The Enchanting Lawyer – How Lawyering Can Be

Ruth Carter and Jacob Sapochnick - photo taken on Day 1 of The Undeniable Tour

Ruth Carter and Jacob Sapochnick – Photo taken on Day 1 of The Undeniable Tour

My first speaking engagement during The Undeniable Tour was in Los Angeles; however, I purposefully started the trip in San Diego in part so I could meet Jacob Sapochnick of The Enchanting Lawyer Podcast in person. He has a firm in San Diego that focuses on immigration law and he is also one of the most active lawyers on social media that I know.

I met Jacob last year when I was a guest on his podcast where we talked about the benefits of using blogging and social media as a marketing tool. I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to popped by his office an say hello in person during the tour.

Jacob’s law practice appears to be a whimsical house that was converted into an office. It is absolutely adorable. Another thing that makes Jacob’s office different than a stereotypical firm is everybody seems happy. The place was buzzing with productivity and positivity on every floor. As Jacob and I sat in his office to talk shop for a bit, he showed me that he keeps his leather jacket hanging in the closet in his office to remind him that he doesn’t have to conform to the lawyer stereotypes to be successful. On the contrary, his innovative methods to running his practice have given him more freedom, success, and happiness.

Jacob told me he uses a method called “The Enchanting Way” to run his practice. He genuinely cares about each of his employees and by putting them in positions where they are empowered and also able to take care of themselves when they have personal affairs to attend to, they are more dedicated to the firm and the clients then employees at any firm I’ve seen. When he needs to hire someone, he looks for people who will provide the same level of customer care that he would; he can teach anyone with solid base skills what they need to be a paralegal or a legal assistant. What you can’t teach are empathy and work ethic.

Because of this, Jacob doesn’t need to be in the office 24/7. He knows the office will run perfectly fine and clients will be taken care of if he is in court or on vacation for weeks at a time. I think a lot of lawyers like to envision themselves as indispensable but what Jacob is done is make his firm indispensable to clients. That’s what really matters.

As a social media enthusiast, one of the things I love about Jacob is he embodies the idea that every company should be a media company. He has the enchanting lawyer podcast and a strong following on Facebook. He said he often creates posts that his audience lots that have nothing to do with the law; however, by creating content his audience enjoys, he is creating a strong rapport and reputation with them so they are more likely to call him when they need help with an immigration issue. Doing this is not rocket science, but it is hard work, and I love to see companies like his that are doing it right. Here is his advice for anyone who wants to make a name for themselves.

Be sure to subscribe to The Enchanting Lawyer Podcast via iTunes or YouTube. Jacob has amazing guests on the show every week. If you want to chat with me about The Undeniable Tour how I use social media, please shoot me an email or connect with me on Twitter.

The Undeniable Tour would not be possible without my awesome sponsors: Web3Mavens,Enchanting LawyerTotal Networks, and Attorney at Work.

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The Undeniable Tour – The Recap

I asked all the social media movers and shakers that I met during The Undeniable Tour to sign the arrow

I asked all the social media movers and shakers that I met during The Undeniable Tour to sign the arrow

I’ve been home for a few days and I’ve had a little bit of time to reflect on the whirlwind trip that was The Undeniable Tour: 15 days, 2 airplane rides, 1932 miles of driving in the rental car (courtesy of my concierge sponsor Web3Mavens), 6 hostels, 5 speaking engagements, 4 official sponsors, a handful of other freebies, and a whole lot of awesome! Thank you to everyone who supported this crazy adventure, especially the schools and organizations who invited me to speak, the people who attended my talks, and of course my sponsors without who this tour couldn’t have happened: Web3Mavens, Enchanting LawyerTotal Networks, and Attorney at Work.

I have gotten a handful of questions about The Undeniable Tour which I’m happy to answer.

Why did I create The Undeniable Tour?
I noticed there is a gap in education for lawyers when it comes to social media marketing. I get most of my information about the logging and proper ways to use social media from mainstream sources. A lot of people ask me how I’ve been able to leverage these tools to get clients and make a name for myself and I wanted to bring the lessons I have learned to broader audience.

Last year I read the book Creativity for Sale by Jason Surfrapp (now Jason Zook). By the time I finished it, my head was buzzing with ideas for future professional ventures, including The Undeniable Tour, so I ran with it.

Why did I choose to stay in hostels?
The Undeniable Tour was a shoestring operation made possible by getting sponsors and small speaking fees. Staying in hostels is much more economical than staying in hotels, and I discovered that I liked staying in hostels a lot better than budget-friendly hotels. I don’t mind sharing a room with7-23 other people or using communal bathrooms and I love being more connected with the adventurous traveler community. Plus Wi-Fi and breakfast are often included in the price.

Have I noticed an uptrend in non-traditional lawyers?
I won’t say there’s an uptrend in the number of nontraditional lawyers; however, I think more lawyers are interested in the hearing about how others are practicing law differently. I suspect more people are dissatisfied with billable hours and working 90 hours/week and they see that others are doing something different and are happy or as a result, and they want to know more.

Are law students driven to go solo?
That’s depends on who you ask. At one school I went to over half the audience was interested in going solo and at another school, almost no one was. I suspect many law students are interested yet frightened by the prospect of going solo right out of the gate. (I certainly was.) I hope hearing my story showed them that it’s possible to go solo early in your career and be successful – and that there are lots of resources available for a lawyer who opens their own firm so they never have to feel like they are going it alone.

What will I do differently next time?
Oh geez. Probably everything.

If I do another tour, I will probably try to make it shorter in terms of time, do more engagement with the local media in advance (print, blogs, vlogs, and podcasts), and try to schedule more speaking engagements (and maybe some CLEs for law firms) and a smaller area.

Planning this tour could have been a full-time job in and of itself. There is so much to do and coordinate. Hopefully having this tour be such a success will make it easier to plan similar activities in the future.

What advice do I have to anyone who thinking about organizing a similar event?
If you want to plan a speaking tour or get sponsors for your event, you have to be super organized and diligent about follow-up. A lot of my success from planning The Undeniable Tour came from follow up emails and phone calls. Additionally, you don’t have to necessarily re-invent the wheel – look to your network of contacts for suggestions and potential leads in terms of locations and sponsors.

If there is anything else that you want to know about The Undeniable Tour, feel free to leave it as a comment or shoot me an email.

Thank you to everyone who supported me during this crazy adventure. It took about 8 months to organize and execute this. A tremendous thank you to my sponsors: Web3Mavens, Enchanting LawyerTotal Networks, and Attorney at Work.

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The Undeniable Tour Day 14 – Keep Moving Forward

Open Road to the Horizon 2014-01-01 by Kristina D.C. Hoeppner from Flickr (Creative Commons License)

Open Road to the Horizon 2014-01-01 by Kristina D.C. Hoeppner from Flickr (Creative Commons License)

I couldn’t have asked for a better last day of The Undeniable Tour. It started with a walk by the water with Jay Thompson and then I saw some Seattle sites before hopping in the Maven Mobile (courtesy of my sponsor Web3Mavens) and drove south to speak at the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association. They were an incredibly engaged audience that wanted to know more about social media marketing options for lawyers. My day ended with dinner with one of my best friends from undergrad.

Last Day in Seattle - Visiting the Troll

Last Day in Seattle – Visiting the Troll

Now I’m sitting in my hostel reflecting on the last 14 days, everything I’ve learned, and all the wonderful people I’ve seen. My talk for The Undeniable Tour started with a quote from Yogi Berra: “When you come to the fork in the road, take it.” I encouraged them to challenge themselves to keep moving forward with their professional development, but that it wasn’t my job to tell them what to do. They had to figure that out for themselves. My job was to share my story about my journey and share tips based on what’s working for me.

When it comes to being involved on social media, there are many options to choose from and you can select platforms that play to your communication strengths and puts you in contact with your audience. (Remember that the purpose of social media is to interact with people. Don’t treat it like a digital billboard.) In addition to blogging, I’m active on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+, and LinkedIn. I’m active on some platforms more than others. My favorite platform by far is Twitter; it’s the easiest way I know to start a meaningful conversation with someone I want to meet.

If you’re thinking about getting involved on a new social media platform, here’s the process I recommend that you use.

  1. Create an account.
  2. Take 1-2 weeks to watch how others are using the platform. Learn about the lingo and observe what’s working for others.
  3. Start using the platform yourself.

It’s ok to start slow and it’s ok to make the occasional mistake. Like all new skills, you won’t do it perfectly the first time, or every time. The point is you’re there and you’re trying. Stay open and teachable. And remember that using social media is like becoming part of a community. Relationships and connections will be built over weeks and months, not minutes. Keep the long game in mind.

My challenge to myself is to reflect on the lessons I’ve learned from planning and doing The Undeniable Tour and applying them to my professional and personal life. (There is no distinction between by professional and personal lives. It’s all me.)

If you want to talk with me about The Undeniable Tour please shoot me an email.

The Undeniable Tour would not be possible without my awesome sponsors: Web3Mavens, Enchanting LawyerTotal Networks, and Attorney at Work.

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The Undeniable Tour Day 13 – Using Non-Traditional Tactics to Pay for Law School

Cool Wall Art at Lewis and Clark Law School

Cool Wall Art at Lewis and Clark Law School

I had the pleasure of speaking at Lewis and Clark Law School today before jumping in the Maven Mobile (courtesy of my sponsor Web3Mavens) to Seattle to speak at the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association tomorrow. It’s hard to believe that Day 14 is the last full day of The Undeniable Tour.

Lewis and Clark Law SchoolAfter my talk, I was approached by a student who wanted to start a nonprofit that would raise money to pay for her tuition and give scholarships to other minorities who want to go to college. She had an interesting story – she went through several application cycles when applying to law school, not because she wasn’t good enough to get in somewhere, but it was a challenge to find adequate funding.

I thought her idea was intriguing, but it reminded me of some of the pitfalls I encountered when I launched Sponsor A Law Kid during my 3L year where people paid me to blog about the topic of their choosing. I had to deal with my fair share of critics who attacked me as a person and not just my idea for raising money for school.

If you want to launch a venture or campaign to pay for law school, you need to be clear about what you’re doing before you announce it. If you want donations, that’s fine, but be ready to be accused of asking for a handout. If you are doing or giving something in exchange for money, like writing blog posts, selling t-shirts or a book, make sure you’re over-delivering for the price you’re charging. People have the right to decide how they spend their money, but you don’t want to get a reputation of ripping people off.

If you want to do something like this young lady and start a program that will fund her education first and then continue to help fund others’ education, you need to follow through on your long-term plans. My concern as an outsider looking in is some people may be skeptical and wonder if she’s doing this to pay for her education and then shut down the program without helping anyone else.

Regardless of what you do to pay for law school, be sure to act with integrity and transparency so you can respond to any questions with class and grace. When it comes to paying for law school, I encourage you to be creative and thoughtful with whatever you do.

If you are interested in connecting with me please follow me on Twitter. If you have any questions or comments about The Undeniable Tour or Sponsor A Law Kid, please shoot me an email.

The Undeniable Tour would not be possible without my awesome sponsors: Web3Mavens,Enchanting LawyerTotal Networks, and Attorney at Work.

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The Undeniable Tour Day 12 – Rock On!

Yes! Keep Portland Weird!

Yes! Keep Portland Weird!

I often say, “Let your freak flag fly,” but spending the weekend in Portland during The Undeniable Tour made me think that being different doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a freak. Maybe it only means that you’re brave enough to deviate from the norm. Hopefully it’s a sign that you’re brave enough to be yourself.

Portland, OR - Where no two houses are the same.

Portland, OR – Where no two houses are the same.

The city of Portland is filled with quirk. This is a city that is filled with unique people, charming places, and independently owned businesses. I loved that I could walk for blocks without seeing a chain store or restaurant. I’m pretty sure no two houses are the same. I loved seeing the bright colors and architectural touches. My friend who lives here says some people have little free libraries in their front yards (bookshelves where you can take any book you want) and one guy hangs dog treats on the tree in front of his house for anyone to take.

I loved walking around this city snapping pictures of the odd, delightful, and beautiful things I saw. It’s so much fun to see all the people in Oregon. I feel like I saw every shape, size, style of dress, hair color, and body piercing imaginable. I saw all types of plain and fancy people, including plenty who were gleefully clashing with themselves.

It seems like people are more free to be themselves here. I listened to people singing because they felt like it (and not always on key but you could tell they were happy). I saw a woman dancing to the live music at the outdoor market because the spirit moved her (she may have had some mind-altering chemicals in her system too).

I felt a sense of joy as I wandered through the city. People appeared to be doing their own thing – not to boost their ego or to get attention, but simply because it was what made them comfortable and happy. And if that makes them freaks, then rock on!

I’m excited to speak at Lewis and Clark Law School tomorrow before heading north to Seattle for the last stop and appearance of The Undeniable Tour. This has been a whirlwind trip and I’m grateful I’ve been able to share part of it with you.

If you are interested in connecting with me while I am traveling please follow me on Twitter. If you have any questions or comments about The Undeniable Tour, please shoot me an email.

The Undeniable Tour would not be possible without my awesome sponsors: Web3Mavens, Enchanting Lawyer, Total Networks, and Attorney at Work.

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The Undeniable Tour Day 11 – Always Nice to See a Familiar Face

There's an owl in a park in Salem, OR that attacks people who come through between dusk and dawn. The locals call it "Owl Capone."

There’s an owl in a park in Salem, OR that attacks people who come through between dusk and dawn. The locals call it “Owl Capone.”

I am loving the road trip component of The Undeniable Tour – so much to see and so much to do everywhere I stop. Sometimes I wish I had more time to take in more of my surroundings.

Great to see Jane!

Great to see Jane!

One of the best parts of this adventure has been seeing my friends, some of who I haven’t seen in a decade. Connecting online is great, but it’s nothing compared to in-person hugs and conversations. A lot of my friends have “scattered to the wind” over the years so I’m visiting them in cities that are different from where we met. It’s fun to see how much their lives have changed over the years and what’s developed for them.

I have often said I should get a map of the U.S. and use push pins to keep track where all my friends live so that when I have a conference or a trip, I know who to look up when I’m there. It’s nice to get a break from the professional rat race and just chill with your friends. Plus if they’re locals, they can tell you where all the must-see places are beyond the obvious tourist locations.

If you are interested in connecting with me while I am traveling please follow me on Twitter. If you have any questions or comments about The Undeniable Tour, please shoot me an email.

The Undeniable Tour would not be possible without my awesome sponsors: Web3Mavens, Enchanting Lawyer, Total Networks, and Attorney at Work.

All Tour Sponsors

The Undeniable Tour Day 10 – Life is about Experiences

The Redwood Forest at the Trees of Mystery

The Redwood Forest at the Trees of Mystery

I recently saw an article pass through my Facebook feed that says people who focus on experiences rather than possessions are happier. I couldn’t agree more.

Dylan and Me at the Trees of Mystery - look at giant Paul Bunyan in the background!

Dylan and Me at the Trees of Mystery – look at giant Paul Bunyan in the background!

This morning I woke up at the hostel at Point Reyes after sleeping like a rock, had breakfast with my fellow travelers, and headed north in the Maven Mobile (courtesy of my sponsor Web3Mavens). I drove through the gorgeous Redwood Forest to Crescent City. (I’ll be speaking at Lewis and Clark in Portland on Monday.) Photographs do not do justice to how beautiful this area is.

Just south of Crescent City is the Trees of Mystery in Klamath, CA. I don’t know what the mystery was but the view was amazing – huge trees as far as the eye could see. I met a fellow traveler named Dylan in the parking lot and we trooped through the trees and rode the Sky Train to the observation deck. We discovered that we both have discarded many physical possessions in favor of freedom and adventure. I definitely get more joy from what I do than from what I own.

Sometimes I have to step a back and remember that I’m on a business trip. I’ve always known that I didn’t want a traditional legal career, but I had no idea that my professional life could be this good. I have seen the most beautiful things and met the most amazing people in the last five years. I am grateful for all that I have, all that I get to do, and that I get to share part of it with others during The Undeniable Tour.

If you are interested in connecting with me while I am traveling please follow me on Twitter. If you have any questions or comments about The Undeniable Tour, please shoot me an email.

The Undeniable Tour would not be possible without my awesome sponsors: Web3Mavens, Enchanting Lawyer, Total Networks, and Attorney at Work.

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The Undeniable Tour Day 9 – Blogging About Clients

Awesome 3D Art in San Francisco

Awesome 3D Art in San Francisco

I had a wonderful time speaking at the Bar Association of San Francisco as part of The Undeniable Tour. They always have an engaged audience. They were particularly interested in learning how to select which social media platform to use and how blogging can attract potential clients.

One person asked me a particularly interesting question. He wanted to know when his firm has a successful outcome for a client how can they blog about it – if the client approves. This isn’t a question I get very often so it caused me to pause and think for a moment. I had three thoughts for this fellow legal eagle.

So great to see my friend and fellow legal eagle Eric Toscano at my talk. Photo by Bar Association of San Francisco

So great to see my friend and fellow legal eagle Eric Toscano at my talk. Photo by Bar Association of San Francisco

#1 – Check with you state bar’s ethical rules about writing about your cases.

#2 – Be careful about sounding like you’re advertising your firm via you blog. Even though the purpose of having a website and a blog it to ultimately get clients and grow your business, the focus of your blog should be about providing useful information to your clients. Don’t treat it like an online billboard.

#3 – Ask yourself why you want to write about a client’s case. Is it simply to give yourself a gold star? Or is there a way to use the case to help others? Use common client issues as a way to explain how the law works to resolve a specific type of problem or as a way to explain the legal process. There may be a new precedent that was created in your client’s case that was worth sharing with others. There may be several blog posts that you could write about a particular situation so don’t feel like you have to limit yourself to one.

As always, when you have a legal blog put a disclaimer on your website that informs readers that your blog provides legal information but it is not a substitute for legal advice. Your state bar may also require all law firms to have an advertising disclaimer on their sites.

If you are interested in connecting with me while I am traveling please follow me on Twitter. If you have any questions or comments about The Undeniable Tour, please shoot me an email.

The Undeniable Tour would not be possible without my awesome sponsors: Web3Mavens, Enchanting Lawyer, Total Networks, and Attorney at Work.

All Tour Sponsors

The Undeniable Tour Day 8 – Sharing Your Personality Online

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara University

I had a blast driving the Maven Mobile (courtesy of my Concierge Sponsor, Web3Mavens) to the South Bay and speaking with the students at Santa Clara University School of Law yesterday as part of The Undeniable Tour. I often talk with lawyers and law students about the importance of putting yourself out there on social media to facilitate connections and building relationships with people.

Speaking at Santa Clara University School of Law

Speaking at Santa Clara University School of Law

One student said he was concerned about posting things that are controversial which could be a turn off to potential employers or clients. He brought up a good question – how do you know how much you should put online?

That’s a question that each person needs to answer for themselves. You have to decide what topics you’ll discuss and what topics are off limits. Some people have a firm personal policy about not talking about their kids online. Others avoid discussions about religion or politics. Some people choose not to use profanity.

My general rule is as long as you’re not saying something that is hellaciously offensive or promoting the kicking of puppies, you’re probably ok. If an employer or client doesn’t want to hire you because of your feelings about baseball or your political affiliation, the sooner you weed those people out the better. I fully embrace the fact that I’m not the lawyer for everyone. If you want a lawyer who is stiff, wears a suit, and only speaks in legalese, I know people to refer you to. If you want a down-to-earth approachable lawyer who explains things in English, wears t-shirts, and brings her basset hound to work, let me give you my card.

One thing I’ve learned as an entrepreneur is that people hire people. Your clients want to like you as a person, not just as a lawyer. It’s good to let people know who you are. I applied for an interview with a semiconductor company for my 2L summer. Initially I was #9 on their list and got an interview as an alternate. My interviewer and I connected over a blog post I wrote about childhood obesity. It had nothing to do with the law, but that conversation helped me move from #9 to #3 on their list. Unfortunately they were only taking two interns that year.

Be thoughtful about what you post, but don’t be afraid to share your personality online. That’s what leads to real connections and relationships.

If you are interested in connecting with me while I am traveling please follow me on Twitter. If you have any questions or comments about The Undeniable Tour, please shoot me an email.

The Undeniable Tour would not be possible without my awesome sponsors: Web3Mavens, Enchanting Lawyer, Total Networks, and Attorney at Work.

All Tour Sponsors

The Undeniable Tour Day 7 – Hustling Pays Off

Gorgeous View of the Bay Bridge

Gorgeous View of the Bay Bridge

The slogan for The Undeniable Tour is “Hustle Your Face Off.” This is a quote from Gary Vaynerchuk and it’s both a message I want my audience to hear and it’s my mantra for this trip. I’m trying to reach and meet as many people as I can. Although I only have 5 speaking engagements during this 14-day road trip, my days are filled with meetings and activities.

I want to give a hat tip to Brand X Custom T-shirts in Tempe, AZ who made my “Hustle Your Face Off” t-shirts for me. I’m wearing one of these at each of my tour stops. I’ve had several people tell me they love them, ask to take photos of me when I’m wear one,  and Jacob Sapochnick of Enchanting Lawyer (one my sponsors) asked if I brought a shirt for him.

To me, hustling your face off is about making things happen. You don’t wait for opportunities to come to you; you go after what you want. As long as you are appropriate and mostly professional, I encourage you to push the limits and take strategic risks to get what you want.

I want to give a shout out to Scott Goering. He’s a lawyer/mediator who specializes in juvenile dependency cases. He saw me when I first spoke at the Bar Association in San Francisco in 2012 and has been keeping tabs on me since then because he was impressed by how I use social media in my professional life.

My Hustle Your Face Off Shirts, made by Brand X

My Hustle Your Face Off Shirts, made by Brand X

Footnote: When I say “keeping tabs” I don’t mean he’s been stalking me. He’s simply paid attention to what I publicly post online. It’s part of networking and it’s not creepy.

Scott is based in San Francisco and he’d reached out to me to say that he was looking forward to my presentation at the Bar Association of San Francisco during The Undeniable Tour and the he hoped we could get together while I was in town. I filed that away with all my other tour emails and didn’t give it much thought.

About 6 weeks ago, I was in San Francisco for the Dad 2.0 Summit. The conference and my participation in it was public information – so Scott came by to say hello and to say that he was looking forward to The Undeniable Tour. I was impressed by his tenacity and that sealed the deal for him that I would make room in my schedule when I came back to town to have lunch with him to talk about his ideas for using social media in his career. I don’t consider myself an expert in personal branding or using social media but I was happy to share my thoughts and give him some recommendations of people I follow when it comes to entrepreneurship and marketing including Gary Vaynerchuk, Peter Shankman, Katy Goshtasbi, and Ari Kaplan.

One thing I’ve learned about being successful professionally is you have to go after what you want – whether that’s a job, awards, connections, or opportunities. They won’t come to you through hoping for them, you have to work for it. I encourage you to take strategic risks and be bold about what you want.

If you are interested in connecting with me while I am traveling please follow me on Twitter. If you have any questions or comments about The Undeniable Tour, please shoot me an email.

The Undeniable Tour would not be possible without my amazing sponsors: Web3Mavens, Enchanting Lawyer, Total Networks, and Attorney at Work.

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