The National Creditors Bar Association Law Practice Management Blog

Most lawyers view document automation as a time-saving device.  And, that's true: the efficiency wrought by document automation allows law firms to take on more work, and to make more money.  But, in the modern context, it may be that law firms are still underutilizing document automation.   As law firms seek to revise their payment structures in order to appeal to modern clients, some are opting to sell products, rather than (or more likely, in addition to), services.  Law firms have always sold personal services, which are high-touch, and costly.  But, modern consumers want cost certainty, in terms of total cost of representation -- and, some folks who want to access legal services want to manage that process themselves.  Traditionally, law firms had no way to reach, or capture revenue, from DIY clients.  With legal products, however, law firms can appeal to both DIY-focused and cost-sensitive legal consumers.  One obvious product law firms can sell are legal docume...

Quick: What are  the  two things that lawyers do the most ?   If you answered: respond to email and create documents, you’d be right.  Yet, even as lawyers spend more time creating documents (pushing electronic paper) than anyone else, they’re still using antiquated methods for building documents from templates.   Attorneys are very good at creating specific documents for clients from existing templates.  But, when they run through that process, they’re often using antiquated tools, like ‘find and replace’ ,  or making edits by hand.  That’s one of the reasons that legal services are so expensive, is that lawyers’ old school methods make it that way.   The average solo lawyer would pay less than $100 per month for document automation software; and still, most law firms don’t implement  it .  Think, however, about the advantages of doing so.  What if you could finalize an estate planning package in 1/4 of the time.  Imagine t...

Yes, it’s hard to believe; but, it’s 2019, everyone.  DO NOT PANIC.   This is a good thing.  What’s good is that the turning of the calendar is just another opportunity to improve your business management.  Now, what business owner among us would NOT want that opportunity.   So, let me tell you what you need to do in 2019, that you haven’t done yet:   This is the year you turn your law firm into a high performance machine.  You’re currently driving a Chevrolet Chevette; by the end of next year, I want you to be rolling up in a Ford Mustang.  And, Ford is the optimal analogy here; your job one this next year, is to build the law firm version of Ford’s assembly line.  Build systems, save time, do more work, make more money.  Rinse, repeat.   Don’t view the notion of a high-performing practice, as many attorneys do, as a bad thing.  Embrace operational efficiency, and it will pay dividends.  Now, I know that your inclination as a lawy...