It was a 40-timekeeper firm with four name partners. For a long time, a senior partner had been giving his top clients massive volume discounts on top of rate discounts, and then staffing his matters with only the most senior staff. He racked up more than 3,400 billable hours every year. The firm paid him more than any other timekeeper, based purely on two metrics: billing revenue received and personal time receipts. Every year, volume grew and he requested more lateral hires to handle work he couldn't cover. But everything was not as it seemed. Volume was increasing year after year, but the name partners were taking home less and less money. Finally, management decided to investigate. The problem, of course, was simple profitability. ... READ MORE

By now most everyone is familiar with the “Bring Your Own Device,” or BYOD, trend—meaning the proliferation of lawyer- and staff-owned personal mobile devices used for firm business. But apart from being the latest buzzword, BYOD has distinct security implications for law firms. Let’s look at the way the profession’s use of technology has evolved over […]

Your clients have been talking about you since well before Al ... I mean Sir Tim ... brought us the global tubes. But the Internet continues to change the way those conversations spread. Admittedly, the process that people use to choose toasters and hotels can be quite different from that which they use to hire lawyers. But while specific paths may vary, be it toaster, hotel or lawyer, people gather information. And much of that information gathering is done online.

What do marketers mean when they say things like "mobile ready" or "mobile is the first screen"? And is this something that's really going to help you get more clients? Avvo's Sachin Bhatia is speaking on "Mobile Marketing Best Practices" at the Lawyernomics 2013 conference next month. We asked him why mobile is such a hot button for connecting with prospects and clients—and for a few tips on creating a mobile marketing strategy for your law practice. ... KEEP READING

Who are these “enterprising lawyers”? They're easy to spot. Just look for the more engaged and happier lawyers. Deeply invested in the power of the work they do for their clients, they have ample interests beyond the practice of law. You probably know one or two—you may be one yourself! In this interview, we talk with New Jersey lawyer Lynda Hinkle. In the four years since opening the doors of her law practice—just two weeks after passing the bar—Lynda has built it up from one lawyer and one office, to three lawyers and three offices. And she's done it with no debt and no doubts about what it takes to succeed: Guts, heart, a serious sense of humor, an unfailing support system ... and a drawer full of emergency dog treats. ... READ MORE

One of my clients met recently with a senior lender of a bank to explore potential referral opportunities. The lender said to the lawyer, in essence, “We do everything our competitors do but we have two unique lending areas: We finance yachts and art collections.” Does that mean people won't use that bank for other kinds of lending? No. But it does mean that when yachts or artwork are involved, people will seek out this lender.

I read an article online the other day and liked it so much that I wanted to compliment the lawyer who wrote it on a great job. While the article was posted on a law firm's website, the author wasn't listed as an attorney with the firm. I can be compulsive about these things once I’m on a mission. So, I set out to find him.

A long time ago, in a life far away—November 2012—I wrote a Dropbox 101 post for Attorney at Work. Commenter Jeffrey Brandt suggested a "Dropbox 102" version to address security issues with sharing data in the cloud. It was a good suggestion, so here it is. Now, I tend to be in the camp that takes the position that the only way to fully maximize security is not to use the Internet. At all. For anything. In the past few weeks, we've all seen how many of the biggest players have suffered security breaches: Microsoft, Facebook, the New York Times and Washington Post, Tumblr and more. If you are connected to the Internet (and at this point, it’s impossible not to be) you’re vulnerable. The best you can do is take all necessary steps to reduce vulnerability as much as possible. Fortunately, there are some ways to work with Dropbox and other cloud services that will increase security and reduce the vulnerability of your cloud-based data. ... READ MORE

"Question: We’re moving to new offices in a couple of months. Some say this is a 'marketing opportunity.' I say it’s just important to let people know about our new address and contact information, but we don’t need to spend a lot of money on an open house and a fancy printed announcement. What do you think?" In this edition of "Ask the Experts," Paul Bonner, Jim Jarrell, and Sarah Reeves say not so fast.

After much shameless begging, unopened gift bottles of wine and several used game certificates for Dave and Buster’s, I have finally succumbed to writing a monthly column for Attorney at Work, which will replace the random collection of posts I have heretofore submitted. Check out the logo in the upper-left corner of this post. Pretty sweet, right? Mad Men-esque, no? That’s like your bat signal for knowing when I’ve written something here. And I’d say it takes a close second to calling this column "Somehow I Manage," which was already being used by NBC. Nevertheless, I will somehow manage to talk about many of the thoughts ruminating within my brain’s stew ... like hashtagging.