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.
I’m always cautioning lawyers about the hazards of dabbling, reminding them that there really is no such thing as a "simple" will or contract. It's not that I want them to avoid taking on matters that lead them into unfamiliar territory. Rather, ...
Mark Bassingthwaighte - September 11, 2014
Nicole Black explains how online client portals can benefit both lawyers and their clients.
Nicole Black - August 18, 2014If you’re a law firm owner or partner, you know the drill — when you’re not working in your business, you should be working on your business. For most of us, that includes a lot of networking — attending mixers, going to lunches, interacting ...
Ruth Carter - August 18, 2014
The use of dictation has evolved as an active part of a productive law practice. In many cases, dictation tools are both easily available to a lawyer and completely intuitive as apps for smartphones or tablets. If you have shied away from ...
Eric Wangler - August 13, 2014
So it’s August, and you are sitting down to reconcile your bank accounts for July’s activity.
Peggy Gruenke - August 12, 2014
Getting serious about solving that irritating practice management problem but need a little help? Did you know that you can access — at no charge — hundreds of Attorney at Work daily dispatches by simply searching our archives? There you'll find ...
The Editors - August 8, 2014
Lawyer, writer and writing instructor Gary Kinder wants lawyers to get to the point quickly in their communications with clients. “Too often lawyers write a letter to the client and won't tell them the answer to the client’s question,” he says. ...
Steven Taylor - August 5, 2014
It's unavoidable. If the goal you and your colleagues have set for your firm is a high rate of growth, you are going to be banging your heads against a wall every day. So it’s important to know up front whether that wall is made of bricks or ...
Bob Christensen - July 28, 2014What’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 ...
The Editors - July 25, 2014Sometime 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 ...
Jared Correia - July 24, 2014