EVERYTHING YOU DIDN’T LEARN IN LAW SCHOOL Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program www.masslomap.org Facebook.com/MassLOMAP LinkedIn.com/company/Mass-LOMAP @MassLOMAP
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Agenda • Office Organization • Client Communication • Marketing • Technology
• Data Security • Additional Resources
Better Not . . .
OFFICE ORGANIZATION How to efficiently and effectively organize your practice.
Filing System • Organizing Files + Folders • Naming Conventions • Lost + Found • Paperful vs Paperless vs Hybrid
• Document Management Program
Calendar Management • Your Activity Hub • What to Track • Appointments • Court dates • Statutes of limitation • Self-imposed deadlines • Using Ticklers • Back It Up • In Sync
Tracking Time • Always (regardless of billing type) • Completely • Contemporaneously • Electronically
Office Management • Working with Staff • Working with Supervisors • Collegiality – It pays to be nice! • Basic Human Resources
• Ethical Duties
CLIENT COMMUNICATION Get ‘em in, get ‘em happy, and keep ‘em comin’!
Client Contact Management • Intake Process • Conflict Checking • Follow Up
Client Education • Attorney + Client Responsibilities to the Matter • Confidentiality • Timeliness • Boundaries
• Technology
Documenting the Relationship • Disclosures • Fee Agreements • Non-engagement Letters • Memorializing Course of Decisionmaking
• Disengagement Letters • Attorney Notes to File • Create a Record!
Billing • Types + Sorts • Billable hour • Flat fee • Unbundled • AFA • Hybrid • The Art of Drafting Bills • The Science of Sending Bills • Collection
MARKETING Know what you’re selling and how to sell it.
Networking • Elevator Pitch • In-Person vs Online • Associations + Organizations • The Importance of Referrals
Traditional vs Online • Advertisements • Content Marketing • Storefront/Website • Networking/Social Media
• Publication/Blog
Return on Investment • $ + Time = $ • Formulae • Analysis • Budgeting
• Tools
Ethical Considerations • False or Misleading • 2-Year Rule • Solicitation • Practice Areas
• Limited Liability Entities
TECHNOLOGY Boost productivity and organization with technology.
Generally • The Future Present of Law Practice • ABA Model Rule 1.1: Competence • Productivity • Mobility
• Security
Software • Law Practice Management (LPM) • Document Management • Email + Calendaring • Time + Billing
• Financial Management • Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Paperless Office • Scanning + Scanners • PDF w/ OCR • Naming Conventions • Folder Architecture
• Form Creation • Electronic Signing
Mobile • Remote Access • Time Capture • Productivity • Security
DATA SECURITY Maintain client confidences and protect firm data.
Confidentiality • It’s the Client’s File • Retention • Disposition
The Cloud • Pros + Cons • Ethics • Encryption
Data Protection Rules • Statutory Authority • M.G.L. c. 93H + 93I • 201 C.M.R. 17.00 • SJC Interim Guidelines • Applications
Data Backup • Redundancy v Backup • Local • Cloud • Testing
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Finding the resources you need.
Resources • Ethics • Board of Bar Overseers / Office of Bar Counsel • Massachusetts IOLTA Committee • Legal Research + Education • Social Law Library • MCLE • West’s Mass. Practice Handbook • Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly • Communities • Bar Associations • Local, State, National, Practice Area-specific
• Social Media Groups • Listservs
Better Yet . . .
GOOD LUCK! Toll Free 1.888.54.LOMAP
[email protected] www.masslomap.org Facebook.com/MassLOMAP LinkedIn.com/company/Mass-LOMAP
@MassLOMAP @RodneyDowell @JaredCorreia @HeidiAlexander
