The large-client dilemmaBy Donald E. WeihlLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, December 2002Law firms of all sizes represent large clients on a day-to-day, month-to-month, and year-to-year basis.
Reinventing your law practice: 25 tips for implementing changeBy Dr. John W. OlmsteadLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, December 2002During the next 10 years, law firms will either undergo dramatic change and transform themselves or they will cease to exist. Present business and management practices will no longer serve practitioners well in the global electronic marketplace.
Engagement lettersBy Donald E. WeihlLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, October 2002This article will discuss the reasons engagement letters are utilized, the benefits they provide, and examples of the content of portions of engagement letters that are commonly in use.
Lawyers work hard for their reputation—But they don’t deserve it!By Thomas J. BrannanLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, October 2002"Shyster," "ambulance chaser," "mouthpiece," "one with silver-forked tongue"...the number of disparaging words about lawyers seems to run the gamut.
“The electronic lawyer” ™By Alan PearlmanLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, June 2002There are some products in the market place that we can do without, while others just keep getting better and better. Iomega Corporation is one such company that keeps coming up with the best in storage and containment products for both the PC and MAC world!
“The electronic lawyer” ™By Alan PearlmanLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, June 2002Last month I told you about an exciting new scanner to take care of all your business card needs.
Get organized—use a checklistBy Paul J. SullivanLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, April 2002Everyday, people in all walks of life use a checklist to get themselves going into their daily routines.
How would you rate the morale in your office? Diagnosing the problemBy Joseph DailingLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, April 2002When you walk into your office in the morning, what does it feel like? Is your office a place where people greet one another politely or even enthusiastically or is your office a place where no one says "Good Morning" and where people quietly pass in the hallway without acknowledging each other?
Presenting the billBy Donald E. WeihlLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, April 2002While the practice of law is an honorable profession, a lawyer, like anyone else rendering services, is entitled to be compensated for those services.
It’s timeBy Donald E. WeihlLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, January 2002In the October, 1991, poll conducted by the section council, articles on efficient use of attorneys' time ranked high in the responses as a desired subject of attention in the newsletter.
Oh where, oh where has my back up gone?By Maximilian M. PrusakLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, January 2002Have you ever sung the Back Up Blues? If you haven't, you will be probably feel quite content and a bit overconfident.
Stop! I want off!By Thomas J. BrannanLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, January 2002If you practice law--you know the feeling. At best, it is a monthly event, at worst, a daily event.
Aba tech show highlightsBy Paul BernsteinLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, August 2001The ABA Tech Show in Chicago in March, 2001, for me, confirmed existing trends in law office automation and technology and provided visions of the near-future.
Bankruptcy Plus puts a plus in your practice!By Alan PearlmanLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, August 2001Around January of this year the administrative offices of the United States Courts made an announcement that they were going to amend the Official Bankruptcy Form 7, as approved by the Judicial Conference of September, 2000.
Editor’s noteLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, August 2001Please note the following: as regular readers of this newsletter know, it has been a while since we have devoted as much of an issue to technology and products as this one.
FinAlyst … a powerful money management utilityBy Alan PearlmanLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, August 2001Every now and then, a program comes along that makes working with money and management a little easier on our everyday lives.
Getting started on the road to getting organizedBy Paul BernsteinLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, August 2001The fact is that lawyers deal with so much information, that often we are in a panic when it comes to "unexpected," overlooked or forgotten deadlines and details (ours and others in our firm).
PHONEslips … your receptionist will love you for it!By Alan PearlmanLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, August 2001There is a scenario that is repeated daily in law offices around the world. Simply put, after a long day in court, attorneys go back to their offices to find an Empire-State Building-size stack of pink telephone messages, which call for attention and return phone calls that must be attended to.
Technology: back to basicsBy Paul BernsteinLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, March 2001I started to practice law in 1959. Since the earliest days of lawyers until the 1960s, lawyers and law offices worked with non-electric typewriters and carbon paper.
Law office policy on Internet and E-mail accessLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, June 2000With the increasing use of Internet access and e-mail by law firms, it is important to establish appropriate uses and limits on these powerful communication tools.
Who is in charge here?By Thomas J. BrannanLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, June 2000When we want results, we typically ask, "Who is in charge here"? If someone asked you that question, about your business or about your life, what would your answer be?
LOE to sponsor management roundtableLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, February 2000The Law Office Management and Economics (Standing Committe on) of the ISBA is sponsoring a management roundtable in Peoria on Saturday morning, March 11, 2000 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Packard Plaza.
WordPerfect® Law Office 2000 Suite from Corel CorporationBy Paul BernsteinLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, February 2000The WordPerfect® Law Office 2000 Suite came to market earlier this year. For lawyers in small and mid-sized law firms, this is a perfect product for their law office.
Back to basicsBy Thomas J. BrannanLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, November 1999When was the last time you were completely caught up?....I mean, a clean desk, no files awaiting work or discovery, or research, and no telephone calls to return?
Legal forms for the consumer—challenge to the lawyer?By Maximilian M. PrusakLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, November 1999Recently, a client came into my office and told me that he had a health care power of attorney form and a living will form on his computer. He was going to print off a copy of each but decided to ask me my opinion before he did that.
Working effectively: Team work with your office assistantLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, October 1999The bottom line in all businesses is getting the work done efficiently. Recently a very informal survey was made of law office assistants and their assigned attorneys.