The Agile Attorney Podcast

Managing a law firm’s workflow can be tricky, especially when you’re juggling a long list of active matters and chasing unresponsive clients. In this episode, I’ll share how one firm, after years of using Kanban, finally broke through the delivery bottleneck with a simple but powerful shift in their approach.You'll hear the key changes they made that allowed them to close 40 matters in one month, even in what’s usually their slowest season. Tune in to discover how simplifying your systems, setting clear client expectations, and focusing on the work that matters most can unlock new levels of productivity and capacity for your practice.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/88Get the 5-day Agile Attorney Boot Camp here: agileattorney.com/resourcesJoin me on Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/agileattorney.comFollow me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/johnegrant/

When you introduce new processes in your law firm, you're asking your team to rethink how they get things done, and that’s a bigger challenge than most realize. In this episode, I explore why the usual approach to change management often misses the mark in law firms. I also discuss why involving your team from the start is critical to getting real buy-in.This approach might take a little longer upfront, but it pays off when it comes to actually implementing the changes you need.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/87

When Jeff De Francisco noticed his less tech-savvy colleagues billing more hours for the same estate planning work, he uncovered an injustice that would reshape his entire practice. The disparity wasn't about knowledge or skill. It was about efficiency, and the billable hour was punishing him for being good at his job.In this episode, I sit down with Jeff, a long-time client and now business partner, to explore his decade-long journey with Agile practices. You’ll also hear lessons from Jeff’s journey that you can apply to your own law practice - and get a peek at how tools like Greenline Legal can support your systems along the way.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/86

Knowledge work hides in ways that physical work never could. That invisibility creates a dangerous pattern: you say yes to one more matter and before you know it, your entire team operates beyond capacity. In this episode, I use real examples from law firms using Kanban boards to demonstrate how making your work visible can fundamentally change how your team coordinates, communicates, and makes decisions about your capacity.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/85

In this episode, I’m diving into a concept that may be quietly hindering your practice: technical debt. In short, technical debt occurs when you take shortcuts to save time, but they end up costing you more in the long run.I’ll walk you through how technical debt shows up in your firm and why tackling this issue head-on is crucial to prevent burnout and boost your firm’s overall productivity. I’ll also share practical steps you can take to begin addressing your firm’s technical debt. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/84

In this episode, I’m revisiting the concept of delivery debt: the promises you’ve made that remain unfulfilled. Just like financial debt, taking on too much delivery debt can snowball and overwhelm your firm. And it’s not just about the practical cost; it’s also psychological. The mental load of these unfinished commitments affects your focus, your decision-making, and ultimately, your practice’s efficiency.I’ll share practical steps to help you clear delivery debt by addressing unfulfilled commitments that are draining your capacity. You’ll also learn how to prioritize your existing work and make intentional decisions about what to let go of to protect your firm’s ability to take on the right cases. This approach will give you the tools to balance your commitments with your firm’s capacity, allowing you to avoid overwhelm and be more proactive as you head into the busy fall season.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/83

In law firms, a lot of time is wasted when work gets passed back and forth because the deliverables aren’t meeting the expected quality standards. This happens when tasks are considered “done,” but the results don’t meet the actual requirements or the unspoken expectations, causing frustration and delays. These unnecessary back-and-forths can grind your entire practice to a halt and create more stress than necessary.In this episode, I share a simple but powerful shift in how you write your policies and procedures that can dramatically improve the quality of work flowing through your firm. Instead of creating traditional to-do lists or recipe-style instructions, writing your checklists as "done lists" using past tense phrasing creates clarity and accountability. This approach transforms ambiguous task completion into definitive quality standards that everyone can understand and follow.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/82

Task engines are quietly draining your law practice's productivity right now. These hidden culprits show up as certain case types, jurisdictions, or even internal projects that generate a lot of tasks but little tangible progress or return. It’s something a litigation boutique in Oregon learned the hard way when a surge in Washington State cases almost derailed their entire operation.In this episode, I’m sharing how a firm with plenty of demand and a growing team found themselves in crisis mode due to task engines in disguise. I also walk through how the firm survived, learned valuable lessons about case selection, and took steps to improve their workflow. Discover how understanding the relative effort of different work types can help you build a more intentional, sustainable practice.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/81

AI tools in legal workflows are making waves, but are they really the productivity boosters they’re cracked up to be? While these tools can help speed up certain tasks, like research and drafting, they can also introduce significant risks if we’re not careful.In this episode, I dive into the promise and pitfalls of AI task engines and automation tools in law practices. I'll also explain why more working time doesn’t always mean faster delivery, and how managing both working and waiting time is key to improving your firm’s overall efficiency. By the end, you’ll have a clearer understanding of how AI tools can be used effectively in your practice to optimize your firm’s overall process.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/80

Summer brings its own pressures - family obligations, vacation planning, and the nagging feeling that your practice needs constant attention. The temptation to squeeze in work between beach trips or check emails during family gatherings can rob you of the very reset this season offers. In this episode, I'm exploring the importance of using summer as an intentional season of rest and reflection for your law practice. You'll discover practical strategies for disconnecting from work, like allowing yourself to be bored. Most importantly, you'll learn how to use this time to honestly assess your capacity and priorities. By the end, you'll have a clear framework for making summer work for you - not just as a break, but as a strategic investment in your practice's sustainability.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/79

Law firm owners often feel overwhelmed by their financial statements, staring at QuickBooks reports that seem to tell only half the story. The disconnect between having financial data and understanding what it means for strategic decision-making creates unnecessary anxiety and missed opportunities.In this episode, I'm talking with Danielle Hendon, a fractional CFO who specializes in helping law firms transform their relationship with their finances. We explore how to structure your revenue streams and expenses to understand which practice areas are truly profitable, why treating all costs the same way obscures important business decisions, and how budgeting becomes a strategic tool rather than an annual exercise you dread.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/78

Legal teams face a unique challenge that factory floors and software developers rarely encounter: managing dozens of active matters simultaneously while dealing with constant interruptions from clients, opposing counsel, and courts. You're juggling multiple cases, each with its own timeline, dependencies, and unpredictable external factors that can derail your best-laid plans.In this episode, I dive into why the Kanban method is the best-fit system for that reality, and how it helps legal teams reduce overwhelm, spot bottlenecks, and manage work more intentionally. If your team is stuck in reactive mode, tune in to hear how Kanban gives you a practical path forward. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/77

Back in the early 2000s, software teams started embracing a new way of working that turned conventional project management on its head. Instead of trying to define everything up front and push massive projects toward a distant deadline, they asked a different question: what’s the most valuable work we can deliver in the next two weeks? That question gave rise to Scrum—a system built on fixed time, cross-functional teams, and fast feedback. And while it started in software, the lessons apply just as powerfully to legal work. Tune in to hear how you can apply these principles to your practice—especially around prioritization, workflow design, and respecting your finite capacity—so that you’re working smarter, not just harder.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/76

A Japanese automobile factory floor in the 1950s might seem worlds away from your law office, but the visual management systems that transformed Toyota's manufacturing process hold powerful lessons for modern legal practice. The same principles that helped Toyota become a global automotive giant can help you create smoother workflows, reduce overwhelm, and deliver more predictable outcomes for your clients.In this episode, I explore the origins of the Kanban method and why visual systems are so effective for managing work. I trace the journey from physical cards on factory floors to the digital Kanban boards that software developers adopted in the late 1990s, and explain why these same tools are perfectly suited for legal work. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/75

In law firms across the country, I'm seeing a concerning pattern emerge when one attorney adopts Kanban and Agile methods while their partner - often from an older generation of lawyers - resists these systematic approaches. This clash of perspectives frequently pushes teams back into overload and burnout.This week, I explore how this capacity tension manifests in law firms, particularly during succession planning. I share specific strategies for implementing personal Kanban systems to manage competing demands and discuss the critical difference between basic Kanban board interfaces and true Kanban methodology tools designed to support sustainable legal practice management.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/74

A concerning trend I've noticed both in my own practice and among my clients is that the rise of AI technology is making it harder to accurately assess our true capacity. Between constant marketing messages and the promise of enhanced productivity through AI tools, many of us are failing to gauge our own capacity and falling into the trap of overcommitting.The legal tech landscape is evolving rapidly, and technology companies are using sophisticated attention-hacking techniques to convince us their products are essential. Without clear goals and strategies in place, we become more susceptible to these marketing messages and risk adopting tools that don't actually serve our practice needs.In this episode, I explore how to maintain an honest assessment of capacity while embracing new technology and the problem with chasing every new technological promise. I share my personal experience with AI tools leading to overcommitment, and discuss the importance of using systems like Kanban boards to track capacity objectively.Get full show notes, transcript and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/73

We don’t talk about overcapacity enough in legal practice, especially not the hidden ways it erodes performance, burns out your team, and stalls your cases. In this episode, I take a closer look at what really happens when you’re operating beyond your firm’s functional capacity. From unnecessary administrative overhead to frustrated clients and cherry-picked tasks, the ripple effects of overload are costing you more than you think. If your firm is feeling stretched, stuck, or constantly in firefighting mode, this episode will help you understand why. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/72

The impact of trauma in legal practice extends far beyond individual client interactions. From law school through retirement, lawyers face unique psychological challenges that can fundamentally alter their personalities, relationships, and effectiveness as advocates. Dr. Colin James, author of "Vicarious Trauma and Burnout in Law," brings decades of experience as a senior lecturer of law and researcher to examine how trauma theory applies to legal practice. Through exploring concepts like vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and post-traumatic growth, this conversation illuminates practical ways that individual practitioners and organizations can build more trauma-informed approaches.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/71For Oregon Attorneys, you can claim CLE credit under the "Mental Health & Substance Abuse" requirement. Just go to yourt Oregon Bar MCLE Dashboard, select "Accredited Group Course," enter MCLE ID 122717 in the search field.  For attorneys in other jurisdictions, you may be able to claim CLE credit using the following steps:Check your state’s CLE rules to see if they accept credit from Oregon-accredited programs. Many do, especially for courses taken out of state.Confirm if your jurisdiction allows on-demand (pre-recorded) courses and whether there are any limits or special requirements.Search for the Oregon accreditation info at www.osbar.org using the approved course title (Trauma Informed Lawyering with Dr. Colin James) or the application ID 122717.Document the number and type of credits approved by Oregon (e.g., general, ethics) and whether the course is listed as recorded.Self-report the credit to your state bar using their required process, and retain documentation in case of audit.

Is your law practice truly profitable? Not just cash-flow positive, but actually generating the kind of profit that allows you to serve your clients well, take care of your team, and live the life you want? In this episode, I dive deep into the critical topic of law firm profitability with RJon Robins, founder of How to Manage a Small Law Firm and author of Profit First for Lawyers.We explore why so many lawyers struggle with profitability, how to properly calculate your cost of goods sold, and why understanding the difference between static and dynamic overhead can transform your practice. While RJon and I have different communication styles, we align on the core principle: putting profit first isn't selfish—it's essential for creating a sustainable practice that truly serves everyone involved.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/70

If you've ever tried to turn one of your documents or templates into something repeatable, you probably already know it is harder than it looks. Whether you're looking to streamline routine documents or create client-facing tools, this week's conversation will help you find the most effective and straightforward solution for your needs.I'm joined by Quinten Steenhuis, co-director of the Legal Innovation and Technology Lab at Suffolk Law School and owner of Lemma Consulting. His work with the Document Assembly Line project during the pandemic revolutionized access to justice when courts physically closed but legal needs remained urgent. We explore the intersection of document automation, generative AI, and legal practice, uncovering practical insights for firms of all sizes. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/69