When money is tight, firm administrators start rushing to make decisions to save the bottom line, perhaps relying on strategies that saw the firm through the recession. But hold on, cautions Peter A. Giuliani of Smock Law Firm Consultants in Weston, CT. These decisions have to be made with long-term survival in mind. And the cost-cutting approaches that worked for firms during … [Read more...] about Cutting costs? What worked in 2008 won’t work today
Technology
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
How and why you need to carefully screen cold calls from potential new clients
What's your firm's process for dealing with a potential new client? What happens when someone sends the firm an email asking for a quote for a real estate transaction or when a frantic caller leaves a long, detailed voice mail message about why she wasn't to blame for the fatal car crash being covered on the morning news? Who takes the call? How are calls prioritized? And is … [Read more...] about How and why you need to carefully screen cold calls from potential new clients
Some FMLA questions on using vacation time and counting to 50
Here are three questions on the Family and Medical Leave Act. They are answered by Morganville, NJ, management consultant John McNamara. Briefly, the FMLA requires that employers with 50 or more employees allow up to 12 weeks' unpaid, jobprotected leave for medical and family reasons. FMLA time on top of vacation time A staffer returns from a two-week vacation and asks … [Read more...] about Some FMLA questions on using vacation time and counting to 50
Lessons from the new-model law firm: how to cut costs, increase revenue and improve profits
Traditional law firms face considerable competition today, particularly from new-model law firms that operate and structure themselves in very different ways, according to Ron Friedmann, an expert in law practice management and partner at Fireman & Company in the Washington, DC area. Many clients are moving work in-house to save money, says Friedmann, who notes that the … [Read more...] about Lessons from the new-model law firm: how to cut costs, increase revenue and improve profits
Ways you’re using the cloud without even knowing it
By Doug Striker bio As I visit law firms, I frequently hear from trainers and IT professionals who say that their upper management and attorneys are "afraid to move to the cloud." These trainers and IT folks are usually quite tech-savvy and understand that this resistance is holding the firm back (and also putting its clients at risk of a security breach) but … [Read more...] about Ways you’re using the cloud without even knowing it
10 ways managers are improving their law firms
Ah, the woes of running a law office. You know them well: Reams of reports, scheduling squabbles, technology tangles, and so much more. It takes a lot of skill, patience, and strategy to make a law office run smoothly—plus a little bit of help from others who know your pain. That must be why the Reader Tips section of our website is so popular. It contains dozens of solutions … [Read more...] about 10 ways managers are improving their law firms
Should you outsource your IT department?
It's a question many law firm administrators face at some point, particularly when discussing workforce restructuring: Is it time to outsource our IT needs? It's not an easy decision to make and it's not the same answer for every firm. If your firm is currently having this discussion, let's take a look at some of the pros and cons of outsourcing, and what you need to consider … [Read more...] about Should you outsource your IT department?
No, legal practice management software is not a requirement
By Diane L. Camacho, CLM bio We all want to become more organized, and it would be great if there were some sort of magic software that would allow us to organize our work and thoughts simply. Practice management software claims to be that magic. There must be hundreds of software solutions on the market for law firms. Developers see that we have a definite need to … [Read more...] about No, legal practice management software is not a requirement
How to become a Microsoft Word ninja and boost your productivity
Legal professionals are under constant pressure to work more efficiently and effectively, and using technology can help them do both while lightening their workloads, according to Michelle Spencer, founder of the Legal Learning Development Network. "Microsoft Word is a tool that is used repeatedly each day, especially by those producing legal documents, which can be really … [Read more...] about How to become a Microsoft Word ninja and boost your productivity