We all know the practice of law is high stress. Law firms can be challenging places: client demands mean working beyond business hours, issues are real, stakes are high and tight deadlines abound. “Lawyers, similar to those who work in the mental health or medical field, work with clients who are suffering,” says Jeena Cho, author of "The Anxious Lawyer." “Let’s face it, rarely do clients come to visit a lawyer with happy news.” Unfortunately, lawyers are not generally trained to handle the negative impacts of this working environment. Fortunately, some firms are leading the way in developing wellness programs. Here are five ways firms can help their people reduce stress and anxiety, improve cognition, and access tools to survive, even thrive, in a difficult working environment.

Perhaps the most ridiculous construct I see and hear regularly is the conditional introductory phrase that prefaces content in documents with, “If you are reading this,” or that starts voicemail greetings with, “If you are hearing this message.”

When they co-founded LeClairRyan in 1988, Gary LeClair and Dennis Ryan made a bold commitment to "Keep it small; only do venture capital work; love what they do." One out of three isn't bad; today LeClairRyan has more than 375 attorneys practicing a wide range of specialties in 26 offices stretching from Boston to Atlanta on the East Coast, Detroit to Houston Mid-Continent and San Francisco to Los Angeles on the West Coast. Now, after decades at the firm's helm, LeClair is trying something new: practicing law full time.

As a result of the flood of innovation in note-taking and task-centric apps since Evernote's inception, there's a large concern for lawyers in storing attorney-client and privileged information. While I know a lot of lawyers who choose to leverage their apps for everything except client work, it's still important to know how your data is being stored, encrypted, backed up, replicated and secured. And it's equally important to know how to get your data out of the app should you choose to move it elsewhere.

In just a couple of weeks, the adrenalin kick is going to hit you. It never fails: Fall's arrival means it's time to get learning. Sure, you could try your hand at letterpress, or craft beer appreciation or even "Boot Camp Fit" classes (so tempting), but if the health of your law practice is your obsession, here's a look at five fall conferences, listed chronologically, that could get you to that next level.

When it comes to deciding on the right legal case management software (CMS) for your solo or small practice, there should be no compromise. Your practice should run like a well-oiled machine on autopilot, and the CMS you ultimately go with should make your firm a lot easier to manage. But from all the options […]

This month's big question: "We’re a small firm and can’t afford to hire a full-time marketing director. Are there other options we should consider?" Of course there are. And in this edition of "Ask the Experts from the Legal Marketing Association," Keith Wewe and Alycia Suter have the answers.

Last October, I posted advice in this space on how to extricate yourself gracefully from unwelcome conversations at networking events. Recently, a reader asked how to handle the reverse situation: when you’re the one being ditched. (I’ll belatedly label the previous post Part One; think of this as a delayed Part Two. It will make more sense if you read Part One.)

Don’t fall prey to the notion that people get paid to perform. The reality is that people get paid to show up and do work. How well they perform is largely related to how they feel. It’s true: Emotions play a huge role in performance. Productive legal team managers embrace this fact and use it to achieve the team’s common objectives. There are a number of behaviors you can exhibit that will enhance your team’s performance. Here are five.

Few attorneys are eager to step away from client work to find new business, yet it’s an essential part of your practice. Since you must invest the time, what’s the best way to get the most from your effort? A new research study identifies three business development methods that are the most successful for law firms. What do they have in common? All three are ways to demonstrate expertise and educate clients on matters they find compelling.