So here’s a practice management issue that law school doesn’t teach:
You’re a newbie solo who passed the bar nine months ago and opened a law firm right afterwards. Suddenly, the phone rings: it’s a Hollywood superstar on the line, she’s looking for a criminal defense lawyer to represent her and she’s picked you! Trouble…
A while back, a colleague of mine had to deal with a client who fell squarely into the “with clients like these, who needs enemies” category. This client had shared copies of all of my colleague’s emails to him with of the opposing parties in the case. Worse, my colleague didn’t learn about the disclosure…
Last week, I criticized a ruling out of New Jersey interpreting the bonafide office rule to prohibit virtual offices. I argued that the rule (1) would force lawyers to hire staff and rent full time space, thereby raising the cost of legal services and (2) make it difficult for recently unemployed lawyers and female lawyers…
What sets us lawyers apart from computers or services like LegalZoom is our ability to counsel clients and help them make decisions. Counseling clients is the very essence of what we do as lawyers — so much so that failure to advise clients on obvious consequences of a decision to plead guilty — such as…
I wish that I hadn’t chosen April Fools’ Day to post about ACPE 718/CAA 41, the joint opinion by two New Jersey judicial advisory committees ruling that virtual office arrangements, outsourced or shared receptionist services and even working outside of the office for more than a few hours violate New Jersey’s “bonafide office requirement.” …
To date, we lawyers haven’t been able to effectively sell the public on the idea that document preparation services like Legal Zoom are a poor substitute for the services of a lawyer. So, being lawyers, we’ve done the next best thing to selling: suing. Last month, a Missouri law firm filed a class action lawsuit…
I want to wholeheartedly embrace the concept of unbundled legal services, I really do. After all, what’s not to like? The demand for affordable legal services is greater than ever. With courthouses overrun by pro se litigants, even judges are pressing for unbundled legal services. Technology is empowering a generation of educated, sophisticated consumers…
I’m experimenting with a question of the week here at MyShingle – just a short question related to anything of interest to lawyers running a practice or thinking about it from law practice management or tech, recommendations on how to guides or CLE providers to thoughts on why you started a firm or who your…
Updated September 20, 2022
Update – Back in 2010, I posted about law firm clients’ growing demand for self-service. Although the will was there, the technology still wasn’t quite ready for prime time. That’s changed, but client demand for self-service hasn’t. And TLDR, it’s not an economic thing, but a sea change in attitude.
Starting…
Client surveys and customer feedback are all the rage these days and law firms are jumping on board. In fact, Matt Homann of LexThink released a great client survey template that’s available at Lawyerist.
Like the experts, I’ve always believed, albeit somewhat reflexively, that client surveys improve the client experience. And I still do. …
