The changing face of the legal professionBy Sherwin A. BrookLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, December 2009The U.S. economy has been slammed over the past 18 months. No sector has been spared. Among the professional services providers, attorneys have been the hardest hit. The dynamics of the carnage has left virtually every area of concentration reeling with the possible exceptions of bankruptcy injury and family law.
Pay your law firm employees properly or risk falling into a financial snakepitBy James B. ZourasLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, December 2009As wage-and-hour practitioners who have represented thousands of employees in actions against employers of every size, from multi-billion-dollar corporations to small businesses, our firm is well-versed on the ways employers violate the labor laws.
Relocating a Law Practice (Or How to Survive the Move Without Losing Your Mind)By Mary A. CorriganLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, December 2009Lawyers, like most people, are creatures of habit and avoid change at all costs. How then can an attorney or a law firm deal with a major change like a physical practice relocation and still retain their sanity?
Where have all the clients gone?By Donald E. WeihlLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, December 2009Have your clients stopped calling? Is your daily mail just bills?
MINNESOTA NICE: Lessons from the poker tableBy Robert KeganIntellectual Property, November 2009I had an extremely enjoyable and interesting experience at a poker table recently. I happened to be on the road on my birthday this year, and I gave myself the present of spending the day at the Canterbury Card Club, the Minnesota poker room, about 40 minutes south of the Twin Cities.
Ask your editorBy John W. OlmsteadLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, October 2009A successful law firm competitive strategy requires effective law firm management. Managing Partners and Administrators must keep updated on all aspects of law firm management. In order to assist in this effort we are pleased to share our insights and thoughts.
Pay your law firm employees properly or risk falling into a financial snakepitBy James B. ZourasLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, October 2009As wage-and-hour practitioners who have represented thousands of employees in actions against employers of every size, from multi-billion-dollar corporations to small businesses, our firm is well-versed on the ways employers violate the labor laws.
Culture: Do you have it?By Thomas J. BrannanLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, June 2009That “culture” is, many times, difficult to see or define. It is, however, or should be, reflective of the core values, beliefs, ethics and rules of behavior of a practice or office.
More on associatesBy Donald E. WeihlLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, June 2009From the very beginning there are guidelines/principles that need to be observed/followed in order to serve the clients efficiently and skillfully to accomplish tasks to generate fees as matters are handled to conclusion. The guidelines/principles are seldom communicated to the new associates in written form, and often the associate is simply expected to know without having been specifically told what to do, not do, how to act, or not act.
A soft real estate market creating opportunities to reduce real estate expenseBy Gary FazzioLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, June 2009The instability within the real estate marketplace, combined with new pricing models, will create opportunities for law firms to renegotiate their leases and reduce real estate expense in return for minimizing landlord exposure to rental loss and rollover risk.
Electronic discovery: Pay now or pay later!By Alan PearlmanLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, February 2009The days of paper documents are becoming a faint memory and being replaced with e-mail, instant messaging, video and VoIP. Although these tools make our everyday lives easier, they have the potential to become a serious liability for your company if not managed properly.
Virtualization and law office computer systemsBy Alan PearlmanLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, February 2009Virtualization is a technology that does present some added variables and complexity, but provides features and tools that change the status quo. It is a technology that the legal industry will surely embrace and use to better our service to our ultimate consumer…the client.
How to practice part-time from afarBy Patrick E. WardGeneral Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, December 2008For several years before I decided to semi-retire, I had a picture of a beautiful, tranquil beach and the inscription below it which read: “Never be so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”
Best kept secretsBy Paul ShaheenLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, September 2008No matter the size of your practice, be it solo, big or small, attorneys and law firms often struggle with the taxing issue of how to best protect what is arguably your most invaluable asset: your ability to earn an income.
Use guest articles to promote your practice: Turn research and results into story topicsBy Geri L. DreilingLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, September 2008When a lawyer gets a great result, devises a winning strategy, tackles an old issue with a 21st-century twist or develops an approach that helps avoid a legal minefield, the client benefits.
Navigating an unemployment claimBy Melissa Schroeder & Lisa CollinsLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, May 2008The purpose of this article is to provide the general practitioner with a primer on procedures pertaining to the Illinois Department of Employment Security, unemployment hearings and the issues that surround them when terminating an employee.
Cutting the pie: Determining partner compensationBy John W. OlmsteadLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, April 2008Many law firms are struggling with compensation systems that no longer meet the needs of the firm and the individual partners. Failure to explore alternatives to failing systems often result in partner dissatisfaction leading to partner defections and disintegration of the firm.
Resolutions for 2008By Mary A. CorriganLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, April 2008Although 2008 is already underway, it is not too late to implement some resolutions for improvement of your law practice.
Remote access technology for your law practiceBy James A. McKennaLegal Technology, Standing Committee on, November 2007Remote access is the ability to retrieve and utilize electronically-stored information—including Word/Excel/PowerPoint documents, litigation databases, and scanned images—from a location outside the office.
Use the Web, but don’t let it use youBy Matt ArbogastYoung Lawyers Division, August 2007On June 29, 2007, an unbelievably large number of people waited in line for hours, some for days, to get their hands on iPhones.
More on engagement lettersBy Donald E. WeihlLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, May 2007The focus of this article will be on language to be included in engagement letters to provide for advance waivers of conflicts of interest.
Document process: The competitive edge in the legal professionBy Raymond SnyderLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, January 2007Law firms are beginning to realize the importance and value efficient document processes can provide.
To lead or to manageBy Maximilian M. PrusakLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, January 2007If your office is not acting as a team working for the same goal, try a little less management and a little more leadership.
