Maine Law Practice Management

A decade ago,  lawyers had just one option for office space: a traditional lease.   That’s a costly option,  of course,  and can be a barrier to entry, especially for young lawyers, looking to start new law firms.   It’s also a  scary,  long-term commitment, potentially for up to  f ive years, for  any  law firm.   Fortunately, there are now more office space options than you can shake a stick at.   Due, in large part, to the rise of cloud-based technology,  lawyers can now work at home , exclusively .  Modern consumers care less and less where attorneys work, and that means that lawyers don’t need an expensive downtown address, in the way that they used to need an expensive downtown address.  Instead of an office lease, you can get your mail in a big city  to acquire a big city address , and talk to your clients via video conferencing.   . . .  And, get them to sign documents using  e signature  tools.   . . .  And, have them make payments via credit or debit cards , online .   The po

If you’re a solo lawyer , it doesn’t make sense to invest in a phone system.   But, you don’t want your clients to have your personal phone number, either.  What if they start texting you?       So, what’s a thrifty solo lawyer to do?       Enter  Google Voice , which is the answer to your prayers  . . .  i f the answer to your prayers is finding a better way to answer your phone when your clients call.   Google Voice allows you to ‘mask’ your personal phone number, while still receiving calls at your personal phone.  It’s free; and, it takes less than a minute to setup.  All you have to do is create or sign into an existing Google account, select a phone number, and you’re good to go.  Then, publish your new Google number,  and  get calls at your smartphone,  without  ever reveal ing  your personal phone number.   If you’re a solo  attorney , Google Voice is a tremendous alternative to taking calls via your personal phone; but, it also offers a number of significant, additional advant

Attorneys seeking inspiration or advice on reconfiguring or revising their business practices often seek out colleagues or friends for advice.  Most attorneys maintain other attorneys as colleagues and friends.  So, when they’re seeking business advice, they’re getting it from other attorneys.   There are a couple of problems with relying on that strategy, however.  The first is that law firm managers tend to rely entirely on their own experience.  If you ask them what to do in a specific situation, they will invariably say: ‘Well, this is how  we  do it . . .’   But, there is no one size fits all model for law firms, which means that lawyers should refer to various scenarios, before determining which option works best for them.  (And so, that’s a good conversation to have with a law practice management consultant  *AHEM* , who regularly speaks to different law firms, to gauge their perspective s . )   The second problem with that strategy is that law firm owners are generally not busi

Business growth is what everybody wants; but, it’s not easy to manage.  Managing people brings with it new duties, and added headaches.  Of course, it’s  the  only  way  to scale your business beyond yourself.     Fortunately, for law firms owners, there are more staffing options now, than you can shake a stick, even if you’re not ready to make the move to hiring an employee.     Many expanding law firms choose to engage contract attorneys, who can make their own hours, and are often experienced enough to manage their own wo r fklows.  These folks don’t require benefits, or a salary.  For contract attorneys, the advantage is that they can make their own schedule, which works well, for moms who want to be home with their kids, for example.  Law firms using contractors are advantaged because of the cost savings  --  in addition to salary and benefits, you’re also often saving office space and technology costs.  Law firms with enough definable specific needs can hire contract attorneys to