Category: Management

Be prepared – More than the Boy Scout motto

Tom Collins said it as well or better than I could have, but our sentiments are the same ….

Create a strategic plan for your firm that enables you to think about things that are not yet on the horizon (some call this the latent pain of clients) and prepare your law firm to handle those opportunities as and when they arise.

Being prepared for change, being prepared for opportunities that others might not see, is more than dumb luck, though a little bit of that doesn’t hurt. Being prepared for change results from broadening your horizon, your perspective and your vision of what might occur.

Put on your thinking hat and be prepared … to take advantage of the opportunities that will arise for your firm.


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Contract lawyers – A viable option

In the last few weeks, I have been asked by coaching clients how to address increased business without hiring an attorney full time before knowing that the flow of business will continue.

This is a great question. My responsive suggestion has been to hire contract lawyers, lawyers who are building their own practice or who want to work only part-time (for personal reasons) but still want to continue doing legal work.

See Elisabeth Schroeder’s article to learn more about this topic. (more…)


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Disaster Recovery – It’s Not If, But When

April 14, 2006
Venice, CA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Disaster Recovery: It’s Not If, But When

Ed Poll, nationally renowned law firm consultant and coach to lawyers discussed his experiences developing disaster recovery plans for large firms. Poll highlighted both the process and the substance of the plans that large firms developed with him after their experiences with the tragedies of September 11, 2001.

Poll observed two recent studies. The first indicated that 39% of all U.S. companies still don’t have recovery plans in place. Poll suggested that, among law firms, the percentage is likely to be closer to 80%. Further, Poll mentioned another study that concluded most businesses will not be in existence 5 years after a disaster hits them.

LawBiz Management has just released the first in a new series of publicatins, Business Competency for Lawyers: A Special Report. More information is available at www.lawbiz.com. A new Special Report on Disaster Recovery will be issued in the Summer 2006. Those interested should contact Ed Poll

LawBiz Management Co. consults with and coaches lawyers and law firms throughout the United States, Mexico and England. For more information, contact Ed Poll at edpoll@lawbiz.com or call (800) 837-5880; also, please see http://www.lawbiz.com , http://www.lawbizblog.com.

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Higher stress, higher income

” … high stress can be a symptom of a poorly managed practice – or, more likely, an under-managed one. Don’t take this personally, however. It doesn’t mean you’re incompetent. You simply were never taught practice management skills.” (more…)


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Compensation – Is fair the right standard?

A writer, former managing partner, suggests various formulae for determining compensation among partners and especially managing partners. He concludes by suggesting that it’s not important what formula is used so long as all involved perceive that the process of determining that number is fair. (more…)


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An aging lawyer population … and discipline

In an article in a recent newspaper, the writer was lamenting the fact that our lawyer population is aging, as is our population in general. (Better that than the alternative!)

Along with this factoid came the observation that there is a rising case load of disciplinary matters in some jurisdictions. (more…)


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