📻 BONUS: Tech-Savvy Lawyer on Law Practice Today Podcast — Essential Trust Account Tips for Solo & Small Law Firms w/ Terrell Turner

/ The Tech-Savvy Lawyer.Page/

🙏 Special Thanks to Terrell Turner and the ABA for having me on the Law Practice Today Podcast, produced by the Law Practice Division of the American Bar Association. We have an important discussion on trust account management. We cover essential insights on managing trust accounts using online services. This episode has been edited for time, but no information was altered. We are grateful to the ABA and the Law Practice Today Podcast for allowing us to share this valuable conversation with our audience.

🎯 Join Terrell and me as we discuss the following three questions and more!

  1. What precautions should lawyers using online services to manage trust accounts be aware of?

  2. How can solo and small firm attorneys find competent bookkeepers who understand legal trust accounting?

  3. What security measures should attorneys implement when using online payment processors for client funds?

⏱️ In our conversation, we cover the following:

00:00 – Introduction & Preview: Trust Accounts in the Digital Age

01:00 – Welcome to the Law Practice Today Podcast

01:30 – Today's Topic: Online Services for Payments

02:00 – Guest Introduction: Michael D.J. Eisenberg's Background

03:00 – Michael's Experience with Trust Accounts

04:00 – Challenges for Solo and Small Practitioners

05:00 – Ensuring Security in Online Services

06:00 – Questions to Ask Online Payment Providers

07:00 – Password Security & Two-Factor Authentication

08:00 – Finding a Competent Legal Bookkeeper

09:00 – Why 8AM Law Pay Works for Attorneys

10:00 – Daily Monitoring of Trust Accounts

11:00 – FDIC Insurance & Silicon Valley Bank Lessons

13:00 – Researching Trust Account Best Practices

15:00 – Closing Remarks & Podcast Information

📚 Resources

🔗 Connect with Terrell

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terrellturner/

🌐 Website: https://www.tlturnergroup.com/

🎙️ Law Practice Today Podcast – https://lawpracticetoday.buzzsprout.com

📰 Mentioned in the Episode

💻 Software & Cloud Services Mentioned in the Conversation

  • 8AM Law Pay – Legal payment processing designed for trust account compliance – https://www.8am.com/lawpay/

  • 1Password – Password manager for generating and syncing complex passwords – https://1password.com/

  • LastPass – Mentioned as a password manager with noted security concerns – https://www.lastpass.com/

🎙️ Ep. #125: Transforming Law Practice: Allison Johs on Legal Tech Productivity, AI Ethics & Automation Strategies.

/ The Tech-Savvy Lawyer.Page/

My next guest is Allison Johs, former Chair of the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center and founder of Legal Ease Consulting. 🎯 Allison has spent nearly two decades helping law firms prevent "lawyer meltdown" by guiding them through digital transformation, boosting productivity, and providing practical tech solutions for modern legal professionals. With 15 years of practicing law and experience growing a firm from 15 to over 50 attorneys, Allison brings real-world expertise to the challenges lawyers face when balancing technology adoption with successful client service.

Join Allison Johs and me as we discuss the following three questions and more! 🤔

  1. What are the top three foundational mistakes lawyers make when implementing new legal technology, and how can solo and small firms avoid these pitfalls to ensure their technology investments actually improve their practice rather than just create additional complexity?

  2. What are your top three recommendations for lawyers who want to responsibly integrate AI into their practice while maintaining ethical compliance and ensuring client confidentiality?

  3. What are the top three technology-driven strategies lawyers can implement immediately to automate routine tasks and reclaim billable hours?

In our conversation, we cover the following: ⏱️

  • [00:00:00] – Episode introduction and guest welcome

  • [00:01:00] – Allison's current tech setup: Dell laptop, HP all-in-one desktop, Logitech Brio webcam, Microsoft 365

  • [00:02:00] – Discussion of portable monitors (INNOCN) and dual-screen productivity setups

  • [00:03:00] – Document scanning workflow with ScanSnap scanner and going paperless

  • [00:04:00] – OCR considerations for different practice areas, Adobe Acrobat for occasional OCR needs

  • [00:05:00] – Mistake #1: Not considering roles of all people who will use the technology in the firm

  • [00:06:00] – Including staff input during technology selection and implementation

  • [00:07:00] – Coaching resistant employees through technology adoption

  • [00:08:00] – Addressing legitimate objections vs. fear of change; demonstrating value to staff

  • [00:09:00] – Mistake #2: Not checking how new technology integrates with existing systems

  • [00:10:00] – Hidden costs of technology transitions: running parallel systems for 6-8 months

  • [00:11:00] – Budgeting for duplicate CRM/LPM subscriptions during migration

  • [00:12:00] – Mistake #3: Failing to appropriately invest in ongoing training

  • [00:13:00] – Training new hires and keeping up with subscription software updates

  • [00:14:00] – AI Recommendation #1: Thoroughly investigate how AI tools handle data, security, and training

  • [00:15:00] – AI Recommendation #2: Setting and strictly enforcing AI usage policies; mandatory human review

  • [00:16:00] – The importance of reviewing AI outputs—lawyers should know precedents in their practice area

  • [00:17:00] – AI Recommendation #3: Start with non-client-facing AI work (internal processes, marketing, financials)

  • [00:18:00] – Ethical considerations: using AI on published court decisions for legal analysis

  • [00:19:00] – Using AI to find contrary precedents and distinguishing cases

  • [00:20:00] – Duty to supervise: real-world consequences when AI use goes wrong

  • [00:21:00] – Automation Strategy #1: Appointment booking tools (Calendly, Microsoft Bookings)

  • [00:22:00] – Automation Strategy #2: Templates, document assembly, AI chatbots for client intake

  • [00:23:00] – Automation Strategy #3: Automated time tracking and AI-powered billing review

  • [00:23:30] – Text Expander discussion: saving 2-5 hours weekly on repetitive typing

  • [00:24:00] – Allison's top automation tools: Calendly, Microsoft Power Automate, Microsoft Bookings

  • [00:25:00] – Discovering hidden features in Microsoft 365 (Ben Schorr webinar reference)

  • [00:26:00] – Using AI for travel planning: Google AI for trip itineraries, Perplexity AI for route optimization

  • [00:27:00] – Maximizing productivity during travel and conference attendance

  • [00:28:00] – Where to find Allison: websites, social media, and YouTube channel

Resources 📚

Connect with Allison Johs:

Mentioned in the Episode:

  • 📖 ABA Legal Technology Resource Center – americanbar.org/groups/departments_offices/legal_technology_resources

  • 📖 How to Do More in Less Time (2nd Edition, 2023) – ABA Law Practice Division book co-authored by Allison Johs - https://www.amazon.com/How-More-Less-Time-Productivity/dp/1639052283

  • 📖 Make LinkedIn Work for You: A Practical Handbook for Lawyers and Other Legal Professionals – Co-authored with Dennis Kennedy - https://www.amazon.com/Make-LinkedIn-Work-You-Professionals/dp/1734076321

  • 👤 Ben Schorr – Microsoft 365 expert, now with Affinity Consulting Group - https://www.affinityconsulting.com/team/ben-m-schorr/

  • 🏛️ Universal Migrator – CRM/LPM data migration tool - https://www.universalmigrator.com/

Hardware Mentioned in the Conversation:

  • 💻 Dell Laptop - https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/scr/laptops?_gl=1*78tbrz*_up*MQ..*_gs*MQ..&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgerxro6QkQMVdUpHAR0BUBUOEAAYASAAEgJ_R_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

  • 🖥️ HP All-in-One Desktop Computer - https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/vwa/desktops/form=All-in-One

  • 🖥️ INNOCN Portable Monitor (1080p mobile screen) – innocn.com

  • 📷 Logitech Brio Webcam (4K with built-in microphone) – logitech.com/brio

  • 🖨️ HP Printer - https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/vwa/printers

  • 📄 Fujitsu ScanSnap Scanner (duplex document scanner) – scansnap.com

Software & Cloud Services Mentioned in the Conversation: