Gary Allen brings over 30 years of experience as a top-ranked practicing attorney to his role as Founder and CEO of LeanLaw. Gary understands the struggles attorneys have with technology as only a line-level practitioner can. Years of waiting for better solutions convinced Gary that traditional providers would never deliver the technology help attorneys need.
What will you be speaking about at QuickBooks Connect 2019? Why did Intuit choose you?
My talk is called “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Law Firm Clients But Were Afraid to Ask.” It’s the “Why” and “Who” for accountants and bookkeepers who are interested in the law niche, told from a lawyer’s perspective. I think Intuit chose me because I know a lot about lawyers – I am one, my software company, LeanLaw, serves law firm clients, and we work extensively with accountants and bookkeepers who have legal clients.
What do you want the audience to take away from your presentation?
I want to give practical insights into the law firm customer to facilitate building a legal specialty practice. Why aren’t lawyers as scary as you might think? What makes them good clients? How big is the industry? What are the different firm segments and how big are they? Who are the customer personas? What is their accounting/bookkeeping pain? How do you reach them? How do you talk to them?
How many years have you gone to QuickBooks Connect?
This is my second year.
How long have you been working with QuickBooks Online?
LeanLaw started working on a QuickBooks Online integration in 2014 and has had a product on the market since the summer of 2016.
What have you learned about the QuickBooks community by going to the conference?
We like to say, “Bookkeepers are huggers!” It’s an amazing community, and the excitement and energy are unmistakable. Intuit is extremely supportive and has built unique ecosystems, for accountants and bookkeepers as well as app developers like LeanLaw. For example, I can’t think of another software company that has built a platform for success for its stakeholders like Intuit has for ProAdvisors, providing an unmatched community, training and resources.
Why should an accounting pro go to QuickBooks Connect 2019 for the first time?
The key to success for accountants and bookkeepers is to find a niche you are passionate about. The conference will include tracks for about a half dozen niches, including law. It’s a great opportunity for an accounting pro to take a deep dive and find an exciting specialty that will lead to success. You will also meet a lot of amazing people!
Would you encourage law firms to go to QuickBooks Connect?
Any small to medium sized law firm (from solos to 40 lawyers) that wants to improve its financial workflows should go to QuickBooks Connect to check out whether QuickBooks Online is a fit for them. The combination of Intuit’s resources, the ProAdvisor network, and the app ecosystem are unlike anything else available to small and medium law firms.
What are you looking forward to at the conference?
Everything. Seeing friends. Making new friends. Learning about exciting new ideas and products. Feeling the energy. This sounds corny, but the American Dream lives at QuickBooks Connect. People are excited about building their practices and see a pathway to success through the QuickBooks Online community.
What do you hope to accomplish at QBConnect?
QuickBooks Connect is about deepening relationships. Our focus is to spend as much time as possible meeting with ProAdvisor and Intuit friends and learn how we can help each other.
If a colleague were on the fence about going, what would you tell them?
You will never go to an accounting conference with this energy. It has an evangelical quality that you have to experience to understand. I remember sitting at the keynote last year. People were standing and cheering and the excitement was palpable. The people in that room could feel in their bones that QuickBooks Connect was a gateway to a better future for them.
Any advice on how to get the most out of the conference?
Dive in! Find something that sparks your passion, learn as much as you can about it, and meet as many people as you can who share your passion and who you like hanging out with.
To connect with Gary, email him at Gary.Allen AT myleanlaw DOT com
If you are going to QuickBooks Connect, stop by our booth, D11, and pick up a I ♥ Lawyers tshirt. We hope to see you there!
