Managing a Law Firm
There is a timeless truth in our profession that every attorney eventually confronts: being a brilliant legal tactician does not automatically make you a successful business owner. Running a modern law firm requires an entirely separate skillset—one that balances financial precision, operational scaling, and team culture.
If you are ready to stop firefighting administrative tasks and start building a highly profitable, scalable enterprise on your own terms, explore our complete, interactive master handbook: Managing a Law Firm: The Modern Partner’s Blueprint.
For targeted strategies, quick operational toolkits, and curated expert columns, browse our deep-dive archives directly below.
"Another end-of-year chore. What should we send out? Does anybody even care?" Those thoughts come to mind whenever it’s time to start thinking about sending a holiday card. It doesn’t have to be this way. What have your clients heard from you ...
Dennis Goris - November 2, 2015
We smiled when we read the name of Diana Stepleton’s upcoming session at this year’s MILOfest:”Hugging Your Clients.” Client service is one thing, but making your clients feel they have been hugged is something else ...
Diana Stepleton - October 27, 2015
By now you've probably seen the video The Evolution of the Desk. It got us thinking (and looking askance at our own desks!). If this is the space where we spend our days, it says so much about us. But … what exactly does it say? Attorney at ...
The Editors - October 21, 2015
Good ideas come from all sorts of unlikely places. A Walgreens insert in a recent Sunday paper contained a list of ways to make our brains healthier and more productive. A few of the recommendations were particularly interesting to ...
Paul H. Burton - October 14, 2015It's a win-win. The best strategies for keeping your startup on the straight and narrow, ethics-wise, are often the same strategies that help your practice grow. Mark Bassingthwaighte, risk advisor for malpractice insurance carrier ALPS, ...
Joan Feldman - October 9, 2015
How did we decide our days would be broken up into “weekdays” and “weekends” and “business hours” and “personal time?” If you are someone’s employee, these concepts make sense. But not necessarily if you’re an entrepreneur or in an ...
Ruth Carter - October 8, 2015
Getting it done. That's where good ideas can fall short. Making a list of action items is one thing. It’s another to start — and finish — checking those items off. Earlier this year, I rounded up a list of attorney “to-do’s” from law practice ...
Frank Strong - October 2, 2015
When it was all over, I took a few days off. When I returned, the managing partner wanted to see me. I entered his office ready to be fired. It was the first big case I had led, and there had been quite a few problems.
Otto Sorts - October 1, 2015
In law as in child-rearing, your clients need you to do certain things for them. They need your love in the form of guidance and counsel. They need you to be the expert in their needs, to guide them through the best course of action, and to ...
Nicole Bradick - September 30, 2015
Recently, a lawyer who said he'd "been given the chance to meet with my dream client" asked for help preparing for that meeting. He allowed that, "they're not adding any new panel counsel yet, but I was still given the opportunity to meet with ...
Mike O'Horo - September 28, 2015