The idea of a “tribe” is powerful. Who would not feel connected in a group of people tied together by common values, traditions or goals? Tribes have two distinct yet equally important roles to play in your law practice — particularly if you are a solo practitioner. First, connecting with the right tribe can help you bring in more clients. Second, a tribe of colleagues who share knowledge and provide much-needed support not only makes you a better lawyer — it can provide ethics safeguards.

Recently Attorney at Work caught up with three innovative lawyers — all speakers at this spring’s Lawyernomics conference, hosted by Avvo — for their thoughts on what it means to run a law practice like a business, the biggest bet they’ve placed on themselves, and what challenges solo and small firm lawyers face in the next five years. Plus, a few favorite apps. Here's advice on moving your practice forward (and moving pianos) from Vanessa Vasquez de Lara, Ozan Varol and Jennifer Brandt.

Most of us have a generally good grasp of English usage and punctuation. The problem is that some usage and punctuation errors are so subtle and pervasive that we are tricked into thinking they are correct. Additionally, language use is constantly evolving, and thanks to the internet, it changes faster than ever. Throw in wrinkles such as how to express numbers and dates, when to italicize, or how to quote regulations and you have a proofreader’s migraine in the making. That's why you need a style guide and usage standards.

Dealing with each email message in order in your inbox can lead to context switching — a major drag on productivity. The time spent doing triage can instead be used to handle business email. To minimize email triage time, build these five email habits.

When lawyers are surveyed about what keeps them awake at night, the top issue is almost always a feeling that their offices or cases are out of control. It’s not just a fear. In my experience, for far too many lawyers, it’s a true state of being. Why is that the case, and how can it be fixed? Start by characterizing the problem.

Hiring lateral partners and groups is a key component for success in today’s competitive law firm market. And while large firms get all the headlines for key coups, smaller firms have both more to gain and lose in recruiting talent. Winning in the lateral market depends on how well you execute in a variety of strategic areas. Here are ways to succeed in some of the more important ones.

A great deal has been said and written about the epidemic of the unhappy lawyer. Surveys suggest that career dissatisfaction among lawyers, and even rates of depression, are on the rise. Law firm associates are not immune. In fact, a survey from a few years back found that “associate attorney” was the unhappiest job in the United States. Many theories are posited as to the root causes, including overwork, stress, uninteresting work and the adversarial nature of the law. In recent years, firms have increasingly been urged to improve culture and expand opportunities for work-life balance, particularly for young associates. Firms need to change, the thinking goes, to adapt to the needs and desires of millennials. I’m a skeptic. I think today’s “wisdom” about what motivates millennial lawyers will be proven wrong.

Getting quoted in the media is one of the most effective ways for lawyers to raise their profile, gain credibility as a thought leader and attract clients. However, you may not have the time to cultivate relationships with the press or the budget to hire a PR firm. Help A Reporter Out — HARO — is a shortcut to free publicity and can be a powerful marketing tool.

Are you contemplating streamlining, centralizing or outsourcing some or all of your law firm's back-office functions? It's an idea worth exploring. Improving basic processes and using the right technology can help you and your staff minimize frustration and save time, which ultimately benefits your clients. If you’re wondering where to begin, here are five practical ideas.

I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about the attitudes people bring to work every day and how a positive or negative attitude affects how others perform their jobs — including how they serve their clients. The interesting thing is that the attitude you bring to work directly impacts every aspect of what you do and how you do it. Attitude drives your behavior. It impacts your productivity — and whether you are on track to succeed in accomplishing everything you should be doing. And you almost always bring your work attitude home to your loved ones. So, that begs a critical question: If your attitude is contagious, why not go for the positive?