The current presidential campaign is certainly intriguing. Who doesn’t have an opinion about a recent rally, debate, or OpEd? No doubt your staff members do. But do you want them to…
MARKETING & COMPLIANCE
Watch out for federal and state laws when promoting your practice on social media and websites
February 12, 2016 by
Social media can be useful for getting a practice’s name out there and helping potential clients find you. But there are legal and ethical issues raised by use of social media. Federal and state laws are also implicated when a law office decides to promote its services whether it be through establishing a website or participating in forums such as…
INCREASING PROFITS
The 5 disasters that run law firms into the ground
December 4, 2015 by
Can your firm profit in the current economy? Or more worrisome: can it survive?
The answer depends on how the firm is managed, advises one expert. And to a great extent it’s the intangible elements of management that tell the tale.
Law firms are living in a new world, says William F. Brennan, CPA, CMA, a principal with the legal management consulting firm Altman Weil in Newtown Square, PA. Brennan is also a former law firm CFO.
Supply is up, demand is down, and…
WORKING WITH ATTORNEYS
For long-term survival, watch for the downfalls that cause partner splits
August 28, 2015 by
A partner split is like a marital split – expensive and hard to get over.
Also like a marital split, it can often be avoided by knowing the elements that cause it and taking steps not to go down those roads, says Robert Denney, a Wayne, PA, management and planning consultant for professional offices…
CLIENT RELATIONS
The psychology of getting clients to pay
May 1, 2015 by
When the collections get tough, the tough start adding a bit of psychology to the billing.
It can make the difference between getting paid now or getting paid later or maybe not getting paid at all, says Merra Lee Moffitt of Capture Profits, a revenue and profit building consulting company in Reading, PA.
A waning economy is no time to sit at status quo with the billing, she says. People who used to pay in 15 days are waiting 30 days, and the 30-day people are waiting 60 days. And the not-so-dependable payers are sometimes not paying at all…
INCREASING PROFITS
The best business plan: Fall back and regroup at a firm retreat
April 17, 2015 by
Is the firm retreat a dying exercise?
During the current economic downturn, many practices eliminated the annual retreat in an effort to save money. But it’s when the revenues and business future are most mercurial that a retreat is most needed, says Robert Denney, a Wayne, PA, law firm management consultant.
The firm needs to know how to navigate through the financial waters as well as position itself to take advantage of new markets when the money climate starts to improve.
Here are the whys and hows of…
COMPLIANCE
Electronic cigarettes: why your firm needs a “vaping” policy now
November 21, 2014 by
Your employment policies address cigarettes, and so you think you have the smoking issue covered. Well, think again. Electronic cigarettes have created new challenges for employers.
Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes, first became available in the United States in 2006 and have grown in popularity. Designed to look like cigarettes, they are battery-powered devices, usually made of plastic or metal, that convert liquid nicotine into a mist, or vapor that the user inhales. The liquid nicotine is often flavored and the vapor produced resembles smoke.
How popular are e-cigarettes? Popular enough to spawn the terms “vaper,” for a smoker, and “vaping,” for the act of…
