If not now … The impulse to rethink her career hit sixth-year litigator Alma Asay just as she was about to embark on the Biglaw partnership track. Looking around, she realized she wanted to fix an issue that hits litigators who handle large-scale litigation. "I had the idea that there had to be a better way to work, and was fortunate enough to meet engineers who are not only talented enough to build the program but who also have the patience to sit with me and whiteboard things out." Today, the founder of Allegory Law, Inc. continues to build her business as she travels the globe, sharing insights on automating everyday legal tasks.

There is an old folk story that makes a fine metaphor for client development. In the tale, hungry strangers (read: the law firm client team) facilitate the people of a town (the team’s clients) giving them food (solving a problem and getting paid for doing so). The story is usually offered as a lesson in […]

If you still have 496 business cards in the original box of 500 you received when you began practicing, it’s time for a few pointers.

If you’re a solo practitioner or in a small law firm, you are likely a slave to your smartphone, making sure clients can always reach you. As the managing partner at a small firm, I found it increasingly difficult to keep up with my clients' demands as my practice grew. Many weekends I spent more time on my phone talking and emailing with clients than I spent enjoying my "free" time. I decided I needed to cut down on the after-hours and weekend communications.

Zola Suite Launches RPost’s Services in its Law Practice Management Platform Zola Suite has announced that email open tracking, certified e-delivery proof, email encryption, and e-signatures are now built into its law practice management email, matter, and time management functions. This combination of Zola Suite and RPost redefines “legal email” for lawyers. Zola Suite is a comprehensive, […]

Until recently, law firms have had to rely on generic business software for managing customer relations, including intake. Salesforce is the longtime leader in that category. Starting with Avvo’s release of Ignite, however, law firm-specific choices have become available. One of the latest entries, Lexicata, built by LawKick co-founders Michael Chasin and Aaron George, represents an important step forward in this segment.

A big part of a lawyer’s role is negotiation, and that means numbers. A lawyer has to be able to calculate the value of whatever is being negotiated. Case evaluation is part art and a lot of math. Pulling a number out of the air and hoping the other side will accept it does a disservice to your client and the other parties to the negotiation. You will be more persuasive if you can show your position is supported by a solid analysis of the financial factors driving the negotiation.

Last month I signed up to take the California bar exam in July. (I'm fully aware I might be insane.) Taking the Arizona bar exam right after law school, when I had no obligations outside of studying, was challenging enough. This time, I reached out to colleagues who passed a second bar exam while working to ask for their advice on braving the gauntlet again.

It seems that every solo lawyer I meet has a list of things they would like to be doing better in their practice. Sometimes the motivating factor is business growth, sometimes it’s efficiency. At the heart of many “to do” items, though, is a desire to create a more ethically sound practice. Where do you start? Don’t […]

The Legal Marketing Association Annual Conference is where lawyers and legal marketers go to get up to date on the latest techniques, trends and tools. Here are top content-related takeaways from last week’s confab in Las Vegas.