Lawyers may practice in different areas of the law and serve a wide range of clients, but most seem to share a common aversion: They hate doing timesheets. Despite this near universal resentment toward tracking time, most lawyers eventually learn that they need to be effective in billing clients to have a thriving practice. Here are seven important steps to help make your billing more accurate, client-friendly and effective.

Lawyers hate math. At least most do. It’s why they became lawyers. Which means working with data isn’t appealing to most lawyers, either. But law practices are businesses, and these days, successful businesses leverage data to thrive. Here are some tips to inspire you to learn more about embracing data to grow your law practice.

When Nehal Madhani left his practice at Kirkland & Ellis four years ago, he set out to create an online marketplace to connect lawyers and businesses. First, he learned to code. “I wanted to understand the underlying technology,” says the CodeX Fellow. Over time, it became clear that the productivity tools his new company was […]

It’s no secret that if you make it easier for people to reach you using their preferred method, you’re going to get more contacts — ones that could convert to clients. Today, this is especially true of your website. While phone calls have always had the highest conversion rate, from the initial contact to case sign-ups, technology is rapidly evolving and offers more ways than ever for people to contact you.

One of the most challenging things about new business development is keeping your focus — and perspective. Especially when your billable hours are down or your calendar is emptying, it is all too easy, as my dad used to say, to “jump on your horse and gallop off in all directions.” As with any strategic endeavor, you will be more effective — and happier with the results — if you’ve got your eye on the correct path at all times.

You can’t be persuasive if your message is confusing. Whether you’re arguing a motion or giving an interview on a political issue, clarity is what counts. A qualifier changes the meaning of another word or phrase. Too many qualifiers convolute your message. How Legal Argument Is Like Politics. A recent news story discussed a drop in crime reporting within the Latino community. The police chief expressed concern that undocumented immigrants were increasingly reluctant to report crimes; they feared, he speculated, that a heightened presence would result in deportation.

Share client documents safely and securely on-the-go. Over the past 15 years, email has become ubiquitous and has dramatically changed communication. A hand-scripted letter placed in an envelope is an outdated form of business communication. The time-consuming nature of handwriting and mailing the letter along with the subsequent waiting period to receive the letter is […]

We’ve all heard the adage that a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client. When it comes to attorney discipline matters, there are certainly times when this is true. However, there are also many times when a lawyer is perfectly capable of representing himself effectively. How do you know whether your case requires outside assistance? The right choice depends on several factors.

There’s nothing like a brilliantly designed purse. It is a shield, a satchel and a work of art. When you walk into a meeting and set it on the table, a gorgeously appointed bespoke purse speaks in a strong, proud voice and says, “Put your off-the-rack, coffee-stained totes away, Mortals, and witness the breadth of my power!” I’m paraphrasing. There is some truth, however, to the effect of a gorgeous bag. Below are a handful of shops and artists delivering a bespoke experience from a classic monogram to "Oh My God."

During discovery, document metadata can prove just as important as the visible contents in the document. That’s why legal teams need to comb every document for metadata. (It’s also why many legal teams use metadata “scrubbers” on documents they share with other people.) Things can get interesting when one legal team unwittingly sends documents to opposing counsel that contain metadata they weren’t aware of. The following tips cover some of the most common “accidental” metadata disclosures.