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The Agile Attorney Podcast

The Agile Attorney Podcast

Hosted by John E. Grant

BusinessManagementEducation
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Episodes

128

Latest episode

Jun 2026

Language

EN

About the show

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?

Listen to episodes

60 recent
June 16, 202623 min

124. How to Fire a Client & Protect Your Law Firm’s Capacity

Deciding to end a client relationship is one of the most difficult choices a lawyer can make. Many attorneys feel obligated to continue working on a matter even when it consumes disproportionate time and emotional energy, often for a client whose behavior or engagement is challenging.In this episode, I walk through how to fire a client professionally and ethically. I cover practical steps, including organizing work products, ensuring proper timing in litigation and transactional matters, and communicating clearly with the client. I also discuss the emotional and cognitive biases that make it hard to disengage and explain why these tendencies are natural but should be managed strategically.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/124Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with GreenLine LegalFollow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrant

June 9, 202634 min

123. Legal Ops, Legal Tech, & Litigation: How One Mindset Can Improve All Three with Justin McCallon

Lawyers often think of legal operations, legal technology, and legal practice as separate disciplines. But many of the same principles that improve a legal department, support a successful technology product, or strengthen the management of a legal matter are more connected than they might first appear.In this episode, I sit down with Justin McCallon, CEO of the legal AI company Strongsuit and a former legal transformation leader at AT&T. We explore how process-improvement frameworks and operational thinking can help legal professionals solve problems more effectively. Justin shares lessons from leading large-scale legal transformation efforts, launching AI products, and building systems that help litigators navigate complex matters with greater clarity and confidence.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/123Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with GreenLine LegalFollow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrantFollow Justin on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/justin-mccallon

June 2, 202627 min

122. The AI Productivity Trap: What Lawyers Are Missing About ROI [AI ROI Part 1]

AI is being sold to lawyers as a productivity breakthrough, a way to eliminate tedious work, increase efficiency, and free up more time for higher-value thinking. But once you move past the hype, the more important question becomes whether you're falling into an AI productivity trap where increased activity is mistaken for meaningful progress. In this episode, I kick off a new occasional series on AI ROI by exploring how lawyers should think about return on investment beyond simple time savings or subscription costs. I break down the hidden investments that often go overlooked, including cognitive load, quality assurance, workflow bottlenecks, and the tendency for AI to encourage overcommitment rather than meaningful productivity gains. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/122 Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with GreenLine Legal Follow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrant

May 26, 202633 min

121. Right Tool, Right Problem: Choosing Better Systems for Law Firm Operations with Robin Sims-Allen

Law firms are constantly being introduced to new tools, frameworks, and operational philosophies that promise better efficiency and better results. But the challenge is not simply adopting a popular methodology; it’s understanding which approaches actually fit the type of work your team is doing and the problems you’re trying to solve within your law firm operations.In this episode, I sit down with business consultant and Agile practitioner Robin Sims-Allen to explore what law firms can learn from other heavily regulated industries about process improvement, project management, and organizational change. We discuss the strengths and limitations of frameworks like Scrum, SAFe, Kanban, and Waterfall, and why choosing the right tool depends on the nature of the work, the structure of the team, and the realities of the environment you’re operating in.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/121Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with GreenLine LegalFollow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrantFollow Robin on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robinsimsallen

May 19, 202624 min

120. Get Curious Before You Get Defensive: Clean Language Questions for Lawyers

As a lawyer, it’s easy to fall into defensive mode when a client expresses frustration with your work or challenges your bill. But instead of getting defensive, what the client really needs is your curiosity. In this episode, I introduce a tool I’ve been using for over a year called Clean Language questions. This technique, originally from psychotherapy, helps clients open up and explore their own thoughts without leading them. When clients express dissatisfaction, instead of jumping into problem-solving mode, Clean Language questions allow you to get to the root of their concerns, strengthening the relationship and improving understanding. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/120 Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with GreenLine Legal Follow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrant

May 12, 202627 min

119. Making It Rain: How to Increase Client Flow in Your Law Firm with Robert Hartmann

Many lawyers are highly trained in practicing law but receive little to no guidance on how to consistently bring in business. Without a clear business development strategy, building reliable client flow can feel uncertain, intimidating, or overly dependent on luck. In this episode, I sit down with criminal defense attorney and author of Making It Rain, Robert Hartmann, to explore how business development in law firms is often less about flashy marketing tactics and more about mindset, empathy, responsiveness, and relationship building. We discuss Robert’s approach to rainmaking as a predictable business development system, one built on treating clients and referral sources with exceptional care while creating long-term trust and credibility.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/119Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with GreenLine LegalFollow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrantFollow Robert on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robert-hartmann-565a5919

May 5, 202625 min

118. Running Your Law Firm on Hard Mode? Simplify Capacity with the Tetris Strategy

The biggest threat to your law firm’s productivity is unlikely to be a lack of effort, but rather too much complexity. If your firm feels like it is running on hard mode, the real solution may be learning how to simplify capacity.In this episode, I use the Tetris strategy to explore how different practice areas, workflows, and client demands create distinct “shapes” competing for your finite capacity. I explain why simplifying the number of workflows in your practice, or more intentionally compartmentalizing complexity, can make your firm more sustainable, efficient, and scalable.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/118Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with GreenLine LegalFollow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrant

April 28, 202635 min

117. The Bomb on the Bus: A Law Firm Productivity Problem with Clarke Ching

What do you do when productivity starts to slip in your law firm? For many leaders, the instinct is to push harder by setting targets, issuing ultimatums, or applying pressure. But those approaches are actually causing more damage than they solve. In this episode, I talk with Clarke Ching, also known as The Bottleneck Guy, about a better way to think about productivity through the lens of bottlenecks and system design. We explore his “bomb on the bus” metaphor and discuss how to identify constraints, manage them intentionally, and build a practice that moves work forward in a more stable and sustainable way. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/117 Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with GreenLine Legal Follow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrant Follow Clarke on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/clarkeching

April 21, 202620 min

116. Low Productivity in Your Law Firm? Don't Blame the People

At the recent ALA conference, I attended several talks that framed low productivity as a personal issue, and I don’t think that’s the whole story.In today’s episode, I push back on that narrative and explain why shifting the focus from blaming individuals to improving the systems they work within is the key to solving productivity challenges. I also discuss how taking a systems approach can help you identify the real bottlenecks, make work visible, and create a more collaborative environment within your team.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/116Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with GreenLine LegalFollow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrant

April 14, 202619 min

115. Spring Cleaning Your Law Practice: Managing Capacity, Catching Up, & Letting Go

It’s that time of year when we naturally think about spring cleaning our homes and clearing out the clutter. But this year, I’m encouraging you to apply that same mindset to your professional commitments. As legal professionals, we often take on more than we can handle, and that’s when overwhelm sets in.In today’s episode, I’ll walk you through why it’s important to first assess your capacity and why honest self-reflection is key to maintaining a sustainable workload. I share a clear framework for evaluating your workload and prioritizing what really matters so you can let go of what’s no longer serving you or your practice.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/115Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with Greenline LegalFollow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrant

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