Matthew Burgess

Lawyer, author, speaker

Founder of View Legal

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Matthew Burgess is a founder of specialist law firm View Legal which offers holistic estate planning solutions and education for trusted advisers. He has developed a unique virtual law firm model that is all about elegant and effective tech and pricing solutions geared to clients.

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We talk about what pricing innovation looks like based on Matthew's real-life experience, how tech doesn't have to be expensive or super-advanced to deliver effectively, and how genuine diversity and authenticity leads to innovation.

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Bio

Show notes

Links

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Bio:

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Matthew Burgess is one of the founders of specialist firm View Legal. Having the opportunity to help clients achieve their goals is what he is most passionate about. As Matthew always works in conjunction with trusted advisers (whether it be accountants, financial advisers or other lawyers) and their clients, finding ways to fundamentally improve the value received by those advisers, and in turn their clients, has led him to develop numerous game changing models. 

 

Examples include providing guaranteed upfront fixed pricing, founding what is widely regarded as Australia’s first virtual law firm, and more recently, developing a platform that gives advisers access to market leading advice and support for less than $10 a week.

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Matthew’s specialisation in tax, structuring, asset protection, estate and succession planning has seen him recognised by most leading industry associations including the Tax Institute, the Weekly Tax Bulletin and in the 2014 ‘Best Lawyers’ list for trusts and estates and either personally, or as part of View, since 2015 in ‘Doyles’ for taxation and since 2017 for wills, estates and succession planning.

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Matthew is also a fellow of the VeraSage Institute, consultants to professional services firms.

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Show notes:

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• [1:49] Matthew takes us through his journey from young-gun partner at a large law firm to realising that being "exquisite" at filling in timesheets did not make him the kind of lawyer he ought to be for his clients.
• [5:40] Matthew talks about trying to fight the machine from the inside - from piloting fixed pricing to ditching timesheets.
• [10:12] Matthew shares what he learned about value pricing along the way, including being not attached to the outcome but looking out for the client's best outcome.
• [14:05] We reflect on the possibility of scaling up value pricing for large law firms, and the impact that would have on the reallocation of resources away from the timesheet model to investment and client relationships.
• [16:36] Throwing out timesheets means transforming the entire system from one that values "time spent" to one that removes the focus on short-term gains and huge margins.
• [19:18] Matthew explains how technology is an enabler and it's often simple solutions like retraining lawyers to use cheap and effective technology that delivers significant efficiencies.
• [23:19] Releasing lawyers and staff from routine work that technology can take care of allows reimagining of the entire law firm including building-in rewards for innovation not adding them on as extra incentives. 
• [26:54] We discuss how both Big Law firms and New Law disruptors have a part to play in the entire ecosystem of training lawyers technically and to develop emotional intelligence.
• [31:00] We cover how current law firm partners have no incentive to change the system. From there, we delve into how monoculture in law firms strips out diversity of thought, no matter how diverse people may appear in gender or culture.  
• [35:22] In talking about authenticity, Matthew explains how until we begin to focus more on results, as a profession, we will not get to true diversity.  
• [36:54] Our attempt to conform in law firms, from our style of dress to the things we talk about, stifles personality, authenticity and diversity. 
• [39:41] Matthew's final piece of advice is to focus always on how to best deliver and create value for people. 

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Links:

Viewlegal: viewlegal.com.au

Matthew's website: matthewburgess.com.au

 

​The Firm of the Future: A Guide for Accountants, Lawyers, and Other Professional Services by Paul Dunn and Ronald J. Baker

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John Chisholm, lawyer, value pricing expert and consultant

My podcast episode with John Chisholm

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VeraSage Institute, consultants to professional services firms 

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The Results-only Work Environment, a new management mindset.

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The Trusted Advisor (20th anniversary edition) by David H. Maister, Robert Galford and Charles Green

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