Law Office Manager

Managing staff

4 bad financial habits that may increase your policy premiums and your malpractice risk

Ineffective billing and collections practices affect more than the bottom line. They ultimately may determine what the firm has to pay for malpractice coverage. To an underwriter, poor financial habits are just like poor legal habits—they spell high risk for malpractice claims, says Dan Knise, president and CEO of Ames & Gough, a McClean, VA, specialty insurance broker. If … [Read more...] about 4 bad financial habits that may increase your policy premiums and your malpractice risk

3-point retention strategy

By Julie Ellison  bio Great law offices are built with great people. In today's competitive employment market, it's hard enough to recruit those great people, but the real challenge is getting them to stay. Traditional retention strategies haven't worked so it's time to take a fresh look at how to keep the best people you have. Benefits vs. retention We often confuse … [Read more...] about 3-point retention strategy

How to let clients know you take their work seriously, without saying a word

As the saying goes, "you never get a second chance to make a first impression." What's the first impression your clients get when they walk into your office? Does it instill confidence that they made the right choice in hiring your firm? Clients lose faith in an office when they see clutter and dusty plastic plants and dirt in the corners. A likely reaction is, "This office … [Read more...] about How to let clients know you take their work seriously, without saying a word

How in the world can anybody stop gossip?

Question: How can a manager effectively put the squelch on office gossip? Answer: Gossip is an issue for almost all managers, and for some it's a plague. It's childish, it's negative, it's damaging to productivity, and it won't stop until the manager does something about it. Over the years, LOM has addressed the problem many times, and what all management experts say is that … [Read more...] about How in the world can anybody stop gossip?

8 pitfalls of letting law firm employees work from home

Contrary to what you might have heard in HR circles, refusing to let employees work from home will not make your law firm a dinosaur that nobody will ever want to work for. In fact, it will put you in the same position as the nearly 65 percent of employers that don't allow telecommuting. But telecommuting does offer significant business advantages. And to the extent you're … [Read more...] about 8 pitfalls of letting law firm employees work from home

Want to jump ahead of the competition? Get everybody aiming for the same thing

No matter what the business, the winning players are always organizations with a motivated and productive workforce. And what maintains motivation and productivity is goals—plus mentoring, coaching, and training to help everybody achieve them. Workable goals admittedly take thought, planning, and a lot of follow-up, says business development and management consultant John … [Read more...] about Want to jump ahead of the competition? Get everybody aiming for the same thing

Immigration alert, social media, salary threshold, minimum wage, trafficking and more

By Mike O'Brien  bio Immigration alert—more Social Security "no-match" letters to issue this fall: The Social Security Administration (SSA) just announced its plan to mail a second set of "no-match letters" to employers this fall. These notices request employers to reconcile wage reports and credit employees' earnings to their Social Security records, stating there is … [Read more...] about Immigration alert, social media, salary threshold, minimum wage, trafficking and more

5 ways high-performance organizations make meetings effective

By J. Elise Keith  bio Every organization has to figure out how to make meetings productive. It's a complex challenge. To be effective, each meeting needs to engage the individual talents of the people involved, work to achieve the organization's specific goals for the moment, and do so in a way that's both culturally relevant and contextually sensitive to the world … [Read more...] about 5 ways high-performance organizations make meetings effective

To-Dos: Your September office checklist

Now that the summer is over and you're facing the final quarter, it's time to roll up your sleeves and get to work. Here are some important tasks you need to address now to ensure that you finish the year strong and are realistically prepared for next year. 1. Plan your staffing Start thinking about your staffing requirements for the coming year. Will you be adding another … [Read more...] about To-Dos: Your September office checklist