Managing a law firm practice group

Exercises to set goals and see them through

By Sylvia Hsieh
Published: May 21, 2012
Tags: Law Office Management

If you have lots of ideas for your law firm but they remain in the realm of the abstract year after year, here are some 10-minute exercises that can help you set specific goals and turn them into reality. First, write down your goals for the year. “Do you go to Costco with a list? [...]

Office management: The do’s and don’ts of firing someone

By Dolan Media Newswires
Published: March 30, 2012
Tags: Law Office Management

Few things are more unpleasant than firing someone. But if a member of the team is not up to the task or firm finances force a difficult decision, sometimes no other option exists. If you must let someone go, here are some dos and don’ts. The dos Be brief. Don’t get drawn into a debate [...]

Document assembly for lawyers

By Dolan Media Newswires
Published: March 7, 2012
Tags: Law Office Management, Technology

Lawyers have always been interested in better ways to produce legal documents and correspondence. Even before computers, memory typewriters allowed lawyers to reuse forms without retyping the entire document. It sounds like something from the Stone Age, but many practicing lawyers remember the time when editing a document meant someone had to retype the whole [...]

The faces of law firm financial impropriety

By Edward Poll
Published: December 20, 2011
Tags: Fraud, Law Office Management

Financial fraud should, in theory, never be a concern for a law firm, where ethical considerations must predominate. After all, Rule of Professional Conduct 8.4 states clearly that “[i]t is professional misconduct for a lawyer to … commit a criminal act that reflects adversely on the lawyer’s honesty, trustworthiness or fitness as a lawyer … [...]

Managing and leading great staff meetings

By Nancy Byerly Jones
Published: December 8, 2011
Tags: Law Office Management

I’d be a very rich gal if I had a nickel for every employee complaint I’ve heard during my 20 plus years of law office consulting about negative, unproductive staff meetings! The number one request from staff is the desire for upbeat and informative meetings. In some firms, they just want meetings that are taken [...]

Background checks in the electronic age

By Dolan Media Newswires
Published: December 7, 2011
Tags: Law Office Management, Social Media, Technology

Credit and criminal history background checks, an integral part of the employment screening process, are becoming hot-button issues in the courts. They are potential minefields for employers. In the electronic age, employers are able to research applicants’ backgrounds quickly and thoroughly. Companies must navigate a rapidly developing array of laws in this area, and balance [...]

Harassment causes stress, costs money

By Dolan Media Newswires
Published: August 23, 2011
Tags: Law Office Management

There are as many sources of workplace stress as there are different types of tasks to do and people to do them. Sometimes, the workplace pressures and the personality differences coalesce and cause a particular employee to perceive bullying on the job. If employers have not heard the term “status blind harassment” they should familiarize [...]

Costs of training of lawyers an issue in “work/life balance”

By Alan Cooper
Published: July 22, 2011
Tags: Law Office Management

Corporations increasingly are reluctant to pay for what they view as training for law firm associates. That development has implications for law schools as well as law firms, according to a panel discussion July 20 on changes in the legal industry. The panel examined the premises in “Law & Reorder,” a book by former litigator [...]

The plusses and pitfalls of accepting plastic as payment

By Edward Poll
Published: June 14, 2011
Tags: Law Office Management

The way in which legal services are marketed and delivered to clients must coincide with what the client wants and needs. One effective marketing tool is a law firm billing approach that is convenient and efficient. Service is the one thing that clients want from lawyers more than anything else, even more than lower fees. [...]