Steve Riley

I am an Atticus Shareholder and Attorney. I coach attorneys who feel “stuck” in their law practice and help them implement impactful changes.

[Steve Riley @SteveRiley_]

Before you train your team on AI, assume everyone is starting from day one.

Colin Levy (@Clevy_Law) told me: no assumptions about skill or knowledge. Then train again on a schedule, not once.

https://t.co/1Phm5b7Cu2

[Steve Riley @SteveRiley_]

@R44D Same lesson for small firms. AI makes the work cheaper to deliver. It doesn't win the client. If the owner is the only rainmaker, better software just speeds up work someone else still has to bring in.

[Steve Riley @SteveRiley_]

@Mayhem4Markets @blackletterfirm A small firm doesn't need a committee to fix this.

Pick one routine matter. Put a flat fee on it. Now the hours AI saves become margin instead of a smaller invoice.

[Steve Riley @SteveRiley_]

@DavidLat Wow. That is significant!

[David Lat @DavidLat]

1/ How long would it take for their to be another Weil Gotshal?

I'm trying to confirm a report that another roughly 100-year-old firm is about to end its existence as an independent entity—but through a merger (or really an acquisition), not a wind-down.

[Steve Riley @SteveRiley_]

Elaine Ralls (@onebiglife) owed $500,000. She called one media company a day. She paid about $150,000.

"Because I was proactive."

GPGL Ep 205: https://t.co/GE6BJw9Ua4
#AtticusAdvantage #AtticusLawyerCoaching #GreatPracticeGreatLife #LegalPodcast

[Steve Riley @SteveRiley_]

@ChristianNaaden Exactly. And someone has to be trained to make it. If juniors never do the hard version, the judgment call has no one to land on in ten years.

[Steve Riley @SteveRiley_]

Anthropic's CEO says AI could wipe out half of entry-level lawyer jobs within five years.

Not shocking. Every law firm partner I talk to is saying the same thing.

If AI does the junior work, how does a small firm grow its next senior lawyer?

Name one judgment call only a person makes. Teach that this week.
#AtticusAdvantage #AtticusLawyerCoaching #GreatPracticeGreatLife #LegalAI

[Steve Riley @SteveRiley_]

@theviclaw Small firm owners face the same three questions. Can you pay your best people well? Can you give them a reason to stay? Does the client belong to the firm or to one lawyer?

The tech doesn't answer any of them.

[Steve Riley @SteveRiley_]

The Atticus Summit starts Thursday in Orlando.

I'll be teaching Thursday afternoon: "Frustration as Fuel: The REACT Formula™ to Achieve Your Most Meaningful Goals."

If you're coming, I hope to see you there.
https://t.co/lAg5RCvMaa
#AtticusSummit2026

[Lawyer Issues @LawyerIssues]

Lawyers aren't pessimists.

We've just seen what happens when optimistic people refuse to read contracts.

[Steve Riley @SteveRiley_]

Clients notice the call you didn't return.

I asked Dr. Kenya Oduor how she'd coach a firm on it. Phone calls pile up. Emails pile up. The client is left waiting.

Set one callback rule for your team this week.
https://t.co/ZnSfQ7H4ni
#GreatPracticeGreatLife #LegalPodcast

[Steve Riley @SteveRiley_]

https://t.co/jRj5tnWbPs

[Steve Riley @SteveRiley_]

@onebiglife (Elaine Ralls) spent years teaching work-life balance. Then she admitted she didn't do it.

"It is one big life."

GPGL Ep 205: https://t.co/GE6BJw9Ua4
#AtticusAdvantage #AtticusLawyerCoaching #GreatPracticeGreatLife #LegalPodcast

[Steve Riley @SteveRiley_]

@jkubicki @jkubicki Agree on value. For most small firms, though, a fixed fee is the first time they learn what a matter actually costs to deliver. That's the step before value pricing. Skip it and you're back to mood pricing.

[Steve Riley @SteveRiley_]

@mark_FamilyCase @CaseyMeraz @mark_FamilyCase Good add. The "we don't take" line helps referral sources too. When they know what you turn away, they send you better cases.

[Steve Riley @SteveRiley_]

A law firm @CaseyMeraz works with saw a jump in email inquiries. Many were AI agents shopping for a lawyer.

Can a bot tell what you handle, what it costs and when you start?

Check your intake page this week.
#AtticusAdvantage #AtticusLawyerCoaching #GreatPracticeGreatLife

[Casey Meraz @CaseyMeraz]

A law firm we work with saw a sizeable jump in email inquiries recently.

After some digging, a lot of them turned out to be AI agents. People are using tools like Dot and Grok Bot to shop for a lawyer for them.

Wild world. Is your firm tracking where these come from?

[Steve Riley @SteveRiley_]

@ryanmckeen @ryanmckeen Agreed. And it has to go on the calendar, or client work eats it every time.

[Steve Riley @SteveRiley_]

Most AI training for a legal team is one session and a hope.

Colin Levy (@Clevy_Law) says that plan fails, and he told me what to do instead.

Article this afternoon.

[Steve Riley @SteveRiley_]

@CaseyMeraz Same mistake shows up without the bot. Owners in survival mode say yes to every case. Then the work, the clients and the cash flow all back up.

Write down the cases you turn away before you write the intake script.

[Steve Riley @SteveRiley_]

Billable-hour culture still runs most firms.

AI is shrinking those hours. Clients will notice.

Price the answer, not the clock. Flat-fee your most routine matter this week.
#LegalAI

[Steve Fretzin @stevefretzin]

The billable hour is more than a pricing model. It is deeply embedded in law firm culture. As AI reduces the time needed for legal work, firms may need to rethink subscriptions, flat fees, and productized services.

Full episode: https://t.co/6njEjgXGb7