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.
It's important—vitally important—to understand the full capabilities of the software used in your practice, even if you don't actually use it yourself. That means you need to know the "what" even if you never learn the "how." Otherwise, you’ll ...
Vivian Manning - March 30, 2011It happens to every lawyer—although hopefully not too often. You propose or quote a fee to a client or prospective client and are greeted with a response such as “I can’t afford it” or “How can you have the nerve to charge that?” When that ...
Bob Denney - March 29, 2011Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock or stuck on a deserted island for the past month, you’ll have likely noticed the fanfare that accompanied Apple’s recent unveiling of its latest “must-have” toy, the iPad 2. The new tablet device sold out ...
Tom Mighell - March 28, 2011Nothing makes me happier than getting my head around complicated issues and feeling mastery over my chaotic, 21st-century life. And nothing helps me organize my scattered, Internet-addled brain cells better than mind mapping. Put simply, mind ...
Larry Port - March 24, 2011
Fred sat at the end of the table, sweating and looking at the six of us as we waited expectantly for his decision. He hemmed, he hawed. And he asked to go over the options yet one more time. “It’s easy, Fred. Settle or sue. We’ve been here over ...
Otto Sorts - March 23, 2011Successful practices identify specific client groups and focus business development efforts there. But, being lawyers, we tend to classify clients according to their legal needs rather than by criteria that are far more relevant to clients: ...
Jordan Furlong - March 21, 2011Another U.S. baby boomer turns 50 every 8.5 seconds. And if you run the math, it’s also the case that baby boomers are turning 60 at the rate of 1 every 7 seconds. Yes—you in the back there, hiding your issue of Rolling Stone behind the Wall ...
The Editors - March 18, 2011
“It’s the silence that gets me most,” he said. We were sitting in his small office in a 1950’s building just off the main drag. His name was stenciled on the frosted glass door. He looked at the silent phone and absent-mindedly checked his ...
Otto Sorts - March 14, 2011
If financial planning sounds overwhelming, and you work on contingency, take a look at “structured settlements.”
Theda C. Snyder - March 9, 2011Speaking with a reporter is always a crap shoot. But speaking with them is far better than avoiding them. While you can't control what the reporter ultimately writes, with a little advance work you can improve your chances of getting a positive ...
Leigh Ann Nicas - March 8, 2011