Among the topics discussed on this day were:
The Law Practice Management Institute raised a number of issues and produced great discussion among the attendees. Some of the issues in the first day were:
Another double entendre.
Literally by a dam!
But, I love it.
The College of Law Practice Management now has applications available for entries for its legal innovations awards. Check it out. The profession is changing. How will technology and improved management impact these changes?
The recession has been tough on law firms, and many lawyers have been laid off or terminated. In this week’s clip, Ed discusses tips for lawyers as they leave their firms and look for new work.
Duh!
Were these signs made by prisoners with nothing else to do, or do we actually pay good taxpayer money to have such signs made?
I wonder who created this thought?
In a recent episode of Blue Blood, the granddaughter was lamenting that she didn’t support a friend in need as much as she thought she should have, and that her grandfather would be disappointed in her. An uncle (son of the grandfather) of the girl said "(Grandfather) would say that ‘its what you do next that counts…’"
As we review where we are n our career, in our law practice, it’s not what we’ve done to get here that should be our focus, but rather what we will do next. Create the plan to seek your goals; move along the path toward your goals, one step at a time; and always keep your eyes open for opportunities along the way, some of which may cause you to change your plan.
See our soon to be released new book, 16th Anniversary Edition, Profitable Law Office Handbook: The Attorney’s Guide to Successful Business Planning. Pre-publication offer: 30% discount! Good until May 31, 2012.
Your bank will not always let you withdraw your money! Ed talks about bank check clearing policies that could affect your law firm.
There is a new certification being promoted: Certified Divorce Financial Specialist
This takes specialization to a new level: Learning more and more about less and less … and pretty soon we’ll know nothing about everything.
An interesting question was raised recently in the discussion about alternative fees. What happens in either of two scenarios: i) When the client terminates the relationship before the legal services are concluded and ii) When the fee is challenged in a dispute between attorney and client.
In the former case, how do you apportion work already done versus work yet to be done, especially when the fee agreement is silent on the subject? This question is set against the backdrop that a lawyer refund any advance payment of fee that has not yet been earned. And, though a fixed fee, the fee must be placed into the client trust account until earned. Does one have to refer back to the time spent (hourly billing)? And if the subject is covered in the fee agreement, are we building into the relationship all kinds of negative vibes between attorney and client?
And, though fixed fees/alternative fees are designed to reduce conflict between attorney and client, should a dispute arise, how do we test the reasonableness of the fee? Again, usually by reference to the hourly billing rate and time spent.
This subject once again points to the need for good client relations and effective, frequent communication between attorney and client to make sure such disputes don’t arise and/or are settled quickly.