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Ethical Billing Practices to Keep Your Clients Happy

June 11th, 2018
You’ve heard it from me and others; the key to satisfied clients is managing client expectations. And fees are perhaps the single client service area where lawyers fall short the most when managing expectations. Failure to manage fee expectations will not only lead to an unhappy client, it could also subject you to possible discipline. Remember, Rule 1.5 of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct (Fees and Division of Fees), states in relevant part: ... Read More
Categories: Practice Management

Compensating Retiring Lawyers for Client Transition Efforts

May 10th, 2018
A key aspect of any law firm succession plan is keeping the firm’s best clients when the rainmakers are gone. As more Boomers retire or start their winding down efforts, concerns about client retention and proper compensation are at the forefront of succession plan conversations. ... Read More
Categories: Practice Management, Retirement/Succession

Closing versus Selling a Law Practice: Why Not Get Money for Your Efforts?

April 4th, 2018
Are you a solo lawyer or small-firm owner facing retirement? Then, like most Boomer lawyers out there, you’re contemplating the option of selling your law practice. ... Read More
Categories: Selling Your Practice

Should a Solo Join a Bigger Law Firm? Is Bigger Better?

March 30th, 2018
It’s common for the successful solo practitioner to have bigger law firms approach them for recruiting the practitioner and joining forces. It’s also common for those practitioners to seriously consider the offer, often thinking the grass may be greener. But what makes these offers so tempting? There are many reasons, some of which are sensible, but most of which are not. ... Read More
Categories: Business Development, Practice Management

So, You Want to Be a Managing Partner? Make Sure You Embody These Qualities First.

March 2nd, 2018
Whenever someone I know becomes a firm’s managing partner, I always express my congratulations and condolences. Yes, it certainly is a feather in one’s cap to be the Big Cheese at a law firm. But, let’s be frank; it’s a tough job. Ask any managing partner and they’ll often tell you that practicing law is far easier than managing a law firm. ... Read More
Categories: Practice Management

How to Approach Difficult Conversations About Succession Planning

February 8th, 2018
Talking about a firm’s future is hard enough. Build onto that the need to plan for a future that doesn’t include a senior attorney… Talk about awkward! There is also fear on the part of younger lawyers. It can often feel confrontational to approach senior lawyers and ask about their future plans. ... Read More
Categories: Retirement/Succession

Solos and Small Firm Owners: Don’t Delay Your Succession Planning

December 28th, 2017
Succession is perhaps the most significant long-term challenge facing soon-to-be-retired, baby-boomer solo practitioners and small law firm owners. This is understandable, as a variety of psychological and emotional factors stack the odds against you laying the foundation for a smooth transition. ... Read More
Categories: Retirement/Succession

How to Know If & When the Time Is Right to Switch or Tweak Practice Areas

November 29th, 2017
After several years (or perhaps decades!) of practicing in a specific area, it’s no wonder you are considering change. What is prompting your desire for change, though? Boredom? Market changes? A desire to get out completely? Or an internal drive to simply spice things up a bit? ... Read More
Categories: Business Development, Practice Management

What Lawyers Can Learn From Apple When Setting Billing Rates

October 30th, 2017
Last month, Apple unveiled its new iPhone X to much fanfare. Perhaps what created the most fanfare was its price. It starts at $999; hundreds more than the older iPhone 7 and the brand-new iPhone 8. ... Read More
Categories: Business Development, Practice Management

Succession Planning Scenarios for Solos & Small Law Firm Owners

September 13th, 2017
For solo practitioners and small law firm owners seeking retirement, here is a quick, down-and-dirty summary of the succession plan strategies available to you. Put another way, here are three structural ways that soon-to-be retired lawyers can “sell” their practices. ... Read More
Categories: Retirement/Succession, Selling Your Practice

How to Retain Clients When a Lawyer Retires: Plan for the Skill Gap

August 4th, 2017
A critical component of a law firm’s succession plan is to figure out how to retain the firm’s best clients when senior lawyers retire. Most law firms quickly jump to determine who in the firm is either ready to step up or ready to undertake proper mentoring and training to step up in the future. Before making this determination, however, it is important to ask several questions. ... Read More
Categories: Practice Management, Retirement/Succession

The ‘Keep It Simple, Stupid’ Marketing Plan

July 17th, 2017
If you’ve searched the web for marketing plans, you’ve likely noticed that most so-called legal marketing experts recommend putting together a formal marketing plan. I suppose I fall into that camp — having a marketing plan is a necessity. But I am a contrarian in one key respect. ... Read More
Categories: Business Development, Practice Management

Preparing Your Practice for Sale? Don’t Do Stupid S**t.

June 5th, 2017
Soon-to-be retired solo practitioners and small law firm owners who are thinking of selling their law firms frequently ask, “Is there anything special or unique that I should do now to maximize my practice’s value?” Whenever I hear that question, I can’t help but think of President Obama’s remark about how to best manage world affairs: “Don’t do stupid s**t.” That advice holds true for lawyers contemplating selling their practice. ... Read More
Categories: Selling Your Practice

10 Questions to Answer When Creating Your Law Firm Strategic Marketing Plan

May 12th, 2017
When putting together your law firm’s marketing plan as part of your business development and strategic planning efforts, don’t fall into the trap of simply doing what you did last year. Sure, that may be enough to keep the lights on for another year. But, don’t you want to achieve more for your firm? ... Read More
Categories: Business Development

Want to Avoid Ethics Complaints? Follow These Three Service Tenets for Satisfied Clients

April 7th, 2017
Unhappy clients often choose to file ethics complaints against their poor-performing lawyers. What leads to their unhappiness? It may come as a surprise, but most ethics complaints are not about incompetence. Instead, most complaints revolve around basic customer service expectations. They involve issues that, even without specific ethics rules in place, would make any reasonable person agree the lawyer should be disciplined. ... Read More
Categories: Legal Marketing Ethics

Succession Planning: Don’t Delay Identifying New Leaders

March 29th, 2017
I recently attended a CLE with approximately 25 other people. Two individuals introduced themselves as managing partners of their small law firms. Both were in their 60s and both indicated their firms had not yet identified logical successor candidates to lead when they retire. The situation these partners find themselves in is not unusual. ... Read More
Categories: Retirement/Succession

Appraising a Law Firm for a Buy-In: CPA’s Need Not Apply

February 23rd, 2017
You own a small law firm. For the first time, you want to make one of your associates a partial owner. But how do you determine the price of admission for the “buy-in?” ... Read More
Categories: Selling Your Practice

Revenue v. Profits: Don’t Forget the Bottom Line

January 23rd, 2017
This lawyer fell into the trap that all-sized firms frequently do. They mistakenly believe the holy grail finance metric to be revenue. But if you ask anyone working in corporate America what the key finance metric is, you will hear one thing only: profitability. ... Read More
Categories: Business Development

Email Networking Invitations: What Should You Say?

January 13th, 2017
Have you set your New Year’s resolutions for business yet? If yes, I hope that improved networking is on your list. And if no, make 2017 the year that you finally “up” your networking game. ... Read More
Categories: Blog, Business Development

A Rule of Thumb for Valuing a Law Practice Is Not to Use the Rule of Thumb

December 7th, 2016
Solo practitioners and small law firm owners wanting to know what their practices are worth frequently rely on the “rule of thumb” valuation method. ... Read More
Categories: Selling Your Practice
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Blog Index

Ethical Billing Practices to Keep Your Clients Happy
Compensating Retiring Lawyers for Client Transition Efforts
Closing versus Selling a Law Practice: Why Not Get Money for Your Efforts?
Should a Solo Join a Bigger Law Firm? Is Bigger Better?
So, You Want to Be a Managing Partner? Make Sure You Embody These Qualities First.
How to Approach Difficult Conversations About Succession Planning
Solos and Small Firm Owners: Don’t Delay Your Succession Planning
How to Know If & When the Time Is Right to Switch or Tweak Practice Areas
What Lawyers Can Learn From Apple When Setting Billing Rates
Succession Planning Scenarios for Solos & Small Law Firm Owners
How to Retain Clients When a Lawyer Retires: Plan for the Skill Gap
The ‘Keep It Simple, Stupid’ Marketing Plan
Preparing Your Practice for Sale? Don’t Do Stupid S**t.
10 Questions to Answer When Creating Your Law Firm Strategic Marketing Plan
Want to Avoid Ethics Complaints? Follow These Three Service Tenets for Satisfied Clients

See our complete Blog Index.

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