Google Glitched Too?!
It wasn’t too long ago that I thought all I had to do was Google something. We experienced something this weekend due to the digital overhaul brought on by COVID-19 that should forced you to revamp your ideas for automation.
One of my mentors from the Birmingham Bar Association Mentor Program was, as I lovingly like to refer, an old head when it comes to law. This sound bit of advice that he gave me saved during my practice many times over.
Yes everything runs on Calendly, Google, and likely Dunkin too lol. However, what happens when it crashes?! I can tell you first hand that a) my website does this sometimes every time I update a plug in, b) calendly had a massive crash this weekend and even c) Google, who we all thought would never crash, had a crash just this morning. Why is that ? That is the question on everyone’s mind.
However, my question is how can we be this brilliant with technology and absolutely useless without it? That is largely due to pre- and now post-COVID-19 an over-reliance on the “virtual experience ” approach. There are many broken hearted people who can personally attest that virtual long term just doesn’t work easily without intentionality and sometimes in person meetups. So,then, why keep doing it?
I have a theory.
- We are afraid to be alone. Yes I said it. We are still avoiding our inner trauma so it is easier to be connected online making reels and TikToks all the time than it is to sit alone and realize that you are STILL unhappy about some aspect of your journey. You need to use this time and go to counseling and achieve balance finally and stop staying up all night “hustling” and using up all the bandwidth lol. (yes I’m ministering to myself right now).
- We want the easy way out. I got bad news for you scammers and cheaters, this is gonna be your last year getting over. This year we are getting trademarks, copyrights, biz protections, 401ks, licensing deals, sports contracts, video series pilots, graphic design contracts, non-disclosures and nonprofits. All these business owners I “pressed go for” this year alone brought me joy. COVID-19 made us ask for itemized price quotes, customized packages and exclusive copyright rights. However, I still see it happen. The DIY intellectual property protections is overwhelming but folks do it. All I’m gonna say is: have a lawyer on stand by just in case you wrong. I try to do my profits and losses statements on my own, but sometimes my accountant points out better strategies. This LIFE LESSON is something I wish people in law school would have understood better when it came to black professors. They would be like how do you know like they didn’t read all 68 editions of the textbook that we only bought one edition in. We do the same thing to lawyers because we get a bad rep. However, we really do care about y’all. It’s ok to not know it all. Just get a team. I have a team myself. Try that task. but if it starts feeling wrong, calll someone who knows. You ain’t gotta call me, but reach out to someone who can help you. Get a consult in just to check yourself. Don’t let pride and DIY YouTube culture make you think that everyone tryna scam ya, ok?
- Us youngsters still keep forgetting that older wisdom is highkey a lifesaver. Had it not been for older wisdom, I would have bought all these things to keep up with the other lawyers. My older white male mentor courtesy of the Birmingham Bar Association Mentor program was a bit different, but his way with people made me request his mentorship. When I did his office tour, it was lowkey, few computers, and tons of filing cabinets. I was so confused. Clearly, in my mind at first, he was behind. However, what he said next changed my perspective. He said, “what happens if your electronic system fails?” I was being a smartass in my mind because I thought this unlikely and irrelevant. The more I stood there and saw how he’d write the full case history on the manila envelopes like it appears in Alacourt was fascinating to me. Ultimately, his second message was simple, “keep your overhead low and help assist people when they elect to S-Corporations. At that time, I had no idea that it would be so relevant to my practice now. He literally talked me through his process. Fast forward to now, I have found a mentor like that in every single area of my practice that knows way more than me.
I didn’t have money to buy Clio, Trello, Mailchimp, AltLegal, Printers, Office Furniture, etc my first year of practice. I only made $80 that year from one singular client consult. I ended up picking up jobs at DoorDash, Docketly, Court Appearance Professionals, and ARAG. I was an appearance attorney showing up for law firms who couldn’t come to court and I was working for pennies. I thought to myself, how in the actual heck did I go through failing the bar the first time and finally passing to not finding opportunities?
I was distraught until another mentor told me as we sat at the Grand Bohemian Hotel Bar that I had to choose either to pursue a job or fully commit to this law firm and book brand. She informed me that I had to pick one though. She was so right and shortly after that I was hard headed trying to do both once more until finally I got my first big check and major client.
The referral came from someone from my state that I met going to every black lawyer networking opportunity I could find. When I say networking though, I mean brunches, parties, and turn ups! So, I learned the reason why everyone was at all the parties in law school having a grand time because good people notice you are cool to know. That’s when the blessings began, and ever since January 2019, I have been working hard on returning the favors.
Why did I tell you alllllll that?
Because it’s time for you to make a paper system before the next glitch.
List of Clients
Categories of Practice Areas
Forms and Solo Guides
Checklists for Your Clients
Backup Process for Virtual/Technical Issues
Scripts for Clients, Sponsors, Colleagues
Training Manuals
Emergency Virtual Alternative systems
Investor Pitch Decks
Course Content
Budgets
Savings
401ks
Stocks and Mutual Funds
Open and Closing Documents
Appointment Books
Law Books with Case Law
Website Content Planners
Print Materials Ad Plans
Just say #ChallengeaccepteDneena
I know this seems like a lot but you’ll thank me when a Calendly glitch has you feel like “oh well I got it all written in my padfolio.”
Google Glitched
Calendly Glitched
Zoom Glitched
Just don’t let you GLITCH or fall victim to being helpless when technology fails. My hard drives have completely crashed just this year and I went and bodied some bettet versions.
Back up everything constantly and make a hard copy. With love! From #YourFavoriteTrademarkAttorney
