Straight talk about law & legal issues from Toronto area business lawyer & legal educator, Inga Andriessen
In this Episode Inga Talks about: Using software to keep track of your schedule; The lawyer time rules no one may have told you; and, Running your schedule instead of having it run you.
On this episode Inga talks about when it's useful to be “arrogant” and when it's time to ditch the attitude for something that will get better results.
In this episode Inga Talks about knowing your value as a lawyer and about how not knowing your value can lead to losing your licence to practice law
In this episode Inga talks about the migration from PCLaw to Cosmolex and the pros and the cons her firm has experienced.
In this episode IngaTalks about taking the summer off to refill her cup, transition the accounting system to Cosmolex and come back in fall with new topics including shorter work weeks for lawyers. She touches on a tech change that has increased the number of steps people take at the firm and encourages you to test it out as well.
In this episode Inga talks about key points lawyers, and others in leadership roles, need to think about when leading their teams.
In this episode Inga talks about something Law School doesn't teach you: how to deal with a client who tries to commit suicide. She shares her personal experience and provides practical suggestions and resources on processing this situation.
In this episode Inga talks about why procrastinating in your law career has a different impact than procrastinating in law school. She provides you with tools to use to overcome procrastination and practical advice on how to approach working on a big matter, such as a trial in manageable steps that reduce your stress.
In this episode of IngaTalk, Inga talks about Cosmolex taking the lead in her firm's search to replace their PCLaw accounting software. You'll hear about why she eliminated Leap & Clio and what she likes and dislikes about Cosmolex after playing with their demo version.
In this episode Inga talks about how to take something you are interested in doing and using that to network & increase your law business. She talks sports, gardening & food and gives you her current view on Pickleball !
In this episode, Inga talks about things you can do before your first discovery, trial, hearing or contract to ensure you're confident and able to represent your client competently. Lots of great resources are listed in this episode.
In this episode Inga talks about finding new software to replace the PCLaw her firm has used for 30 years. She talks about things you should consider in software and how she is going to look at Cosmolex first. If you're in the “searching for software” situation, this is a must listen.
In this episode, Inga challenges you to think about when saying no is a good idea and offers advice on how to do it in a way that helps your law career and your personal life.
In this episode Inga talks about the effect of volunteering on your law/life balance, your career and your overall mental health. Who knew giving back could be such a great thing? Well, in this episode you learn Inga did and now you do too.
In this episode Inga talks about how to increase profitability and reduce stress through practical steps you can use to run your firm. Thinking of starting out on your own? This episode is for you.
In this episode Inga talks about the importance of communication in a law firm and how sharing what you're going through with others on your team may surprise you in terms of the support they give you.
In this episode Inga talks about what lawyers need to do to be able to work on vacation. This includes preserving client confidentiality, what to take & how not to annoy your travel buddy.
In this episode Inga talks about your reputation as a lawyer and how you can protect it and take control of your law career.
In this episode Inga talks about the options available to you to protect your cell phone number and reach your clients and others from your work number. If you're tired of giving out your personal cell number, you need to listen to this episode.
In this episode Inga talks rants about lawyers labelling assertive litigators “rude” and gives advice on how to deal with litigation when you're not feeling sure of yourself. This is a must listen if you're a lawyer looking to get more comfortable in the Court room !
In this episode Inga talks about controlling the client relationship as part of enjoying your law/life balance.
In this episode Inga talks about breaking the echo chamber of negativity around law careers and shares strategies and journal prompts to combat negativity about your law career.
In this episode Inga talks about how to make sure you're not stealing from yourself and explains the Inga way and other ways to make sure the time you spend working for clients is tracked so it can be billed. If you need one on one help with this, it's counts as CPD for all Law Societies, so reach out to inga@ingatalk.ca and book your time to work with her.
In this episode Inga talks about spending money to develop in your career and your personal life. She touches on planning your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for the year, scheduling regular self care and spending money on fitness, personal style and business etiquette. You are your brand and this episode encourages you to invest in that brand.
In this episode Inga talks about how to know if you're not using Plain English & how she goes about achieving that goal in her legal writing. The Hon. Mr. Justice Laskin's Article: Forget the Wind-Up and Make the Pitch: Some Suggestions for Writing More Persuasive Factums can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/3yfjkvxu The link to Lepp v. The Regional Municipality of York is found here: https://tinyurl.com/ys9w2szu
In this episode Inga talks about the podcast becoming a weekly event, dropping each Sunday as well as working through work and life goals for the year ahead. You may want some paper handy to write down your goals or come back to them later.
Inga talks about law/life balance this holiday season, including tips for those who have to work, think they have to work and those who are taking time off work.
In this episode, Inga Talks about how to plan the next step in your career as well as how to retire from your law career and get value for all of your hard work.
In this episode Inga talks about practical steps you can take to organize your law work (email, tasks, virtual drives) which will then lead to less stress both during and outside of your work life.
Inga talks about overcoming imposter syndrome as a lawyer by learning to notice the imposter thoughts, press pause and use our lawyer skills to argue for ourselves and our abilities.
In this episode Inga talks about how to set yourself up for success in getting paid for the work you do. From retainer agreement to ending the client relationship, this episode has it all, so you can set yourself up to ensure you're paid.
Inga talks about health, fitness, nutrition & vacations and how planning those for yourself, lets you take better care of your clients. Lots of practical tips here as Inga is more in Mentor mode than Coach mode on this one.
In this episode Inga talks about her firm's recent summer fun day & why shared memories are important for building a productive & happy work team.
In this episode Inga talks about handling litigation losses with feeling like you're an imposter and some advice for making the loss a positive.
In this episode Inga talks about how to make sure your firm is making money as well as why you should care and how much is enough. This isn't just for lawyers responsible for the financial bottom line of the firm – it's helpful for those asking for raises as well.
Inga talks about how to use your law degree when it wasn't your idea to go to law school to begin with. She also has advice on how to create career happiness, even if that means leaving law completely.
This episode is for those managing & being managed in a Law Firm. Inga talks about hiring tips, evaluating and encouraging your team to work with you so you can enjoy your law firm life
Inga talks about how to balance parenting with your law career, using her example of the “Inga Way” and providing you with many hacks to make it all easier.
Inga talks about how lawyers can start not hating their careers by taking one step that involves controlling the input into their thoughts. This episode, while as always being lawyer focused, it great for anyone wanting to feel happier and in control of that feeling.
Inga talks about what networking for lawyers is, how to network for clients & career and how to do it both IRL and virtually. You don't need to be a lawyer to get great ideas from this episode!
In this Episode Inga talks about the importance of taking vacations and how to disconnect from work email in order to become a happier and more effective lawyer.
Never been inside a real Court Room? Inga covers all the things you need to know in this episode including, where to stand, when to bow and of course, how high the heels are that she enjoys wearing. Go to the @ingatalk Instagram pinned pics to see the images of how to wear tabs and tie your robes properly.
Inga talks about the things you need to consider when heading back into the real office, whether you're a new Call or the Managing Lawyer. This includes, why go back, what info do staff need and how do you manage the return.
Inga talks about how you can make your work life balance more in line with what you want it to be, instead of living with a work life balance that isn't working for you.
Inga talks about running a firm successfully from home, focusing on people, equipment and software solutions.
In this podcast, recorded March 29, 2020, Inga provides advice to lawyers (and others) on how to financially survive the Covid-19 Pandemic. Having started her firm in a recession & weathered through Sars, she has experience she is happy to share with everyone.
Recorded on International Women’s Day 2020, Inga talks about how it never occurred to her she wasn’t equal to lawyers who didn’t happen to be a woman and the impact this has had on her career (spoiler alert: she was treated equally).
Inga picks up from Episode 4 and talks about many of the issues you need to consider when you start a law firm …. this includes a moderate rant questioning what the Law Society of Ontario won’t allow lawyers to have non-licensees as shareholders. Rants make the episodes more fun, don’t you think?
Inga talks about a variety of ways to own a law firm, discussing the pros and cons of each along the way. As always, she has her Inga spin on things and shares how she started her firm “back in the day”
In this first semi-rant of the season Inga talks about why a law firm is a business and her take on contingency fee practices.
Inga talks about the difference between Canadian and overseas degrees as well as the factors you should think about when picking a law school.