Maine Law Practice Management

Every lawyer I’ve ever met wants to do everything on their own.  In other words, every lawyer secretly desires to be a solo attorney.  Of course, there comes a time when your business grow s to the point that you need some real help; and, since you can’t clone yourself, it’s necessary to hire.   Many attorneys who start to hire want to do so as cheaply as possible; and, that often means, in addition to probably not offering substantial benefits (or, maybe opting for a contractor), that lawyer will hire another attorney or paralegal or legal assistant with little to no experience.  The low salary is appealing, as is the presumed clean slate being offered: you can train someone up now, exactly the way you want to.  But, that line of thinking can be replete with holes.  In the first instance, this notion of law firm training is more theory than practice -- as this purported intensive training for attorneys and paralegals and legal assistants doesn’t really ev...

f you’re still waiting on cash, checks or money orders, there’s a better way.     Consumers want, and you can offer them, electronic payment processing, via credit or debit card.  Many law firms avoid this option, because of payment processing fees associated with these systems; but, the fact of the matter is that electronic payment processing tools get you more money, sooner -- and, even assuming the processing fees attached to these accounts, they still cost less than traditional payment methods when you consider collection costs.  Some lawyers avoid electronic payment processing because of perceived ethics issues.  But, there’s a simple solution to those: make sure any fees (payment processing and chargebacks) come out of your operating account and not your IOLTA account .     If you can collect more, more quickly, and can also automate payments via electronic payment processing systems, it will reduce or eliminate your accounts receivable -- and...

Most practicing lawyers are immersed in legal technology, without following the news about legal technology.  I understand that: I use Microsoft 365 everyday; but, I don’t follow the news about Microsoft’s larger machinations.     Of course, legal technology is a smaller subset of technology; and, many states have now added Comment 8 to Rule 1.1 of their lawyers’ rules of professional conduct, which suggest s that a lawyer’s general competency is tied to her competency respecting the use of law firm technology.  And, even if that doesn’t set up a requirement for lawyers to follow legal technology news, those same lawyers should at least understand that that news affects them in some significant ways.  In the first instance, more funding for legal technology companies and consolidation among software prov i ders means changes to the technology you already use.  But, funding for legal technology also means that there will be new technologies coming to the ...

Sorry to be morbid ( that’s a great Cat Stevens’ song, though ) — but do you know what will happen to you r law firm if you die or become disabled?  Here ’ s hoping that doesn’t happen; but, if it did, are you ultimately placing the unenviable task of winding down your law firm upon your family?   Over my years of consulting, I’ve seen a number of solo and small law firms fall apart, and then shutter, upon the unexpected death or disability of a founding or managing partner.  In that case, family members are often called upon to try to close a business they have no idea how to manage and aren’t even licensed to run.  Oftentimes, other lawyers don’t (or can’t) help, because there’s no revenue incentive to do so — always in solo offices, and especially for small firms, the death or disability of a partner means the end of new business.     So, if you’re operating without a succession plan, or a wind-down program, for your law firm, you’re potentially driving your grieving...