Secrets of The Business of Law Table of Contents

Preface vii
Acknowledgements ix
PART I: Planning for Success
The Case for Planning 3
Preparing the Law Firm Business Plan 7
Success: The Top Eight Requirements 13
PART II: Client Relations
Tips for Improving Your Client Relations 19
What Makes a Better Lawyer? 25
Bass Are Where You Find Them: Fishing for Clients at Trade Shows 29
Are You Leaving Your Clients on the Sidelines? 33
Client Selection: Help for Avoiding Malpractice Claims and More! 36
Communicate with Status Reports 40
What Clients Hate! 44
PART III: Financial Management
Show Me the Money! No Collection… No Compensation 51
Accounting for Attorneys: Understanding the Importance of Numbers 55
Deposit That Check! 59
Keeping the Record Straight on Trust Accounts 64
Bankers & Lawyers: The Odd Couple 69
Avoiding the Murky Waters of Unethical Billing 76
The Pros & Cons of Fixed Fees 79
Tax Planning: Sooner Than Later 82
How to Break Through the Time & Income Ceiling 87
The Open Book Revolution 91
Reducing Overhead: Let Me Count the Ways 95
33 Tips to Help Lawyers Keep Their Pockets Full 100
PART IV: Law Office Technology
Solving the Technology Dilemma 111
Using WordPerfect for Billing 115
Ethics & Technology 117
PART V: Office & Management Issues
Debunking the Myths of Office Organization 125
Who Can’t Afford an Executive Director? 129
Using Compensation to Stimulate Team Lawyering 133
Is Equipment Leasing Right for You? 137
What’s It Worth? Opportunities for Buying & Selling Law Practices 142
MCLE & The Small Firm 149
Partnerships: A Perilous Path? 153
Planning for Disaster 158
10 Most Frequently Asked Questions of a Law Firm Mgt. Consultant 163
About the Author 169

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