Daniel J. Siegel is the Owner of the Law Offices of Daniel J. Siegel, LLC, a workers’ compensation and personal injury firm. Daniel is recognized for his expertise in ethics technology, data protection and cybersecurity, civil litigation, workers’ compensation matters, and business workflow management. Known as the “Lawyer Other Lawyers Call for Advice,” he is committed to delivering personalized representation tailored to his clients’ unique needs and financial circumstances. Daniel is a prolific speaker and author, having presented 350-plus programs, written 250-plus articles, and published 14 books on a variety of legal topics. Daniel is also the Owner of Integrated Technology Services, LLC, a technology and software consulting firm for law practices and small businesses.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• Daniel J. Siegel talks about the unique services the Law Offices of Daniel J. Siegel offers
• What Daniel enjoys most about representing other lawyers
• How the firm supports attorneys in matters requiring the involvement of a disciplinary counsel
• Daniel shares what inspired him to pursue a career as an attorney
• Why Daniel decided to launch his own law firm — and how he attracted clients
• Daniel’s advice for new lawyers: diversify your areas of practice

In this episode…

Creating a law firm that caters to the diverse needs of its clients requires comprehensive legal knowledge, entrepreneurial acumen, and the capacity to adapt to client expectations. Attorneys dedicate their careers to helping their clients resolve legal matters. But what happens when lawyers find themselves on the receiving end of disciplinary counsel? Professional guidelines are put in place to protect you and your client — but you may unknowingly infringe upon your duties. It’s not uncommon for lawyers to breach the Model Rules of Professional Conduct. When an attorney violates the code of conduct they may be approached by a disciplinary counsel for correction. Daniel J. Siegel, an experienced attorney with a background in technology and social media, has built his practice to assist legal professionals in matters requiring disciplinary action. His insight can help rising attorneys build and maintain an integrous reputation. In this episode of 15 Minutes, host Chad Franzen interviews Daniel J. Siegel, Owner of the Law Offices of Daniel J. Siegel, LLC, to discuss his experience representing legal professionals in matters requiring disciplinary counsel. Daniel shares what inspired his pursuit of the legal industry, why he launched his firm, and how he attracted clients. He also explains why it’s important for aspiring attorneys to diversify their areas of legal expertise.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Chad Franzen on LinkedIn
• Gladiator Law Marketing
• Daniel J. Siegel on LinkedIn
• Law Offices of Daniel J. Siegel, LLC
• Integrated Technology Services, LLC
• How to Do More in Less Time: The Complete Guide to Increasing Your Productivity and Improving Your Bottom Line by Allison C. Shields and Daniel J. Siegel
• Model Rules of Professional Conduct by the American Bar Association

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Gladiator Law Marketing, where we deliver tailor-made services to help you accomplish your objectives and maximize your growth potential. To have a successful marketing campaign and make sure you’re getting the best ROI, your firm needs to have a better website and better content. At Gladiator Law Marketing, we use artificial intelligence, machine learning, and decades of experience to outperform the competition. To learn more, go to gladiatorlawmarketing.com or schedule a free marketing consultation. You can also send an email to adam@gladiatorlawmarketing.com.

Episode Transcript

Intro  0:01   You’re listening to 15 Minutes, where we feature community leaders sharing what the rest of us should know but likely don’t. Chad Franzen  0:12   Hi. Chad Franzen here, one of the hosts of share your voice where we talk with top notch law firms and lawyers about what it takes to grow a successful law practice. This episode is brought to you by Gladiator Law Marketing, delivering tailor made services to help you accomplish your objectives and maximize your growth potential to have a successful marketing campaign and make sure you’re getting the best ROI your firm needs to have a better website and better content plenty and a lot marketing uses artificial intelligence, machine learning and decades of experience to outperform the competition. To learn more, go to gladiatorlawmarketing.com where you can schedule a free marketing consultation. Attorney Daniel J. Siegel is a nationally recognized authority on ethics technology, data protection and cybersecurity, civil litigation and workers compensation matters and business workflow management and the principle of both the Law Offices of Daniel J. Siegel and Integrated Technology Services. His practice includes representing attorneys in disciplinary matters, providing professional responsibility guidance to attorneys and firms serving as the appellate counsel representing individuals in workers compensation and personal injury matters. In short, Dan handles the types of matters that keep attorneys awake at night. Dan, thanks so much for joining me today. How are you? Daniel J Siegel  1:23   Good. Thank you for having me. Chad Franzen  1:25   So tell me a little bit more about your law firm Daniel J Siegel, LLC, and kind of what you guys specialize in, I kind of summed it up there. But tell me a little bit more. Daniel J Siegel  1:34   We’re an unusual firm, same thing we tell clients and everyone else who works with us. We don’t we do some of the things that typical law firms do. But because of additional expertise that we have, we do a little more. So when I went out on my own, which is now coming on 18 years ago, after being with two firms in Philadelphia, I recognize that a lot of what I did over the years was tailored towards lawyers, we newsletters, continuing education programs, and suddenly found myself in demand, not only to do the things that the public sort of knew I did, but to help lawyers, pellet writing ethical guidance, representing them in disciplinary matters. Areas that most lawyers don’t handle and scare most lawyers. And they’re what we always I always did, and said, well, we need to focus more on that. Because I’m in the Philadelphia area where every three seconds, you’re gonna see an ad or see a billboard for lawyers. And I’m a little more low key than that. So we, we have a strong presence, but not on the highway. And this has worked out well, because we’re a niche firm. And we have lawyers who we represent from solos, to lawyers and large firms who are making moves and need confidential guidance. And we sort of do it all and, you know, from a very, you know, comfortable location just outside the city. Chad Franzen  3:14   You’re the first person I’ve talked to whose niche is representing other lawyers, what do you find most kind of enjoyable about that? Daniel J Siegel  3:21   Well, it’s it’s, it’s enjoyable in the sense that we try to help other lawyers be successful and productive. So I actually run a consulting firm that helps them with their workflow. But most of our clients are the lawyers in the in the practice, and they can find themselves with ethical issues. Sometimes it’s just what do I do? It’s an odd situation, or it’s a troubling situation, where they’re leaving a firm, and there are ethical rules. They don’t know what they are. And they’re comfortable with us, because I’m a practicing lawyer. So I actually do what they do. But they have a comfort level. And you know, sometimes they get into disciplinary issues. And our goal is to help. And I like helping people and lawyers, it’s a different niche, because, you know, there used to be in the ones who know everything, and suddenly they have to rely on me and my associate my office. And when we get some good results, it feels good. Chad Franzen  4:25   Are there are the ethical issues often, like serious like, you know, if I don’t one way I could get in major trouble, or is it just kind of guidance? Daniel J Siegel  4:34   It’s both, ah, lawyers often have questions, what do I do this situation came up, and they don’t know how to handle it or what they should do, say, et cetera. I chair the Pennsylvania bars Legal Ethics Committee. So these are all things that for the most part, we’ve confronted the committee as a whole, but then you do get the other side of that where lawyers We get into trouble and or potential trouble. And they can find disciplinary Council knocking at their door. And depending on what they do or don’t do, they could have anything from the charges dismissed or they assertions against them dismissed to disbarment. And, you know, we’ll represent them, we’ll give them guidance. You know, the goal is to avoid the public disciplinary part of the process. And a lot of times we do can’t always, but it’s, it’s the whole spectrum. Chad Franzen  5:34   What goes into advising somebody on ethics and ethical matters like that as it is that your knowledge and background and your expertise? So you can just say yes or no? Or is there more to is it more nuanced than that. Daniel J Siegel  5:47   And so I’ll give you an example. But just, you know, it’s one, lawyers are guided by what’s called the Rules of Professional Conduct. And candidly, most of them, I’ve never really read them or don’t know what they say, we know what they say, you know, I have a copy sitting at my desk, my lecture on it, I write about it all the time. I’m familiar with them. But sometimes they just don’t know what to do, or they’ve pushed the envelope. And then they they’re really nervous, or they get an inquiry from disciplinary Council, which doesn’t always mean they’re gonna get into trouble. And there isn’t much we haven’t seen. And because I have particular expertise in sort of technology, and social media, the cutting edge things, that’s a lot of where lawyers are getting into trouble. And we actually know about it, and have seen it and can give them the advice or this is how you avoid the problem. So we’ll help we have one firm, we help them with all of their marketing, what should be on there, what shouldn’t so that they don’t run into that. Now, another lawyer did some things in terms of finding information about one of his clients in a Paramore and sort of pushed the envelope and we had to help him work his way through disciplinary council. So all that stuff comes up. Plus, you know, lawyers who get into trouble because they do things that are wrong. Chad Franzen  7:19   Okay, wouldn’t How did how did you know when and how did you know that you wanted to become a lawyer. Daniel J Siegel  7:26   Now, it was sort of, you know, in college, my dream was originally be a sports writer. Um, and if I, you know, in an ideal world, I’d be out there covering the Phillies, or this week, the Eagles, because I love sports. But, and I worked as a writer, and I’ve always been a writer. And that’s always my first love. And I realized in college, even that was a long time ago, that maybe sports writing wasn’t the right place for me, because we need to get a break. And I didn’t want to write high school sports in central Pennsylvania for years. And I knew that lawyers, one of the skills that’s important is writing. And so that skill led me to decide to be a lawyer, we write a ton, you know, we have one of the larger appellate practices of any firm and our state. And we don’t write like lawyers, we write concise, our briefs are short to the point and effective. We’re more like journalists. And it’s way more fun to write that into when I’ve tried cases, you know, seven figure cases. But there’s something about winning the battle and an appeal. That’s even more exciting. And a lot of it is the skill of how you nuance your words and point things out. And that’s been the skill of mine. Chad Franzen  8:51   Where did you go to law school? And how did you kind of get started, Daniel J Siegel  8:54   I went to law school at Temple University in Philadelphia. And, you know, I have my first or really my first long term job, they had me do some appeals early on, and it was clear that it was a good niche plus all the other things. And I always kept my fingers in it. And you know, now we’ve had so many appellate cases that have changed the law that have helped people. And there is a, there’s a feeling of satisfaction there that you can’t match, at least not for me in any other way. He can get a zillion dollar verdict. And that’s wonderful. And I you know, I love those opportunities. But when you change the law, and it impacts everyone in the future, that’s an even better feeling for me. Chad Franzen  9:44   It sounds like the desire to help people is a strong pull for you to be an attorney was that you talked a lot about writing when you made your decision to go into law was helping people something you discovered along the way or did you know that that was something you’d be doing as well? Daniel J Siegel  9:59   I think it’s something I’ve all always done even in college. And I still don’t know exactly how but I got involved in the movement to control gun violence. That was in the 80s, when we were talking about Saturday night specials, not what we have now. And I got involved in that over the years, then I, you know, I worked with other groups. I was an elected official locally for 13 years now, I’m on the board of the anti Defamation League, trying to work against some of the hate that’s out there. So I’ve always sort of wanted to help people. And lawyers get to do that in many cases. But I’ve always kept my feet in social causes, things that really matter to me. And that’s been, I had a mentor, I think, who helped instill that in me, but that was always there. The first time I wrote about gun violence. I was a sophomore in college, and it was 1978. And people back then really weren’t talking about it. And it certainly wasn’t the kind of news that is today’s world. Chad Franzen  11:05   What, what led you to you talked about kind of your early experience, at what point did you decide now now’s the time, or I kind of go out on my own. Daniel J Siegel  11:14   Um, I’ve worked primarily for two prominent firms in Philadelphia for many years, and left both with very good terms. And one of the things we do is help lawyers leave on good or very good or better terms. But I wanted to be my own boss. Um, I wanted to make sure I could can sort of control my life, which you don’t always have when someone else is your boss. And so I’m thinking, do I want to what do I want to do? And my wife said to me, she’s like, your father, your grandfather’s all ran their own businesses, they weren’t lawyers, but they all could do it, and so can you. Um, and so I left and had no clients when I started both of my businesses, and that’s obviously changed. And it was that desire, and, you know, I do what I wanted to do, or more of what I wanted to do, while still taking my kids to school every day, so that my kids knew me. Um, and, you know, I think they liked me. And there’s a value to that, that you can’t ever replace. Chad Franzen  12:24   What did you do to kind of get your first clients? Daniel J Siegel  12:29   The Well, I always had an attorney network of attorneys who referred me, the traditional clients, people injured at work or in an accident and those types of things. But we also focus here on helping a lot of the neighbors, and they know that right wills and the things that people need in a typical, you know, suburban neighborhood. But I also, lawyers just started calling me, can you help me? Right? Can you help me with this brief? I’ve got this ethical issue. And it became very clear that they wanted our guidance, you know, they knew me, they trusted me, you know, their information is confidential, obviously. And they sort of came to me. You know, for a variety of things. And then this practice sort of opened up into the way that it’s developed. And it’s it’s a, it’s a unique boutique. Chad Franzen  13:27   It sounds like you come from a lineage of kind of entrepreneurship. Was there anything about running a business, maybe that you didn’t expect? Even though you had a lot of, you know, legal training and legal experience. Daniel J Siegel  13:40   Everything as much as you prepare, and I did all my legwork. And in fact, my the firm I left, I stayed there for a month before I opened on my own because they needed me to write one brief. And they paid me for a month to write one brief in a federal appeal. And I thought, Okay, I’m ready. But you’re really never you don’t realize what you’re going to confront. And so there were things I didn’t expect, then the economy tanked. And then kids go to college, and suddenly you’re confronted with all of those things, then you don’t realize just how much is involved. I knew a lot. I learned a ton. And in fact, one of the most popular CLE continuing education programs we do is mistakes I have made, where you talk about things that you did that, oh, if I had known I wouldn’t have done that, then or now. And those are fascinating programs, and they’re wonderfully popular. Chad Franzen  14:43   Is there like a most memorable kind of learning experience? You know, where you’re like, Oh, I wish I had known that. Daniel J Siegel  14:52   I wish I knew how much paperwork and I’m going to paperless office work. We’ve never had any pay Burn records, but the paperwork, all of the things that you’ve got to do to operate a business from, you know, just local licenses to every kind of tax and form. And for lawyers, it’s handling your trust account. And a lot of lawyers screw that up, we help them a lot. But you got to do it right. You got to manage the books. And then once I grew and started having employees, it’s the responsibility of having to pay them because they get paid no matter what they go first, I’m always last in line. But I think it’s the financial world of just how much you have to do. It’s really surprising. And I think it hits a lot of us. You know, like, Oh, I didn’t know I had to do all that. Chad Franzen  15:53   You give advice to a lot of attorneys. That’s kind of your thing. What if there’s somebody who’s just kind of entering the legal industry now, based on your experience and all of your experience and helping other lawyers? What is the number one piece of advice you would give them? Daniel J Siegel  16:09   That’s that’s actually an easy question. Don’t ever allow yourself to be pigeonholed into just one practice area. And while all of us concentrate on certain areas, you know, I don’t handle for example, criminal cases. But I never did just one type of thing. I always had the appellate work in there is always doing that at every firm, no matter what the practice. I was always involved in ethical stuff, because it interested me because it’s a lot more than don’t just steal, don’t steal from, you know, clients. And those options to be able to not be just stereotyped as the only thing you do is whatever workers comp really helped in the long run. Because lawyers, you know, they’re lawyers, if you ask them, they know some know me because I’m a worker’s comp lawyer. Others know me because I do appeals others know me for ethics. And while it’s harder to get a unified, sort of profile, those all bring me business. And so if one area slows down, I have these other areas I can go to, which makes a big difference. Chad Franzen  17:20   Sure, sure. Hey, I have one more question for you. But first, tell me how people can find out more about Daniel J. Siegel, LLC, your firm, Daniel J Siegel  17:27   They can contact me, our website is Daniel J Siegel, DanielJSiegel.com. And we’re, you know, we’re out there on the web and in social media and all of that. And you can usually, you search my name, you’re gonna find me, although there’s some other prominent people with identical names. But I’m the lawyer outside of Philadelphia, and I write it on my 15th book just was released last week. Chad Franzen  17:56   So wow, awesome. Hey, I want that’ll be my final question for you tell me about that book. Daniel J Siegel  18:01   I it’s actually the second edition of my book, How to Do More in Less Time. It’s a productivity guide, that I co author with a colleague named Allison Shields. And it’s practical advice on how to manage your time. One of my goals as an attorney opening on my own was that I always wanted to be home for dinner. And granted, I get up really early, and I’m in the office at seven. But I’ve been home for dinner almost every night, since I went on my own. And the book has productivity tips from Allison and for me. And then there’s a whole section on technology, which is both of us, but people know me for, you know, we get a lot done fast. Ah, but it’s you don’t lose sight of the family. So the book helps you with all of that. And there was so much demand for the first edition that we just published the second for the American Bar Association. But it’s sold widely elsewhere. But that’s Chad Franzen  19:02   Great. Is there one principle that, you know, I don’t want to discourage anybody from buying the book, is there one principle you can share with us for getting more done in less time, and that would cause us to try and get more information about that. Daniel J Siegel  19:13   But we always talk about it don’t do lists and things you shouldn’t do today or whatever. But one of my favorite things is that every day you should have a three item, I must do list the three things that if you get them done today, you know, you’ve been productive. So today, I you know, um, I have that list. And, you know, two of them are working on briefs and a third deals with some client matters. And those are going to be hit. When I finish here. I’m going to go back to writing the one thing for the one client or an attorney client, and then after that, you know, move on to a brief and then later in the day, do the other stuff. Chad Franzen  19:51   So yes, sounds sounds good. Very nice. Hey, Dan, it’s been great to talk to you. Thank you so much. Really appreciate your time. Daniel J Siegel  19:58   Thank you for inviting me. Outro  19:59   So long thanks for listening to 15 Minutes. Be sure to subscribe and we’ll see you next time.