If you’ve ever felt stuck toggling between being an excellent lawyer and a true business leader, this episode is your wake-up call.

In the final installment of the "Built to Lead" series, host Brigit Norris sits down with Catherine O’Connell, a powerhouse legal entrepreneur, to unpack what it takes to step into the role of visionary CEO. This isn’t about tips for better time management—it’s a blueprint for reclaiming your authority, redesigning your career, and rewriting your firm’s future.

Catherine’s hard-won wisdom will push you to rethink your identity, your leadership, and your legacy. If you’re ready to lead instead of just serve, don’t miss this.



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Key Takeaways from Bridgit and Catherine:

1. From Technician to Visionary

Shifting from legal technician to strategic leader requires letting go of perfectionism and trusting others to carry the load.

The real transformation starts when you stop identifying solely with your technical role and start envisioning your firm as a scalable enterprise.

2. Delegation is Non-Negotiable

Delegation isn't a sign of weakness—it's the gateway to growth.

When you delegate with trust and process, you create capacity to lead and think strategically rather than stay buried in daily tasks.

3. Leadership Begins with You

You cannot lead a high-performing team if you're not actively leading yourself.

Creating time for self-reflection, CEO-level thinking, and intentionality is what shifts you from overwhelmed operator to empowered leader.

4. The Power of Presence and Visibility

Visibility isn't vanity—it’s strategy.

Building relationships, showing up, and making your leadership known both within and beyond the firm establishes authority and attracts opportunity.

5. Redefining Success for Women in Law

The path to sustainable success as a woman in law involves redefining legacy and income through innovation, not just legal excellence.

Choosing to lead from purpose and design a business aligned with your life is the ultimate power move.

"If you want loyalty, I think you have to lead with trust, not tasks. So, building that strong team I mentioned before starts with trust — and that begins even before hiring." — Catherine O’Connell

Get in touch with Catherine O'Connell:

Website: https://www.catherineoconnelllaw.com/

Show: Lawyer on Air: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lawyer-on-air/id1553526783

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/

🚀 Want to SCALE your law firm? Go here: https://bit.ly/3z7R5qM

⭐️ Want to join our FREE...

You're not just a lawyer — you're a visionary rewriting the rules.

In this powerful episode of our Build to Lead series, Bridgit Norris sits down with estate planning attorney and trailblazing founder Laura Cowan, who went from Wall Street accountant to building a thriving law firm that works for her.

Laura is the mind behind the 2-Hour Lifestyle Lawyer™ and author of Lifestyle Lawyer Revolution, featured in Forbes and Entrepreneur, and she's living proof that success in law doesn't have to come at the cost of your freedom, health, or happiness.

This episode is packed with real talk, strategy, and encouragement for women lawyers who are ready to define success on their terms — and be bold enough to speak up about it.

If you're done measuring yourself by billable hours and want a model that supports the life you want, this one’s for you.



Key Takeaways from Bridgit and Laura:

1. Profit Over Posturing

Scaling revenue means nothing if it costs your health, time, or peace of mind.

Success in law must prioritize profit, sustainability, and freedom, not vanity metrics like 2x or 3x growth.

2. Delegate What Doesn’t Require a Law Degree

Building a lean, effective firm starts with outsourcing admin work, document drafting, and marketing, even with limited resources.

Focus your time on the few key actions that generate revenue and truly require your expertise.

3. Redefine Success with Intention

Success isn’t one-size-fits-all.

Whether that means working part-time, serving only select clients, or shifting your role entirely, fulfillment comes from designing a practice that aligns with your values, not the legal industry’s outdated playbook.

4. Scaling Comes with Tradeoffs

Growth doesn’t just mean more revenue — it means more clients, more hiring, more systems.

Before chasing scale, define exactly what you want more of, and ensure your team and infrastructure are built to handle it.

5. Bold Voices Shift the Profession

Too many women in law are quietly struggling with outdated norms and expectations.

Speaking openly about freedom, flexibility, and alternative success models doesn’t just serve you — it lights the path for the next generation.

"There's no point in having a million dollars in revenue if you're working until 10 o’clock at night and you've got to spend the vast majority of it just to support the business." — Laura Cowan

Get in touch with Laura Cowan:

Website: https://www.2hourlifestylelawyer.com/

Book: Lifestyle Lawyer Revolution: https://www.amazon.com/Lifestyle-Lawyer-Revolution-Without-Leaving-ebook/dp/B0F3FNZMQN/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thelauracowan/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/2hourlifestylelawyer/

Are you a high-achieving woman in law ready to become a powerhouse CEO?

Then HER Law was built for you.

🔥 Join the waitlist and step into the role your firm actually needs:

You're not doing referrals wrong—you've just been taught a system that never really worked for you.

In this empowering fourth episode of our Build to Lead series, hosted by Bridgit Norris, you'll discover how to build a client-generating engine that feels aligned with who you are and how you want to show up in business.

Guest Stacey Brown Randall—founder of Building a Referable Business, podcast host, and author of Generating Business Referrals Without Asking—breaks down the science of referrals and how legal professionals, especially women, are moving beyond outdated “good old boys” tactics.

She shares how to generate referrals through relationship nurturing, brain science, and trust-based strategies—without asking, selling, or relying on traditional networking.

If you're tired of feeling like you have to "sell" yourself to earn new clients, this conversation will reframe everything you thought you knew about referrals.

Stick around—this could be the mindset shift your firm has been waiting for.

Key Takeaways from Bridgit and Stacey:

1. Referrals Are a Distinct Business Pillar

Referrals aren’t part of prospecting or marketing—they’re a third, separate leg of the business development stool.

Recognizing and treating them as their system reshapes how you build sustainable client growth.

2. Asking Isn’t Required—There’s a Better Way

Referrals can be generated consistently without asking, manipulating, or promoting yourself awkwardly.

By focusing on trust and intentional relationship-building, they emerge naturally from genuine connections.

3. Relationship Respect Drives Results

The magic isn’t in the ask—it’s in how well you nurture and prioritize your referral sources.

Putting their needs ahead of your own strengthens trust and leads to more frequent, high-quality referrals.

4. Women Are Leading a Quiet Revolution

Rather than fighting for space in outdated systems, many women are designing approaches that reflect how they truly want to lead.

These new models prioritize alignment, authenticity, and long-term impact over transactional tactics.

5. You Deserve Referrals—But You’re Not Owed Them

Doing excellent work earns you the right to be referred, but referrals aren’t automatic.

To receive them consistently, you must commit to doing the relationship work with clarity and intention.

"If referrals don't fit in prospecting or marketing, well, then they should fit in their own leg of the stool. We've got prospecting, we've got marketing, and referrals—and they're all three good in their own ways, but you need all three of them." — Stacey Brown Randall

Get in touch with Stacey Brown Randall:

Website: https://staceybrownrandall.com/

Book: Generating Business Referrals Without Asking: https://www.amazon.com/Generating-Business-Referrals-Without-Asking-ebook/dp/B07D99KJ6H/

Show: Roadmap to Referrals: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/roadmap-to-referrals/id1405302350

LinkedIn:

What if burnout isn’t just a personal failure, but a leadership blind spot?

In this third episode of our Built to Lead series, host Bridgit Norris sits down with Lexlee Overton—veteran trial lawyer, executive coach, and founder of Mind Over Law—for a conversation that goes far deeper than self-care clichés.

You’ll learn why exhaustion is baked into the legal culture, how to rewire your nervous system for clarity and performance, and what it really takes to lead without sacrificing your well-being.

If you're done glorifying grind and ready to reclaim your energy, this episode offers the exact tools to start now.

Don’t wait for your body to force the change—this is your wake-up call.



Key Takeaways from Bridgit and Lexlee:

1. Prioritize Energy Before Productivity

Before diving into your tasks, take a moment to check in with your energy levels instead of your calendar.

By starting the day with a short practice, such as breathwork or intentional movement, you lay the foundation for sustainable focus and clearer decision-making.

2. Replace Hustle with Coherency

Instead of powering through stress with more hustle, learn to create internal alignment.

Practicing simple techniques like heart-centered breathing before a meeting or tough conversation helps regulate your nervous system and keeps your response intentional, not reactive.

3. Time Audit to Reclaim Hours

Feeling overwhelmed? Start with a week-long time audit, tracking your tasks in 15-minute increments.

This will reveal where your time and energy are going—and more importantly, what you can delegate or eliminate to free up space for what matters most.

4. Set a Team Baseline for Emotional Check-ins

To prevent burnout from spreading through your team, embed emotional awareness into your weekly stand-ups.

Begin each meeting with three prompts: share one win, one current challenge, and one way the team can support you—this builds a culture of trust and shared accountability.

5. Reframe the “No Time” Narrative

If your go-to thought is, “I don’t have time,” pause and challenge it.

Just three minutes of gratitude-focused breathing can reset your state, calm your mind, and boost your capacity, proving that restoration doesn’t have to be time-consuming to be effective.

"If you’re showing up overwhelmed, you’re impacting your team. Like that one: you’re not performing, you’re not delegating, you’re not doing the things that you should be doing, and you also are impacting them in response to that." — Lexlee Overton

Get in touch with Lexlee Overton:

Website: https://mindoverlaw.com/

Show: Mind Over Law: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mind-over-law-with-lexlee-overton/id1755386630

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexleeoverton/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexleeoverton/

Are you a high-achieving woman in law ready to become a powerhouse CEO?

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🔥 Join the waitlist and step into the...

What if the very thing that’s draining you could become the key to your power?

In this second episode of our Built to Lead Series, host Bridgit Norris is joined by Emily Logan Stedman, partner at Husch Blackwell and a commercial litigator who’s reshaped what it means to thrive in big law.

Emily takes us deep into the billable hour, not to condemn it, but to completely reframe it—as a tool for control, clarity, and even creativity. You’ll learn how she’s reclaimed her time, set boundaries without guilt, and used systems and mindset to scale her career without scaling her burnout.

Whether you’re running a solo practice or rising through the ranks, this conversation will challenge everything you thought you knew about productivity, client demands, and what it means to lead well in law.

Because if you don’t take ownership of your time, something else will.

Tired of Facebook Ads that get clicks but no clients?

Join Sam Mollaei, Esq. for a free live training built specifically for law firm owners who want real ROI, not vanity metrics.

Facebook Ads 2025 breaks down the exact system Sam used to generate over 25,000 legal leads a month—without agencies, guesswork, or wasted ad spend.

📅 May 21 | 🕐 1 PM ET

🔗 Register free: https://link.mylegalacademy.com/facebook-ads-2025

Key Takeaways from Sam and Neil:

1. Rethink the Billable Hour as a Business Tool

Instead of viewing the billable hour as a burden, use it to audit how time is spent, identify inefficiencies, and ensure your value is visible to your firm, your clients, and yourself.

2. Autonomy Over Balance

To take control, reverse-engineer your billable hour goals by first mapping out vacation days, holidays, and planned time off.

Then, break those goals down into manageable monthly, weekly, and daily targets.

3. Build Systems Early to Reduce Burnout

Incorporating daily time tracking helps eliminate guesswork and emotional resistance, making it a seamless part of your routine, like brushing your teeth.

4. Client Expectations Thrive on Communication

Similarly, managing client expectations is about clarity, not being overly available.

By setting clear communication on when clients can expect responses, you reduce pressure while maintaining trust.

5. AI Is a Tool, Not a Replacement

Finally, use AI to handle repetitive tasks and assist with ideation, but always review the output.

Think of it as a helpful junior associate—fast and useful, but in need of your guidance.

"If you shift to thinking about [the billable hour] as a tool for your business, your small piece of business within a larger firm, or your entire firm for yourself, it can help you start changing your mindset." — Emily Logan Stedman

Get in touch with Emily Logan Stedman:

Show: The Grace Period: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-grace-period-shining-a-light-on-lawyer-wellbeing/id1739417829

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilystedman/

Are you a high-achieving woman in

You're not here to survive—you’re built to lead.

This powerful kickoff to the Built to Lead Series, hosted by Bridgit Norris, My Legal Academy’s Director of Client Services, opens with an unfiltered conversation featuring Bridgette Williams, Esq., an award-winning personal injury attorney and owner of BLW Legal Group.

With a background that spans from criminal law to managing her own practice, Bridgette turned burnout into a blueprint for sustainable success. She shares how she evolved from juggling every role in her firm to becoming a confident CEO with clear systems, a strong team, and a business that supports her life, not one that controls it.

If you’ve ever questioned whether you can grow your practice and reclaim your time, this episode gives you the strategy and the permission to lead differently.

Through real-life wins, hard lessons, and candid truths, you'll see exactly what’s possible when women stop apologizing for how they want to lead—and start building a practice that reflects their vision.

Want to turn Facebook Ads into signed clients, not just clicks?

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Join Sam Mollaei, Esq. for a live breakdown of the proven Facebook Ads system built for law firm growth. Learn how to attract, qualify, and convert leads—without relying on agencies or guesswork.

Date: Wednesday, May 21

Time: 1:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM PT

Join live: https://link.mylegalacademy.com/facebook-ads-2025

Key Takeaways from Bridgit and Bridgette:

1. Find the work balance that protects your energy

Reaching a burnout point is often the wake-up call to stop doing everything yourself.

Focus on building a practice that supports both your well-being and your goals by prioritizing flexibility and clarity in your daily work.

2. Let go of control so your firm can grow

Holding onto every task might feel safe, but it prevents real growth.

Identify what you love doing and delegate the rest to free up bandwidth and elevate your leadership.

3. Build your practice around how you want to lead

You don’t have to follow outdated models of success.

Make decisions based on your values, your lifestyle, and what makes you a more effective leader and human.

4. Design your CEO role with intention and vision

You can still love the law and lead the business, just not at the expense of your sanity.

Step into the CEO seat by hiring for strength, not just cost, and create space for strategic growth.

5. Create systems that evolve as you scale

Good systems are essential, but don’t be afraid to pivot when something isn’t working.

Your ability to adapt and refine is what makes your firm resilient and future-ready.

"You're not able to scale... if you're still trying to be the case manager, the lawyer, the intake specialist, the billing person—all at an A-plus level." — Bridgette Williams

Get in touch with Bridgette Williams:

Website: https://texascrashlawyers.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/attorneybridgettewilliams/

Instagram:

"Are You Still Doing That Manually?" — Real-World Automation for Law Firms with Mike Smith & Matthew Adams

That one question could be costing your law firm countless hours and missed opportunities.

Today, we’re welcoming two powerful voices in legal automation to the show:

🔹 Mike Smith, a seasoned estate planning attorney and My Legal Academy Ambassador who has embraced automation to reclaim his time and scale smarter.

🔹 Matthew Adams, CEO of MapMatix, an agency helping law firms unlock serious efficiency through automation, integration, and AI strategy.

If you’ve ever felt buried under repetitive tasks or frustrated by tech that doesn’t talk to each other, this is your wake-up call.

You’ll hear how real firms are slashing inefficiencies, how automation and AI actually work in practice (not theory), and how even small firms can compete at a higher level.

If you're ready to rethink what’s possible in your law practice, this episode is your roadmap.



Key Takeaways from Mike and Matthew:

1. Automation Is an Equalizer, Not a Replacement

Automation isn't here to steal jobs—it’s here to make your team more creative and efficient.

Instead of fearing tech, firms should view it as a way to level the playing field with larger competitors.



2. Consistency Is Key to Effective Automation

Automation works best when processes are repeatable and well-defined.

If your workflow changes every week, focus on standardizing before automating.



3. AI Has Promise, But Use It Strategically

AI can enhance client communication and marketing, but it still "hallucinates" and lacks consistency, making it risky for critical legal tasks.

Use it as a copilot, not a pilot.



4. Most Firms Are Underutilizing the Software They Already Have

Many law firms are unaware that tools like Clio or NetDocuments already support automation—no custom code needed.

Optimizing your current stack can sometimes yield quicker wins than buying new software.



5. Don't Over-Automate Untested Processes

Newer firms often make the mistake of trying to automate workflows they haven’t validated yet.

Manual testing first ensures your automation won’t amplify bad processes.

"[AI is] a prediction engine. That's really all it is at this point." — Mike Smith

"Automation is unlikely to replace lawyers... we're helping lawyers and paralegals and other staff to be more efficient, to be able to work on more creative, thoughtful tasks." — Matthew Adams



Get in touch with Mike Smith and Matthew Adams:

Mike’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhsmithsav/

MapMatix Website: https://www.mapmatix.com/

Matthew’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-adams-mapmatix/

Matthew’s Email: matt@mapmatix.com

🚀 Want to SCALE your law firm? Go here:

Ready to finally stop spinning your wheels and actually get things done?

In this second part of the productivity hack series, Sam Mollaei builds on the foundation laid in Part 1 and delivers the full, game-changing framework that’s helping lawyers escape constant overwhelm.

This isn’t another generic tip—it’s a radical shift in how you approach productivity in your firm. Sam’s proven system turns scattered to-do lists into focused, executable strategies fueled by clarity, urgency, and smart delegation.

By applying this framework, you’ll finally start working with intention instead of reaction. If you're ready to stop spinning your wheels and start scaling with precision, this episode is your blueprint.

After hosting AI Advantage for Law with over 300 lawyers last week, one thing became crystal clear:

The fastest-growing firms aren’t chasing more leads. They’re fixing what happens after the lead comes in.

If you missed the masterclass or are ready to implement what was taught, we’re now offering a private AI Intake Audit — personalized to your firm.

• We’ll audit your current intake
• Pinpoint where time and leads are slipping
• Give you a plug-and-play roadmap to automate it all

Book a 1-on-1 AI Intake Audit here → https://schedule.mylegalacademy.com/ai

Key Takeaways from Sam and Neil:

1. The Power of Written Clarity

Execution starts with intention—and that means writing it down.

A clear, actionable plan on paper creates the focus and direction you need to follow through.

2. Deadlines Create Movement

Every step needs a specific deadline—without it, things drift.

When you anchor tasks to a date and time, you trigger momentum and start closing loops.

3. Think in 1 to 3 Day Blocks

Plans that span weeks or months often become wishful thinking.

Narrowing your focus to what can be done in one to three days forces action and results.

4. Delegate Ruthlessly

You shouldn’t be the bottleneck—hand off as much as possible.

Delegation is only powerful if paired with accountability, so make follow-through part of the process.

5. Execution Over Ideas

Ideas don’t build law firms—consistent implementation does.

When you track your time, measure your output, and embrace “done over perfect,” you create real growth.

"Vision sets the direction, knowledge fuels the confidence. But ultimately, it’s the implementation that helps cross the finish line." — Sam Mollaei

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