Claim OwnershipThe Agile Attorney Podcast
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© 2020-26 Agile Professionals, LLC
Description
The Agile Attorney podcast teaches legal professionals how to streamline their legal workflows using the principles, practices, and tools of the Kanban Method.
Join Accredited Kanban Trainer and award-winning legal operations professional John E. Grant as he shares the keys to implementing effective strategies, practices, and technologies to drive true efficiency in your legal processes.
For more information on how John can help you develop an agile mindset and bust through your legal delivery bottlenecks, visit https://agileattorney.com.
This is the show for you if you find yourself asking questions like:
-How can I make my law practice more efficient?
-What is the best way to implement legal project management in my legal workflow?
-How can I best leverage technology to improve my legal workflows?
-What is the best way to transition my practice to flat fees or other alternative billing structures?
-How can I get my legal team to perform better?
-How can I better build productized legal services?
-What is the best way to increase law firm revenue without adding headcount?
Join Accredited Kanban Trainer and award-winning legal operations professional John E. Grant as he shares the keys to implementing effective strategies, practices, and technologies to drive true efficiency in your legal processes.
For more information on how John can help you develop an agile mindset and bust through your legal delivery bottlenecks, visit https://agileattorney.com.
This is the show for you if you find yourself asking questions like:
-How can I make my law practice more efficient?
-What is the best way to implement legal project management in my legal workflow?
-How can I best leverage technology to improve my legal workflows?
-What is the best way to transition my practice to flat fees or other alternative billing structures?
-How can I get my legal team to perform better?
-How can I better build productized legal services?
-What is the best way to increase law firm revenue without adding headcount?
106 Episodes
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A new year and a new number on the podcast episodes feels like the perfect time to slow down for a moment and get back to some foundational questions. In this episode, I’m kicking off a reboot of The Agile Attorney Podcast with a return to first principles.You'll discover why so many legal professionals feel pressure to do more and more work, why that so often leads to overwhelm and burnout, and how you can start to prevent that overwhelm by focusing on what it really means to be agile in a world that keeps demanding more.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/101Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with GreenLine LegalFollow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrant
![Managing Capacity by Making Work Visible: Agile Lessons for Law Firms with Dimitri Ponomareff [Bonus]](https://s3.castbox.fm/1c/fc/71/0b612a68973823d659c6be6392d59672b7_scaled_v1_400.jpg "Managing Capacity by Making Work Visible: Agile Lessons for Law Firms with Dimitri Ponomareff [Bonus]")
When massive technology projects spiral out of control, teams often feel like they're trapped in an endless cycle of changing requirements, missed deadlines, and mounting frustration.In this episode, I sit down with my GreenLine co-founder, Dimitri Ponomareff, to explore how he discovered a different way forward during one of those classic "death march" projects early in his career. You'll discover the Agile lessons he carried forward from his early Agile experiments, and how they translate directly into the way modern law firms can operate with more calm, more confidence, and far more control.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/bonus2Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with GreenLine LegalFollow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrantFollow Dimitri on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dimka5
![The Fundamentals of Process Improvement with Joe Bockerstette [Bonus]](https://s3.castbox.fm/48/25/3a/ea55f2d435aa70c7130cb2d707adfa859e_scaled_v1_400.jpg "The Fundamentals of Process Improvement with Joe Bockerstette [Bonus]")
When lawyers tell me their practice is too unique for standardized processes, I hear the same concern echoed across every type of legal work. We believe our complexity makes us special, that our clients' needs are too varied to systematize. But in this episode, I'm joined by process expert Joe Bockerstette, who brings a perspective forged across manufacturing floors, angel investment firms, and county public defender offices that challenges this fundamental assumption. Through our conversation, you’ll discover the universal fundamentals of how work gets done so you can create the clarity and consistency that transform how your team operates. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/bonus1 Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with GreenLine LegalFollow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrantFollow Joe on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joe-bockerstette-86875a17
In this special episode, I explore the three drivers that have sustained this podcast: perspiration, inspiration, and determination. I share personal stories that shaped my mission and the lessons learned. After 100 episodes of sharing tactics and advice, this is my chance to pull back the curtain on the bigger picture of building practices that are profitable, sustainable, and scalable. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/100 Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with GreenLine Legal Follow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrant
When leads slow down, most firms respond with a burst of random marketing activity, but that reactive approach rarely works. In this episode, I’m explaining why marketing must be a coherent system, not a scramble, and share practical steps for creating an intentional strategy rooted in ideal client profiles, referral partner relationships, and alignment with your firm’s actual capacity. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/99 Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with GreenLine Legal Follow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrant
Most lawyers don’t think of their work as a product, but according to Radhika Dutt, author of Radical Product Thinking, that mindset is exactly what keeps firms stuck in reactive mode. In this episode, Radhika and I explore how product thinking applies directly to legal services and why defining the change you want to create for clients is the foundation for a sustainable, client-centered practice. Whether you manage a team or operate solo, this episode will help you rethink how your firm creates value and give you a more structured way to build services that scale without losing the human impact at the center of legal work. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/98 Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with GreenLine LegalFollow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrantFollow Radhika on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/radhika-dutt
Creating space in your law practice begins with understanding your true capacity and the demands already filling it. In this episode, I share practical ways to assess what your system can actually handle, close out the work that’s weighing you down, and set clearer boundaries for new commitments using core Kanban principles. You’ll learn simple techniques for regaining breathing room so you can end the year with more intention and start the next one with a workflow that’s sustainable for you and your team. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/97 Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with GreenLine Legal Follow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrant
When high-stakes motions are due, most firms face bottlenecks, inconsistent quality, and last-minute chaos. In this episode, Hellmuth & Johnson attorneys Brendan Kenny and Neven Selimovic share how they've rebuilt their legal writing process using Kanban visibility, Agile principles, and smart AI support to deliver consistent, high-quality work. Their internal system worked so well that they now offer it as a legal writing subscription, helping other firms adopt a more predictable, scalable approach. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/96 Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with Greenline LegalFollow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrantFollow Brendan on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brendanmkennyFollow Neven on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/neven-selimović-b53717b4
Legal professionals often think of communication strategy as part of their marketing toolkit - a way to attract and convert clients to their law practice. But quality communication strategy extends far beyond getting clients to sign your engagement letter. It becomes a tool for continuously re-recruiting the client to their own cause and ensuring true alignment around solving their legal issue. I’m joined this week by legal communication strategist Strawberry Nevill, where we explore how ethical communication can drive and shape demand for your services. We discuss practical ways to use marketing principles not just to attract the right clients, but to create more peaceful, productive relationships throughout their entire matter. Plus, you'll discover how thoughtful communication reduces those Friday afternoon fire drills and creates the kind of client engagement that makes your practice more sustainable. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/95 Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with Greenline LegalFollow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrantFollow Strawberry on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/strawberry-nevill
Everyone’s talking about artificial intelligence, but before you invest in new tools and software, it’s worth looking at the alternative intelligence already inside your firm. Drawing on insights from W. Edwards Deming, this episode looks at why empowering your team’s creativity and problem-solving ability often drives greater improvement than AI ever could. You’ll learn how to make work visible, build psychological safety, and turn everyday team members into continuous-improvement partners, so your law practice runs better, not just faster. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/94Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with Greenline LegalFollow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrant
Life can change in an instant. For attorney Laura Patton, that moment came when her college-age son landed in the emergency room, and she discovered that without proper legal documents, she couldn't even speak to his doctor about his condition. By combining her decades of estate planning experience with open-source document automation tools, Laura created a scalable, affordable solution that protects families while preserving the personal connection at the heart of her practice. In this episode, Laura shares how thoughtful use of document automation can expand access to justice, improve efficiency, and strengthen client relationships. You'll learn how lawyers can identify opportunities to systematize repetitive work, build productized legal services, and design innovative, human-centered solutions for modern legal practice. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/93Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with Greenline LegalFollow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrant
Building a new law practice requires confronting the reality of what actually works, not just what should work in theory. The natural tendency for lawyers starting something new is to perfect every system and procedure before launching, but this perfectionist approach often becomes the very thing that prevents real progress. This week, I'm breaking down why the essential skill for new legal business owners isn't doing the legal work, it's getting the work. Drawing from a recent consultation with an attorney who wanted to dial in all their systems before ramping up their practice, I explain why this cart-before-the-horse approach misses what really matters. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/92Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with Greenline LegalFollow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrant
When someone on your team drops the ball or a client misses a deadline, it's tempting to write them off as disorganized or unmotivated. This snap judgment feels natural - after all, if they cared enough, they'd follow through, right? In today's episode, I'm unpacking the fundamental attribution error - a cognitive bias that makes us blame people's character instead of examining the broken systems they're working within. I'll show you how well-designed workflows can transform your team's performance and why investing in better systems beats endless hiring cycles every time. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/91Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with Greenline LegalFollow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrant
Most organizations default to command-and-control when creating policies - one person decides what needs to happen, writes it down, and expects everyone else to follow along. The problem is that this approach creates policies that exist on paper but fail in practice, because the people doing the actual work never bought into them in the first place. In today’s episode, I'm joined by Agile Educator and Organizational Coach Tim Lennon to discuss why the traditional approach to making policies explicit often backfires, especially in American workplaces. Through Tim's evolution from teaching the Kanban method to developing what he calls "Adaptive Kanban," we uncover why negotiating working agreements with your team creates far better results than top-down mandates. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/90Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with Greenline LegalFollow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrant
The Four Ds of productivity (do it, delegate it, defer it, or drop it) show up everywhere in productivity advice. Yet most of us default to the same two options over and over, creating bottlenecks and stress rather than solving our capacity problems. In this episode, I break down why only two of the Four Ds are reliably good options for managing your law practice workload. I explain the hidden pitfalls of delegation, including why delegated work often creates more quality assurance headaches than it solves, and why deferring work is really just delegating to an unreliable resource called "future you." Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/89Get 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/
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
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