Whether you practice solo with a small staff, at a midsize law firm or in BigLaw, you can always find ways to improve your firm’s culture. It’s true that law firms have a unique culture, regardless of size. One reason is that the billable hour limits and even stifles collaboration. (Collaboration? It's not something lawyers are taught to think about.) But the hierarchies and structures built into the law firm model can be managed in a way that creates a positive work environment and organizational culture. The benefits are both financial and psychological: lower turnover rates, increased productivity, an easier time recruiting new team members, increased morale and motivation, greater involvement, lower absenteeism and even lower insurance rates. How can you ensure that your law firm (or legal department) builds or maintains a great culture? Here are five steps and resources.

Lawyers have a lot of questions about how to develop new business. Once they start working with a client, however, the question often becomes, “How can I expand the business?” The simple fact is that clients want to work with lawyers who “get” them — lawyers who understand how, as a client, I like things done, who take the time to learn my business and my situation, and who respect my guidelines and deadlines.

Attorney at Work readers always get the first look at Bob Denney’s annual “What's Hot and What’s Not in the Legal Profession” report on trends in the business of practicing law. Which practice areas are heating up or cooling off? Take a look! This is our 28th annual report on what’s going on in the legal profession. As with all previous reports, it is based on information my colleagues and I continually gather throughout the year from many sources — law firms, other providers of legal services, legal departments, surveys and the legal and general press. It is also the seventh such report to be published shortly after a presidential election and the fourth in which the election resulted in a change of party and, therefore, a change of administration. These changes always have some impact on the legal profession, mainly in practice areas, but we expect the Trump administration will have a greater impact on the profession than any of the past three changes of administration.

Finding the right clients is a lot like online dating. The way people find a date has changed dramatically, with eHarmony, OkCupid, Match.com and Tinder, but the rules of attracting and making someone “yours” really haven’t. The same is true of making a match with a good legal client. Sure, the way clients arrive at your door may vary. Maybe they find you through social media, your firm’s blog or even an old-fashioned referral. But the rules of attracting the perfect clients remain the same.

Meetings are the most expensive periods of time we spend together. Try, for example, adding up the loaded employee cost of a simple weekly status meeting. Your answer will make it immediately clear why meetings need to be highly productive to justify the expense. Let’s focus on the components of a meeting, and how you can use a new structure to produce more effective and efficient meetings that get the job done. These seven simple steps make every meeting more productive:

There’s ample evidence to suggest that lawyers — members of a profession that almost exclusively bills by the hour — are not doing everything they can to Automate Workflows and maximize their earnings. Clio’s recently released “Legal Trends Report” reveals that, on average, attorneys are billing a staggeringly low 28 percent of their total time worked (assuming […]

You know how when you feel like your back is up against the wall, you sometimes make decisions you’re not 100 percent happy with? The emotional pressure of a financial situation causes you to take on a client that you know will be a nightmare. Anxiety about an appointment turns into a $20 parking fee you could have avoided by leaving on time. You get the idea. Emotional decision making happens when you operate without a plan. In business and in life. Wandering aimlessly, with only a faint idea of where you want to be in two, three, five or even 10 years, doesn’t allow your mind to fix on a goal. And without a goal, you can't make a plan.

“How do you cope with stress?” That was this month’s question from my Attorney at Work editors. At first, I laughed at the question, but the gentlest response I can give is, “Not gracefully.” I’ve been open about my issues with depression and anxiety, and these are things that impact me every day. My officemate frequently hears me making non-word noises at my computer screen like “blaa aa aah,” and taking deep breaths that help quiet the constant mental chatter.

Let me start by saying that I’m not an intellectual property lawyer. But I am a lawyer and part owner of a marketing agency. And, while I no longer practice law, I can still spot an issue when I see it. There’s a big one lurking for law firms that don't take the simple steps necessary to adequately protect their brand-related intellectual property.

You can read all the books and listen to all the podcasts about legal marketing ... apply expert advice to your social media and blogging routine ... study up on how to build your personal network, entertain prospects and ask for the business — yet you still may not get that client.