If the goal is to develop the associates into productive—and profitable—attorneys, the traditional annual review is not enough. There need to be formal reviews twice during the year. And more, there needs to be continuous feedback in the meantime. Many firms have moved away from the lockstep approach of pushing associates up the partnership ladder based on years of service. … [Read more...] about Developing productive associates: Why the traditional annual review gets a FAIL!
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Trust account errors that could get you disbarred
As a law firm administrator, trust accounting issues need to be your primary concern, according to Joryn Jenkins, a collaborative divorce attorney, author and CEO of Open Palm Law and Open Palm Press in Tampa, FL. Elizabeth Miller, an independent law firm administrator in Tampa Bay, agrees, adding that of five trust account errors that could land you in serious trouble with … [Read more...] about Trust account errors that could get you disbarred
Measure your associates’ satisfaction to keep them on board
Do you know whether or not your firm's associates are content or if there is a mass exodus in your future? Find out with a well-crafted survey. Your firm's greatest asset is its associates, yet associate satisfaction is often overlooked. To keep those associates happy, you need to find out what's making them unhappy, and do that with frequent and focused surveys. … [Read more...] about Measure your associates’ satisfaction to keep them on board
Break down barriers with peer-to-peer training
The best staff training, says a Missouri manager, is the training staff give one another. And at her office, her staff of 25 do just that. They hold training sessions for one another on a "when-needed, what's-needed, and who-needs-it" basis. There's no set routine. The manager simply schedules an in-service whenever she sees a problem in the workflow. Perhaps the billing … [Read more...] about Break down barriers with peer-to-peer training
Is the honeymoon over at work?
For many professionals, that first year in a new job can be a "honeymoon period," full of new and exciting challenges. But a study from Robert Half and Happiness Works shows that professionals with between one and two years on the job are less happy, less interested in their work and more stressed than those still in their first year. After three years or more on the job, … [Read more...] about Is the honeymoon over at work?
Mastering Word: Tables and Fillable Forms
Downloadable Files: Handout Presenter:Lori Dowhaniuk,Microsoft Office Instructorfor Savvy Training & Consulting In this webinar recording you'll discover how to take greater advantage of tables and fill-in forms. MS Word tables are an extremely effective method of presenting data in rows and columns and are very easy to insert and manipulate. MS Word also allows you to … [Read more...] about Mastering Word: Tables and Fillable Forms
What you need to know when a bully takes you on
By Lynne Curry bio You've met bullies who play a win/lose game, even as you aim for a win/win solution. Guess who loses when they take you on? You do. Would you like to win, or at least not lose? Here's what you need to know: Fail the bully's test We believe or like to believe the best of everyone. When a bully first tests us with a demeaning slam, we often think … [Read more...] about What you need to know when a bully takes you on
With Excel, garbage in equals garbage out
When using Microsoft Excel in your law office, you need to be careful about keeping the information clean, consistent and searchable, according to Monica Sandler, a learning and operations consultant and Microsoft certified trainer. "If you are going to lay out a nice, clean data table, you can't put garbage information into a field," she says, adding that each column … [Read more...] about With Excel, garbage in equals garbage out
What is your law practice worth to sell?
Whether you are looking at retiring and selling your law practice or purchasing one, you first need to have it valuated by a professional, says Ron Seigneur, a former legal administrator and partner in Seigneur Gustafson Certified Public Accountants in Lakewood, CO. Seigneur says there are three types of potential buyers for a law practice: Entrepreneurial buyers often … [Read more...] about What is your law practice worth to sell?
How one California law firm regained its corporate culture and improved business
How do you grow your firm and still maintain a close-knit team? Jason Pink, Administrator of Gianelli & Associates in Modesto, California, tells how their firm handled it. We're a small, but busy, 9-attorney law firm. When we outgrew the 6,500 square foot building we were in, we added an annex at the next door building. We moved three attorneys and a few staff over there. … [Read more...] about How one California law firm regained its corporate culture and improved business