What’s the biggest predictor of a law firm’s success? Hint: It’s not the firm’s bottom line.  1. Clients are canaries. Research into seven failed professional services firms, four of which were law firms, indicates declining client satisfaction is an early predictor of a firm’s demise. Likening clients to “canaries that were used in coal mines to detect […]

Sometime before the Great Recession (Depression?), there existed a quaint notion that people could stop working — at least some of the time. Over the course of recent years, however, the line of argumentation has advanced, with advocates of a new wave going about convincing everyone that there is really no such thing as what had been termed work-life balance. There is only your life, intrinsically and hopelessly wrapped around both personal and professional entanglements, at any and all times.

Billing. It’s not something we like to talk about, but it is something lawyers have to do regularly, so it deserves some attention. Making sure you capture all of your billable time and produce clear, coherent invoices for it helps ensure you get paid the fees you have earned. Here are three tips to help sharpen your billing pencil and even get more billable work out of your day. ... READ THE REST

As we enter the heart of summer, pleasant weather ramps up the frequency of cookouts and other casual events. We find ourselves spending less time with business contacts and more with family, neighbors and friends. Often that includes people with whom we also wish to do business. This can raise the "social dilemma." How do you pursue the opportunities that relaxed conversations reveal without seeming to unfairly exploit the friendship or occasion? Five steps to remember ... READ THE REST

In their written communications, lawyers need to use the right words and the right number of words in the right way. If you circumvent your content, malign your meaning, dangle your modifiers or otherwise mangle your sentences, you might very well alienate your partners, anger your clients or annoy the judge and jury. But let’s put this in positive terms. If you can write clearly, concisely and correctly, you can impress your partners, engage your clients and win over the judge and jury. Lawyer, writer and writing instructor Gary Kinder has taught more than 1,000 writing programs at law firms nationwide — to rave reviews. He knows the difference between clean, clear and crisp writing and muddled muck. Unfortunately, too often he sees the latter coming from lawyers, especially young attorneys. “Often first- and second-year associates try too hard to write like, well, lawyers,” Kinder says. ... READ THE REST

The wait to hear about an online job application is often too long, and the process is often discouraging. If you don’t have a personal connection to the employer, it will be difficult to get through the screening process without matching most of the job's posted requirements. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t apply if you feel you're a good fit, but rather that you should keep your expectations in check — and try not to do anything that will harm your application. Of course, you should try to find a connection through LinkedIn and your other network. Even if you don't have a connection that will usher your application quickly through the online gauntlet, however, there are things you can do to significantly improve your chances of getting it into the right hands. Below are just a few. READ THE REST

Let me tell you a secret — the biggest distraction in my life is me. No, I’m not wasting time playing Angry Birds or watching Netflix. My challenge? I’m so well-trained to react the moment my laptop or phone lights up, chimes or rings that it’s become a time-suck. My response is almost Pavlovian. And every time I look at my phone or check my email, those are seconds or minutes that I’m not working on my current project. Then I have to use up more time refocusing on the task at hand. It’s not a lot of time in each instance, but in aggregate it adds up. So here’s what I’ve done ... READ THE REST

An earlier post talked about the importance of getting a professional headshot as a smart way to introduce yourself online and establish your brand. But do you know what potential clients are looking for in a photo? Leigh McMillan does. As vice president of marketing for Avvo, an online guide that offers legal advice and helps consumers research and find attorneys, her company recently investigated the top factors in how consumers choose an attorney. Research included results from a survey of 10,000 consumers along with focus groups and real-time observation of the choice process online. The top criteria? Responsiveness. When probed further, consumers overwhelmingly said “what the lawyer looks like” is wrapped up in this. “In fact,” says McMillan, “looks are more important than where they went to law school.” READ THE REST

So you made the decision to go paperless. You've grasped the concepts and technology you need and your systems are mostly set. But when you need to get someone's signature on a document, your best-laid plans come to a screeching halt. That process typically involves printing the document, hand-signing it yourself, mailing or scanning or faxing to the other party — and then waiting for them to print, sign and mail, fax or scan and send it back to you, where it's printed yet a third time and filed away in a cabinet forever. It's anything but paperless. It's antiquated busy work. And, yes, there is a better way: Use e-signing tools. ... READ THE REST

If your firm doesn't have vast experience in marketing, or in any of its parts, you have no way of knowing what to expect from your marketing efforts. Why shouldn't anyone expect a rush of clients, for example, from a single ad — unless you have been educated very specifically in what an ad can and can't do? Why shouldn’t a marketing campaign produce a rapid return of inquiries from a well-developed ad campaign? There are too many cases of law firm partners expecting that press releases will be printed verbatim, that interviews will be reported accurately, that a three-day sales training course will double the size of the clientele within weeks. ... READ THE REST