Ed Poll of LawBiz Management Company: LexBlog Interviews
Edward Poll has practiced law for 25 years and has consulted and coached lawyers for the last 20 years at LawBiz Management Company. West Publishing Company recently published his latest book, “Grow Your Law Practice in Tough Times.”
Kelliann Blazek: What is your interest in TechShow?
Edward Poll: I’ve been coming to TechShow since its beginning and I don’t remember when it began. I like to stay current with what’s happening in the industry because I consult with lawyers. If I don’t know what’s happening in the industry, I cannot do them a service.
KB: What kind of consulting do you do?
EP: I can’t believe I’m celebrating my twentieth anniversary doing this, but along the way I’ve helped a lot of lawyers change their practice, improve revenue, improve their profit, reduce their stress. Because for the first time, they had an ally. Lawyers are, I don’t care where they are, they’re solos. There’s generally not anybody that they can relate to that can support them as a mentor, someone they can be really honest with. I become an objective, experienced ally for them that they can spill their guts to.
KB: Can you talk a little about how you got into blogging?
EP: I had a website and Kevin started talking to me about reaching lawyers in a different way through the new social media. In the last six months, I have been doing other social media, too: Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook and Youtube. Every week, I have a Youtube vignette and that goes on the blog as well.
KB: What do you think blogging has added to your work?
EP: It is a vehicle for me to reach people. It’s a vehicle for me to help people. It’s a vehicle for more people to know who I am and if they perceive that I’m providing value to them, for free, then maybe they’ll give me a call. Another thing it does for me is keep my writing skills wet. Like any other habit, if you get into the habit you will continue to write. When wrote my first book in ’93, I said, “Okay, that’s it.” And each book I’ve written since then, I’ve said, “Okay, that’s it. I’ve got nothing more to say.” But because I’m in the habit of doing this, then other ideas come to me.
