The National Creditors Bar Association Law Practice Management Blog

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has changed many of lawyers’ closely-held beliefs about how to run a law practice.  Not a single aspect of law firm business management is being left unexamined.  And, as law firm concerns over revenue grow, cost - cutting measure s  begin to intercede.  At this point, a number of law firms have furloughed staff; but, many have held onto the second largest office expense: the office itself.   That may change, however, as social distancing requirements linger.  If no one, or fewer people, are at the office, your law firm won’t require as much office space.  And, it’s likely that you and your employees are becoming far more proficient in working at home.   If those trends continue, it’s the smart business decision to reduce office space, and so your monthly rental nut.     Of course, that was the smart move before you ever even heard of the coronavirus; but, you were probably too afraid to pull the tri...

Lawyers tend to manage in place.  They oversee staff by walking around the office, to randomly check in on people,  like  Lumberg  from ‘Office Space’ .   They can also be vicious micromanagers.  It’s understandable to an extent, of course;  if someone in the office screws up in a major way, it’s the attorney’s license that’s on the line.  I get it.  But, there is a better way; and, a way that is becoming increasingly necessary  for law firms .   In the current environment, law firms are managing distributed workforces on the fly.  Often, there’s no more  physical  office  available  to be occupied ,  to walk around  in .  No more coworkers in your physical presence to hover over.  So, what do you do  now ?     It’s time to finally rely on technology to manage your law firm.  Managing a remote staff is about  creating task-based, time-sensitive workflows , in...

A decade ago,  lawyers had just one option for office space: a traditional lease.   That’s a costly option,  of course,  and can be a barrier to entry, especially for young lawyers, looking to start new law firms.   It’s also a  scary,  long-term commitment, potentially for up to  f ive years, for  any  law firm.   Fortunately, there are now more office space options than you can shake a stick at.   Due, in large part, to the rise of cloud-based technology,  lawyers can now work at home , exclusively .  Modern consumers care less and less where attorneys work, and that means that lawyers don’t need an expensive downtown address, in the way that they used to need an expensive downtown address.  Instead of an office lease, you can get your mail in a big city  to acquire a big city address , and talk to your clients via video conferencing.   . . .  And, get them to sign documents...

Business growth is what everybody wants; but, it’s not easy to manage.  Managing people brings with it new duties, and added headaches.  Of course, it’s  the  only  way  to scale your business beyond yourself.   Fortunately, for law firms owners, there are more staffing options now, than you can shake a stick, even if you’re not ready to make the move to hiring an employee.   Many expanding law firms choose to engage contract attorneys, who can make their own hours, and are often experienced enough to manage their own wo r fklows.  These folks don’t require benefits, or a salary.  For contract attorneys, the advantage is that they can make their own schedule, which works well, for moms who want to be home with their kids, for example.  Law firms using contractors are advantaged because of the cost savings  --  in addition to salary and benefits, you’re also often saving office space and technology costs....