I often talk with attorneys about moving their billing from an hourly based system to a flat fee system or what I call a classic retainer system (i.e., a set monthly payment from a client to assure access to the…
It appears that these tough economic times are here for a while. How this impacts solo and small firms depends upon the diversity of the firm's client base and practice areas, the firm's existing financial management, and whether the firm…
Almost every day there is a lawyer in Massachusetts who must deal with a disaster at the office which has caused the loss of paper files, electronic files, and sometimes the attorney’s very business. I was again reminded of the…
When I speak to attorneys about law office management issues we often are discussing how the attorney can gain control of the practice (client lists, deadlines and ticklers) and gain control of their time. The simplest way to accomplish both…
When I review attorneys' document filing systems, I often find that the case documents are not sorted by type, and are not placed in chronological order. Often critical documents are not indexed and tabbed in a manner that allows the…
I recently attended the American Bar Association's Law Practice Management Section Meeting in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which focused on Living a Life in the Law. A panel discussion by attorneys Jamie Spannhake, Mark Komer, of Santa Fe, Ed Flitton,…
Some attorneys hold that “there is no bad business,” or feel compelled to adhere to the “I-don’t-turn-down-business” imperative in order to keep their practices going. This practice may, however, lead to financial difficulties and/or working long, uncompensated hours. A successful…