NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

JUNE 23, 2024

Working from home ain’t the same as working in the office. I mean, you can’t do your laundry at the office – unless you have a really nice office setup. Now, the thing that’s interesting is that most law firms – most employers, I would go so far as to say – treat in-office and virtual employees the same way. That’s a combination of inertia, and a failure of imagination.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

JUNE 8, 2024

Niche practices are successful, in part, because these effectively reduce competition for law firms, and also because it’s easier to market just one thing, rather than several. Now, it’s easy to build a niche practice right from the start of your law firm , because you can just pick what you want to do. But, if you’re already running a law practice, and want to niche down – the calculation becomes a bit more complex.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

JUNE 8, 2024

It’s easy to get keyed up on a new paid advertising campaign you’re about to launch – especially if you’re one of the bold solo or small firm practitioners to actually be brave enough to launch one! But, if you haven’t built a formal intake program, through which you can track those online leads – it’s gonna be tough to measure the value of what you’re doing.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

MAY 27, 2024

If you’re still sharing files with clients, referral sources and other attorneys, via email attachment – or, heaven forfend: fax! – you need to step up your game. Email is an inherently unsecure technology; so, if you’re sending confidential information via email, you need to secure that information, by encrypting it – at the document level, or at the system level.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

MAY 27, 2024

Law firm revenue usually has an ebb & flow to it, especially when you talk about firms that rely on hourly billing. Most attorneys would probably say that their revenue is pretty unpredictable. The only problem with that thesis is that it’s not entirely true. Law firms can design some assumptions about what they’ll make by utilizing revenue projections.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

MAY 12, 2024

Managing a ccounts receivable is all about timing; and so, you can’t view it simply as a lump sum that you are owed. Ideally, you’re running and reviewing aged accounts receivable reports – which most bookkeepers will do as a matter of course @ 30-day, 60- day and 90-day+ intervals. That will give you a sense about a lot of things, related to the financial management of your business, including how your cashflow projects, on a go-forward basis.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

MAY 12, 2024

Nothing bottlenecks law firm case process (and progress) as much as waiting for your clients to do things. Law firms can largely control internal policies & tasks; and, courts utilize definable deadlines. But, when law firms request that clients do things. good luck ! They’ll straight up ignore you. They’ll obfuscate. They’ll waste your time, by getting back to you another issue, entirely.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

APRIL 19, 2024

Deep fake videos that are made without the subject ’ s permission are unquestionably evil. But, what if you could deep fake yourself, for good ? Well, if you are currently doing (or, if you want to be doing) video marketing, deep fakes may be the best thing going. How many times have you said to yourself, in seeking more time: ‘I wish I could clone myself ’.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

APRIL 19, 2024

If you hate taking notes for meetings – and, really, who doesn’t : it’s the w ors t – there are lots of AI-based notetaking apps proliferating across the webconferencing world. If you haven’t tried them yet, now would be a good time, to test out the options. If you use Zoom , Microsoft Teams or Google Meet – each of the products have built-in notetaking features.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

MARCH 28, 2024

Maybe the most important activity that you can engage as a business owner, is to convert leads into clients – because, with out that process being successful: you don’t really have a business. what you’ve got is a hobby. Now, ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, law firms have been far more attuned to intake, than previously – but, there are still some refinements that can be made, to that process.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

MARCH 22, 2024

Most attorneys should probably be ruled by their calendars, with law practices running on deadlines. That’s especially true for litigation firms, which take direction from court rules and judges about when and how things get done. Of course, the problem with just taking a final deadline, and dropping that onto the calendar ( like: attend a hearing, send a document), is that you’re usually left just triaging everything , at the very last minute.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

MARCH 17, 2024

For B2C lawyers, understanding their clients and the industries in which their clients participate , is essential for being able to convert leads and manage the attorney-client relationship. The good news is that business intelligence information is more readily available tha n ever before. It’s simply a matter of making the effort : to find it, and analyze it.

Law Firms 130

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

FEBRUARY 25, 2024

Booking initial consultations are essential for most law firms. That’s how the vast majority of lawyers vet their potential clients, and determine whether or not they are a fit for the firm. It’s also a way to test your potential client’s payment bona fides , which is why the majority of attorneys who hold initial consultation meetings, charge for those.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

FEBRUARY 25, 2024

In an ideal world, your email inbox is ‘ mission critical ’. That mean it’s a collection of messages from your clients and referral sources, while you screen the remainder of the noise out, via subfolders, as well as labeling junk and phishing messages aggressively. Although, that’s not always how it goes, is it ? You know what else shows up in your inbox, that you can’t ignore – that’s right: questions and notifications from your staff and colleagues.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

FEBRUARY 25, 2024

Now, this wasn’t always a thing; but, as of now: law firms in any jurisdiction of the United States can utilize ‘trade names’. What that effectively means is that, so long as you don’t choose a name that’s misleading, you can select a brand name for your law. That’s kind of a big deal; because it’s difficult to convey what your offering is to potential clients, simply by naming your law firm after your and/or your partners ’ names.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

Most law firms that aren’t yet into it, want to get into document assembly – because they understand the advantages related to quicker document preparation = more work volume, or more time off. But, a lot of those potential document assembly users get caught in the starting blocks – because they don’t know to prepare toward the launch of a document assembly software.

Law Firms 130

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

Law firms have not necessarily used data to their advantage, like other businesses. But, you know what they say: better late than never ! And, if you haven’t tried launching and managing KPIs in your law firm , there’s no time like the present, for doing just that. Now, KPIs (key performance indicators) are simply numbers derived from statistics that define part of a law firm’s process.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

JANUARY 26, 2024

Ren & Stimpy were both right : There’s nothing that helps more in bringing in your next great employee, than praising the ones you already have. (Well, maybe they didn’t say that exactly.) Now, most hiring attorneys recognize that the office environment i s changing in a major way – and, that’s not only with respect to where lawyers practice law nowadays.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

JANUARY 20, 2024

If you just have passwords for your technology application s , without any additional factors of authentication, it’s probably past time to start looking a t solutions in that space, to better secure your confidential data. Now, while there are different authentication factors that exist (from biometric indicators , like a fingerprint or voice recognition) to 4-digit to 6-digit codes ( that come via your email or smartphone, as secondary access protocols) – the primary option that many folks uti

Law Firms 130

Law Firms Law Firm Technology Laws 130

NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

JANUARY 20, 2024

With so many meetings now taking place online, via web conferencing tools – your notetaking responsibilities may have just gotten a whole lot easier. Yes, lots of attorneys take meeting notes – whether they’re talking with leads, clients, other attorneys or referral sources. It’s kind of a thing. Maybe it stems from law school outline-making. or, maybe it’s just ingrained into an attorney’s psyche.

Law Firms 130

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

JANUARY 3, 2024

For lawyers who engage with the buying public – which is just about every lawyer, whether they’re working with consumers o r businesses – workshops can be a great way to build a client and referral base, as well as solidifying an attorney’s expertise. Estate planning lawyers for example, have success running workshops, and often include related professionals, like financial planners.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

DECEMBER 23, 2023

It used to be that you only had to worry about email notifications: popping up, binging. And, that was annoying enough. Now, lawyers are getting notifications from everywhere: case management softwares , CRMs, Slack channels, chat feeds, Zoom chat, etc. It’s enough to make you want to pull your hair out. And, though the game may have changed, as these applications have expanded – the good news is that the solution remains the same.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

DECEMBER 23, 2023

Legaltech software vendors, are racing to add artificial intelligence features to their products, as demand has grown for tools built for law practices – so that attorneys can shift from attempting to utilize (or a ttempting to a void) general use products, like ChatGPT or Google Bard. And, even if the demand for AI among lawyers has been somewhat overstated (which it probably has ), lawyers will pay for AI services.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

DECEMBER 3, 2023

There’s that really old saying that negates the value of hyperfocus, wherein some one person critiques another by saying that they ‘ can’t see the forest for the trees ’. Basically, it means that you can’t see the big picture. And, of course, seeing ‘the big picture ’ , in the sense that you have a vision for your business , is important. But, you can also get lost in the big picture, too.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

OCTOBER 29, 2023

Contingency firms scratch a bunch of lottery tickets, and sometimes get a (big) hit. I mean, it’s a little better than the lottery, because there is some skill involved; but, it is a lottery. So, when that endorphin rush of a big hit, um. hits – it’s easy to just plow that money into a new Maserati. But, you have other obligations , as well. The best strategy to employ, then, is to create a payoff sheet for settlements.

Law Firms 147

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

OCTOBER 29, 2023

Law firms lack structure, generally; and, that’s also true of how they compensate their lawyers, beyond their salaries. And, that’s maybe the most dangerous game to be playing in the current hiring environment – because, if you can’t keep your current staff happy, they’re more likely to be able to find an alternate position, easier and faster than they ever have before.

Law Firms 147

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

OCTOBER 22, 2023

Images in marketing are more important than ever – including moving images (videos). But, you know what remains pretty boring about websites? The stock images that are utilized at almost every single one of them to relay the value of a service or product. So, why not shake th ings up a bit ? Instead of buying the same old stock photos from Getty , or using a free service like Unsplash , or even taking your own photos.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

OCTOBER 15, 2023

Most lawyers who are billing hourly (which are still most lawyers) – and, even those who aren’t – continue to slavishly send out invoices at the beginning of every month, covering the fees accrued by clients for the prior month. That’s all well and good ; but, those fees can add up quickly. That’s why some law firms are experimenting with more regular billing models.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

SEPTEMBER 29, 2023

There are a number of different ways to look for new staff as a law firm, whether you’re seeking attorneys, paralegals or administrat ors. But, it’s also kind of a crapshoot. And, it’s also sort of true that the best hires usually come from your personal network. Now, if you’re an experienced attorney who owns a law firm, the problem is that you may not know the people you want to hire.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

SEPTEMBER 22, 2023

I’ve got some surprising news: some lawyer didn’t invent the idea of CRM software. Neither were the relational databases that serve as the backbone for law practice management softwares built for law firms. But, that’s okay. Because lots of software is derivative – including within the legal vertical, where there are uncountable numbers of copycats of Clio and RocketMatter , which introduced the first cloud-based case management softwares to lawyers.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

SEPTEMBER 22, 2023

There are two primary ways that attorneys look to fill jobs in their law firms. First, they access their personal network s ; and, next: they look at traditional job posting services, like ZipRecruiter or Indeed. B ut , wh at if you strike out there ? W ha t’s ne xt? Well, social media services have job posting options, as well. And, they may be better than the traditional alternatives.

Law Firms 147

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Law firms have quite a few options for getting their first, or a revised, website built (rebuilt). So, if it’s time to formalize ( reformalize ) your web presence, your website still needs to be the anchor – let’s talk over some courses of action. The most obvious option for design ing a website is doing it yourself (DIY); but, let’s be real – even if you’re the best website designer in the world, you still don’t want to do it.

Law Firms 147

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

AUGUST 27, 2023

Law firm branding is pretty darn similar, when it comes right down to it. Logos feature the same items (like initials, gavels, columns), and color schemes are largely washed in blue, gray and white. Lawyer bios are similar , as well : went to awesome law school, won big awards, had great achievements – without a word to say about how the attorney actually helps clients.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

AUGUST 27, 2023

It can be really valuable for business owners, including lawyers, to get booked as guests on podcasts. Not only are podcasts really popular; but, it’s a great way to display your expertise as an attorney – which is all that clients and referral sources want to know about, anyway. Plus, podcasts are great for backlinks – links to your website from other prominent websites, which increases your ‘domain authority’ in search.

Law Firms 130

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

AUGUST 18, 2023

Have you ever had to write a client’s name over and over again – so many times , that you mess it up? They really hate that. How about adding the last of 5 children to an estate plan ? Now, was her middle name Elise of Eliza ? Honestly, who even knows any more. These sorts of simple errors are really obnoxious for clients; but, it’s also totally understandable why attorneys commit them.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

JULY 22, 2023

Some lawyer s get burned hiring staff, whether it’s legal assistant s , paralegals or other attorneys. But, just because you miss out once, in trying to hire somebody, doesn’t mean you should give up forever. There are distinct advantages to bring ing on employees, including increased control over work product + improved revenue generation models. In my experience, I’ve found that law firms connect on a successful hire (across all employee categories) about 40% of the time.

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NCBA Law Practice Management Blog

JULY 22, 2023

Broadly speaking, lawyers take on too much. You know: at work, emotionally. They’re probably also trying to carry too many grocery bags into the house at one time. You know how it is. This, of course, leads to a whole host of problems, including that attorneys have higher incidences of alcohol and drug dependence, as well as depression, than does the general population.

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