Maine Law Practice Management

Law firms often offer initial consultations, because that’s what law firms do .  But, thinking a little more deeply about the purpose for your initial consultations makes some sense.     There is still a lot of debate in legal over whether you should be offering free o r paid consultations .  And, it’s a l egitimate question .  But, it’s also a question that depends on your purpose for providing consultations in the first place.   If you want your consultations to be a separate, additional revenue stream -- then, of course, you charge as much as you can, without much regard for conversion .  If you want to get access to as many potential clients as you can, and are just seeking a way to vet them more effectively – then, yes: you probably reduce your charges, and take more calls .  Or, set up free consultations .  Many startup law firms, for example, will not charge for consults , in part, because new attorneys want to talk to as many people as possible, to build their net

Most law firms need to update their technology, and many are aware of it.     Of course, that doesn’t mean they will actually update their technology.   A primary reason for the reluctance is simple: data transfers suck .  For example, i f you’re thinking of replacing your case management software , one of the main reasons you would hold off is because the data migration seems costly, and time-consuming .  That’s because i t is .   But, what if you just kept your existing system, until it aged out ?  That may sound crazy, but hear me out:     If you’re shifting from a premise-based system to a cloud-based system, you’re not actually paying anything any longer for the premise-based system, because it’s not charged on a subscription model , like cloud software is .  So, pick a date for when you’ll adopt your new cloud-based system, and start adding all new clients into that software from that date forward .  Sure, you’ll be running two system (and performing a conflict chec

As is clear by now, more efficient law firms make more money than inefficient ones .  The more work you can get through, the more money you make .  Of course, efficiency does not build up out of thin air: you need to work for it.     And, the best step to take, in terms of building law firm efficiency, is to map out everything you do.  Like, literally everything.  Each process you run should be attached to specific workflows = aggregated tasks lists.  This ensure s that each case is moving forward in a specific way ; and, that’ s a great hedge against malpractice, because it decreases the potential to miss deadlines – even self-imposed ones.  It also makes for happier clients , because you (and your staff) are likely to be more on top of things, more communicative, and also able to provide faster, better results.     It may be daunting to think of mapping out every process in your law firm .  So, don’t bite off more than you can chew .  Look at specific practice areas, and begin