Lawyerist Podcast

Recent Episodes

1. Why Past Clients May Be Your Law Firm’s Best Growth Strategy, with EJ Stern & Katherine Wilson

   Sep 17, 2026

   EJ Stern and Katherine Wilson, co-founders of Fractional Law Firm CMO, discuss the often-overlooked opportunity of nurturing existing clients to drive repeat business and referrals. They explain why clients quietly disappear when firms stop staying connected, why soliciting feedback strengthens rather than threatens relationships, and share practical strategies for staying top of mind—from LinkedIn engagement to personalized gifts and memorable experiences. The conversation emphasizes that authentic human connection becomes increasingly valuable as AI-generated communication becomes easier to produce.

2. Leading Forward: Why Great Ideas Aren't Enough for Law Firm Strategy, with Debbie Foster & Stephanie Everett

   Sep 10, 2026

   Debbie Foster joins Stephanie Everett for the fourth episode in their Law Firm Leadership series to discuss 'Leading Forward'—the cornerstone of law firm strategy that often gets deprioritized despite its importance. They explore why firms struggle to move beyond entrenched practices, how consensus-based decision-making slows progress, and why AI adoption has become an urgent strategic imperative. Foster and Everett share practical frameworks for protecting time for strategic thinking, shifting organizational mindsets from 'we've always done it this way' to 'what would it take?', and building team buy-in for change.

3. Leading Law Firm Operations: Building Systems That Reduce the Daily Firefighting, with Debbie Foster & Stephanie Everett

   Sep 3, 2026

   Debbie Foster joins Stephanie Everett to discuss the third cornerstone of law firm leadership: leading operations. They explore how law firm leaders can shift from being reactive firefighters to architects who build systems that prevent problems, covering urgent versus important prioritization, decision-making authority, surfacing issues early, and making meetings more effective and cost-conscious.

4. Leading People in Law Firms: Building Trust, Developing Talent, and Holding Standards, with Debbie Foster & Stephanie Everett

   Aug 27, 2026

   Debbie Foster and host Stephanie Everett discuss the second cornerstone of their book 'Be a Next Level Leader': leading people. They break down four essential responsibilities—building trust, developing others, communicating clearly, and holding standards—with practical frameworks for law firm leaders. The conversation covers trust-building through small human interactions, how to avoid overburdening high-performing employees through intentional delegation, the importance of both positive and constructive feedback, and setting clear expectations.

5. Law Firm Leadership: How to Lead Yourself Before Leading Your Team, with Debbie Foster & Stephanie Everett

   Aug 20, 2026

   Debbie Foster, co-author of 'Be a Next Level Leader,' discusses the first cornerstone of law firm leadership: Leading Self. She and host Stephanie Everett explore how leaders' emotions, attention, and energy shape their teams ("leaders bring the weather"), the importance of honoring commitments to build trust, and why leaders must speak with unified authority even when disagreeing with decisions. The episode emphasizes practical frameworks and shared language for managing one's internal state before leading others.

6. Tune In Before You Jump In: A Better Way to Delegate, with Shawn Vanderhoven

   Aug 13, 2026

   Shawn Vanderhoven, leadership researcher and author, discusses his new book *Pause: How to Lead Brilliant Work in a Busy World*. He explains research-backed strategies law firm leaders can use to create clarity and reduce distraction for their teams. The conversation covers prioritization, delegation without derailing focus, difficult conversations, and why slowing down intentionally helps teams move faster on what matters most.

7. Let AI Do the Bull$h!t Work: Practicing at the Top of Your License, with Sam Harden

   Aug 6, 2026

   Sam Harden, innovation strategist at Affinity Consulting, discusses the emergence of agentic AI and how tools like ChatGPT Work and Claude Cowork are reshaping legal practice. Unlike traditional chatbots, agentic systems can operate within workspaces, analyze multiple files, create and update documents, and connect information from disparate sources—enabling lawyers to consolidate email, calendars, case materials, and research into a single interface. The conversation challenges the notion that AI should handle sophisticated legal reasoning while lawyers handle formatting, instead arguing that AI should automate repetitive administrative work so attorneys can operate at the top of their licenses.

8. Privacy, Power, and Prediction: Reclaiming Control of Your Personal Data, with Carissa Véliz

   Jul 30, 2026

   Carissa Véliz, Associate Professor at the Institute for Ethics in AI at the University of Oxford, discusses her books Privacy is Power and Prophecy with host Zach. The conversation explores how personal data collection enables surveillance and prediction as tools of social control, why privacy is essential to individual autonomy and democratic participation, and practical steps individuals can take to protect their data without requiring complete disconnection from technology.

9. Marketing Without Feeling Salesy: How Lawyers Can Stay Visible and Win Better Clients, with Aaron Thomas

   Jul 23, 2026

   Aaron Thomas, family law attorney and founder of prenups.com with nearly 25 years of practice experience, discusses practical marketing strategies for lawyers who resist traditional marketing. He addresses the misconception that lawyers "don't do marketing," explaining that referral nurturing is itself a form of marketing, and shares actionable strategies including newsletters, strategic referral partnerships, helpful content creation, and outsourcing marketing tasks to free up attorney time.

10. Building Stronger Law Firm Teams Through Better Communication, with Zeina Baydoun

    Jul 16, 2026

    Zeina Baydoun, a business transformation consultant at Affinity Consulting, discusses the DISC assessment tool as a framework for improving team communication and leadership development in law firms. The episode explores how DISC profiles reveal observable behavioral preferences in communication, decision-making, and interaction styles across four dimensions (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, Conscientiousness). Zeina emphasizes that DISC is not a limiting personality box but rather an invitation to growth—a tool that reveals default behaviors while enabling individuals to consciously adapt their communication style based on situational needs and the needs of others.