Legal Ease Blog

Last weekend I attended a meeting of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys to participate in their law practice management day, speaking about productivity, using systems in your practice, and using your time wisely by focusing on the highest value clients and activities.

Part of my presentation focused on organizing and eliminating clutter in your law office. Among the reasons to get organized and eliminate as much clutter as possible in your office is that clutter wastes time, energy and other resources. But during a conversation with some of the participants at the conference I was reminded of one other, very important reason to stop office clutter in its tracks - client confidentiality.

The lawyer-client privilege and the lawyer's obligation to keep the client's confidences are among the most sacred responsibilities of any lawyer. In many instances, even the fact that a client is seeking the help and advice of ...

This past weekend, I dined with a friend at a fantasic seafood restaurant on the water in Hilton Head, South Carolina. When the hostess seated us, she handed both of us menus, and also handed my companion a black cloth napkin. This confused us at first, since the table was beautifully set with a white tablecloth and white napkins. But once our server explained, the lightbulb came on.

My companion was wearing dark trousers, so the restaurant provided him with a black napkin to save his clothing from the white lint that the white napkins often leave behind. Brilliant! I have left many a restaurant annoyed by the insidious white lint left behind by restaurant napkins on my dark clothing, so I immediately appreciated the restaurant's thoughtfulness. My friend and I both wondered, "why doesn't every restaurant do this?" It's so simple, and yet it makes a big difference.

While I've found myself in exactly the situation the restaurant was attempting to remedy, it never ...

I'm writing this post from the NACBA (National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys) conference on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. I arrived here via plane, and the ridiculous airline fees I encountered on the way here inspired this post. I flew via US Airways, and not only do they charge for every checked bag, but you can't even get any kind  of beverage on US Air without paying a fee. Sure, it's a nominal sum - just a couple of dollars - but that's not the point. The point is that traveling has become more and more of a hassle, and having to pull out your wallet for an extra fee at every turn certainly doesn't make a customer feel 'warm and fuzzy.' This is especially true because these added charges aren't for 'new' services - they're for services that have always been included in the base air fare.

Rising prices are affecting all businesses - airlines and law firms included. That's understandable. Sometimes rates need to be raised. But I suspect there ...

Stop wasting time going back and forth trying to schedule meetings!

Scheduling meetings, particularly with multiple people involved, isn't one of my favorite tasks. It seems to take a ridiculous number of telephone calls and/or emails in order to find a date and time that works for everyone. Sometimes it takes longer to get the meeting scheduled than it does to hold the meeting!

I was recently turned on to a nifty on-line service that makes scheduling MUCH easier. It's called "When Is Good." It's easy to use and it's FREE.

Here's how it works:

When you go to the site, you'll be provided with a grid containing dates and times. You can customize the grid, change time zones, etc. Then you'll click on the dates and times that you're available. You'll receive a link that you can email to all of the potential meeting participants, as well as a results ...

Last week I had the pleasure of re-connecting with someone I met almost three years ago. We met only once, at a seminar, and I don't believe there was any follow up at the time. But Dean Mercado was reviewing his LinkedIn contacts and saw me connected to one of his connections, Mark Bullock. Dean emailed me to ask if we'd met, and we had coffee last week.

Dean is a marketing coach and consultant, specializing in internet marketing. Not only do I think that Dean could be a great connection and strategic alliance for me, but talking with him last week about my business got me re-energized about what I'm doing and the services I want to provide for my clients.

The moral of this story? Network - you never know where it might lead. Sure, social media and internet marketing is great. Without LinkedIn, Dean and I might not have re-connected. But the reason ...

I'm giving a presentation this evening for my local bar association on "Winning Strategies for Women Lawyers." The program focuses on the differences between how male and female lawyers communicate, how they network and bring in business, how they negotiate with clients and opposing counsel, and how they move up the ladder within their firm or organization. My presentation will focus on networking and rainmaking, but I'll have two additional panelists working with me.

Yesterday, while speaking to one of the other panelists in preparation for tonight's program, the issue of the word 'sales' was raised. Many lawyers still think 'sales' is a dirty word that is somehow beneath the venerated legal 'profession.' I still hear lawyers claim that the law is not a business because it is a profession. As Ben Glass, attorney and well-known legal marketer says, "Get over it."

There's no reason why law can't be ...

Last night I attended an event entitled, "Networking 101 for Women," hosted by the Long Island Women's Agenda. I was lucky enough not only to have participated in the event, but also to have been both part of the committee that put the event together and one of the event's sponsors. I agreed to do both because I think it's time that professional women learned how to network more effectively - while still being themselves.

In addition to networking time, a hip venue (with great food, too) at Four Food Studio and other fun surprises, last night's program included two wonderful speakers in Mindy Ferrentino-Wolfe of Neptune Marketing, LLC and Ellen Cooperperson of Corporate ...

I think the following experience that I had yesterday is instructive for lawyers, even though it isn't directly related to the practice of law.

I accept credit cards from my consulting clients because often it makes paying easier for both them and me. Yesterday I received a call from one of the credit card companies with whom I have a merchant account. The caller identified themselves as a representative of a particular credit card company and indicated that the purpose of the call was to verify certain information they had on file - essentially the name of the business, the business address and the name of the contact person they had on file. All of this was information that is easily obtainable elsewhere, so I wasn't suspecting anything. Then I was told that they would be sending a packet of information about their merchant services for my review. The caller spoke very fast, but even so, I don't think I missed anything up until that point in the conversation.

Next, ...

One of the regular e-newsletters I receive, from RainToday.com, has created a great resource for lawyers about how to get the fees you deserve. RainToday has pulled together many of the experts on fees for professional service firms, including Ron Baker, Alan Weiss, and Gerry Riskin, among others, to give their advice to professionals about how to get paid what they're worth. But in addition to the advice about fees, this report includes worthwhile information about marketing and delivering your services to clients. It's a must-read.

The report, entitled, "The One Piece of Advice You Need to Get the Fees You Deserve" can be downloaded for FREE from RainToday.com here.

If you want to learn more about legal fees, check out the posts in my Legal Fees and Billing category. ...

The underlying key to enjoying the practice of law is your values; first, identifying what those values are, and second, ensuring that your activities are in alignment with those values. Discontent occurs when there’s a disconnect between your values and where you focus your energy on a daily basis.

The key steps to breaking this cycle are:

• Identifying your values; and
• Assessing the alignment of those values with your activities.

For example, if your top value is family but you leave early every morning for work, get home after your family is in bed and work most weekends, you’re setting yourself up for unhappiness both at home and at work; when you’re home you’re anxious about what needs to be done at the office, and when you’re at work, you’re concerned about what you’re missing at home. The result is that you aren’t focusing on either and you aren’t sufficiently “present” at any time.

This kind of discontent ...