Lawyerist Podcast

Hiring offshore staff can transform a law firm, but only if it's done intentionally. 

 In this episode, Zack Glaser sits down with Raquel Gomes, co-founder and CEO of Stafi, to discuss the most common mistakes law firms make when hiring remote offshore team members. Drawing on her background in psychology and experience supporting hundreds of law firms, Raquel explains why the term "virtual assistant" may be holding firms back and how successful firms build engaged, high-performing remote teams. 

Zack and Raquel explore the importance of defining roles before hiring, creating effective vetting processes, building structured onboarding systems, integrating remote staff into firm culture, and continuing to invest in team members after they are hired. They also discuss how law firm owners can move from working in the business to leading the business by building teams they trust. 

Listen to our previous episodes on hiring, delegation, leadership, and building stronger law firm teams: 

#616: From Solo to CEO: Letting Go of Legal Work to Grow Your Firm, with Ellen Williamson Apple | Spotify | LTN 

#615: How to Stop Being the Bottleneck and Build Stronger Teams, with Debbie Foster and Stephanie Everett Apple | Spotify | LTN 

#523: Financial Red Flags: Are You Hiring Too Soon?, with Bernadette Harris Apple | Spotify | LTN 

 

Links from the episode:  

https://getstafi.com 

 

Have thoughts about today’s episode? Join the conversation on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X!  

If today's podcast resonates with you and you haven't read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Looking for help beyond the book? See if our coaching community is right for you.  

Access more resources from Lawyerist at lawyerist.com.  

 

Chapters / Timestamps: 

00:00 Introduction 

01:26 Why "VA" Is the Wrong Mindset 

04:21 Mistake #1: Hiring Reactively Instead of Strategically 

06:02 Mistake #2: Weak Vetting and Screening 

09:29 How Stafi Evaluates Candidates 

11:41 Mistake #3: Poor Onboarding Processes 

13:19 Creating SOPs Through Training 

15:20 Mistake #4: Failing to Integrate Remote Staff 

18:51 Investing in Team Culture and Communication 

20:39 Mistake #5: Giving Up Too Soon 

22:58 What Makes Stafi Different 

24:45 Immigration Case Outsourcing Explained 

26:34 The Benefits of Getting Offshore Hiring Right 

27:28 Where to Learn More About Stafi

Claude for Legal is not just something lawyers can install and use out of the box. It is a starting point for building smarter, more intentional law firm workflows. 

In this follow-up to last week’s conversation, Zack Glaser continues his discussion with Sam Harden about Claude for Legal, AI skills, and what law firms need to understand before adding automation into their work. Sam explains why lawyers should not treat Claude’s legal plugin as a finished product, but as a framework they can customize around their own processes, practice areas, and firm strategy. 

They discuss how lawyers can modify AI skills, share them across a team, avoid creating more silos, and think through workflows before automating them. From demand letters to deposition summaries to safe experimentation, this episode explores how AI can help lawyers reduce repetitive work while preserving the judgment, expertise, and “secret sauce” that make their firms valuable. 

Listen to our previous episodes on Artificial intelligence, law firm workflows, and the future of legal practice: 

#619: What Claude Means for Law Firms: AI Skills, Connectors, and Workflow Strategy, with Sam Harden Apple | Spotify | LTN 

#612: AI for Lawyers: What You Need to Know Before Your Clients Do, with Cat Casey Apple | Spotify | LTN 

#601: Beyond Chatbots: Using Agentic AI in Law Firm Intake, with Matt Spiegel Apple | Spotify | LTN 

#590: Innovating Without Overwhelm: Practical AI Tips for Lawyers, with Graydon Trusler Apple | Spotify | LTN  

#587: Future Proofing Your Firm in the Age of AI, with Jack Newton Apple | Spotify | LTN  

#577: Rethinking Law Firm Growth in the Age of AI, with Sam Harden Apple | Spotify | LTN 

 

Links from the episode: 

Posh.com/lawyerist 

https://samharden.substack.com/ 

 

Have thoughts about today’s episode? Join the conversation on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X!  

If today's podcast resonates with you and you haven't read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Looking for help beyond the book? See if our coaching community is right for you.  

Access more resources from Lawyerist at lawyerist.com.  

Chapters / Timestamps: 

00:00: Introduction00:20: Why “Ready” Can Be Fear in Disguise05:14: Sponsor Conversation with Posh13:16: What Claude for Legal Actually Is15:04: Claude for Legal 2.017:28: The Risk of Non Lawyers Using Legal AI20:09: What This Means for Attorneys21:17: The Plugin Is Not the Plan23:22: Customizing Claude for Your Practice  

27:20: Sharing AI Skills Across a Firm29:03: Why Law Firms Need an AI Strategy31:19: Map Workflows Before Automating 

33:05: Connecting AI to Your Firm’s Data39:13: How Far Can Law Firm AI Go?42:54: Practicing at the Top of Your License43:31: Safe AI Experimentation for Lawyers 

47:44: Where to Find Sam Harden

Claude is not just another AI tool lawyers can chat with. It may be a preview of where legal work is heading. In episode 619 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Zack Glaser talks with Sam Harden about Claude, Claude for legal, and the growing role of AI in law firm workflows. 

Sam breaks down how Claude can work with documents, folders, PDFs, Word files, and connected legal tools in ways that go far beyond simple prompting. They discuss the difference between Claude Chat, Claude Cowork, connectors, and skills, and why those distinctions matter for lawyers trying to understand what AI can actually do. 

They also explore why law firms should not rush into automation without first building better systems. From deposition summaries to document creation to legal research support, this episode explains how AI can become more useful when it is guided by strong processes, clear instructions, and thoughtful implementation. 

Listen to our previous episodes on Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Legal Practice. 

#612: AI for Lawyers: What You Need to Know Before Your Clients Do, with Cat Casey  Apple | Spotify | LTN 

#601: Beyond Chatbots: Using Agentic AI in Law Firm Intake, with Matt Spiegel Apple | Spotify | LTN 

#590: Innovating Without Overwhelm: Practical AI Tips for Lawyers, with Graydon Trusler Apple | Spotify | LTN  

#587: Future-Proofing Your Firm in the Age of AI, with Jack Newton Apple | Spotify | LTN  

#577: Rethinking Law Firm Growth in the Age of AI, with Sam Harden Apple | Spotify | LTN  

 

Have thoughts about today’s episode? Join the conversation on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X!  

If today's podcast resonates with you and you haven't read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Looking for help beyond the book? See if our coaching community is right for you.  

Access more resources from Lawyerist at lawyerist.com.  

Chapters / Timestamps: 

00:00 – Introduction 

00:34 – Why Claude for Legal Matters 

01:28 – Live Crabs and Work from Home Chaos 

07:04 – Setting Up the Conversation 

07:29 – Meet Sam Harden 

08:04 – What Lawyers Should Watch with Claude 

10:14 – What Claude Actually Is 

11:16 – How AI Moved Beyond Chat 

12:07 – From Claude Code to Claude Cowork 

13:22 – How Claude Works with Documents 

15:20 – Why Claude Cowork Is a Big Shift 

15:45 – Creating Documents and Presentations 

16:52 – Claude Chat vs. Cowork vs. Code 

18:12 – Legal Plugins and Connectors 

19:30 – Reducing Context Switching with AI 

20:49 – Connecting Claude to Legal Tools 

22:24 – What Legal Connectors Can Do 

24:47 – MCP, Tools, and Connector Limits 

26:37 – What Claude Skills Are 

28:44 – Why SOPs Come Before AI Skills 

29:43 – Using Skills for Legal Documents 

30:35 – AI Skills for Deposition Summaries 

31:14 – Combining Connectors and Skills 

32:15 – Teaching Claude Like a Team Member 

33:11 – Choosing the Right Skill 

34:00 – How Bad Instructions Create AI Risk 

35:49 – Building Better Skills and Plugins 

37:13 – What Comes Next for Claude for Legal

Wrongful convictions and AI privacy may seem like separate issues, but both raise the same uncomfortable question: what happens when the legal system relies on old assumptions in a changing world? In episode 618 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Zack Glaser talks with Sunny Eaton about conviction review work, evolving science, and why lawyers should not be so quick to surrender privacy expectations in the age of AI. 

Sunny shares how her work in the Nashville District Attorney’s Office focuses on reviewing old convictions, identifying new evidence, and helping correct cases where the system may have gotten it wrong. She explains why changing science, including advances in DNA, trauma research, and bias studies, can matter deeply when reviewing criminal convictions. 

The conversation then turns to AI, attorney client privilege, client data, and the growing role of data brokers. Zack and Sunny explore whether information shared with AI tools should automatically lose privacy protection, and why lawyers may need to make stronger arguments before courts accept that assumption. 

If you are concerned about AI in law firms, client confidentiality, or the future of privacy rights, this episode challenges lawyers to think harder about what should remain private and why it is our job to make the government work for it.  

Listen to our previous episodes on AI, Privacy & Legal Ethics. 

#612: AI for Lawyers: What You Need to Know Before Your Clients Do, with Cat Casey Apple | Spotify | LTN 

#582: Deepfakes, Data, and Duty: Navigating AI Ethics in Law, with Merisa Bowers Apple | Spotify | LTN 

#543: What Lawyers Need to Know About the Ethics of Using AI, with Hilary Gerzhoy Apple | Spotify | LTN 

#486: How to Safely Include AI in Your Legal Tech Stack, with Will Anoh Apple | Spotify | LTN 

Have thoughts about today’s episode? Join the conversation on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X!  

If today's podcast resonates with you and you haven't read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Looking for help beyond the book? See if our coaching community is right for you.  

Access more resources from Lawyerist at lawyerist.com.  

 

Chapters / Timestamps: 

00:00 Introduction 

01:25 Pruning Your Practice 

04:15 When Loyalty Gets in the Way 

06:25 Meet Sunny Eaton 

08:45 Conviction Review Units 

09:50 Reviewing Old Cases 

11:25 Building Trust 

12:40 What Cases Qualify 

14:35 Changing Science 

16:00 DNA, Trauma, and Bias 

18:05 Case by Case Review 

19:25 Bad Science and Old Convictions 

20:40 AI and Privacy 

22:00 Lawyers, Therapists, and Privacy 

23:20 Giving Up Too Quickly on AI Privacy 

25:30 Reasonable Expectations of Privacy 

26:15 Client Data and AI Risk 

29:15 What Email Teaches Us 

31:00 Attorney Client Privilege and AI 

33:20 Personal vs. Workplace AI Use 

34:00 Old Rules, New Technology 

35:45 Make the Government Work for It

AI is changing legal marketing faster than most law firms realize. In episode 617 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Stephanie Everett talks with Conrad Saam, founder of Mockingbird, about what law firms need to understand as AI begins reshaping marketing, reporting, decision making, and the business of running a firm. 

Conrad shares why AI may give smaller, more entrepreneurial law firms a new way to compete against larger firms with bigger budgets and more data. He explains how firms can use AI to build smarter internal systems, improve reporting, and rethink the tools they rely on every day. 

The conversation also explores leadership under pressure through Conrad’s volunteer work in ski patrol and search and rescue. From staying calm in high stress situations to debriefing after things go wrong, he shares practical lessons law firm owners can apply when managing clients, teams, campaigns, and business decisions. 

If you are trying to understand what AI really means for law firm growth, legal marketing, and the future of small firms, this episode offers a grounded look at what is changing, what is overhyped, and what law firm owners should pay attention to next. 

Listen to our previous episodes on Legal Marketing, AI & Smarter Law Firm Growth. 

#603: Turn Expertise into Clients: Building Authority That AI Recognizes, with Karin Conroy Apple | Spotify | LTN 

#584: How to Stay Human in the Age of AI Driven Law Firm Marketing, with Conroy Creative Apple | Spotify | LTN  

#580: Smarter Law Firm Marketing: AI Tools That Actually Work, with FirmPilot Apple | Spotify | LTN 

#577: Rethinking Law Firm Growth in the Age of AI, with Sam Harden Apple | Spotify | LTN  

#550: Beyond Content: How AI is Changing Law Firm Marketing, with Gyi Tsakalakis and Conrad Saam Apple | Spotify | LTN  Apple | Spotify | LTN 

Have thoughts about today’s episode? Join the conversation on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X!  

If today's podcast resonates with you and you haven't read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Looking for help beyond the book? See if our coaching community is right for you.  

Access more resources from Lawyerist at lawyerist.com.  

 

Chapters / Timestamps: 

00:00 – Introduction 

00:25 – Lawyer Mental Health and Well Being02:45 – Meet Legal Marketing Expert Conrad Saam03:35 – The Early Days of SEO for Lawyers04:00 – What Search and Rescue Teaches About Business06:40 – Why Law Firm Owners Struggle to Disconnect08:45 – Calm Leadership in Stressful Moments09:55 – How Leaders Shape Law Firm Culture12:05 – Using Checklists to Make Better Business Decisions13:00 – Preparing for Problems Before They Happen14:20 – Why Outcomes Don’t Tell the Whole Story16:05 – The Value of Legal Marketing Content17:40 – AI and the Future of Legal Marketing18:25 – What ABA Tech Show Revealed About AI19:35 – Why Law Firms May Build Their Own AI Tools20:35 – Can AI Level the Playing Field for Small Firms?23:35 – Replacing Expensive Reporting Systems with AI26:25 – Why AI Rankings Can Be Misleading28:45 – Tactical Marketing for Law Firm Owners31:10 – Rethinking Leadership as a Law Firm CEO32:20 – Closing Thoughts