Conflicts can be created when traditionally transaction – commercial litigation law firms, paid by the hour, enter into the contingency fee arena. The Wall Street Journal, in its March 7th edition, delineates several of these, and more are discussed below. (more…)
Is the blogging world becoming polluted? Is the line between paid advertising and unbiased opinion becoming blurred? (more…)
Don’t forget, the time is changing this week-end. Not bad enough that most lawyers are already overworked, we’re "losing" an hour of billable (or sleep-able) time. While our bodies make the difficult adjustment (according to psychologists, we become moody and cranky until our bio-rhythms adjust, sometimes taking several weeks), what about our computers?
I’m told by MS that their service packs are not sufficient to make the complete adjustment for all of our programs. Thus, be careful, our computers (calendars, etc.) may have a difficult time as well making the adjustment this week-end.
Law Firm Leaders Forum in San Francisco today and tomorrow promises to highlight issues of importance to all lawyers by the leaders of some outstanding law firms. I look forward to hearing more about their comments from Adam Smith.
Tell me about the issues that face you and your firm.
In previous times, I was concerned with exceeding client expectations. However, in this era of fast-moving relationships, this merely means we are “renting” clients’ business. In order to avoid “burn-out” by lawyers and clients who are not satisfied with lawyers, I think we need to talk in terms of “managing” client expectations. When clients know what to expect from their lawyers, and their lawyers deliver what they promise, obviously clients will be satisfied. (more…)
Adam Smith has a nice piece on the recent associate salary increases to $160,000. It’s hard, however, to feel sympathetic to law firms where the disparity between partners and associates continues to increase. Of course, law firms merely reflect their corporate clients where the CEO compensation (sometimes at hundreds of millions of dollars) is far greater than the rank-and-file compensation than at any other time in our history.
Will clients change their purchasing habits. If history is a teacher, the answer will be "not significantly."
Ultimately, who pays for these increases? Us. Consumers. That’s why they call it inflation.
A recent survey of small business owners by SurePayroll has produced some interesting results concerning business relationships with banks:
(more…)
Albert Einstein said that "… (technology is) this magnificent applied science which saves work and makes life easier …" Here are a few such tips for consideration:
1. Radio-frequency identification tags for your luggage will increase the chances of keeping your luggage and tracking it if/when lost.
2. New workplace trend: Use a gym ball in place of a chair. Ergonomic consultants suggest that gym balls help strengthen one’s abdominal and lower back muscles as well as improving posture. Technology has helped design some of the fancy chairs now being sold for egonomic benefits. Going back, however, to some of the old ways may be the real solution to back and other medical ills. Einstein went on to say that technology fails to bring us happiness "…because we have not yet learned to make sensible use of it." The gym ball may be one example of "sensible use" of existing knowledge.
(more…)
Ed interviews Don Garrison of Quik Sek, a virtual dictation service. He discusses how his company uses “outsourcing” to help lawyers deal with increased secretarial needs. He talks about the company’s technology to help lawyers deal with forgotten or never-learned dictation skills needed to use his service. Listen now to this interesting conversation.
14 minutes, 41 seconds
3.4MB
Cell phones are ubiquitous – In fact, I fear the next generation of young folks may be born with one arm at a 90 degree angle resulting from their parents seemingly being in a permanent "cocked arm" position .
However, there are things you can do with a cell phone that you may not have realized. Check out the following:
(more…)