Ed Poll is a regular columnist for the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. His Coach's Corner appears every Monday.

Contact Ed Poll using the contact info at the end of this page for suggestions and questions for the column.

• 2/22/10 - Limited scope representation: half a case may be better than none

• 2/15/10 - Where will the money come from?

• 2/8/10 - How to get from plan to action

• 1/25/10 - Where to draw the ethical line?

• 1/11/10 - Can you really raise your rates in 2010?

• 1/4/10 - Determine your profitability to assess your worth

• 12/21/09 - How lawyers think lawyers should be trained

• 12/14/09 - Bringing specialist training to the 21st century legal market

• 12/7/09 - Pro bono internships done right

• 11/30/09 - To compete with legal self-help sites, unbundling may be key

• 11/23/09 - What's in a name?

• 11/9/09 - A collaborative approach to staffing

• 11/2/09 - Coming soon: the true 'corporate' law firm?

• 10/26/09 - It's not what's up front that counts

• 10/19/09 - Hit 'em where they ain't

• 10/12/09 - Marketing 101 reminders

• 10/5/09 - Does networking still require real people?

• 9/28/09 - Are a law practice and a law office synonymous?

• 9/14/09 - In a recession, have tickets, will travel?

• 9/7/09 - Doctors, lawyers and the importance of ownership

• 8/31/09 - To charge or not to charge

• 8/24/09 - Small firms can find diamonds in a rough recession

• 8/17/09 - Lawyers should be retrained, not cut loose

• 8/10/09 - Ignore the business of law at your peril

• 7/27/09 - Can you afford to do good?

• 7/20/09 - Ethics follow the dollars, as usual

• 7/13/09 - Learning to be a lawyer

• 7/6/09 - How is your practice going? Ask your clients

• 6/29/09 - Senior lawyers may hold a valuable commodity

• 6/22/09 - Helping profession should do just that for troubled members

• 6/15/09 - Partnership in law extends to lawyer-client relationship

• 6/8/09 - Transition from big to small firm calls up one's entrepreneurialism

• 6/1/09 - Life may be unfair, but layoffs need not be

• 5/25/09 - Leaving firm, lawyer wise do a full accounting

• 5/18/09 - Worry not about losing clients; just work to keep them

• 5/11/09 - When the going gets tough for law firms...

• 5/4/09 - Arrogance of attorneys, others a troubling societal development

• 4/27/09 - How to stay off list of endangered professional species

• 4/20/09 - Experience as owners could be boon for small-firm practitioners

• 4/13/09 - For firm's sake, partners may have to part with cash

• 4/6/09 - Brevity is not the soul of good client billing

• 3/30/09 - Costs plus billable hours have to equal revenue

• 3/23/09 - Lawyers Can't Make More Than Their Firms Do

• 3/16/09 - Look at partnership with open eyes

• 3/9/09 - When defining value, the question is: value for whom?

• 3/2/09 - One firm's recession is another's depression

• 2/23/09 - The market and malpractice insurance

• 2/16/09 - Do you want to sell out?

• 2/9/09 - Can't we all just get along?

• 2/2/09 - Some breathing room on an IOLTA dilemma

• 1/26/09 - Don't let a credit line become a noose

• 1/19/09 - Marketing: it's an effort, not a strategy

• 1/12/09 - Cutting overhead can be painful procedure

• 1/5/09 - Do you realize how much you're billing?

• 12/29/08 - Take care of time, and it will take care of you

• 12/22/08 - Are you cheap... or reasonable?

• 12/15/08 - No firm is too big to fail

• 12/8/08 - Growing up SMART

• 12/1/08 - Know the ROI on your IT

• 11/24/08 - Recession survival is three-part cycle

• 11/17/08 - When the coach runs the plays

• 11/10/08 - A passage to India: making outsourcing pay

• 11/3/08 - Are you engaged in 'civil' practice?

• 9/15/08 - The taxing matter of taxing legal services

• 9/1/08 - Why no one dreams of becoming managing partner

• 8/25/08 - A law firm model that gives clients what they really want

• 8/18/08 - The bottom line on the cost of associate loyalty

• 8/11/08 - A status report on loyalty

• 8/4/08 - There are some things a lawyer can guarantee

• 7/28/08 - To retain or not to retain: that's the question for clients

• 7/21/08 - Facing reality when a firm's survival is at stake

• 7/14/08 - The taxing matter of taxing legal services

• 7/7/08 - How to break the ice with 'cold calling'

• 6/30/08 - When posting to social network, be sure to use 'sharer' discretion

• 6/23/08 - As workload increases, so should fees

• 6/16/08 - Clients may not buy when firm brands its attorneys as 'products'

• 6/9/08 - Are you in the 'red zone'?

• 6/2/08 - Do as we say, not as we do

• 5/26/08 - He ain't heavy, he's my client

• 5/19/08 - The billable hour trap

• 5/12/08 - 'I want to thank all the little people ...'

• 5/5/08 - The SMART way to do marketing

• 4/28/08 - Risky business: lawyers and insurance ethics

• 4/21/08 - Would a recession be legal?

• 4/14/08 - How do you sue a client? Very carefully!

• 4/7/08 - Corporate America's challenge to 'big law'

• 3/31/08 - Got 'the billable-hour blues'?

• 3/24/08 - Lawyers are not immortal

• 3/17/08 - Money or justice: must we choose?

• 3/11/08 - After hiring associates, help grow them!

• 3/3/08 - Are you afraid of ghosts?

• 2/25/08 - Is loyalty cheap?

• 2/18/08 - It's better to work with a Net

• 2/11/08 - An update on the score

• 2/4/08 - Preparing for the 'second season'

• 1/28/08 - How to use financial software

• 1/21/08 - Top 10 technology recommendations for 2008

• 1/14/08 - Will you avoid the 'credit crunch'?

• 1/7/08 - Bill confidently, even in tough times

• 12/31/07 - Collaboration needed in this '2.0' world

• 12/24/07 - Practice 'business' to practice success

• 12/17/07 - Build your business with common sense

• 12/10/07 - Office choices speak louder than words

• 12/3/07 - Money main issue for would-be solos

• 11/26/07 - Do you know when it's time to leave?

• 11/19/07 - Age policy may force more than retirement

• 11/12/07 - Trade shows offer one-stop marketing

• 11/5/07 - Collections depend on collection policy

• 10/29/07 - Firm support makes rainmaking easier

• 10/22/07 - 'Exceeding' expectations not always the best plan

• 10/15/07 - You need to do well to do good

• 10/1/07 - Why non-engagement letters are helpful - part 2

• 10/1/07 - Why non-engagement letters are helpful - part 1

• 9/24/07 - Master the 'art' of setting fees

• 9/17/07 - New practice tips to ensure success

• 9/10/07 - Technology, timing speed up payments

• 9/3/07 - Type ethically: you are what you blog

• 8/27/07 - Digging out of the discounting hole

• 8/20/07 - Does a lawyer need an M.B.A.?

• 8/13/07 - Hey partner, are you sure you're tenured?

• 8/6/07 - Demonstrate how you provide value

• 7/30/07 - Do you know how you rate?

• 7/23/07 - 'Productizing' a law practice adds value

• 7/16/07 - The 'perfect bill' prompts pay, goodwill

• 7/9/07 - Hanging a shingle on a 'shoestring'

• 7/2/07 - 'One step at a time' trumps fear, stress

• 6/25/07 - Job standards a key to avoiding conflict

• 6/18/07 - Do you enjoy the 'hamster model'?

• 6/11/07 - Don't get snowed-in by everyday disasters

• 6/4/07 - Leverage just part of 'big business'

• 5/28/07 - Your 'loss' might actually be a gain

• 5/21/07 - Legal myopia hurts value of 'goodwill'

• 5/14/07 - Technology trends to make life easier

• 5/7/07 - How to Use Bonuses for Rewarding Staff

• 4/30/07 - Who's kidding whom on associate salaries?

• 4/23/07 - Avoid the baggage of unclaimed funds

• 4/16/07 - Nothing personal: leave the loan alone

• 4/9/07 - Make the right hire: use an employment agency

• 4/2/07 - The alternative to planned succession is problems

• 3/26/07 - Why work for clients who don't pay?

• 3/19/07 - Is the client always right?

• 3/12/07 - Facing up to the potential for embezzlement

• 3/5/07 - Would apprenticeship make for better lawyers?

• 2/26/07 - What makes you unique?

• 2/19/07 - What do clients value?

• 2/12/07 - Reuniting a firm divided

• 2/5/07 - Are you afraid to succeed?

• 1/29/07 - Looking at law firms through the windows of an Airstream

• 1/22/07 - Success for 2007 - how to assure it!

• 1/15/07 - Use of credit cards redux

• 1/8/07 - Are you unique enough to deserve a raise?

• 1/1/07 - Is benchmarking the master or the servant?

• 12/25/06 - Don't let flat-fee arrangements leave you flat broke

• 12/18/06 - Will lawyer advertising again become 'illegal'?

• 12/11/06 - When it's necessary to terminate a lawyer

• 12/04/06 - What is a law practice worth?

• 11/27/06 - How to get a seat at the in-house counsel's table

• 11/20/06 - Do you commit malpractice ... when it comes to technology?

• 11/13/06 - When it's your firm, the buck stops with you

• 11/06/06 - Should you ever 'fire' a client?

• 10/30/06 - Can you defend your fee structure?

• 10/23/06 - 'Skill enhancement': the difference between plumbers and lawyers

• 10/16/06 - How small firms can finance technology purchases

• 10/9/06 - Is everybody in your office on the team?

• 10/2/06 - Smaller firms shouldn't sell themselves short

• 9/25/06 - A matter of trust in using accounts

• 9/18/06 - Law firm accounting 101: a brief lesson

• 9/11/06 - What is a 'fair' compensation system?

• 9/4/06 - Taking the mystery out of the hiring process

• 8/28/06 - Cyberinsurance could save you from an IT disaster

• 8/21/06 - Communications gaps that drive clients crazy

• 8/14/06 - How to choose the right bank for your firm

• 8/7/06 - Mandatory malpractice insurance disclosure: taxation without representation!

• 7/24/06 - SBA loan guarantees -- are they any good for lawyers?

• 7/17/06 - Personal resources to improve your business competency

• 7/10/06 - In praise of paper as an information management tool

• 7/3/06 - Must you 'snitch' when it involves another lawyer's misconduct?

• 6/26/06 - Is the handwriting on the wall for the virtual lawyer?

• 6/19/06 - Are you a millionaire? Then why not make some changes!

• 6/12/06 - Starting a new firm? Here are some mistakes to avoid

• 6/5/06 - Managing the check deposit function at your bank

• 5/29/06 - Too old to practice law?

• 5/22/06 - How do you measure financial performance?

• 5/15/06 - Do prospects want your testimonials ... or you?

• 5/8/06 - Getting lawyers to accept planning

• 5/1/06 - Can we talk? Don't wonder about your clients' concerns - ask!

• 4/24/06 - Do you want a bank loan? Then make sure you qualify

• 4/17/06 - Is law a commodity? Only if we let it become one

• 4/10/06 - Is malpractice litigation unavoidable? Only if you ignore the warnings

• 4/3/06 - What's your price? Billing alternatives beyond the hourly rate

• 3/27/06 - Can you take it with you? Maybe, if you plan ahead carefully

• 3/20/06 - Knowledge management: use it or lose it

• 3/13/06 - Do you really need to return every client call promptly?

• 3/6/06 - Even road warriors should be part of a team

• 2/27/06 - To choose the right coach, ask the right questions

• 2/20/06 - Pay yourself: 8 steps to collecting the money you're owed

• 2/13/06 - The budgeting process: collaborating with the client is key

• 2/6/06 - Credit cards and client payment: some additional thoughts

• 1/30/06 - Selling a practice: allowing it is in everyone's interest

• 1/23/06 - Moving on: ways to transition a practice

• 1/16/06 - To blog or not to blog: if you can't do it right, have someone do it for you

• 1/9/06 - Use caution in transactions involving fixed fees

• 1/2/06 - Ten things every lawyer must do

• 12/26/05 - Tangled in the Web: the need for caution in Internet use

• 12/19/05 - Buying, selling contract lawyer services can mean a malpractice suit in the bargain

• 12/12/05 - Attitude is everything... and empathy with the client is a must

• 12/5/05 - Bigger clients are better... if you keep them in proper perspective

• 11/28/05 - Taking charge: Be smart about accepting credit card payments

• 11/21/05 - Making the right choices on telephone use issues

• 11/14/05 - Marketing made easy: a common-sense marketing plan

• 11/7/05 - To charge or not to charge: being businesslike is professional

• 10/31/05 - Rules of engagement: get it in writing to get paid

• 10/24/05 - For the record: consider the requirements of file security

• 10/17/05 - E-mails may save time, but they can increase costs

• 10/10/05 - How to avoid clients who refuse to pay

• 10/3/05 - How do you bill for a contract attorney? Very carefully...

• 9/26/05 - Repairing from a disaster is different than preparing for a disaster