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Showing posts from September, 2024

Team Effort: How to Control the Use of AI in Your Law Firm

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AI is everywhere; it’s embedded in so many technologies that you use already , that, in some cases: you’re probably not even aware you’re using it.  So, of course, the first step here, is to understand AI yourself, including how it is deployed in the softwares you use (everyday).     Once you have a handle on that, you’ll next need to figure out whether and how you want your staff to use AI .  At this point, it’s probably foolish to prohibit the use of AI for you r associates and staff, because it’s even embedded in Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, at this point – productivity softwares that almost every attorney and law firm staffperson use at least one of .  So, this is more about warning folks of the potential dangers of AI (including its predilection for ‘hallucinating’ = making things up), making suggestions about how to use it and limiting the places where client or confidential data may be added to AI tools (not free, generic tools – li...

Payment Plan: This is the One Necessary Precondition for Any Paid Advertising Campaign

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Lots of law firm owners don’t pay for advertising, at all .  But, for those who do, they’re often skipping a crucial step, that will allow their marketing campaigns to flourish.     They don’t have an intake program.     With any paid advertising campaign, it’s essential to be able to track calls and clicks – because, if you can’t , you won’t know whether your campaigns are working, or not; and, your new marketing strategy could devolve into a money pit.   Sure, there’s the basic notion of ‘return on investment’ (ROI) = are you making back what you’re paying – or profiting, and at what level .  But, with the right software, you can also run a whole bunch of different reports, including custom ones, to better understand your marketing spend.     At the very least, the modern law firm, running a paid marketing program, should be tracking calls (potentially with a software , like CallRail ) and clicks (potentially with a customer r...

Hostage Situation: Lawyers, Not Staff, Should Run Law Firms

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In many law firms – especially the small ones – managing attorneys are held hostage by their staffpersons .  And, when the staffpersons are aware that that is the situation – thi ngs can quickly turn toxic .   There are plenty of law firms, where staff are doing whatever they want, and dictating process and strategy to the attorneys they work for – because the lawyers believe they can’t let go of the staff, since they’re too important to the running of the law firm .  It’s something of a vicious circle .  But, as a lawyer, you’ve got to maintain control of your business, in part because any ethics-related issues that arise, can cost you your license to practice.     So, if your staff is treating you in a dismissive way, and you feel like you’ve been removed from the management of your own law firm – or, even if you simply don’t want that situation to arise – there is a way to dig out . Here’s what you need to do:     Understand Ho...