The National Creditors Bar Association Law Practice Management Blog

Many attorneys will try to rush through the drafting and explanation of a fee agreement.  The job, as they see it, is to get the fee out there, and to define the scope of legal services, as quickly as possible – so that the client will sign off, and so that the lawyer can go back to what they really want to do, which is to practice substantive law.   But, there’s so much more that you can do with your engagement agreements, to make them truly engaging (see what I did there), and to set the tone for a more useful attorney-client relationship.     Here are three potential additions you could consider to your standard fee agreement, that will truly turn it in to an engagement agreement:     - Add a Technology Clause.   In part to better govern client communications (more on that in a second), you should relay to your clients the technology you use in the firm.  This will also allow you to get their sign-off on using that technology stack, and allow them t he opportunity to object to w

This is kind of a trick question.  It’s one that initiates the lawyer’s go-to response: It depends.     But, in reality, the choice of who answers your phone when clients and potential clients call has a lot of la yers to it, not unlike an onion.  And, this is reflective of the many cho ices now available to attorneys.     In a perfect world, where you have ample time (riiiight), it’s probably best to have lawyers answering every call – and, the more senior the lawyer, the better.  Why?  Because it surprises and delights clients.  (Wait, I’m actually talking to the lawyer?!)  Clients and potential clients expect you to have gatekeepers; if you don’t = they’re amazed, and thrilled.  Some law firm actually employ this method.  Not surprisingly, clients are happy, and revenue increases.   Of course, the vast majority of law firms can’t accommodate that arrangement.  And, if that’s your law firm, the next best option is to have a staffperson pick up the phone, because they know the ne

Stop me if you’ve heard this before; but, COVID protocols are coming down everywhere across the world, as we cross into the Spring, and hopefully move from pandemic to endemic stage.     During the pendency of the pandemic, law firms were forced to innovate.  Some did so gladly; some had already made moves; others applied what they felt were short-term, emergency solutions, and were looking forward to moving back to the status quo, as soon as possible.     That third option, is what concerns me now: those law firm owners, who are ready to pull back the curtain to reveal 2019 all over again -- they haven’t learned the business lessons of the COVID pandemic.     You can’t just try to force people to work in an office all day, every workday based solely on your weak arguments for the need for in-person communication.  The last two years have been a litmus test for why that line of thinking is antiquated, and also utterly false.     You can’t go back to making people come into your offic