Between deadlines, billable-hours requirements, responsibility for bringing in clients and so much more, we all know the legal profession can be taxing. Add to that responsibilities for family and any associations or boards you may belong to, and the daily pressure on a lawyer can be overwhelming. The stress most endure would make a cardiologist shudder. That is why it is so important to make sure your productivity system is absolutely under control, all the time. I know it's not easy, so this is for those of you who may have let your time management system slip, and those who may feel intimidated at the thought of starting anew.

No matter how they hear about you, there’s a pretty good chance that, at some point, people will search for your law practice online. What will they find when they perform these searches? What can you do, if anything, to influence what they see?

Which apps do lawyers like to use? For our summer download, A Matter of Time, National Purchasing Partners (NPP) identified a list of 20 — many of them free — for document review and markup, scanning, recording, note-taking, time-tracking and much more. For this week's Friday Five, we take a closer look at five of the iPhone and iPad apps aimed at revving up your practice's productivity ... READ MORE

Social media is here to stay, and forward-thinking lawyers are taking advantage of the networking opportunities it offers. But what about when your consumer client seeks you out to connect on social media? Should you accept connection requests from clients?

Stop — what you are doing? Flames are pouring out of the next room! It doesn't matter how this started. (A freak coffeemaker explosion, maybe?) It's time for you to go! Later, you will find out that your office is a total loss. All your files went up in smoke, and the water from the fire hose destroyed what was left of your electronics. Your hard drives were shattered into a million pieces by the falling structure. On a scale of 1 to 5, how f**ked is your practice? ... READ MORE

I often rationalize new gadget purchases by telling myself, "This will make my life so much better." That, in essence, has been the promise of most technology tools. They expand our capabilities and allow us to do more with less. But, to do so, control is absolutely key. You need to control your technology, as opposed to it controlling you. Here are some tips that have worked for me. ... READ MORE

The amazing array of communication technologies at our fingertips allows us to connect with clients, colleagues and resources across the world in ways unknown and unheard of just 10 years ago. On the flip side, many things get lost in communication when it’s not face to face, which presents some new challenges. Attorneys often play by their own set of rules when it comes to virtual communication. Unfortunately, poor communication habits can become magnified in the high-pressure legal environment — which not only reinforces bad cliches about the profession, but can also disrupt your ability to work efficiently and effectively. ... READ MORE

Some years back, I worked with the very smart managing partner of an AmLaw 200 law firm. He was an extraordinary lawyer and a strong, thoughtful leader. But he had this thing about making his firm bigger. More accurately, he wanted it to be the biggest in his market. He hated it when I asked why he wanted it to be the biggest. Surely that was self-evident?

Online local directories (like Google+ Local, Yelp and Avvo) attract billions of searches a month combined. Those searching include potential qualified clients looking for a certain type of lawyer in a certain location. They are not shopping for information but for an actual professional, and are ready to fill out a form or call to speak to someone.

Question: Is there any room for personality in your professional biography? You don't want to be boring, but how informal can you get? Today LMA experts, Seth M. Apple, Dorothy Rausa and Stacy A. Smith answer the question to make sure potential clients know who you really are ... READ MORE