Everyone knows business development should be part of every day’s to-do list. Still, it’s the rare lawyer who hasn’t at least once experienced the sudden sinking feeling that comes when you’ve just finished your last client work and don’t know where the next is coming from. When it happens to you, don’t panic. While renewing your […]

You've gotten aggressive about marketing. You're winning the game, but mostly (and I say this in the kindest, gentlest manner) you're clueless. You're meeting with lawyers and community leaders to build your referral network. You're advertising on Google AdWords and doing a little on Bing as well. You've got a listing on several websites and you've built a Facebook page for your practice. The good news is that your phone is ringing and the calls are turning into revenue. Life is good. Then, one day, an opportunity comes along to do something different. You've got a salesperson on the line pitching you on search engine optimization for your website. He talks a good game, but he wants you to spend some money and you're not sure if it's a smart move. He hits you with a question: "What kind of return are you getting from what you're spending on Google AdWords?" This is the part where I demonstrate your cluelessness (sorry) ... Keep reading

Staying young book. You’re never too busy to be healthy next year. I wanted to be a lawyer even when I was a little kid, and I was right. I loved the practice. Absolutely loved it. Hell, I loved law school, which is weird. But after 25 years, mostly as a litigation partner at Davis […]

I’m tired of it. It’s off-putting. It hurts your professional image and undermines your marketing if you’re one of the perpetrators. I’m talking about bad grammar and spelling, the stuff that gets past spell-check. I see it in briefs. I see it in email messages—and, no, the format is not an excuse, especially now that email has largely substituted for more formal business correspondence. Sve sloppy wrtng 4 Ur txts & tweets! ....

We know the business of practicing law is evolving into … something. But what? That's the question the College of Law Practice Management wrestles with each year at its annual Futures Conference. With some of the best minds on the topic on hand for the conference last month in Washington, D.C., the sessions were reliably provocative. We asked Tim Corcoran to report back.

I love it when law firms sponsor community events, little league teams, and when their associates and partners serve on the board of directors for charities. It’s wonderful when law firms are dedicated to supporting their local community. But I wonder how many law firms—even those with offices in multiple states—know how much they can do as an organization to give back to the local community on a daily basis.

Remember that time at the airport when you stepped onto the moving walkway to discover it wasn't ... moving ... and fell on your face? Well, that's what today could be like. Whether you spent the wee small hours of this morning at a celebration or a wake, you may need a little help getting going. So let's get you started with an action item or two for today to help recalibrate your priorities—and a few ideas to lift you out of the post-campaign funk.

Lawyers, it turns out, are not so special. They have just as much difficulty writing and speaking well in their native tongue as the next person. Poor grammar. Jargon. Weird syntax. The ever-popular use of 10 words when one will do. You have your own pet peeves—we certainly have ours—but how can we get past them? Today we begin a new regular feature called "Get to the Point," with clear communication and easy listening in mind. First up, Steve Taylor takes on cliches. ...

Daniel Gold, our "Get It Done" columnist, writes about great ways to amp up your daily productivity—in a big way! Last time he overviewed a time management system that has taken on a bit of a cult-like following: Getting Things Done, or GTD. Today he runs through into its five workflow phases and how you can use them in your law practice.

The life of a lawyer, especially a solo or small firm practitioner, is often stressful. Stress itself is not necessarily a bad thing. Our body’s reaction to stress actually helps us to meet the sudden demands and extra tasks that we face as busy lawyers. However, too much stress too often—chronic stress—takes its toll on […]