Located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Rischard & Associates, PLLC has been a LWP member since 2017. Founder and Senior Partner, Denis P. Rischard, has over thirty years of experience practicing law in Oklahoma and is also a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association as well as the founder of Oklahoma Disability Elder Law Advocates (ODELA). After having served as a litigator for 26 years, Rischard transitioned to elder law and had been practicing in that area for four years prior to joining LWP. In addition to running his firm, Rischard is also a devoted parent to the nine children he shares with Susie, his beautiful wife of over three decades.
LWP interviewed Denis Rischard to talk about his firm and the changes it’s experienced since becoming a member.
What do you believe sets Rischard & Associates apart from your competition?
Our goal is to provide an exceptional “legal experience” to each of our clients—and it begins with our culture. We think the culture of our firm and the camaraderie of our team is distinct. We all work well together, we respect each other, and we enjoy serving our clients. It really is a familiar atmosphere, and I think our clients sense that, allowing them to become more comfortable and open to letting us serve them and their families.
What was the deciding factor in choosing LWP over other competitors?
The holistic approach to running the elder law and estate planning practice—from the revenue focuser and time templates to the planning and billing software, it’s all there, and it is enabling us to obtain the efficiency, and ultimately, the proficiency, we had been seeking. We signed up on a Thursday and went to our first TAPER the following Sunday, and my team and I were so excited about jumping right in. Since that time, we’ve made lots of necessary changes, and the results have been significant!
Speaking of TAPER, what’s one of the best tips you’ve gotten from attending?
“Follow the system” is definitely the tip that’s stuck with us. And it wasn’t the easiest to follow at first. I had been practicing elder law for over 4 years when we joined LWP, and I had been a litigator for 26 years before that, so we had traditional law firm processes in place. Frankly, we were not optimizing work flow and cash flow in the manner the LWP system promised to provide, but now that we are (close to) being fully implemented, (close to) fully following the system, the growth we’ve seen has been phenomenal.
What kind of growth have you experienced?
Due to a major shift in our firm’s infrastructure last year, we went from a three (3) attorney law firm with diverse practice areas to becoming a solo practice in Elder Law and Estate Planning. Prior to becoming a sole practitioner, it was challenging to fully implement the LWP system. However, since October 1, 2018, we became fully committed to “Following the System.” Since our re-establishment of our commitment to embrace the LWP system in whole, we have experienced an increase in potential new clients, workshop attendees and revenue. Although there is always room for improvement, we are excited to see more growth. The last eight months, specifically this month, has been our best period of growth. Since the transition in October 2018, we have seen almost a 60% revenue increase.
What is the greatest success you’ve had since joining LWP?
The greatest success we’ve had has been implementing the Revenue Focuser and enhancing cash flow. It has streamlined our work and given us the opportunity to achieve the financial goals we’ve set for ourselves by working smarter and not harder.
What is your favorite LWP tool?
For me, personally, it is probably the color-coded time template. It has changed the way I schedule my time: green, blue, yellow (I made purple my personal time!). I think my team’s favorite tool is probably Actionstep; it keeps all the tasks they need to complete organized and on schedule.
What are the biggest challenges your clients are facing right now? Are you seeing any trends in your clients’ needs?
The biggest challenges most clients face seem to be whether to make the investment to plan ahead to avoid the potential for the “unknown.” That’s our main focus—to help them arrive at the prudent decision to plan ahead so as to bring about peace of mind.
Any advice for attorneys who are new to estate planning and elder law?
The first thing to do: Seek out a mentor (or multiple mentors) on whom you can count to share their experience and provide guidance on how to learn the practice and the business of the practice. I did that—and it was a Godsend!
What is something about you that most people do not know?
Aside from the practice of law, my other “avocation” is being a basketball coach. I started coaching local middle school teams after I graduated from law school, and I coached a high school freshman boys team for several years. One of my greatest pleasures in life, however, has been coaching my kids' teams. I've coached 7 of my children for their school and tournament teams, and some of my fondest memories come from those times.
What is your favorite book, and how did it impact your life?
The Bible, of course, is comprised of many books. I’ve been reading the Acts of the Apostles lately, and I continue to be astonished at the inspiration provided to the early Church following the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus. These ordinary people, infused with the Holy Spirit, literally spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. Imagine what similarly-inspired, serious-minded people could do today to make this world as it should be by uniting our lives with His.
I was advised many years ago, “Don’t just read good books; read only the best.” Well I’m not certain I’ve not always necessarily adhered to that principle. Nonetheless, there can be no greater story ever told then that of Salvation History as related through Sacred Scripture.
