What does it take to run a successful law practice? Sound financial management? A detailed marketing plan? Absolutely! And if you want tips in these or related areas, see the links at the end of this post.
But for the law school class of 2012, this may not be the first concern that comes to mind. For many the real question is: “How do I stay out of trouble?”
The answer? Get organized! Establish effective office systems and learn the ins and outs of handling client funds, managing deadlines, and tracking conflicts:
For more tips, see these posts:
Financial Management
- 15 Things You Didn’t Know About Your Trust Account
- Accounts Receivable Do Not Improve Like Fine Wine
- Business Essentials
- Can You Spell S-C-A-M?
- Check Scams – Alive and Well in Oregon
- Check Scams – More to Know
- Credit Card Processing: LawPay is In, Beacon is Out
- Earned Upon Receipt Fee Agreements
- FAQ About Credit Cards
- Four Sure-Fire Ways to Get Paid
- Getting Paid and Maximizing Revenue
- How Solos and Small Firms Can Succeed in Business
- If It’s October, It’s Time to Report Unclaimed Funds
- Just in Time for the Holidays: A New E-Mail Scam
- Money Matters
- Money Transfer Scams – Advice from the FTC
- Should You Be Charging Flat Fees?
- Suing a Client For Fees
- The 7 Golden Rules of Collections
- Trust Accounting: Your Financial and Ethical Responsibilities
- When Are You Going to Get Help With Your Bookkeeping?
Marketing, Networking, and Client Relations
- 10 Ways to Market Your Practice in the New Year
- How Solos and Small Firms Can Succeed in Business
- Lessons from Solo and Small Firm Bootcamp
- Marketing in Turbulent Times
- Networking and Career Building for Lawyers
- Offer a Free Legal Check-up
- The Best of Solo by Choice Nothing Beats Cheap or Free
- The Ethics of Social Media
- The Importance of Staying in Touch
- Three Steps to Building Your Network
- What Lawyers Can Learn from BP’s Meltdown
Organization
Staffing
- Confidentiality: A Responsibility of Legal Staff
- How to Get the Most Out of Using a Contract Attorney
- How to Hire a Receptionist for Your Law Firm
- How to Interview a Legal Assistant
- Improve Your Practice & Avoid Malpractice with TEAMWORK
- Legal Staff: Avoiding UPL May Be Harder Than You Think
- Six Mistakes Lawyers Make with Staff, Part I
- Six Mistakes Lawyers Make with Staff, Part II
- Why Should You Hire a Paralegal?
Technology
- 12 Steps to Take Now if Your Laptop is Stolen
- 60 Sites in 60 Minutes
- Acrobat Tips and Tricks from the Experts
- Are You Addicted to the Internet?
- Best of: Ethical Traps in Cyberspace
- Best Practices for a Paperless Law Office
- Can Your Spam Filter Cause You to Commit Malpractice?
- Color Code Your Electronic Folders
- Confidentiality and Technology: A Delicate Balance
- Dropbox Security Concerns?
- Electronic Receipts: Legally Sufficient in Oregon?
- Expert Tech Training – Quick!
- Fastcase Comes to Oregon
- How to Set Up a Conflict System in Outlook
- Less Paper, More Cloud, and iPads – Oh Yeah!
- Microsoft Word Tips and Tricks
- Minnesota Weighs in on Metadata
- New Lawyer Mentoring Program
- Not Checking E-Mail Costs Lawyer $35,000
- Online Webcam Notarization: Illegal and Invalid in Oregon
- Oregon eCourt: One Step Closer to Reality?
- Recover Lost Phones or Laptops with GadgetTrak
- SendNow vs. YouSendIt – A File Sharing Service Shootout
- Sneak Preview: Virtual Practice in Oregon
- The Best of Acrobat
- The Best of Solo by Choice Busting Myths and Setting Up a Practice
- The Dangers of Metadata
- To Catch a Voicemail Thief
- Use Your Cell Phone to Swipe Credit Cards
- Using Quicken 2011 for Trust Accounting
- Visualize It! With Mentionmap
- What Happens to the Paper in Paperless Offices?
- What Lawyers Can Learn From Dentists About Solo Practice
Some Other Favorites
- Getting Help: Conflicts, Confidentiality, and Consulting Your Colleagues
- Greening Your Law Practice
- I Can’t Find My Client
- Leveraging LinkedIn to Boost Your Job Search
- Loving the NALS Green Guide
- Plan Your Escape (Or: How to Take a Vacation)
- The Ethics of Unbundling
- Why You MUST Withdraw From Your Cases
Copyright 2011 Beverly Michaelis
Oregon Law Practice Management 
Bev, this is another terrific resource for all legal professionals. But for the lawyers, I’d add that hiring talented legal staffers is another way to help make sure all of the above happen 🙂
Absolutely! I couldn’t agree more 🙂
Nicely done. It could actually apply to my line of work as well. It is so important to make sure that the fundamentals are accounted for. Success will come, but not if you don’t cover the basics!
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