Lawyers USA Your Business Partner

Making a smart lateral move 

Published: September 2, 2011

Tags: practice management

Lawyers are increasing making lateral moves in their practices, but few are familiar with the process.

To guide both lateral recruits and the firms that might hire them, Adam S. Weiss has written The Lateral Lawyer: Opportunities & Pitfalls for the Law Firm Partner.

Growing your firm from solo to more: Adding an associate 

By: Correy Stephenson
Published: September 1, 2011

Tags: practice management

When is the right time to grow a practice from a sole practitioner? Practice management experts offer tips for solos considering expansion.

How to respond professionally to negative online reviews 

Published: August 22, 2011

Tags: Avvo, online reviews, practice management, Yelp

As business and legal feedback sites like Yelp and Avvo continue to proliferate, lawyers need to monitor their online reputations and be prepared to respond to negative reviews.

Learn to sweat the small talk 

Published: July 8, 2011

Tags: practice management, small talk

Conferences, bar events and business dinners all provide lawyers with an opportunity to network and build relationships with colleagues and clients.

But many attorneys dread the requisite small talk.

In her book, The Fine Art of Small Talk: How to Start a Conversation, Keep It Going, Build Rapport – And Leave a Positive Impression, Denver, Colo.-based speaker and trainer Debra Fine offers tips for lawyers struggling with small talk.

How to get hired: Tips for a great first client meeting 

Published: June 15, 2011

Tags: client meetings, client relations, practice management

The first meeting with a client can be a make-it or break-it scenario for attorneys.

Alternative fees: There’s more than one way to charge a client 

By: Ed Poll
Published: June 8, 2011

Tags: alternative fees, practice management

The debate continues over the future of the billable hour, but there is little disagreement that alternative arrangements are here to stay. A law firm’s commitment to use alternative fees has three basic requirements for success.

Home sweet office 

Published: June 7, 2011

Tags: home office, practice management, technology

If you, like more and more lawyers these days, want to call your home your office, what do you need to know to do it right?

Lawyers USA turned to two practitioners with home offices for advice: Lee Rosen, a partner at the Rosen Law Firm in Raleigh, N.C., and David E. Mills, a sole practitioner in Cleveland.

Plusses and pitfalls of accepting plastic as payment 

By: Ed Poll
Published: May 18, 2011

Tags: billing, credit cards, practice 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.

Delegating with confidence

By: Jim Calloway
Published: May 4, 2011

Tags: delegation, practice management

Delegation sounds easy. You get someone else to do something so you don’t have to do it. Some lawyers happily delegate as much as they can.

But some lawyers have difficulties with delegating important tasks to staff, since the failure of a staff person will be no excuse to a client or disciplinary authority. Lawyers USA Columnist Jim Calloway offers his suggestions to help lawyers delegate effectively.

Word of mouth still the best way to get clients, says ABA survey 

By: Sylvia Hsieh
Published: March 28, 2011

Tags: ABA, American Bar Association, legal marketing, legal services, marketing, practice management, social media, unbundling

Even with the growth of online resources, word-of-mouth is still the way most people look for a lawyer, according to a survey by the ABA standing committee on the delivery of legal services.