Dennis Meador is the CEO of The Legal Podcast Network. DM has been an entrepreneur since he was a teenager, building businesses in everything from shoveling snow to SEO before finding his fit helping attorneys share their voices. A lifelong communicator from his years as a pastor to his more than 20 years in legal marketing, DM believes the best ideas don't come from selling, they come from conversations.

Eighty-two percent of people use the internet to find their attorney. They type in a search, get hundreds of results, and every lawyer looks the same. With no way to distinguish expertise, potential clients default to asking how much it costs. The legal profession has become commoditized, turning skilled attorneys into interchangeable service providers competing on price alone.

The solution isn't more traditional marketing. It's conversations. Founder-led, authentic content where lawyers answer the specific questions their ideal clients are asking. FAQ-style podcasts give attorneys the opportunity to demonstrate their expertise, show they understand client problems, and position themselves as the obvious choice before a prospect ever picks up the phone.

In this episode of The Lawyer's Edge, Elise talks with Dennis Meador of The Legal Podcast Network about why expertise needs to be visible to be valuable, how podcasting creates authority through conversations instead of sales tactics, what lawyers get wrong about giving away knowledge for free, and the multiple ways podcasts generate business beyond download numbers and ad revenue.

2:06 - Why 82% of clients search online and what that means for lawyer visibility

3:34 - How commoditization has driven down hourly rates over the past decade

6:51 - Founder-led, authentic marketing is what resonates with today's clients

8:14 - Why FAQ-format podcasts are the best way for lawyers to differentiate

10:33 - The two biggest objections lawyers have about sharing expertise publicly

13:36 - Why posting too much content won't chase away the clients you actually want

16:24 - Authority podcasts are designed to inform potential clients, not brag

18:21 - How to create a year's worth of evergreen podcast content

21:25 - Using patterns in client stories instead of specific confidential details

23:23 - The nuts and bolts of podcast ROI for lawyers

26:40 - Monetization strategies beyond ad revenue and sponsorships

33:23 - Turning 30 minutes of recording into a month of marketing content

35:29 - The curse of knowledge: explaining things like you're talking to an eight-year-old

37:03 - Cumulative learning and why repeating yourself actually delivers value

The Legal Podcast Network | LinkedIn

Dennis Meador on LinkedIn

Get connected with the coaching team: hello@thelawyersedge.com

The Lawyer's Edge

Today's episode is brought to you by the Ignite Women's Business Development Accelerator, a 9-month business development program created BY women lawyers for women lawyers. Ignite is a carefully designed business development program containing content, coaching, and a community of like-minded women who are committed to becoming rainmakers AND supporting the retention and advancement of other women in the profession.

If you are interested in either participating in the program or sponsoring a woman in your firm to enroll, learn more about Ignite and sign up for our registration alerts by visiting www.thelawyersedge.com/ignite.

Adam Severson is the Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at Baker Donelson, a leading national firm with more than 700 lawyers and 25-plus offices in the United States, primarily in the southeastern U.S. Adam's role is unique compared to many who hold that title in that he spends a lot of his time meeting with clients and actually selling the firm's services. Adam is a past president of the Legal Marketing Association and a Hall of Fame member. He's also a Fellow in the College of Law Practice Management.

Executive presence can seem hard to define. Many people think you either have it or you don't. But Adam Severson frames it differently. When you walk into a room or lead a pitch meeting, others are asking themselves whether they can take you seriously and whether you instill confidence. That assessment happens fast, and it's based on more than just what you say.

The lawyers who are best at client development aren't necessarily the ones trying to be the smartest or most interesting person in the room. They're the ones who show up prepared, ask thoughtful questions about what's actually happening in a client's business, and then follow through when they promise to find an answer. Adam calls that gap between what people say they will do and what they actually do the "say-do gap." Closing it builds trust faster than almost anything else, and most people never even realize they're leaving it open.

In this episode of The Lawyer's Edge, Elise Holtzman talks with Adam Severson about what executive presence actually looks like in law firms, why imposter syndrome stops people from even trying to develop it, and how lawyers can build credibility through preparation and genuine curiosity rather than trying to have all the answers.

2:09 - How Adam defines executive presence

3:16 - The three elements of executive presence

5:26 - Executive presence vs. confidence and whether you can have one without the other

6:22 - Practical behaviors to demonstrate executive presence

8:53 - Being interested in others matters more than being interesting

10:27 - Using data to build credibility with lawyers and practice groups

15:07 - How executive presence impacts business development and client retention

15:32 - The "say-do gap" and why following through on what you promise matters

21:10 - Imposter syndrome keeps people from trying to develop executive presence

22:14 - The perfectionism problem and why you don't need all the answers

25:07 - Lessons learned from Adam's own career building executive presence

28:20 - Modifying the approach by showing your work instead of just stating the conclusion

30:38 - Don't make assumptions about who you're talking to

34:06 - Why self-awareness matters more than confidence

Baker Donelson | LinkedIn

Adam Severson on LinkedIn

Get connected with the coaching team: hello@thelawyersedge.com

The Lawyer's Edge

Today's episode is brought to you by the Ignite Women's Business Development Accelerator, a 9-month business development program created BY women lawyers for women lawyers. Ignite is a carefully designed business development program containing content, coaching, and a community of like-minded women who are committed to becoming rainmakers AND supporting the retention and advancement of other women in the profession.

If you are interested in either participating in the program or sponsoring a woman in your firm to enroll, learn more about Ignite and sign up for our registration alerts by visiting www.thelawyersedge.com/ignite.

Abby Remore is a member at Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi (CSG Law) in Roseland, New Jersey, where she leads the firm's trademark and copyright practice group. Her practice focuses on protecting brands and creative works through litigation, enforcement, clearance, counseling, licensing, and prosecution of trademark and copyright applications. She has particular expertise litigating trademark and copyright disputes in federal courts and before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Abby is president-elect of the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association.

Saying yes to every opportunity, volunteering for committees, and being the person others can count on helps associates build strong reputations and advance toward partnership. Once lawyers make partner, the job description changes. They're expected to continue producing excellent work while also developing business, leading teams, and contributing to firm management. Without recalibrating, the habits that earned the promotion can quickly become overwhelming.

The transition requires intentional choices about what work means and how time gets allocated. Business development stops being something that happens when there's time left over and becomes a core responsibility. Delegation shifts from losing control to creating capacity for higher-value work. Stepping back from committees and saying no becomes necessary instead of optional.

In this episode of The Lawyer's Edge, Elise talks with Abby Remore, an alumna of the inaugural Ignite Women's Business Development Accelerator cohort, about making the partnership transition successfully. They discuss redefining what counts as work, learning when to say no, why business development requires the same intentionality as billable work, and how lawyers can build careers that reflect their own values instead of copying someone else's blueprint.

2:52 - How Abby ended up in law without planning to be a private practice lawyer

7:11 - The challenge of transitioning from associate to leader and business generator

10:13 - How the job shifts when you make partner and why saying yes stops working

15:36 - What motivated Abby to join the Ignite program

18:01 - The biggest mindset shift: business development isn't just networking events

21:28 - Why BD and leadership development are about mindset, not just tactics

22:30 - The apprenticeship model is dying: why outside programs matter

25:49 - Staying intentional as an emerging rainmaker and avoiding old habits

28:26 - Changing your job description to include business development

31:30 - The curse of knowledge: advice for lawyers building their own vision of success

Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi (CSG Law) | LinkedIn

Abby Remore on LinkedIn

New Jersey Women Lawyers Association

Get connected with the coaching team: hello@thelawyersedge.com

The Lawyer's Edge

Today's episode is brought to you by the Ignite Women's Business Development Accelerator, a 9-month business development program created BY women lawyers for women lawyers. Ignite is a carefully designed business development program containing content, coaching, and a community of like-minded women who are committed to becoming rainmakers AND supporting the retention and advancement of other women in the profession.

If you are interested in either participating in the program or sponsoring a woman in your firm to enroll, learn more about Ignite and sign up for our registration alerts by visiting www.thelawyersedge.com/ignite.