing of lawyers by providing an environment of less stress and greater fulfillment; and builds the law firm which is more purposeful and successful.
Want to learn more about how this works? Have a listen!
Katherine Bromfield is a family lawyer in Perth, Western Australia, and helps people to resolve the issues arising from separation and move on with their lives. She started her legal career at Legal Aid, then worked at several different private law firms before starting her practice as the Director of Bromfield Family Law.
Family law disputes damage families, and Katherine seeks to reinvent the way clients experience family law so as to deliver outcomes that mitigate harm and protect their families. Now in her own micro virtual practice, Katherine has rejected the traditional business model of law and is embracing new and more flexible ways of delivering family law services so as to provide clients with a strategic pathway to realize their objectives while remaining in control of their matter and the associated costs.
Katherine will speak about her success in applying value-based pricing and a strategic and project management style approach to each matter to re-align clients with lawyers and the business of law with the practice of law. Katherine will also tell you how this approach has helped her fall back in love with the practice of family law and how it continues to safeguard the well-being of her team.
You can find Katherine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-bromfield-6aa717184/
Are you interested in learning more about value-based pricing? Here are some resources:
Tim Williams
https://www.ignitiongroup.com/propulsion-blog
John Chisholm Consulting
https://www.chisconsult.com/my-perspective/
Linked In – Legal Iconoclasts
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12637001/

Seven Tools for Becoming a More Authentic Attorney
Last week we talked about how hard it is to be an authentic attorney, and how we suffer stress and burnout as a result. We also reviewed the powerful gifts of being a more authentic attorney.
Is it hard to be a truly authentic attorney? It is, but it is so worth it! Today I share 7 tangible tips where you can become a more authentic, more fulfilled attorney. And who does not want that?
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

55. The Problem with Authenticity in the Legal Profession
Can we be truly authentic as attorneys? We spend so much of our time creating arguments, posturing, being in charge, always in control. Sometimes we have been indoctrinated to working too hard, never complaining, and not setting real boundaries. Do you ever feel as if you are wearing a mask? Perhaps feeling you have to act a certain way around the partner, or say certain things to others in the firm, so that you will be accepted? How does that affect us and how can we change it?
In this episode of The Free Lawyer, I will discuss the problem of authenticity in the legal profession; what true authenticity is; some of the historical problems with being authentic as an attorney; and the incredible gifts from being authentic as an attorney. Next week, I will share helpful tools to develop a an authentic professional life where we will be real, genuine, and fulfilled.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

How to Succeed as an Attorney in Expecting the Unexpected
Laura Terrell is our guest today on The Free Lawyer. Laura is an executive coach who helps us be as successful as we deserve.
She shares valuable insights on these topics and others:
-The benefits of authentically engaging with our clients
-The importance of building trust with our audience
-How to develop our brand and build a book of business
-Tools to manage setbacks in our career
-What is imposter syndrome and how to overcome it
-The need to understand law firm financials
Laura Terrell is an executive coach with over twenty-five years of experience as a legal and business leader.
She offers an insider’s perspective for business, legal and corporate professionals, working to help her clients to improve and achieve
success in their work lives.
Prior to coaching, she was a Special Assistant to the President at the White House, a senior level appointee at the U.S. Department of
Justice, an equity partner in two large, global law firms, and in-house counsel at a publicly traded company.
Laura has also led and managed teams of people across multiple countries, serving as a top advisor to many Fortune 500 and FTSE 100
companies.
Partnering with her clients, she enjoys helping them reach their goals and build confidence in their careers. Learn more about Laura and
follow her blog at www.lauraterrell.com. You can also find her on LinkedIn- www.linkedin.com/in/lauraterrell

What is Emotional Intelligence and How Do We Develop It?
Have you ever had a crisis at work, someone made a mistake, and the boss gets very angry, perhaps screaming, reacts rashly, and blames the person who was at fault? Never seeing his part in it?
Or in the same scenario, have you ever seen the leader respond thoughtfully, is empathetic with the person who made the mistake, and incorporates the team in finding a solution to achieve better results in the future?
What is the difference between these two scenarios? It is what is frequently called “emotional intelligence.” In this episode of The Free Lawyer, I will explain what emotional intelligence is, what its characteristics are, how someone behaves when they are acting with low emotional intelligence, how emotional intelligence benefits us, and how to develop our skills of emotional intelligence.
Let me know what you think!

How to Manage the Toughest Issues Young Lawyers Face
In today's episode of The Free Lawyer, dynamic Molly Hough shares her insights on the most challenging issues facing young lawyers today. We talk about such important topics as:
-The need to train young lawyers today on how to practice as lawyers
-The importance of "community" for young professionals today
-How to manage stress in the legal profession
-Billing requirements and how they affect lawyers today
-How to build true personal freedom as a lawyer
Molly Hough is an Employment and Commercial Litigation Attorney who guides businesses of all sizes to navigate the ever-changing legal landscape. She is also the Founder of the JurisConsult Institute where she trains and develops new attorneys in cohort-styled classes. All too often, new attorneys do not receive adequate training and this leads to them feeling overwhelmed and confused about how to do their jobs well. This should not be the case and that is exactly why she created JurisConsult. To her core, she believes new attorneys deserve training and community to become the best attorney they can be. If anyone has any questions, they can email her at info@jurisconsultinstitute.com. They can also follow her on Instagram @Jurisconsult_institute or on LinkedIn.

Value Based Pricing- An Innovative Solution for Law Firms
Do your clients ever get frustrated with the size of their bill, which was unexpected? Do you have prospective clients who want a reasonable projection of what their matter will cost, and you are unable to give them a very predictable cost? Are you tired of time keeping and trying to meet seemingly arbitrary hourly billing requirements? As a firm owner or manager, are you tired of chasing clients for payment of outstanding balances on their bills?
We attorneys have always used an hourly billing process. However, it creates a lot of issues, for the client, for the attorneys, and for the law firm. But there is an alternative which answers many of these concerns. That is the value based pricing system.
In this episode, I will discuss some of the problems with the hourly billing system, explain what a value based system is and how it works, review the primary obstacles to it, and explain the many benefits it can bring to your law firm.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

50. How to Use LinkedIn to Grow Your Law Practice
Viveca Hess is an expert in using LinkedIn to help lawyers grow their book of business. She shares her expertise on these important topics:
-The best practices in using LinkedIn
-The power of LinkedIn and how it can grow your brand
-The best business building approaches
-How to overcome the fear of competition
-The importance of determining what sets you apart as an attorney
- The benefits of being an authentic and effective listener
-The incredible stress of the billable hour requirements
Studying people, human nature and how we communicate to build meaningful relationships is Viveca's passion, always has been. But, it wasn’t until several years after graduating from law school that she owned up to her passion for blending creative story-crafting with the design and psychology of communication and content.
She initiated, created and directed the marketing and communication efforts at the law firm where she had worked for nearly a decade and realized she was smitten with a practice having little to do with the law. After nearly a decade she left this firm to launch her own online marketing company in 2009.
Though she has never looked back, her legal background lends itself well for insight to what lawyers, law firms, and a few other regulated or politically sensitive industries require to be protected while successfully promoted in an ever-evolving online sphere. This is part of her unique, odd, sometimes uncomfortable, and very happy character-building story.
Much like the passion triggers of her business, Viveca is easily impassioned by all things under, in, or on our oceans. Whether surfing the internet or waves, diving deep into content psychology or along underwater parks, the salt from both sweat and ocean has always done her good.
Fortunately, her family feels similarly, mostly harmoniously. Husband even works on complicated water projections (that quite honestly make her eyes glaze over sometimes). Her teen daughter (going on twenty) applies an uncanny discipline, humor and design eye for online artistry when they are not making a splash offline somehow. She admits she has a thing (or more) to learn from her, like understanding that peace and crazy can co-exist.
You can find Viveca on LinkedIn where she is ever present, and can connect by email at viveca@hessconnect.com.

Building Genuine Connections through Effective Listening
Have you ever wanted to share something important with someone, and you knew they were not really listening? Or, they interrupted you to tell you what they wanted to tell you? And didn’t that make you feel disrespected and disconnected from that person?
One of the keys to effective relationship building and true human connection is being a mindful and effective listener. In this episode of The Free Lawyer, I will discuss some typical barriers to effective listening, the consequences of poor listening habits, a process for effective listening, and the gifts that we enjoy when we truly listen to and hear the other party to the conversation.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

Empower Yourself to Choose the Career in Law that Fulfills You
Do you ever feel trapped and overwhelmed in your law career? As if you have no choice or power?
Talar Herculian Coursey is a lawyer by day, a Life Coach and published author. She joins The Free Lawyer to share her powerful journey and great insights on
-The gift of a community to support us in our legal career
-How to find fulfillment through service
-How to manage mental health challenges in our legal profession
-The importance of mentorship
-How we each have the freedom to choose our own path in law
-Understanding that we all have the power to free ourselves and select our own journey
Talar has served as General Counsel for Vista Ford Lincoln in Woodland Hills, California since 2011. Before that, she was a file clerk, associate and partner
at the national labor and employment law firm, Fisher Phillips LLP.
Talar is a co-author of #Networked and Women In Law and the author of her first children’s book, Ralphy’s Rules for Living the Good Life, all of which are
available on Amazon (all profits going to charities).
Talar has served as the president of the Salt Lake City Chapter for the Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief (“SOAR”) since 2015. SOAR, founded in 2005,
supports orphanages in Syria, Lebanon and Armenia. To date, Talar has raised over $100,000 for the orphanages in Lebanon in memory of her father, Mardig
Herculian.
Talar wrote Ralphy’s Rules for Living the Good Life to raise money for SOAR. In addition to being a mother, wife, lawyer, life coach and philanthropist, Talar
is also a runner, yogi and Jesus, Ekhart Tolle, Peloton and Brandon Flowers groupie.
You can find Talar on LinkedIn @TalarEsq or on her website
www.TalarEsq.com.

The Problem with Busyness
Have you ever felt that you are working so hard, so busy, too many things on your desk, keeping all the balls in the air? And when the day is done, do you feel like you got nothing accomplished? I know I have. See, busyness is often harmful to our business as well as to us personally.
We all know it is no fun to be stuck in the busyness quagmire, nor is it good for our professional success. In Episode 47 ot the Free Lawyer, I will explain why we get stuck in busyness, discuss some of the problems with it, and give you 8 tangible tools to escape the prison of busyness.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

How to Be a Successful Lawyer and Fulfilled at the Same Time
Do you want to be both successful and happy as a lawyer? This is an episode not to be missed. Lara Quie (pronounced Queen - without the “n”) is a connector of people and has been a business development and marketing professional in the legal industry in Singapore for the past eight years. Lara shares some amazing insights about:
-The importance of connecting with clients and prospects on a personal level
-How to build our personal brand
-How to grow your book of business to be truly successful
-The benefits of choosing your own path in the legal profession that satisfies you
-How to set boundaries, maintain your own scheduling freedom and prevent burnout
-The need to practice self-care, have a hobby, sleep well and take care of yourself
A graduate of Oxford University, Lara was originally a BigLaw antitrust attorney in London before became a Montessori teacher, entrepreneur, head of sales and executive coach.
She has lived in Asia for ten years and is currently the Head of Business Development, Asia Pacific at Twenty Essex, a leading international barristers’ chambers.
In her spare time, Lara is an executive coach for lawyers and is the host of the popular Legal Genie Podcast. Lara is a wife and mother of three wonderful daughters and two unruly sausage dogs.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

45. 8 Tools for Developing a Growth Mindset
Are you someone who would prefer to stick to your habits and well known routines? Or, do you have a passion for learning new things?
Are you someone who believes you were given certain traits and talents that are fundamentally unchangeable? That you have the skills you have, and can use them, but are not able to develop new ones? Or, do you believe you can grow, change, learn and develop?
That is the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. For us to succeed as we really want, it is important that we develop a growth mindset.
In Episode 45 of The Free Lawyer, I will describe what is a fixed mindset; what is a growth mindset; and 8 steps we can take to develop the growth mindset that we need to be as successful and fulfilled as we deserve.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

How To Truly Stand Out as a Family Lawyer
Today's guest on The Free Lawyer is Ravit Rose. Ravit is passionate about making the divorce process more effective and less stressful. She shares:
-What she learned from her personal journey through the divorce process
-How to best manage the emotions while divorcing
-What makes a family lawyer truly exceptional
-The importance of being a compassionate problem solver as an attorney handling divorce cases
-The benefits of being self-aware, mindful and not reactive
Ravit Rose has survived and thrived her decade long nasty divorce. After having spent over $100k in legal fees, she finally understood the "divorce game".
She summarizes the root cause of this problem in one sentence: "We don't know how to marry and we certainly don't know how to divorce either."
Since Ravit saw the bright light at the end of this tunnel, her life purpose shifted towards helping parents avoid ending up broke & broken. She wants parents to learn how to stop their emotions from sabotaging the family.
As the founder of Divorce by Rose, she's replacing the outdated status quo with a fresh, balanced system. When parents join this community app anonymously, they access 24/7 instant support & solutions from specialized coaches. The various types of coaches are trained to assist parents in making the logical & methodical decision to either stay married or get divorced and then, help them figure out their next steps with coping strategies and realistic solutions.
Ravit shines when she sees families from far and wide moving FORWARD in life.
She can be reached at info@ravitrose.com and through her website, www.divorcebyrose.com.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

How to Overcome Your Limiting Beliefs
Did you ever consider trying something new, and tell yourself that you were not smart enough or good enough? Did you ever have an opportunity to speak, or present, or try a new opportunity, but tell yourself you would not succeed?
So often we struggle with limiting beliefs. We tell ourselves a story to make an excuse as to why we should not try something new. We are afraid of failing, so we use our limiting beliefs as a protection. The trouble is that our limiting beliefs prevent us from accomplishing our goals and dreams. They also stop us from being as fulfilled and happy as we want. They can be overcome.
In Episode 43 of The Free Lawyer, I will describe what a limiting belief is, give examples of some of the frequent ones, discuss their causes, and most importantly give you tangible tools to overcome your own limiting beliefs.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

How to Find True Happiness as a Lawyer
So excited that Brittany Leonard joins The Free Lawyer today. Brittany is a dynamite young attorney who has created a life in the legal profession that is fulfilling and satisfying. She is passionate about lifting the legal profession and helping other lawyers find a life they truly love.
We discuss:
-How she found true joy and satisfaction in her legal career
-The biggest problems lawyers are facing today
-The importance of reflection and evaluation in choosing what you really want in your life.
-Her top 5 tips for young lawyers today
-The importance of wellness and self-care in a stressful profession
Brittany is General Counsel at Civix where she manages a multinational company and its subsidiaries. Her passion is seeing businesses thrive and helping facilitate those successes. She provides legal advice and strategic leadership on all things related to the company from tech deployment, employment relations to data privacy and M&A transactions and everything in between. You can follow her journey on LinkedIn where she was recently nominated a top 35 Legal Influencer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-leonard-b3a7b2a4/
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

41. How to Manage Our Regrets
Have you ever said something that in hindsight you absolutely wish you had not,and each day it bothers you that you said it? Or, have you ever made a decision not to pursue something, and then deeply regretted that you did not give it an opportunity?
Regret is a powerful emotion that, if not resolved, can destroy our happiness and limit our success.
In this episode, I will explain what regret is, how it affects us, and how we can overcome it.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

How To Build the Life of Your Dreams
We are joined today by Dina Cataldo, a lawyer and coach to highly successful lawyers who are seeking more in their life.
Dina shares her unique insights about:
-How to avoid the bad habits in our law practice
-The importance of self-awareness
-The benefits of compassion and self-forgiveness
-How to achieve "more" in our professional and personal lives
-The benefits of seeking support when you are looking for greater success in your professional life
This is an episode not to miss!
Dina is on a mission to help lawyers live their most fulfilling lives. A California native, she's lived all over California and went to McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento. She became a criminal prosecutor in Sacramento and for 15 years tried dozens of jury trials ranging from DUI to homicide and negotiated thousands of cases.
After a breast cancer diagnosis at 29, Dina had an epiphany. If chemotherapy felt like a vacation, there was something definitely wrong with what she was experiencing as a lawyer.
She didn't want to curb her ambition though, so she kept looking for that next thing that lit her up. She found it in coaching. Dina is certified by the Life Coach School and left her job as a district attorney to coach lawyers full time in January 2022.
She helps lawyers manage their time and their mind, so they can live better.
When she's not coaching, you can find her walking her dog Frankie, traveling, or playing in her garden.
You can reach Dina here:
Be a Better Lawyer Podcast: https://dinacataldo.com/podcast
The Busy Lawyer's Guide to Getting 5 Hours Back Weekly: https://dinacataldo.com/busylawyer
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dina-cataldo/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/dina.cataldo
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

How to Free Yourself from Unhealthy Expectations
Do you ever find that you expect a certain result, like winning your next trial, and when it does not happen you are crushed and disappointed? Or, alternatively, when you win that case you expected to win, do you not feel less gratitude for the successful result because you expected it?
See, that is the problem with expectations. They can remove the joy out of our life and create disappointment and frustration.
In this episode, I explain what the problem is with unhealthy expectations, the types of expectations, and 7 tips on how to free ourselves from those unhealthy expectations. Let me know what you think!
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

How to Create Financial Strategies For Success for Your Law Firm
In Episode 38 of The Free Lawyer, we are joined by Terrell Turner, a dynamite CPA who provides specialized financial advice to law firms. Today Terrell shares his insights about:
Your accounting should be a problem solver that provides proactive tips that help you effectively manage the financial side of your business A large part of fixing the financial issues is about working with the right accountant who is willing to go beyond the basics and really help you understand how to maximize your financial opportunities When it comes to understanding your financial reports, not all numbers are of equal importance so ask your accountant to help you focus on the top numbers that matter most to the challenges that you are trying to address Setting targets and developing workable strategies to achieve those targets are the best ways to reduce financial stress in your business Personal freedom is about making progress toward a goal that you personally chooseYou won't want to miss this episode!!
Terrell Turner is the managing partner of a NYTimes recognized accounting firm, 40 Under 40 Black CPA and 40 under 40 NACVA that focuses on making accounting and finance less complicated for business owners and business leaders. He has spent 13+ years in various finance leadership roles with multiple Fortune 500 companies and also served ast he finance leader for a private equity-backed tech company.
After years of helping large businesses grow and attracts millions of dollars year after year, Terrell decided to use all of his experience and insight to help small-medium sized businesses. Along with being a managing partner of his own firm, Terrell also leads an internationally trademarked media company called Business Talk Library. The media company creates and produces multiple podcasts, web-based business shows and on-demand training for entrepreneurs and business leaders.
You can reach Terrell on LinkedIn @Terrell A Turner CPA and through is website, TLTurnergroup.com.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

10 Tips in Overcoming Perfectionism
Do you ever find that you fret over your past mistakes? Or, are very worried about making new mistakes? Are you ever extremely concerned about high expectations of your family or your colleagues?
If so, you may be struggling with perfectionism. Perfectionism can create real problems for us, everything from procrastination to severe anxiety and stress.
In this episode, I will explain what perfectionism is; talk about how it has affected me; discuss the signs and causes of perfectionism, explain the problems it creates, and give detailed steps on how to overcome it. Check it out!
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

36. How to Build Real Meaningful Connections in the Legal Profession
Robert Hanna based in the UK, is the Founder & Managing Director of KC Partners, an innovative and world leading legal talent solutions and content creation firm focused on community. He specializes in helping aspiring and qualified legal professionals with their careers and to secure dream jobs with law firms & corporations across the UK, Europe, Middle East, Far East & US.
He brings his amazing insights to The Free Lawyer today, discussing:
-The importance of placing just the right attorney with the perfect law firm
-How to build lasting relationships in the legal profession
-The challenges of stress and burnout and how to defeat them
-The benefits of community in the new legal arena
-How to maintain balance in today's world, to be successful, fulfilled and happy
-The importance of wellness and mental health in our challenging profession
Rob has been featured in numerous publications including the CIO TIMES as a Most Inspiring Leader and a Multi Award nominated Community-Maker. Through his entrepreneurial journey he has built and scaled multi-million-pound revenue generating sales teams and sits as a strategic advisor & investor to Recruitment & Legal Tech startups.
Rob is a super networker & active content creator. He the most followed legal recruiter and talent solutions expert across social media. Rob has advised LinkedIn on various new product roll outs and been ranked as a Top 100 Rising Star & Influencer. He regularly features in LinkedIn News & Hosts the LinkedIn Creators Audio Townhall. He is a Mentor, Speaker and Host of the world renowned Legally Speaking Podcast.
He is passionate about normalizing the conversation around mental health and promoting more diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. Rob’s mission is to emulate the success of his grandfather who ran one of the most prominent law firms of his generation in the 1950s. He is actively disrupting the global recruitment industry, through embracing the digital and content fueled world we live in today to do good for the legal profession building a worldwide collaborative kind community!
Aside from all of that, Rob is proud first-time father to his daughter & parent to his miniature dachshund, Otto!
Contact Information: Mobile: +44 (0) 7843 233 525 Email: rhanna@kcpartners.co.uk Join Legally Speaking Discord
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

How to Stop Comparing and Start Growing
Do you ever do this? You see someone who is really proficient, better than you, at something you want to achieve; and you begin comparing yourself to them. We want to be better in our profession, so it makes sense to compare ourselves to those who are the best, doesn’t it? How does that work out for you?
In Episode 35 of The Free Lawyer, I will describe in detail the trouble with comparison and make tangible suggestions about how to avoid playing the comparison game. When we look inside of ourselves, understand our strengths and weaknesses, and plan for the future, we can achieve the success and personal freedom we want.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

How To Survive That Messy Divorce with Less Pain and Greater Clarity
Our guest today is the incredible Jennifer Aternino, a family mediator and divorce coach. If you are a family law attorney, a person encountering a family separation or custody matter, or a professional involved in the field, you will not want to miss this episode. Jennifer shares her insights about:
-The biggest hurdles in the divorce process and how to manage them
-Tools for helping clients manage the emotional roller-coaster
-How to make the divorce process less contentious and more child-focused
-How she can help lawyers with their client's emotional needs.
Jennifer is passionate about helping couples (with children) who are separating do so in an amicable and respectful way. She has obtained her Certification as a Professional Mediator. She is extremely child focused through all negotiations.
Being a Divorce Coach, she is empathetic and determined to help her clients through this difficult process. She specializes in emotional support and putting things into perspective. She guides her clients through the difficulties. She helps manage the emotions and focuses her clients on the practical issues of divorce - reducing the negative impact on you and your family.
As a Parent Coach, and a divorced mother of two, she has worked very hard to research and establish the tools to help maintain and create a strong bond for single parents and their children. She has also received her Certification as a Youth Self Esteem Coach and as a Positive Discipline Parent and Teacher Educator.
You can contact Jennifer through her website: http://www.mychildrenandme.com/
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

Overcoming Our Fear of Failure
Do you ever feel that your fear of failing at something professionally hampers your success? Or causes you stress?
Despite our confidence, many of us struggle with internal fears. Overwhelmingly, the most challenging and frequent fear is that of failure. We are so talented, so accomplished, yet often we have a mental thought that we will fail. That hampers our success. How do we manage that fear of failure?
In Episode 33 of The Free Lawyer, I discuss four tangible tools for overcoming your fear of failure and achieving the success you deserve. Let me know what you think!
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

32. How to Free Yourself From Financial Stress
Do you ever feel you work hard, have a great salary but can never get ahead financially? If so, this episode is for you.
Rho Thomas joins us today to share with us her wisdom about how to build financial freedom as a lawyer. Rho is an attorney and financial coach who believes that true wealth is having control of your time. She helps lawyers master their personal finances to create freedom and choice in their lives. She also hosts the Wealthyesque podcast where she shares strategies each week for lawyers to improve their money mindset and manage their money to achieve true wealth.
Rho shares her insights on;
-The biggest financial hurdles attorneys' face today.
-How to create a winning money mindset
-How to eliminate our debt and build our net worth
-Best tips for managing our money and our expenses
-How to prioritize our finances and make our best personal choices
-How to enjoy true financial freedom
You can contact Rho here:
https://www.rhothomas.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamrhothomas
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

10 Tips For Breaking Out of the Prison of People Pleasing
Last week we chatted about people pleasing, the signs of it, and how it can cause resentment, stress, anxiety, and the loss of authenticity.
Would you like to break free of that tendency to people please? If so, in Episode 31, I give you 10 tangible tips to overcome people pleasing. Let me know what you think!
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

Choose Your Own Life and Create Personal Freedom
Laura Frederick is our guest today. Laura has a background in Big Law and as in house general counsel, but courageously opened her own firm and has created a How To Contract Platform to help other legal professionals learn how to effectively navigate the contract world.
Laura addresses so many important topics:
-How we learn from the challenges in our life
-How we can manage fear in our life
-How to choose our own path in the legal profession
-How to use LinkedIn to grow your network and your business
-How to create personal freedom in your own life
Laura Frederick is the Founder and CEO of How to Contract, which helps lawyers and professionals learn how we draft and negotiate contracts in the real world, and Managing Attorney at Laura Frederick Law, PLLC, a boutique law firm based in Austin, Texas that helps companies buy, sell, and license technology products.
Laura worked on commercial contracts throughout her career, including 11 years in law firms including Big Law firms like Morrison & Foerster, and 14 years as in-house counsel at cutting-edge technology and energy companies like Tesla. After working for others her whole career, she decided in 2019 to work for herself and opened her solo law practice. Then in August 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, Laura started sharing what she knew about contracts in daily contracting tips on LinkedIn. The idea to post every day started as a 30-day challenge. She started adding to each post a self-made funny cartoon that quickly become her trademark.
With the success of her tips on LinkedIn, Laura published a collection of 91 tips in November 2020 in the Amazon bestseller, “Practical Tips on How to Contract: Techniques and Tactics from an Ex-BigLaw and Ex-Tesla Commercial Contracts.” Several law schools use Laura’s book to teach practical contract skills to their students. She also launched the How to Contract training business. Thousands of lawyers and professionals have signed up for her training membership or events. Then in January 2022, Laura hosted a first-of-its-kind virtual conference called the How to Contract Conference featuring 14 practicing lawyers, each sharing their contract insights and techniques.
Laura continues posting daily contract tips and cartoons on LinkedIn. She shared recently that in the two years since she started posting daily contract tips, her posts had been seen 9,200,000 times. She continues to find other ways to share her expertise. She’s publishing an expanded edition of her book in September 2022 featuring over 300 tips, each with one of her signature silly cartoons. She also is planning the next big practical contract training event for February 2023.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

The Problem of People-Pleasing
Have you ever been asked to do something for someone, said yes, and then resented that you had to do it? Has someone ever complained to you about something, and you said "I'm sorry," when you did not actually think you did anything wrong? If so, you may encounter what is commonly called "people pleasing." In itself, it is not a bad thing, but it can lead to frustration, resentment, and losing connection with who we really are. Many of us have suffered from people-pleasing. I know I have.
In episode 29 of The Free Lawyer, I will explain what people pleasing is, describe 9 symptoms of people pleasing, and discuss the 9 negative effects of it, Next week, we will chat about how to break out of the prison of people pleasing.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

How to Manage Narcissism in Your World
Do any of you encounter someone who is always blaming, has to win at all costs, has to get his way? And if crossed, lashes out, or gives the silent treatment? Do any of you work in a toxic workplace? Ever have problem clients who are never happy and always attacking? If so you may be encountering someone with narcissistic personality disorder or who exhibits low emotional intelligence, and you will greatly benefit from this episode.
We are joined today by Lynn Catalano who literally has written the book on this topic, Wrecking Ball Relationships, which is incredibly helpful to any of us who encounter narcissism. Lynn discusses in depth:
-What is narcissism and how does it present itself
-What are the primary characteristics of narcissism
-How the narcissist responds when he does not get his way
-How to respond to the narcissist best
-How to identify and manage the narcissists we encounter in the legal profession
-What is a toxic workplace and how to survive in it
Lynn is an author, speaker, coach, attorney and survivor of narcissistic abuse, who helps
people reframe their thinking in every aspect of their lives; from the workplace to their
personal life, becoming an agent of change.
One of the greatest skills a person can develop is the ability to navigate difficult people.
Lynn helps people learn to identify toxic relationships and gives them the tools to
overcome these relationships. Your emotional intelligence is the key to building better,
healthier relationships. Lynn will explore how to make emotional intelligence part of
your everyday practice and learn how it benefits all of our relationships, teamwork, and
collaboration. Lynn also teaches groups how to read the room, how to build rapport and
acclimate quickly in any situation.
Lynn is the author of the book “Wrecking Ball Relationships: How to Identify, Live With
or Leave the Narcissist in Your Life,” available now on Amazon.
Lynn lives in Western New York along the Canadian border with her husband, 2
daughters, 3 dogs, 2 cats, and a 16-year-old turtle. Lynn loves to travel, hunt for
antiques, watch movies and play word games.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

How to Avoid the Blame Game in Your Law Office
One of the major problems facing law firms and other offices today is the toxic workplace. A major factor is a culture of blame in those firms. That can be remdied!
In Episode 27 of The Free Lawyer podcast, I will explain what the blame game is; why no one wins; why we play the blame game, and give tangible steps to avoiding blame and handling the situation responsibly.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: www.garymiles.net/burnout

How to Protect Your Law Firm from Claims and Grievances
Jeffrey Cunningham joins the podcast today to share some critical thoughts about how to protect yourself and your law firm from potential malpractice claims and grievances. Jeff is a partner in the firm of Goldberg Segalla and a true expert in the field of risk protection for law firms. Jeff provides important advice on;
- The key items to have in your retainer agreements
- The biggest risk factors for law firms
- The benefits of having outside general counsel to your law firm
- The importance of getting expert advice on how to protect yourself from claims and grievances
- How to maintain the important attorney-client privilege when discussing potential claims with your counsel
This is an episode to be listened to by every attorney!
Jeff is originally from Albany, NY and currently lives in Stamford, CT with his wife and two sons. He graduated from Fordham Law School and obtained his undergrad degree from The Citadel.
He serves as 'turn-key' outside General Counsel for law firms. His mission is to provide the same protection big law firms use to solo, small and mid-sized firms, all protected by the attorney-client privilege. For over a decade he has defended lawyers sued for legal malpractice or facing ethics issues. His approach is based on simple risk management, education and response planning. In addition to attorneys, Jeff defends accountants, brokers, and other professionals in a wide range of professional liability matters in New York and Connecticut State and Federal Courts.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

Seven Tips for Overcoming Those Painful Resentments
Have you ever felt angry at someone for something they did to you and feel powerless to stop it or change it? And that feeling keeps coming back, and festering? Resentments are one of the most insidious and harmful negative emotions we feel. But many, even most of us, experience them, and often without knowing or understanding it.
In this episode of The Free Lawyer, I will be explaining what a resentment is, how it affects us, and give you seven tangible tips to overcome your resentments and free yourself from the pain we cause ourselves.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

Create Personal and Financial Freedom by Utilizing Value-Based Billing in Your Law Practice
On this week's episode of The Free Lawyer, we are joined by the incredible Scott Simmons. Scott is a toolbox for turning lawyers into rainmakers. After a successful career in law where he faced similar situations to the lawyers of today, he discovered a love of coaching and training that has seen him coaching young professionals on how to build their own careers, as well as more senior executives to become rainmakers.
Scott shares some helpful advice on how to grow your law practice including:
-Avoiding burnout and the importance of talking about it
-The difference between marketing and business development
-How to focus on the needs of the client, helping them to find solutions to their problems
-The benefits of value based billing
-How to stop billing at the end and then chasing clients for payment
- How to best market our services
--Managing changes in the legal landscape
-The Importance of PRECISION selling
Scott is the Director of Legal Balance. He offers bespoke training, coaching and leadership courses to professionals at all stages of their career and developed The BD Breakthrough Blueprint©, a two-day training course, to facilitate this. Scott has spent the last 10 years coaching and training lawyers and regularly writes and speaks on the subject of professional services business development. Scott is a husband and father and also an avid film lover, so do not be surprised when he includes a BD analogy relating to ‘Jaws’ or ‘When Harry Met Sally’ into any training or coaching session.
Want to get in touch with Scott? Contact Details
scott.simmons@legalbalance.co.uk
www.legalbalance.co.uk
https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottsimmonsbdm/
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

Overcoming Our Professional Fears
How serious are you about achieving your dreams? Are you willing to do what is necessary to earn the promotion, go for the raise, or seek a new and better job? What is your biggest professional goal? Why haven't you accomplished it yet?
For most of us, the answer is fear. Fear limits us from achieving what we really want. If we do not strive for a professional goal because we are "afraid," we will never accomplish it. So why not try?
The problem is that our fear can often be unknown and very powerful. We sometimes succumb to it without even knowing. How you respond to fear is precisely what differentiates you from all the others, and sets you on your path to success.
In this edition of The Free Lawyer newsletter, I disucss what fear is, and how it affects us; and give you 12 tangible steps to overcome your fear and move closer to the dreams of your life.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

How To Build Your Law Practice Without Being a Salesman
Steve Fretzin, four time author, podcaster, and legal development coach, joins The Free Lawyer to talk about:
-How to be a confident, authentic and skilled rainmaker
-Building your own book of portable clients
-The importance of effective consulting relationships with your clients
- How to do what you love to do for others
-Creating your own personal and financial freedom
This is a can't miss episode!
Driven, focused and passionate about helping attorneys to reach their full potential, Steve is regarded as the premier coach, skills trainer and keynote speaker on business development for attorneys.
Over the past 17 years, Steve has devoted his career to helping lawyers master the art of business development to achieve their business goals and the peace of mind that comes with developing a successful law practice.
In addition to writing four books on legal marketing and business development, Steve has a highly-rated podcast BE THAT LAWYER, and has been featured in the Chicago Tribune, Crain’s, and Entrepreneur.com. He has appeared on NBC News, WGN Radio and has written articles for Attorney at Law Magazine, the National Law Review, the American Bar Association, and the Illinois State Bar Association. You can also find his monthly column in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin.
Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If so, obtain my free tips on how to set boundaries and avoid burnout here: https://www.garymiles.net/burnout

21. Be Free- Get Uncomfortable!
Seems like a contradiction, doesn't it? Get uncomfortable and be free? When I was young, I always wanted to have a comfortable life. To be safe, to have a relaxed, easy life. That's what some people call our "comfort zone." But is it really enough? Are we really satisfied in our comfort zone?
In this Episode, I will explain the comfort zone, what it is, and why it works for many of us. But some people find it boring and incomplete. Some of us want something better, where we can grow, have a more exciting and fulfilling life, pursue our dreams. I will share some tangible tips for you to follow in becoming free and accepting the fact that being uncomfortable is a good thing.
I am now coaching attorneys, entrepreneurs and professionals how to enjoy personal freedom and be more successful. Would you like to learn more? Please visit www.garymiles.net and sign up for a free discovery call.
Be well, be safe and be free!

20. So Much Work, So Little Time- What To Do?
So many of us struggle with this problem. Our partner keeps giving us more work to do. The court schedules unexpected hearings. Our clients call, asking us to help resolve a crisis. We have so much work to do, and seemingly so little time, that we feel overwhelmed and stressed. What to do?
In Episode 20 of The Free Lawyer podcast, I will give you 12 tips to help efficiently manage your work in so much less time, creating more freedom for you to enjoy your life and to be fulfilled. Which tool is most helpful to you?
I am now coaching attorneys, entrepreneurs and professionals how to enjoy personal freedom and be more successful. Would you like to learn more? Please visit www.garymiles.net and sign up for a free discovery call.
Be well, be safe and be free!!

Episode 19. Practice Self-Care: You Deserve It!
We face so many stresses in our professions. We encounter demands of clients; stresses about money and paying bills; too much work and too little time; and the pressures of the court, other attorneys, and our full calendar. The pressure builds. We work harder. But, we just feel more overwhelmed. We eliminate any time for ourselves. We just do not have any time for self-care. And, so the stress worsens. We get more distracted, and our focus weakens. It is a challenging downward cycle. How do we change that? How can we be successful in our profession handling our workload, but still find fulfillment and peace?
In this episode of The Free Lawyer, I will explain why self-care is so important, detail the five most important benefits of self-care, and give you eight tangible tips for building healthy self-care habits. Let me know what you think!
I am now coaching attorneys, entrepreneurs and professionals how to enjoy personal freedom and be more successful. Would you like to learn more? Please visit www.garymiles.net and sign up for a free discovery call.
Be well, be safe and be free

Episode 18. Finding Fulfillment in Service
Our practices can be so stressful, overwhelming at times. But, there is one way to find greater fulfillment in our profession.
Do you want to learn and grow as a person? Feel happier? Be more optimistic? Help your practice to become more successful? Manage your stress and feel more fulfilled? Changing our focus from just the grind of the work we do, to consciously trying to serve our clients and help them solve their problems is the answer. In this episode of The Free Lawyer, I will share a recent war story, and then explain six powerful gifts of service.
I am now coaching attorneys, entrepreneurs and professionals how to enjoy personal freedom and be more successful. Would you like to learn more? Please visit www.garymiles.net and sign up for a free discovery call.
Be well, be safe and be free

Episode 17. The Importance of Wellness in the Legal Profession
We joined the legal profession for many reasons, with great excitement and enthusiasm. But many of us some time later are stressed, burned out and overwhelmed. There is a huge issue of wellness in the legal profession. In Episode 17 of The Free Lawyer Podcast, I discuss some very concerning statistics from some studies that were done about wellness of the legal profession; I explain 4 hallmarks of wellness for lawyers; and I provide 10 tangible tips that we can all utilize to achieve a healthier way of life. We are in a wonderful profession and together we can make it a more satisfying and healthy arena for all of us.
Which of these tips resonated with you?
I am now coaching attorneys, entrepreneurs and professionals how to enjoy personal freedom and be more successful. Would you like to learn more? Please visit www.garymiles.net and sign up for a free discovery call.
Be well, be safe and be free!

Episode 16. Twelve Steps for Improving Professionalism for Lawyers
So many lawyers are stressed and burned out, sadly so. And part of the reason is they are tired of the unnecessary conflict that often occurs between lawyers. We are hired to solve problems for our clients, to find solutions; but sometimes the "fighting" gets in the way.
Part of the stress we feel as lawyers comes from unprofessional and discourteous behaviors by opposing counsel, and our response to them. Together we can make our profession a more fulfilling career. In Episode 16 of The Free Lawyer podcast, I discuss the good, the bad and the ugly of our profession. I describe 12 practical tools we can all follow for making our profession a better place. Which of these were most helpful to you?
I am now coaching attorneys, entrepreneurs and professionals how to enjoy personal freedom and be more successful. Would you like to learn more? Please visit www.garymiles.net and sign up for a free discovery call.
Be well, be safe and be free

Episode 15. Free Yourself From the Prison of Fear
Do you ever feel fearful? Worry that something will not work out right? Concerned about what might happen in the future?
Fear can be overwhelming, controlling and powerful. It can hold us back from accomplishing our dreams. Many of us suffer from it, some more frequently and more powerfully than others. But there are solutions. In this episode of The Free Lawyer Podcast, I will explain some of the most common fears, what effect fear has on us both physically and emotionally, and give you 7 concrete tools for freeing yourself from the prison of fear.
I am now coaching attorneys, entrepreneurs and professionals how to enjoy personal freedom and be more successful. Would you like to learn more? Please visit www.garymiles.net and sign up for a free discovery call.
Be well, be safe and be free!

Episode 14. Sleep- A Critical Success Tool
So many of us struggle with getting enough sleep, don't we? We do not realize how critical it is to our overall wellness and success to have a healthy sleep pattern; and we do not know some of the consequences of sleep deprivation. In this podcast, I will explain the causes of our poor sleep habits, the terrible consequences of sleep deprivation, and some tangible tools to remedy this problem.
I am now coaching attorneys, entrepreneurs and professionals how to enjoy personal freedom and be more successful. Would you like to learn more? Please visit www.garymiles.net and sign up for a free discovery call.
Be well, be safe and be free!

Episode 13. Twelve Tools for Managing Stress in Your Professional Life
Do you ever feel stressed at work? And not sure how to best manage it so you can enjoy fulfillment in your professional life?
Here, I address the biggest obstacle the legal profession and others face, the stress of our work. I discuss how it impacts us and provide twelve tangible tips for you to effectively manage stress in your professional workplace.
I am now coaching attorneys, entrepreneurs and professionals how to enjoy personal freedom and be more successful. Would you like to learn more? Please visit www.garymiles.net and sign up for a free discovery call.
Be well, be safe and be free!

Episode 12. A Critical Step in Creating Personal Freedom: Asking for Support!
Have you ever felt confused or lost about your direction? Or not sure how to get there? Or, have you ever felt frustrated, and not sure why? Have you felt stressed but are not sure what to do about it? Did you feel that it would be good to ask for support, but are not sure who to ask or how to ask?
Those feelings are not at all unusual. In fact, most all of us have felt that way at times. We know we need some help, some guidance, but are afraid to ask for it.
I have learned during my life the benefits of receiving the right coaching from the right person at the right time. Yet, it is often hard to ask for help. Here, I explain the reasons why we do not ask for support as frequently as needed; the wrong and right ways to ask for help, and six tangible gifts from obtaining the coaching that we need.
I am now coaching attorneys, entrepreneurs and professionals how to enjoy personal freedom and be more successful. Would you like to learn more? Please visit www.garymiles.net and sign up for a free discovery call.
Be well, be safe and be free!

Episode 11. The Gift of the Present
One of the biggest challenges in creating personal fulfillment is making it a habit to live in the present, and to avoid being stuck in the past or in the future. Both of those create obstacles to our attaining personal freedom. In this Episode of the Free Lawyer Podcast, I describe the problems and negative emotions we feel when we drift off the past or the future. I explain 10 real gifts of being truly mindful and present. Listen and enjoy~
I am now coaching attorneys, entrepreneurs and professionals how to enjoy personal freedom and be more successful. Would you like to learn more? Please visit www.garymiles.net and sign up for a free discovery call.
Be well, be safe and be free!

Episode 10. Eight Key Tips to Maintain Boundaries and Prevent Burnout
Have you ever felt overwhelmed at work? That you simply cannot handle any more? That although you had loved your profession, now you are feeling tired of it and are getting frustrated? Have your felt burned out?
This is unfortunately not at all unusual. The problem often is that we have not set appropriate boundaries between our professional life and our personal life, and we are beginning to suffer burnout as a result.
In Episode 10 of The Free Lawyer podcast, I will explain some of the reasons we feel this way, some warning signs to us, the consequences, and most importantly, 8 tips for you to successfully navigate these situations. We all have a right to be professionally fulfilled and have a satisfying personal life as well. Let's see how we can do that, together.
I am now coaching attorneys, entrepreneurs and professionals how to enjoy personal freedom and be more successful. Would you like to learn more? Please visit www.garymiles.net and sign up for a free discovery call.
Be well, be safe and be free!

Episode 9. Free Yourself From Your Time Prison
So many of us feel trapped by having too much work to do, not enough time to do it, and an inability to separate work from family and other personal activities.
How can we free ourselves from the time trap? How can we take ownership of our time and not feel so much a victim to the paucity of time to do the work we feel we need to do?
In this episode of The Free Lawyer, I will explain how a new attitude towards our time can free us emotionally, allowing us to create our own time. I will then provide tangible steps to use our time more effectively and free ourselves from the time trap. This is a prison we can all escape from.
I am now coaching attorneys, entrepreneurs and professionals how to enjoy personal freedom and be more successful. Would you like to learn more? Please visit www.garymiles.net and sign up for a free discovery call.
Be well, be safe and be free!

Episode 8. Enjoy Serenity By Practicing Acceptance
Do you ever feel overwhelmed and don't know how to achieve a sense of peace among the chaos?? Often we feel incredibly stressed in our profession. It can all be so much. So much beyond our control. It seems that we are powerless and so little we can do about it. And that only increases our stress. How do we find serenity in the midst of all of this anxiety and pressure? One very helpful solution is to practice acceptance. In Episode 8 of The Free Lawyer, I explain how to enjoy greater serenity in your life by practicing acceptance. Are you willing to start trying the practice of acceptance? Trust me, you will enjoy amazing benefits.
I am now coaching attorneys, entrepreneurs and professionals how to enjoy personal freedom and be more successful. Would you like to learn more? Please visit www.garymiles.net and sign up for a free discovery call.
Be well, be safe and be free!

Gratitude- The Key to a Fulfilling Life
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by stress? Do you have days you feel that simply nothing goes right? Do you see other people who appear so happy and wish you felt like that? I know I have. One critical tool in overcoming those feelings is having a practice of gratitude. In this episode of the Free Lawyer, I explain nine different gifts of living a grateful life, and four easy steps to achieving a better attitude of gratitude.
I am now coaching attorneys, entrepreneurs and professionals how to enjoy personal freedom and be more successful. Would you like to learn more? Please visit www.garymiles.net and sign up for a free discovery call.
Be well, be safe and be free!

10 Tangible Tips For Living a Life of Contentment
We all want to be happy, content, fulfilled. But yet, sometimes that peace appears very difficult to achieve. We place ourselves in a negative mindset. We worry too much. Think too much. Resent or blame others. We let ourselves get distracted and stressed.
How can we change that? Here are ten tips, plus a bonus, for daily action. If you apply these every day, you will naturally be more serene and content.
I am now coaching attorneys, entrepreneurs and professionals how to enjoy personal freedom and be more successful. Would you like to learn more? Please visit www.garymiles.net and sign up for a free discovery call.
Be well, be safe and be free!

Seven Tips for Practicing Professionalism
In my four decades as a litigator and family law attorney, I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly. We all benefit when we raise the standards for professionalism. Our clients get their problems solved faster. We experience more satisfaction and fulfillment. In this podcast, I share two war stories, one the right way to practice law and the other the wrong way. I also provide seven concrete tips for having a more professional practice. Which of these strike a chord with you? Let me know what you think!
I am now coaching attorneys, entrepreneurs and professionals how to enjoy personal freedom and be more successful. Would you like to learn more? Please visit www.garymiles.net and sign up for a free discovery call.
Be well, be safe and be free!

The Amazing Benefits of Clean Nutrition
All too often we are under incredible pressure and stress in our professional lives. We work very hard, often long hours. We eat whatever is handy, quick, and convenient. Often, those are the least healthy option. We can develop less than ideal eating patterns, that limit our performance and put us in our own nutritional prison.
This is one area of our life we have some power over. There are amazing benefits to enjoying a cleaner nutritional lifestyle. In this podcast, I explain 10 of those benefits, and 6 easy step to get started on a healthy nutritional program. Are you willing to try for 30 days?
I am now coaching attorneys, entrepreneurs and professionals how to enjoy personal freedom and be more successful. Would you like to learn more? Please visit www.garymiles.net and sign up for a free discovery call.
Be well, be safe and be free!

The Reality of Self-Doubt and How to Overcome It
Have you ever felt that you were not as good as other people think you are? Do you ever doubt your ability to succeed despite a track record of accomplishment?
If so you are not the only one. Many successful professionals struggle with these feelings. In this podcast, I will discuss the reality of these feelings of self-doubt; explain how they affect us; and give you six tangible tips to overcome them.
I am now enjoying helping other lawyers and professionals be as successful as they want and deserve to be. If you would like to know more, please visit my website at www.garymiles.net and you can set up a free discovery call with me.

Freeing Yourself From Your Past
Do you ever have negative reactions to something in your life and not really understand where that came from? Would you like to be free of those feelings? One of the most powerful facets of our personality is impact from the lessons we have learned and the feelings we’ve developed from our past experiences. Some of these are helpful, many are not. Often we are blind to them. Our past affects us in ways we are not aware of and do not understand.
For us to really grow and become a different person and the person we never thought we could be, it is important to understand our past and how it has affected us, and make a choice of what we want to continue to believe in and be controlled by and what we want to discard.
In this podcast, I will explain the 5 primary gifts of freeing yourself from your past; detail exactly how to uncover your past; and provide tangible tools to free yourself from the negative feelings that do not serve you.
Interested in learning more? Please visit www.garymiles.net! Comments and suggestions are always welcome! If there are any particular topics you would like to see addressed, please let me know!

Why The Free Lawyer Podcast?
Welcome to the inaugural episode of the Free Lawyer Podcast! In this episode, we will discuss exactly who benefits from the insights in this podcast; some of the very important topics to be discussed; and the background that I bring that allows me to help you in identifying the blocks that hold you back from achieving true personal freedom. Interested in learning more? Please visit www.garymiles.net! Comments and suggestions are always welcome! If there are any particular topics you would like to see addressed, please let me know!