Attorney Time Management Archives | Page 2 of 4

6 03, 2013

How to Properly Shorten Client Meetings That Drag On

2019-03-11T21:19:59+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|2 Comments

In my last post, I wrote about how to recognize bad clients before you make the mistake of taking on the representation. Among the responses I received, there was a request to discuss how to deal with basically good clients with a few unappealing behaviors. These are clients you want to keep, but you just wish that it was a little easier to deal with them in some respect. In this post I’ll make some suggestions on how to wrap up meetings with clients who take up too much of your time. […]

2 10, 2012

Would a Virtual Law Office Work for You?

2019-04-01T20:55:07+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|4 Comments

Rania Combs is a wills, trusts and estates lawyer, licensed in Texas since 1994. When her spouse got transferred to North Carolina, she examined her options for practicing law there. Opening a virtual law office seemed like the solution to a challenging circumstance. She launched her virtual practice in January 2010.

Many lawyers may wonder whether a virtual law office would solve their problems, too. Here are some examples of why they might be considering it:

• Newly licensed attorneys may want to avoid the overhead and long-term commitment of a traditional brick and mortar office.
• Experienced lawyers may want to expand the geographic reach of their existing practice to garner more clients.
• Many lawyers have a thriving practice in a smaller town, but have difficulty finding locally the high caliber legal talent they need to help handle the work flow.
• Family obligations or other circumstances make it difficult for some attorneys to keep traditional office hours.
• For some attorneys, the international scope of their work demands technological innovation to serve client needs.
• Some attorneys just long to escape the snow in the winter or the heat in the summer without interrupting their law practice. […]

17 09, 2012

Systematize to Optimize Your Legal Practice – Part 3

2019-03-11T22:13:59+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|2 Comments

In this issue of “Raising the Bar”, Debra L. Bruce continues with the final part of her series which addresses how law office systems work to provide improved efficiency, increased quality control, and cost reductions. Part 1 focused on “Why Systems Matter”, Part 2 introduced “How to Employ Systems”, and this final part continues with some additional steps to “Employ the Systems”. If you missed Parts 1 or 2, follow the links on our blog to read them.

1. Stop recreating redundant letters and emails. All lawyers have forms as starting points for longer documents like interrogatories or purchase and sale agreements. Many continue to prepare common emails and letters from scratch, however. Even if they will need some customization, design forms for frequent letters and emails. Begin with one you have already written, or the next time you write one, save an extra copy of it in your forms folder. You’ll be able to whip out future emails more quickly, or let your assistant do the first draft for you to edit. Email forms can be saved in the drafts folder in Outlook (or another email program) for a quick copy and paste into a new email. […]

11 09, 2012

Systematize to Optimize Your Legal Practice – Part 2: How?

2019-04-01T20:56:55+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|3 Comments

In this issue of “Raising the Bar”, Debra L. Bruce continues her three-part series with a starting point to employ systems. The series addresses the creation of law office systems for increased efficiency, improved quality control and cost reductions. As a bonus, systems help lawyers to focus on and enjoy their law practice more.

How to Employ Systems

Now that you have been persuaded that it would be worthwhile to develop and document some systems, how do you get systems in place and how do you use them? You’re probably already struggling to get all your own work done or trying to cut down your nonbillable time. How will you ever get around to creating systems?

Have each staff member create a desk manual.

Ask them to spend a few minutes each day documenting the tasks they do repeatedly and the steps involved. In a couple of months, you will have a manual, without extraordinary effort on anyone’s part. […]

5 09, 2012

Systematize to Optimize Your Legal Practice – Part 1: Why?

2019-04-01T20:57:54+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|Comments Off on Systematize to Optimize Your Legal Practice – Part 1: Why?

In this issue of “Raising the Bar“, Debra L. Bruce presents the first of a three-part series addressing the creation of law office systems for increased efficiency, improved quality control and cost reductions. As a bonus, systems help lawyers to focus on and enjoy their law practice more.

Image credit: thingamajiggs / 123RF Stock Photo

Why Law Office Systems Matter
Increased competition, downward pressures on fees, and elevated client expectations require lawyers today to respond faster while maintaining high quality. Law firms and individual attorneys need structural aids to improve productivity and assist in quality control. Systems let lawyers spend more of their time on the high level, challenging work they enjoy most. […]

17 07, 2012

Have You Noticed What Siri Can Do for a Solo Attorney?

2019-06-25T16:28:02+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|Comments Off on Have You Noticed What Siri Can Do for a Solo Attorney?

The iPhone 4S added a much advertised voice-activated feature called “Siri,” which performs tasks that legal blogger Ernie the Attorney called “purely magical” because Siri allows you to avoid typing on that tiny keyboard. Lawyers can speak to Siri to transcribe dictation into an email, a text message or a document. Siri can do web searches or answer any question that the WolframAlpha.com website can calculate. Siri can provide weather forecasts and locate nearby office supply stores or other retail establishments for the lawyer on the go. You can ask Siri what time your dinner engagement is tonight, and then Siri can call your spouse so you can say you’re running late…again.

A busy lawyer can use Siri a bit like a personal assistant that keeps track of your appointments and answers questions you don’t have time to look up. That assumes, of course, that Siri understands you and you get an adequate signal wherever you are. […]

1 05, 2012

6 Warning Signs You May Not be Ready for a Virtual Paralegal Relationship

2019-03-19T21:42:30+00:00By Cathy L Ribble ACP|Comments Off on 6 Warning Signs You May Not be Ready for a Virtual Paralegal Relationship

A virtual paralegal relationship is not the solution for every solo or small firm attorney. After consulting with many prospective attorney-clients over the last 3 years, I’ve begun to recognize some repeating patterns. You may not be ready for a virtual paralegal relationship if several of these warning signs resonate: […]

20 03, 2012

Technology Toolbox: These are a few of our favorite things…

2019-03-19T21:48:19+00:00By Cathy L Ribble ACP|1 Comment

This week I had the privilege of participating in the virtual professionals round table discussion sponsored by The Paralegal Mentor. After hearing each other’s stories as to how we ended up as virtual professionals in the legal services industry, the discussion quickly turned to technology.

The very next day Law Technology News published the article Virtual Paralegals Move Legal Work Online. LTN’s news editor Brendan McKenna covered the bases by gathering information from at least 9 different paralegals, myself included, concerning the definition of virtual paralegal, inspiration for starting a virtual paralegal business, and the technology used. McKenna even registers the preference of several paralegals to be described as freelance rather than virtual.

Participation in both of these discussions with at least 12 other virtual paralegal professionals led me to the following conclusions: […]

16 02, 2012

Using Virtual Paralegals: Frequently Asked Questions

2019-03-19T22:43:05+00:00By Cathy L Ribble ACP|Comments Off on Using Virtual Paralegals: Frequently Asked Questions

by Cathy Ribble

This month I want to discuss the most frequent questions I receive as a virtual paralegal. Questions come from many different directions: attorneys considering a virtual paralegal relationship, paralegals interested in working virtually, and curious lay people. Ironically, for the most part, the same questions come from each group. […]

13 12, 2011

To Do or Not To Do

2019-06-25T16:27:18+00:00By Cathy L Ribble ACP|Comments Off on To Do or Not To Do

The season is upon us! You know — the season of fa-la-la-la-la, holiday decorations, greeting cards, family parties, gift buying, travel plans, winter snow storms, and year-end business. The list goes on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on….too much to do and not enough time. If you make it to January 1, then your knee deep in a different set of tasks headed into tax season.

So what is a smart attorney or paralegal to do? Organization is key, but who has time – or money — right now to implement complicated practice management software?

SOLUTION: Pick one of these quick, easy and inexpensive online task management solutions. Register for a free user name and pick a password. Then start listing everything congesting your over-crowded mind. Start with just the basics by listing the task and assigning a deadline. That’s it!! You can expand your vision and develop a more-rounded solution when the time crunch has eased.

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