As a solo attorney looking to build a successful practice, one of the first things you’ll need to know is how to market your practice.

The good news is that you don’t have to have the big boys’ marketing budget to build a successful practice.

What you have to have is great copywriting…

You have to have marketing copy that makes the sale…

Copy that really grabs the attention of your ideal client and shows them that you’re the attorney they need to solve their problems.

It shows them, it doesn’t just tell them.  Great copywriting is a conversation.

Great copywriting has what copywriting professionals call “The Four U’s” – that means it’s

•       Urgent

•       Useful

•       Unique

•       Ultra-Specific

Here’s what that means:

Urgent – your client needs to call you right now to solve their most urgent problem – the problem that’s keeping them up at night.

Let’s say your specialty is probate law.  Your copy needs to appeal to clients faced with dealing with the probate system – not a pleasant experience for the uninitiated.  This is where you show your future clients how and why ou can help them right now.

Useful – you need to give your clients information they can use to make the decision to bring their business to you.  Tell them stories of other clients you’ve helped with similar problems.  Use testimonials from happy clients.  This is where you document your results and use it to convince that prospective client that you’re the lawyer they need – right now!

Unique – this is where you really introduce your future clients to you.  What makes your practice unique? You do.  What service to you provide that no one else does?  How do you relate to your clients in a way that’s special? This is the point where you tell your story and let them know that your practice is different from anyone else’s and that’s why they need to hire you to represent them.

Ultra-Specific – this is probably one of the hardest concepts of good copy for attorneys to grasp.  You’re so accustomed to writing briefs and motions and opinions, that it’s harder to just talk to the Average Joe.  But this is where you reach out and appeal to each prospective client as an individual.  Your copy needs to serve as a one-on-one conversation with every single person that reads it.  When they get to your website, they need to stop looking because they just know they’ve found the person to solve their problems.

Once you master the Four U’s of great copywriting, get ready to look for more office space! You’re going to need it.

Want to know more about using great copywriting to build the practice of your dreams? Email me at info@copywriterforlawyers.com.  I’d love to help you make those dreams come true!

If you’re a brand new lawyer, welcome to the wonderful world of document revisions…

And revisions…

And yes, more revisions…

You probably did a lot of document preparation in law school but when you start practicing and you have 2 or 3 or more law firms involved in changing complicated and lengthy documents, it can be incredibly confusing.

Especially when you’re doing the work yourself on top of all the other work you have to do.

If you’re just starting out, you’re probably using a garden variety version of Word.   While there are special software packages like DeltaView specifically for comparing versions of documents and tracking changes, they may be a little pricey for a new solo attorney.  In the long run, they’ll probably save you time and frustration (not to mention money) but when you’re just starting out, it’s hard to look at the long run.

Not to worry – you don’t have to put yourself in a financial bind.

Here are some tips for using the Track Changes feature in Microsoft Word:

1.  When you open your document to review it and start marking it up, check out the Review tab.  You’ll be given four options for displaying your document:

- Final Showing Mark Up

- Original Showing Mark Up

- Final

- Original

The “Final” and “Original” views will hide but not remove tracked changes and comments.  If you just temporarily hide your changes and comments by using one of these views, the person you send it to can change the view on their end and see all of your comments and revisions.

This can be a very bad thing if you have comments or changes in there that you’ve provided to your client that you might not want the other side to see.

When you get ready to make changes, click on the Track Changes tab.  This will underline all your additions and strike through anything you remove.

To remove tracked changes and comments before you send your document out, you have to accept or reject the changes and delete the comments. Once you’ve done this, save the document as a public version and use it for public consumption.  You can save a copy with all your tracked changes and comments intact as a private copy to keep on your own system.

If you still feel unsure about the privacy of your changes, click on the Protect Document and choose the option that best suits how you want your document to be treated.

We’ve come a long way from the days of retyping documents, comparison reading versions and manually highlighting changes.  Believe me, I remember them well!  You’re starting out a great time in the legal field and technology can make your work life a lot easier.

Have questions about document preparation, best practices for setting up and managing  your practice, or need help communicating with your clients without the legalese?

All you have to do is ask.  Just send your question in the Comments section and let me help you.

As a licensed attorney, you’re charged with certain professional responsibilities when dealing with clients.

As an advisor, you must have an informed understanding of your clients’ legal rights and obligations.

As an advocate, you must zealously asset your clients’ positions under the rules of the adversary system.

As a negotiator, you must seek a result advantageous to your client but consistent with the requirements of honest dealings with others.

As an intermediary between clients, you must seek to reconcile their divergent interests as an advisor, and to a limited extent, as a spokesperson for each client.

In all professional functions, you should zealously pursue clients’ interests within the bounds of the law.  In doing so, you must be competent, prompt and diligent.  You should maintain communication with your clients concerning their representation.

All that should be a no brainer…

These guidelines aren’t just the requirements for keeping your bar card, they should be first and foremost in your mind in all dealings with your clients.

Granted, when you’re up to your chin in alligators, it’s sometimes hard to remember that your initial objective was to drain the swamp. But being really busy is no excuse for not keeping in touch with your clients and letting them know what’s going on with their case.

That’s part of what they’re paying you for.  Not just to do the work but to give them the peace of mind of knowing that what they’ve hired you to do is being handled promptly and correctly.

Here are a few tips for keeping your clients happy and doing your job the right way:

Do Your Homework

Clients don’t always tell you everything you need to know.  Sometimes it’s because they don’t understand what you need to know as a lawyer.  Other times, they just don’t tell you the truth.

As an attorney, the responsibility for getting the information you need to effectively represent your clients is yours.  Because you’re the licensed attorney, you’re held to a higher standard by the Bar than your client.  Make sure you understand everything you need to in order to represent your clients and protect yourself from getting involved in situations that could cause your ethical problems later on.

Don’t Dodge Phone Calls

The minute you start doing this, it’s a slippery slope to neglecting your clients and not giving them the attention they deserve.  Yes, Mrs. So and So may be the biggest pain in the neck you’ve ever met, but she’s a paying client.  If you don’t  have time to get on the phone with her every single time she calls, set aside a time every week, maybe one day a week, to return calls to clients.  Make sure they know that schedule when they retain you and make sure your staff tells them when they can expect a call.  Unless it’s something really catastrophic, they’ll be happy to know when they can talk to you.

And stick with that schedule.  It’s carved in stone if that’s what the client is expecting.

Send Out Status Letters

Many legal matters can be lengthy undertakings.  But the client needs to know that and they need to know what’s going on with their case.  Even if nothing has happened since the last time you spoke or corresponded with the client, you still need to send them monthly status letters so they understand that you haven’t forgotten about them and you’re doing what they’ve paid you to do.

Always notify your clients of significant developments in writing.  If you send an email, send a letter as well.

Listen To Your Staff

Eavesdrop on how your staff interacts with your clients.  If the person answering your phone sounds like she would rather have a root canal without anesthesia than talk to your clients, it’s time for an attitude adjustment or it’s time to find someone else to answer your phone.  Your staff is the first line of contact with your clients.  They need to understand that when those clients stop calling, they don’t have a job.  Period.

Think about a good customer support training program for your staff.  Make  sure your support staff understands that they are an integral part of legal team and how they handle client issues is as important how you practice law.

It’s Not Just Ethics, It’s Good Customer Support

If you approach your client communications like you would want to be treated as a client or customer, you’ll never have a problem with potential ethics violations.  And you’ll have clients that love you and refer friend and family to you at every opportunity.  There’s no better way to build a thriving practice.

For more tips on building a thriving law practice, sign up to receive our monthly newsletter – “Asked And Answered” – Your Source for Managing and Marketing Your Law Practice.

So you’ve taken the leap.

You’re going to  start a solo practice (either by choice or necessity) and now you have a big decision to make.

Where the heck are you going to house your office?

Technology has given you more choices than ever and that makes it that much tougher to decide.  Are you going to practice from a home office or have a totally virtual firm? Try to work out an office share with an established firm? Go out on your own and rent your own space?

Here are a few things to think about when making the decision:

1. Virtual Practice and/or Home Office

This is absolutely the most cost effective route.

If you decide to go the virtual route or practice from a home office, technology is truly your friend.  That part is a no brainer.  What you really need to worry about is a place for meeting with clients (if you’re not 100% virtual and doing absolutely everything online).  And, let’s face  it, even virtual law offices will have some hometown clients that may want a face to face on occasion.

If you work from home, you can meet with clients in your home.  Just make sure that you have an entrance for them that doesn’t take them through a messy kitchen or a toy strewn living room.  You want to present a professional image and what they see when they walk in the door is going to reflect on your practice.  If they see a mess, they are subconsciously going to think that you are somewhat less than detail oriented and organized.  And that is not a good thing.

Consider working out a deal with a local law firm where you pay so much per hour for use of one of their conference rooms when you need it. You might even be able to work out a referral deal with them (i.e., if they are in another area of specialty, they might let you use their conference room on an as needed basis in exchange for sending them business).

If you’re a litigator, check with your favorite  court reporting service.  Some of them will have a conference room you can use in exchange for sending your deposition work to them.

The economy has also provided another option.  Talk  to the building management office or leasing agent for a local office building.  So many businesses have  closed up shop that they may actually have furnished conference rooms available.  You might be able to work out a deal  with them to use space for a small hourly fee.

2. Office Share at an  Established Firm

Another option for  office space is to rent an office from an established firm with space to fill.  If you go with this option, you might want to talk  about a fee-share structure instead of just paying rent.  If your costs are limited  to sharing the fees on the work you actually do (for their clients), you will only pay expenses when you actually have revenue.

If you’re actually using some of their resources (receptionist, copier, law library, office supplies, etc.), you will probably have to pay some form of rent  even if you work their files.  This helps them cover their expenses.  While you will have a monthly expense, you will also have some leverage as far as office supply expenses, etc., because of their volume buying power.  And you’ll also have the use of a receptionist to greet the clients you bring in on your own.

3. Find a Band of Brothers (or  Sisters or Both) and Rent Some Space

While you may be a solo attorney that does not necessarily mean that you have to be a complete loner.  You can always find some other solos just starting out, band together and rent some office space.  If you are sharing expenses for the space it will cost  each of you less than to go out on your own.  Much as I discussed above, you can also get some volume discounts on supplies, software packages, etc., that make going in with some other attorneys very appealing.

If you go this route, you might want to consider other attorneys with specialties that complement your own.  For example, if you’re going to specialize in immigration law, go in with a labor lawyer.  If you’re going into estate planning, consider sharing space with a real estate attorney.  That way you can refer work back and forth, even if your firms are totally separate.

4. I’ve Never Done This Before, How Do I Find Space?

This is a very good question.  If you’ve been in school basically since you were 5 years old and have never had to start a business, don’t expect to know all the ins and outs.

The first place I would look is around town, wherever you happen to be.  Check out the office buildings in town with vacancies.  If your locale has been hit with the recession like most of the country, you will be amazed at how much really nice office space is available and at very good prices.  The economic downturn will give you some leverage as far as negotiating rates, too.  It’s better for the landlord or leasing agent to lease the space at a lower rate than to just have it sit empty.

Another  option is to contact some local real estate  agents.  They will know what property is available for sale or lease.  And  if it’s been sitting empty, they may be able to put you in touch with the owner to work out a rental agreement.

Finally, network, network, network.  And  I’ll say that again…network.  Join some local organizations for your specialty.  Join the local Bar Association.  You are not the only young lawyer just starting out and the down turn in law firm hiring has given you a lot of company in starting your own firm.  Band together with other newly solo attorneys and  brainstorm.  You will be amazed at how much you learn.

The longer you practice, the more you’ll find that it’s not just what you know, it’s who you know.

I hope you found this post helpful.  Let me know what you think.  Got  questions, comments, etc.? Drop me a note in the Comments box.  I’m here to help you!

Practice management software may sound like a luxury when you first hang out your shingle, but it’s one of those things that will pay for itself over and over again.

When you’re starting your practice, time is money and a good, inexpensive practice management software package will save you hours of lost time in looking for documents, keeping yourself organized and controlling your client accounts and billing.

Think ahead to when you have 50 or so files.  It’s a lot easier to start out with a good system than to go back and add all that information into a software package when you finally realize that the bear is about to eat you instead of you eating the bear (if you know what I mean).  Imagine managing your practice when it’s where you want it to be and don’t start out managing where you are.  There is an old adage that says you should  dress for the job you want, not for the job you have.  The same can be said for organizing your practice.  Start out thinking big, not small and plan for growth.  If you think small, you’ll stay small. You can get software packages now that are very reasonable so cost should not be a reason to pass on setting up your practice the smart way.

Here are some reasons for starting out with a good practice management system:

1. A Good Practice Management Software Package Takes the Guess Work Out of Where to Put Documents (and How to Find Them)

You may start out with a folder in your Word  program for each client. And you may even (if you’re smart) add subfolders for correspondence,  various types of documents you file with the court (i.e., pleadings, discovery notices, trusts, etc.).  When you only have a few files it is easy to find things because you remember, hopefully, exactly where you saved each document.

But what happens when your hard work pays off and you’ve got 5o or 60 different clients.  And you’ve added staff who are saving documents on the system as well.  Are you sure that everyone you have working on those files is saving documents exactly the way you want?

How do you know their thought process is the same as yours?  Many documents can be filed in more than one place.

Here’s an example…

Let’s say you have a piece of  correspondence that discusses discovery issues? Does it get filed in correspondence or in discovery? Should it be filed in both places? Are you sure that your staff is going to save it in both places?  While some of these issues can be resolved with a very specific filing procedure and naming convention within your office, even that can get out of hand. Practice management software will eliminate these issues because it  allows you to assign several categories to each document and still make search and retrieval of the document easy, with just a few key strokes.

That may not sound  like a big deal but believe me when you have 75 or 100 or even more open client files and you’ve got correspondence and documents coming out of your ears, there is  no way humanly possible to remember where everything goes.  You need a practice  management system to categorize the documents and put them where they are easily found.  And you’re much better off starting out with a good system than to have to go back and input everything when you finally break down and buy a package (especially when they are so affordable now).

2. A Good Practice Management System Includes  or Interfaces with Your Accounting Software

Another advantage to a practice management and  accounting software  system is that you will have  client and matter numbers assigned to each client.  That makes life much easier when you have one client that you handle several different matters  for.  Each matter  gets  its own number for billing purposes and it makes differentiating the files much easier.  There is much less chance for a document to be filed in the wrong matter when you have a number to assign to it.  Takes all the guess work  out of the actual inner office filing process.

An added benefit is that each client and matter number  will be easily referenced for  inputting your time and  much easier to run reports to see where your time is being spent and which clients have produced the most revenue.

3. The Practice Management System Will  Automatically Sort the Documents in Date Order

This also makes it easier to find a document.  And it eliminates the need to include the date in the name of the document when you scan it onto the system.  The date the document is scanned onto your system will automatically be saved onto the system, next to the name of document, so it removes the possibility of a typo or an incorrect date being added by the person scanning the document onto the system. Let’s face it, the more automated your process and procedures, the less chance for human error. And if it’s a document that you’ve created in house, the system will automatically give it a date when it’s saved.

When you’re running a law business, time is money, just like any other business. The more you can streamline your process and lessen the opportunity for human error, the better off you will be in the long run.

I hope you found this post helpful.  If you have any questions about good practice management software, how to use it, the different  packages available, etc., drop me a note in the Comments section.  I’d love to hear from you.

Remember, I’m here to help you manage, market and grow your practice.  Let  me know how I can help you!

Starting a solo law business may seem like such a small enterprise that actually sitting down and writing a business plan would be overkill.  You’ve passed the bar, you have a computer and a home office, your friends and family have  promised to send you referrals…why would you need to take the time to write out a business plan?

Because you need to start treating your law business as a business from the very beginning.  What I described above is at best a part-time, less than serious enterprise and at worst, a “hobby” that’s never going to pay you enough to pay rent, much less pay off your student loans.

The very act of writing out a business plan will make you take a hard look at your goals,  resources, expenses, strengths and weaknesses and force you to plug any gaps you find in the process.  It will give you a map for reaching your goals and a timetable for getting there.  You’ll be able to  measure your results and make sure that you’re staying on track with what you wanted to accomplish when you first started out.

And as an added bonus, creating your business plan will make you look at issues and potential problem areas that you might not have considered without putting the plan down in writing.  This way, you can fix these problems or find a “work  around” solution before you even open your doors.  And that can save you a lot of time and, more importantly, keep you from wasting resources (i.e., money).

Now,  just in case you’re thinking “I’m in the middle of starting a law practice here.  I don’t have time to sit down and write out a business  plan”.  Let me  tell you this.  That’s like saying “I’m in the middle of planning a banquet for 500 United  Nations dignitaries.  I don’t have time to plan a menu”.  You have to know where you’re going from the beginning or you’ll never get there.  Don’t let the idea of sitting down and writing your business plan overwhelm you.  There are lots of  resources available on the internet to get you started and loads of free “sample” business plans.  They give you really good starting  point for writing a good plan.

For a start-up solo practice, here are a few things you want to include in your business plan:

1. Timetable

An effective way to break down your timetable might look like this:

a.  Before you open your practice
b.  First Month
c.  First Quarter
d. Second Quarter
e. Third Quarter
f.  Fourth Quarter
g. Second Year, Third Year, etc., up to the first 5 years of practice

Plan for a review/revision of your business  plan at least every 6 months for the first 5 years. Your plan isn’t carved in stone and can be modified to suit whatever your circumstances happen to be at the time.

2. Clients and Marketing

Where are your clients going to come  from?  Do you have a strong referral network? How do you plan to market your practice?  Social media has made it much more affordable to market but you have to understand exactly how to use social media and the internet for marketing.  If you’re not really clear on that and don’t really have the time to spend on it, make room in your business plan and budget for outsourcing it.

3. Office Location

Where are you going to locate your office (i.e., home office, virtual office, office suite, office share agreement with other lawyers, etc.)

4. Legal Structure of Your Practice

Are you going to be a sole proprietorship, form a professional corporation?

5. Other Business Alliances

You need to find a cooperative banker, a good accountant, an insurance agent, etc.

6. Computer hardware and software needs, Office Equipment and Supplies, Reference Materials, Website Design and Maintenance, etc.

Sit down and decide how you’re going to structure your physical office and what you’ll need in order to make it work.  A laptop may be sufficient but make sure you have a good practice management/timekeeper and accounting software package (with technical support), a good printer/copier, access to the reference materials you’ll need  for research (both paper and electronic access), a good desk chair (you’ll be spending a lot of time in it so make sure it’s comfortable), a reliable internet connection,  an ample phone system, etc.  Keep a good handle on what you can spend and don’t go overboard.  Shop around and compare prices.

And I’m putting this in a separate paragraph because I really want you to think about this – you have to have a website. Websites are no longer a luxury item. They’re a necessity.  Most of your potential clients are going to look for you online.  You can build a very professional site in WordPress that is very client friendly and easy to maintain and  keep updated.

7.  Personnel

Are you going to hire staff (i.e., a secretary and/or receptionist), go the virtual route or just go it alone?  Starting out, a virtual assistant and a pay by the call receptionist service is probably the more cost efficient way to go.  If you can possibly avoid answering your own phone and doing your own word processing, you will give yourself much more time to get out and market and build your practice.

8.  Annual Budget

You need not only a  cash flow budget but a profit and  loss budget.  Make sure that the accounting software package you decide on has the capability to track both. Remember that you have to budget for your own living expenses as well which means a salary.  Think about what you can realistically live on for the first year.

9.  Insurance, Licenses,  Permits,  Bar Dues, etc.

Make sure you include these items in your business plan for budget purposes, especially professional liability and personal medical coverage.  These can turn into significant expenses.

These are just a few of the things you might want to consider when writing your business plan. Remember, the plan is fluid and can be adapted to whatever your personal needs are.  This just gives you an idea of where to start and what you need to think about when setting up your practice.

I’ve been on the ground floor of starting two multi-million dollar litigation practices so I’ve done the leg work on most of this.  If you have any questions or comments, drop me a note in the Comments section below.  I’d love to hear from you and I’d love to help you get your business started.

I hope you found this post helpful.  If I left anything out that you’d like to talk about, let me know.

And, in the meantime, have  a great Labor Day weekend!

When you’re just starting out, it can be  really tempting to spend money on office furniture, beautiful, professionally printed stationary and business cards, even renting  office space. You think you’ll just keep track of your time manually, put together invoices on your nice stationary and mail them out.

You don’t want to do that.  You’ll be much better served by spending the money on a  good practice management and billing software package.

Good billing software will pay for itself in no time.  There are a lot of options  out there but here’s a quick list of the top five based on their initial and monthly costs and a partial list of their features and technical requirements:

1. Clio

Clio is a practice management system that is a SaaS (Software as a Service) package that also includes billing capabilities.
Costs: Monthly subscription – $49/month per attorney
$25/month per support staff
Technical Requirements: Web-based, requires Internet  Explorer 6.0, Firefox 2.0, Safari 3.0 or Google Chrome
Features: Matter/case management, document management, client & contact management, task scheduling, document sharing, time tracking, billing and reporting, trust accounting and online bill  paying
Software Compatibility: Microsoft Outlook, Google Calendar, Apple ICal, Apple Contacts, Quickbooks
Support: Tech support is included in the monthly subscription free and that includes phone and email tech support.

2. Tabs3Billing

Like the name implies, Tabs3Billing is a billing software package.  When you purchase it, PracticeMaster Basic (a practice management package) is included. Ask about this when you contact them.

Costs: $295(2 users)
$495 (5 users).
Technical Requirements: Windows 7, Vista, XP or 2000
Features: Time tracking, accounts receivable, various reports.  If you get the Practice Master  Basic package as well you will have a matter and contact  database, calendaring, conflict checking, document management, email.
Software Compatibility: Tabs3 Financial software, Practice Master, QuickBooks
Support: Free knowledge base, free  phone support for the first 60 days.  You can purchase annual maintenance plans.

3. Bill4Time

This is strictly a billing software package and will not give you document management ability.

Costs: 1 user – Free (1 user, 3 active clients, 5 open  projects).
$39.99 per user for unlimited users, active client or open projects for up to 3 users (after 3, it’s $19.99 per user).
Technical Requirements: Works with all operating systems since it’s online.  Compatible with all browsers as well – Internet  Explorer 6 or above, Firefox 2 or above,Safari 2 on Mac and Safari 3 on PC.
Features: Mobile time and expense tracking, scheduling, time & attendance, project management, reporting, accounting, invoicing, payroll & billing.
Software Compatibility: Uploads all forms for file management and integrates with QuickBooks.
Support: Free tech support.  Free system updates and daily back-ups.  Free personal tutorials, webinars and group tutorials on request.  Free access to video tutorials and knowledge base.

4. Rocket Matter

This is largely a billing package but does contain some matter management capability.

Costs: 1st user – $59.99/month
$49.99/month for 2 – 6 users
$39.99/month for 7-20 users
$19.99/month for 20 plus users
Technical Requirements: Web based and will run on any operating system with a modern web browser.  Requires Internet  Explorer 7 or above, Safari 3 or  above, Firefox 2 or  above,  Google Chrome  or Opera.
Features: Calendaring, task  tracking, matter management, contact management, conflict checking, document storage, reporting, date calculation, mail merge. Hourly or flat fee billing, contingency matter support,  time and expense tracking, invoicing, Accounts Receivable reports and invoice creation.
Software Compatibility: Works with Outlook 2007, iCal, Sunbird, and Google Calendar for calendar creation.  Mail merge works with Word.  Invoices work  with Word, WordPerfect and PDF.  Reporting function  can be read with Excel.
Support: Phone and email technical support is included in the monthly fee, Monday through Friday.  Subscriptions include free training sessions and 24 hour access to online support videos to help with most common questions.

5. TimeSolv Legal

This is another billing, timekeeping and accounting package that would require additional  software  for practice and document management.

Costs: $35.00/month per timekeeper or $29.00/month per timekeeper with an annual plan.  There is no charge  for non-timekeeper users.
Technical Requirements: Windows XP, Vista, MacIntosh,  Linux, Unix, etc.  Software is browser based and compatible with Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Google Chrome.
Features: Billing, bill creation,  allows you to present bills online, allows credit card payments, accounts  receivable, trust accounting, financial reports, project management and conflict  checking.  Allows for hourly, flat fee or  contingency fee filling, matter specific rates and time entry specific rates.
Software Compatibility: Works with QuickBooks, PayPal, MYOB AccountEdge, CSV Export
Support: Toll free telephone and email support, online one-on-one training, initial setup and configuration.  Support  is  available by email Monday – Sunday 8 am – 10 pm EST and by phone 9 am – 8:30 pm Monday -Friday.  Online support is also available for self-help.

This is by no means a complete list  of the options available but just gives you an idea of some  of the more affordable options.  If you thought a good billing system was out of reach, this should give you some food for thought.  If you have one and use it well, it’s priceless.  It will help you capture your time and that’s more than half the battle. The other half is getting paid.

I hope this post was helpful.  If you have any questions or comments, drop me a note in the Comments section below.  I’d really love to hear  from you.

Have a great day!

Day one of your new law business…

You decided to work from a home office and save some money (congratulations – very smart move!)  You can always work a deal  to use someone’s conference room for client meetings.

But how  do you actually set up your office? Keep track of your documents? Manage your time? Get organized and stay organized?

Are the standard issue, personal use software  programs on your laptop enough?

The short answer is  probably not.  And here’s why.

You may be starting off small but I promise you that if you play your cards right, you’re  going  to be managing a lot of paper.  And it won’t  take long for  it to overwhelm the basic software programs and your hard drive.  One of the best ways to tank your practice before it even gets  going is to be disorganized.

The  picture of the crazy attorney sitting at his desk,  peering at visitors over  stacks and stacks of paper and files, the walls of his office lined with books, ancient  files and  reams of paper may be funny in the movies, but in reality, that kind of business practice will  drive you insane.  Fast.

You need to plan your practice and organize it so that  when you need to find a file, a particular pleading or a copy of some correspondence from opposing counsel, you can do it , fast.   Your practice should be organized in such a way that if, heaven forbid, you walked out the door and were hit by a truck, any other attorney could come in and know exactly what  was going on in each of your cases or  files without taking months to figure it out.

The technology we have available now makes  this a no brainer.   With what’s out there and affordable, there’s no excuse for not being organized.  Here are just a few suggestions:

1. Practice Management Systems

There are loads  of these systems out there – TimeMatters, IManage, Clio, etc.  I’ve used most of them at one time or another.  For my money,  for the new attorney just starting out with limited resources, Clio is your best bet.  It’s a Software As A Service (SaaS) application.  It’s extremely affordable and it gives you everything you need to organize your files, access documents with few keystrokes, search for files easily and record and track your time.  They do free online  tutoring on how to use their system and their client service is great.  And, no, I don’t get an affiliate or referral  fee from them.

2. Virtual Receptionists

If you can possibly swing having someone else answer your phones,  do it.  Not only does it give a more professional appearance  to the people  calling you, but it will also help you to block your time and not waste billable time on phone calls.  Stopping what you’re doing every time the phone rings is a time drain that you cannot recover  from.  Don’t  take unscheduled calls and set aside a time every day to return calls and stick with that schedule.  Two services you might want to check out for “virtual”  receptionists are TotalAttorneys and Call Ruby.  TotalAttorneys is more affordable as far as monthly fees.

3. Start an Online Forms File

This probably goes without saying but I’m going to say it anyway.  Start a forms file.  Don’t reinvent the wheel every single time you have to draft a new document.  You can go to the courthouse and get copies of filings and have them transcribed as blank forms for use or scan them and have them set up as Word documents to be revised as needed.  Talk to other attorneys with your specialty and see if they will agree to share copies  of their forms with you.  Go to the law library at your law school and make copies of form documents from the form books there.  Or  better yet, buy your own copy.  Believe me, you will  go to this resource over and over again when you’re just starting out.

And start a naming convention for your documents from day one so that you know what you named  the document when you have to go back and look  for it.  I can’t emphasize  enough that just because you have a few cases starting out and you know them inside out doesn’t mean that will always be the case.  Start with good habits and keep them up for the life of your practice.

4. WordPress, WordPress,WordPress

Okay, this bit of technology has nothing to do with organizing your practice.  But it has everything to do with growing your practice.  You have to have a website.  Not having one is like not having a Yellow Pages ad 2o or 30 years ago.  If you’ve been reading my blog, you know I’ve already said that but it bears repeating.

You don’t have to break the bank to have a really client  friendly, informative and easily updated website.  All you need is WordPress.  Some of the biggest names in the country use it for their blogs and  websites (think Oprah).  It’s very user friendly, inexpensive, versatile and you can make it look really sharp.  If you’re not a geek, don’t freak.  I’m going to do you a really big favor and tell you exactly where to go to learn about it.

Go to http://www.arealchange.com and sign up for Sandi Krakowski’s WordPress videos.  Once you’ve watched  them,  take one of her  classes. She walks you through exactly what you need to do to set up a WordPress site, update your blog, do the plugins, everything.  It’s one of the best business investments you will ever  make.  Believe me, you’re going to thank me later.

Use the current technology to make setting up your law business easy and cost effective.  There is so much out there that won’t break the bank.  Make it work for you.

And as I’ve said before, I’ve been at this for over 28 years now.  Let me know if you have any questions.  I truly do love working with attorneys, especially the ones just starting out.  You don’t have  to do this alone. Drop me a line in the Comments section below and let me know how I can serve you.

If you’ve just recently passed the bar and you’re getting ready to hang out your shingle, congratulations!

You’ve accomplished something that not  everyone can do.

Go out and celebrate.  I mean really celebrate.  Get down and wallow and roll around in the fact that you’ve done something incredible.  Because you have.

And if you’re not a new lawyer but you’ve recently joined the ranks of the solo practice attorney, either by choice or necessity, take a little time to get your head around the fact that you’re on your own.

Take a deep breath and really let the possibilities sink in and fill in the spaces around the fear.  You’re about to start a great adventure.

Okay, now…are we ready to start working? Great!

Let’s get started.

Over the next few posts, I’m going to talk about some of the very basic things you need to do (and not do) when you’re just starting a new practice.  I know I’ve touched on this topic briefly in other posts but this is going to be where we start looking at it step by step.  If you’ve looked over this website beyond the blog posts, you know that I’ve been working with and for attorneys in large and small practices longer than some of you have been alive.

And yes, I did think about calling my business “Copy by Methusala” but I was afraid the spelling would scare people away. Check your Bible for the reference.

Okay, enough about me.  Here’s what you need to look at first when starting your new law business.

First, Note the Headline of This Post

It’s Your New Law Business – not Your New Law Practice.  The sooner you start thinking of yourself as a business owner first and a lawyer second, the better off you’re going to be.  This is a business that provides legal services and consulting.  Period.  That’s what you do.  You’re law business is very specialized and requires advanced education but you are in a customer service industry.  Start running your business like a business from day one and you will be miles ahead  of the competition.

Respect Your Business

If you decide to work from home and have a virtual law  practice, that’s great! You’re going to save yourself a bundle on office space and personnel costs.  And  when you’re just starting out, saving money where you can is a very smart business strategy.  However, working from home, especially if this is your first business, can tempt you to treat your business more like a hobby than a business. Starting your day at 10 am in your PJ’s is not the most professional mindset to have.  You have to respect your business and that means treating it like a professional.  Get yourself out of bed  early, just like you were going into a “real” office, shower, shave (if you’re a man”), put on your makeup and fix your hair (if you’re a woman), put on real work  clothes and go to your home office.  You will be amazed at the difference in your mindset and how much more  seriously you take your job.

I’ll give you an example from personal experience.  One of the attorneys I worked for several years ago was (and is) an absolutely brilliant attorney.  We were a small section of a very large  plaintiff firm and every other section in the firm was allowed to wear jeans and t-shirts to work on Friday.  We were not.  My boss’s theory was that if you dressed down, you worked down.  And he was right.  Our productivity statistics, feedback from clients (even those being served by other sections in the firm) and the revenue we generated blew everyone  else in the firm out of the water.

That may sound stuffy but it’s a fact.  You can never go wrong by treating your business like a professional.

Face the Fear and Do It Anyway

Right now you’re probably thinking about everything that can go wrong.  That’s good.  It will keep you from being complacent about your success.  And it will keep you on your toes.

Just don’t let it stop you from pursuing your dream.  Face the fear, plan well, think like a business owner, and  you’ll be fine.

Don’t expect to know everything.  Trust me.  Law school taught you everything you need to be a lawyer except how to actually practice law.  Find people who have already been where you are and ask questions.  Believe me, they’ll  love to tell you war stories and you can learn a lot from them.

Just face the fear and do it anyway.  If this is your calling and you don’t pursue it, you’re robbing the world of your gift.  It would be like Jimi Hendrix putting down the guitar.

And where would we all be without a little “Purple Haze” or “Voodoo Child”?

This post was just a few things for you to think about to get your mind right when you start your new law business.

In upcoming posts I’ll start talking about some of the real practical considerations – renting space vs. working from home, virtual assistants vs. warm bodies, software and computer tools you can use to work virtually, etc.  Stay tuned.

I hope this post made you think.  If it did (or didn’t), let me  know. Drop me a note in the Comments box.  Or if you have questions or would like a post on a particular subject, speak up.  I’m here to put my years of experience to work for you.

Thanks! Have a great weekend, ya’ll!

For all the problems and complaints associated with it, the billable hour is probably here to stay.  Especially in litigation practices where packaging services for a flat rate is just not realistic.

Over the last 28 years, I’ve worked with and for a lot of attorneys and keeping track of their time has always been a thorn in their side.  They hate to take the time to write everything down but they hate trying to reconstruct it all at the end of the month, too.  Believe me, tracking it as you do it is the lesser of two evils.

Just like any other goal you set for yourself, accurately tracking all your billable time is not an easy one to achieve.  But there are things you can do to make it easier.

Plan Your Day

Schedule your time for the day at the start of the day (or even better, the night before).  It doesn’t have to be carved in stone but it will at least let you plan some uninterrupted work time and that makes it easier to write down or enter your time on the computer as you finish each task.

Plan Your Hours

Block your time each day by the hour.  That not only helps you schedule and monitor what you’re spending time on, but it will increase your efficiency as well and give you something to refer back to and see how you spent your day.

Get  Rehab for Your Email Addiction

Hear that loud sucking sound? It’s your time being sucked down the drain by reading and responding to emails.  Even business related ones. Don’t work with your email program open. Keep it closed so you don’t know every time a new message appears and you won’t be tempted to “just take a peak” at it.  Schedule your email time.  Check it maybe four times a day and leave it alone when it’s not scheduled.  That will give you plenty of time to read and respond in a timely manner.

Your Memory Is Not Perfect

Chances are you will not remember what you did every minute of every work day.  Even the things that are billable.  If you write it down or enter it into your computer system as soon as you finish it, you won’t be giving away your time.  Yes, I said giving away your time because that’s exactly what you’re doing if you don’t write it down and bill for it.

The best way to become a time tracking machine is to train yourself to do it.  And just like anything else that needs to become a habit, there are certain steps you can take to train yourself. Here are a few to consider:

Take Baby Steps

Don’t expect to get every single minute of billable time down pat from the very beginning.  Give yourself a break.  Start tracking  your time the minute you walk into your office until say, 11:00 a.m.  Make sure you stick with that and write down everything you do from the time you start until 11:00 a.m.  Once you’ve managed to do that for a couple of weeks or so, add thirty minutes and track your time until 11:30.  Then every couple of weeks, add another half hour until you’re tracking every minute of every work day.  It will become a habit if you just give it time.

You’re Not Perfect

Yes, you’re going to make mistakes and slip up.  Don’t beat yourself up about.  Just start logging your time again as soon as you realize the mistake.  It’s much easier to just correct the mistake and add in the few hours you may have missed than to try to reconstruct your time for the entire day.

Remind Yourself Often

Put a Post It note on your computer screen with a reminder that time tracking is your new priority.  Put another one at eye level on the back of your office door.  When you leave your office, put something on your keyboard with a note on it to remind you to track your time so that you’ll have to move whatever it was that you put there when you sit down to work again.  Put notes everywhere that will keep time tracking at the front of your thoughts.

Remember What It’s Like to Reconstruct Hours of Time

Want a really painful experience? Don’t track your time for a month.  Then sit down and try to reconstruct everything you did that was billable for that entire 30 day period.  Talk about negative reinforcement!  Especially when you realize that every hour you don’t track is an hour you can’t bill for AND that every hour you spend trying to reconstruct your time is non-billable.  It’s a vicious cycle and one that you won’t want to repeat often.

Believe me when I tell you it is possible to make time tracking a habit and it will make your life much easier and more profitable.  An added bonus, for those of you in transactional practices, is that once you get really good at tracking your time, you’ll know how long specific matters take for you to complete.

Once you know that, you can put together packaged legal services for a flat rate and make everyone’s life easier.