The National Creditors Bar Association Law Practice Management Blog

Law firms cite to a lot of things, like cases.  But, when it comes to modernizing business management tactics, law firms cite traditional barriers, like cost and effort.  Law firm culture is a static one, embracing of the status quo, at all costs.  If you’re a lawyer, you’re probably willing to remain on the Titanic, as it recedes below the water line, because jumping into a life boat seems like a significant and uncomfortable change.  You’re convinced that the ship can be righted, right up until the bitter end; and so, you ride your server down to the ocean floor.   Part of the problem is that lawyers tend to ignore business management issues until they can’t anymore.  And, even when obvious and solvable problems arise, lawyers still stick their heads in the sand.  It’s easy to convince yourself that it’s easier to do nothing, while your business falls apart.   In law school, lawyers are taught to be reactive problem solvers; and, they never forget that.  ...

I mean, don’t get me wrong, lawyers  can  code, if they  want  to; but, they don’t  have  to.   There’s a prevailing argument in legal tech circles over whether lawyers should be coders.  This argument is often misconstrued to mean that lawyers should be developing their own software.  And, that’s an entirely different thing.  It’s sort of like making the assumption that the guy who tinkers with an old Corvette on the weekend should launch an automotive corporation.  And, the same argument applies for lawyers that applies to that weekend warrior: he shouldn’t do that because he can make more money in his day job, which also carries with it far less risk.  The point is: if you want to be a lawyer, be a lawyer; if you want to start a software company, start a software company.  But, don’t do both.   The math works, too.   Solo, small and large law firms waste money and resources when the...

When thinking about how to market a law firm effectively, the question of frequency is important, especially as it relates to  content marketing : get as much of your stuff out there into the world, as often as you can, and people are bound to pay attention to you.  It’s not quite that simple; but, that is the gist of it.   I n addition to having a lot of marketing materials in your holster,  though,  it’s also important to consider the breadth of  your  marketing attack.   In 2019, you can’t just market to one or two channels, because it’s becoming increasingly difficult to know where your best leads are going to be looking for legal services information.  Maybe your best client is somebody who’s given up on Google search, and now prefers  ‘ in-app search ’ , because that’s easier to do on a smartphone?  Or, maybe your best client has given up on Facebook, and switched to LinkedIn, to avoid all the political nois...

For my money, unless you have actually been a real-life, honest-to-goodness website designer at some point in your career,  and  if you're a lawyer, it's never a good idea to design and maintain your own website.  It's kind of like performing open heart surgery on yourself, and it can have the same negative effects on your business that it would on your body -- including the potential for flat-lining.  Even otherwise traditional law firms are drawing more and more business from the web; and so, the law firm website, as the online hub for your business, continues to be vital to generating law firm revenue.   So, let's start at the beginning, and I'll tell you three things to watch out for when you're choosing a website design firm:   (1)  Own your Own Domain.   The cheesiest website design scam is when the vendor buys your domain name  for you  and sells it back to you for an exorbitant rate before the vendor will release you from ...