How Subscription-Based Legal Services are Providing Access to Justice featuring Mathew Kerbis

Subscription-based law firms are shaking up the legal practice in
BIG ways. Many actions that lawyers complete, drafting documents,
reviewing files, monitoring trademarks, etc. can be paid for on a
subscription model and Mathew Kerbis wants to convince you of
this. 



And you will believe him. Kerbis, as he prefers to be called,
even shared the magic of subscription-based legal service with
his employer. The insurance defense company ultimately decided to
keep their billable hour requirements, but this did not deter
Kerbis. 


Transparent pricing, transparent agreements, and having the
feeling that you could do this; you could be a subscription
attorney, is Kerbis’ model. Imagine not being billed when your
attorney is researching an issue. This a task that could be 80%
of the time spent by an attorney while working on your case.
Kerbis does not bill for this task because he will take that
research and use it for his Knowledge Base which allows him to
serve more clients who could potentially have that same question.


"Engagement agreements are an earned fee immediately, the
opposite of a retainer fee, where the client is billing against
the retained money," explains Kerbis.


Chair of the Law Student Division of the ABA (like being
president of the group and traveling to learn more about law
students). Then ran for Chair of the Young Lawyers Division. The
entire purpose was to find ways to innovate the legal practice
and find ways to make members of the American Bar Association,
Kerbis was a member of the young lawyers' division founding
podcast team. Learning to record and edit and release podcasts.
Took all that knowledge and used it to teach others bout
subscription-based legal services. 


Kerbis started his podcast, The Law Subscribed, to inform others
about subscription-based legal services and to use his background
in performing arts. The Law Subscribed is all about bringing the
subscription model to legal services. 


Kerbis relies on tech tools, like Calendly and time-blocking, to
ensure that he prioritizes time with his family and away from
work responsibilities. Working hard, working with technology,
working on tasks that you enjoy, and managing your schedule in
the way that you want to, makes running your own business a
better option than the comforts of working a typical 9 to 5 job.


EPISODE TIMESTAMPS 


00:00 - INTRO: Welcome to You Are A Lawyer hosted by Kyla
Denanyoh


00:35 - Welcome to the podcast, Mathew Kerbis. 


00:47 - You actually prefer to be called Kerbis. Would you tell
the audience about yourself?


01:55 - I went to law school intended to work in transactional
law, but podcasting has helped me when transactional law is too
much writing (re: boring)


02:15 - With your litigation background, was hosting the podcast,
The Law Subscribed, an easy transition for you?


03:14 - I think that having a child is a really big eye-opening
situation. Would you share more details about billable hours and
why you wanted to get away from that demand?


05:45 - And you’re running your own law firm full-time?


06:00 - It is wild that leaving a 9-to-5 to run your own
business, even if working 20 out of 24 hours, could be less work
than working at a law firm with billable hours.


07:41 - Did you learn how to time block, or block scheduling,
from billing your time at the law firm, or studying in law
school?


09:55 - I asked about time blocking because I did that in law
school and now, I live by checklists and reminders. I think time
blocking is really beneficial. 


12:36 - Planning your schedule and time blocking sounds like
stress and anxiety management. 


13:01 - Kerbis, what made you go to law school?


14:59 - A professor sparked your interest in the law. And when
you were in law school did you know that you wanted to be a
litigator?


17:01 - It sounds like being a litigator was a stair step to the
career that you have now.


17:14 - I call the podcast You Are A Lawyer because I truly
believe that everything you do in life will be viewed through the
lens of a lawyer. Law school has a way of re-wiring the
brain. 


17:49 - Let’s discuss the Law Subscribed Podcast and The
Subscription Attorney LLC. Which came first, the podcast or the
business?


19:35 - People thought that the subscription model was really
cool but didn’t understand it.  


21:10 - What does it mean to have an attorney with the
subscription model? Are you on retainer for every client?


22:20 - Subscription-based legal services are not retainer
agreements. Subscribers with The Subscription Attorney sign
engagement agreements because subscribers get immediate access to
resources and Kerbis’ calendar which makes an engagement
agreement an earned fee. 


26:05 - Is the subscription package a national service or would
you make referrals to lawyers in a different state?


27:14 - A brief explanation of fractionalized in-house counsel,
which does not only include business transactions. If Kerbis is
unable to assist you with a family law or adoption matter,
subscribers will be referred to other lawyers.


29:08 - On your website, subscriptionattorney.com mentions legal
services for freelancers. Is there anything specific that you
offer that a typical retainer agreement would not offer a
freelancer?


32:29 - The Subscription Attorney provides access to legal
services for small business owners and freelancers who would
normally be priced out of the market for most legal services.


33:46 - A small business is defined as a business that makes less
than two million dollars a year. The fact that you could earn big
money and not have access to competent legal counsel is
ridiculous. 


34:31 - Kerbis, is there anything else you want to share with the
audience about why you attended law school or the practice of
law?


35:51 - OUTRO: Thanks for listening to the episode and rate this
podcast. 


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IMPORTANT LINKS FROM THE EPISODE


Book a call with The Subscription Attorney LLC:
https://subscriptionattorney.com/


Law Subscribed Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/law-subscribed/id1586707101


Chicago Bar Show:
https://www.chicagobar.org/chicagobar/CBA/Programs/Bar_Show_Main_Page


American Bar Association: https://www.americanbar.org/membership/


Thinking Like A Lawyer Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/above-the-law-thinking-like-a-lawyer/id976331027


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LISTEN TO LEARN


Why fractionalized in-house counsel is the future

The importance of time-blocking your calendar

Best tech tools for solo law practitioners

Every attorney sending client information through email could
be committing client malpractice

Why legal services for freelancers is an important niche
market



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WHAT WE DISCUSS


Podcasting is a wonderful medium for lawyers because of the
performance aspect of 

How business owners can minimize surprises and control their
time

Lawyers (especially litigators) often enjoy the performance
of law. 

The differences between engagement fees and retainer
agreements