: Practice Management
The End of Clients?
Audio version available - Filed Under: Practice Management
Richard Susskind’s book, The End of Lawyers?: Rethinking the Nature of Legal Services, has recently come out in paperback. The book discusses how changes in technology are eroding, and will continue to change, the work available for lawyers. Today, though, I’m more concerned with the possibility of the end of clients – those of solo practitioners and small firms.
Despite the fact that the recession has been declared officially over, I continue to receive calls from lawyers, especially solo and small firm lawyers, who are having trouble maintaining their practices. Almost uniformly, they report that their business has just fallen off and doesn’t seem to be showing any signs of returning. I’ve been puzzling over these mysterious, disappearing clients. Were they going to other lawyers? Were they solving their problems without resort to the established legal system? Is it simply that so many people have lost their jobs? Last week the happenstance of finding two diametrically opposed news items at the same time gave me a clue to what I’m afraid is happening.
Save Your Bacon – Or Cook Your Goose?
Audio version available - Filed Under: Practice Management
A blog post by Jan Berinstein with those eye-catching words in the title grabbed my attention this morning. So much so that it inspired me to shake off the blahs I’ve had…
Read MoreSave 20% – But Only for One More Week
Audio version available - Filed Under: Practice Management
I couldn’t do my job without the great books that LPM Publishing puts out, which is why I want to pass on the word that the ABA Webstore is offering a 20%
Read MoreImproving Your Practice With Checklists – And More
Audio version available - Filed Under: Practice Management
Back in March, when I attended ABA TECHSHOW in Chicago, I left my keys in a desk drawer in my room at the Hilton. Needless to say, when I arrived at the…
Read MoreDon’t Get Caught With Your [Redacted] Down!
Audio version available - Filed Under: Practice Management
With the advent of e-filing, e-discovery and e-production, redaction has moved from something any lawyer can do with a big, fat black Magic Marker to a techno-legal skill-set that has become more…
Read MoreCan John Wooden’s Seven Principles Make You a Better Lawyer?
Audio version available - Filed Under: Practice Management
The airwaves on Saturday were filled with the sad news of the death of John Wooden, legendary coach of the UCLA basketball team. I’m not a huge sports fan, but as I…
Read MoreMust Read: Time Management for Attorneys
Audio version available - Filed Under: Practice Management
I’ve read a lot of time management books, so when Time Management for Attorneys: A Lawyer’s Guide to Decreasing Stress, Eliminating Interruptions & Getting Home on Time by Mark Powers and Shawn…
Read MorePay Your Legal Assistant’s Dues, Make Yourself Happy
Audio version available - Filed Under: Practice Management
I’ve been after my legal assistant, Kristi Skipper, to provide a guest post for The Last Word. She has graciously done so, and here, in her own words, are her Top 5…
Read MoreAlabama Launches ACIS Online
Audio version available - Filed Under: Practice Management
Most Alabama attorneys recently received an email inviting them to review the Alabama Appellate Courts’ new online service, ACIS Online, by signing up for a free Level III Trial Subscription. The service…
Read MoreWork Smarter, Go Home Sooner
Audio version available - Filed Under: Practice Management
If you’re not already doing so, one of the most productive (and cost effective) technology changes that you can make is to add a second monitor to your computer. Adding a second…
Read More