About Ernie

Ernie helps lawyers conquer tech challenges and make their practices easier to run —even folks who can barely do email. He does this by teaching them how to streamline, automate, and outsource most of their legal work (so they can spend less time lawyering and more time luxuriating).

He first learned to do this himself while he was a burned-out partner in a large New Orleans law firm. While his fellow partners were ignoring or downplaying technology, he embraced it and that helped him discover a more enjoyable way of practicing law.

His first discovery was in 2001 when he transformed his commercial litigation practice by becoming completely paperless. In 2002 he started the 5th lawyer weblog and was invited by the ABA to speak at their annual TechShow in Chicago. Later the ABA published his guidebooks on law blogging and the use of PDFs in a paperless practice.

In 2018, he was given the ABA’s “Trainer of the Year” award for his work in helping solo and small firm lawyers around the country learn to leverage technology to improve their practices.

His biggest reward, though, came from helping fellow lawyers achieve a kind of joy they never believed was possible. As these testimonials reveal:

• “My biggest sensei in starting my solo law practice was Ernie Svenson.” —David Sparks
• “I learned how to develop systems to make my practice more efficient and profitable.” —, Christine Senne
• “You’re showing lawyers how to transform their small firm practices in a way I don’t see anyone else being able to do.” –Todd Smith
• “I received so much help in planning my solo firm and saved so much time not having to find answers on my own.”—Carlee Gonzales
• “I’m a 65-year-old dinosaur attorney of 38 years, enjoying your online program and finding it helpful.” —Michael R. Jarman
• “It’s clear that you love helping people”—Catherine Fairchild

Ernie’s websites are the main way that folks learn about his services (including getting access to some of his most helpful resources, many of which are completely free): LawFirm AutoPilot, PaperlessChase, and ErnieTheAttorney.net. One of the best resources is his (free) Solo & Small Firm Lawyers' Starter Guide to Working Smarter.