3 12, 2013

Why GP Solos Need to Worry About a Modern British Invasion

2019-02-21T23:25:25+00:00By |Comments Off on Why GP Solos Need to Worry About a Modern British Invasion

20131113 British Invasion2In May 2007 Slater & Gordon, an Australian personal injury firm, became the first law firm to go public.  At the time, I discussed some of the implications of publicly held law firms, including the commoditization of legal services. I also gave some tips on how you can reduce the risk that your law practice will become a mere commodity.

Revolution in the U.K.

In October 2007 the United Kingdom passed the Legal Services Act (“LSA”), which authorized alternative business structures (“ABS”) with non-lawyers in professional, management or ownership roles in law firms. One of the regulatory objectives of the legislation was to promote competition in the provision of legal services. The LSA became effective in 2011, and in 2012 the Solicitors Regulation Authority approved the first four ABS firms. One of them, Co-operative Legal Services, launched a fixed fee family law service, with the intent of bringing “a refreshingly different approach to family law” with an “easily accessible and affordable” range of services. It is a division of The Co-Operative Group, a retail giant in the UK with 4800 retail outlets and 7 million members. So I guess you could say it is now the Costco of legal services. […] «Why GP Solos Need to Worry About a Modern British Invasion»

19 11, 2013

Security in the Cloud: How to Protect Your Law Practice Business Data

2019-02-20T00:07:22+00:00By |Comments Off on Security in the Cloud: How to Protect Your Law Practice Business Data

Security in the Cloud: How to Protect Your Law Practice Business Data

Cloud this, cloud that—no doubt you’ve been inundated with the tech industry’s message that the cloud is where it’s at these days. Just under 90 percent of small businesses use cloud-based services to store, share and back up data, according to a recent survey by Rackspace Hosting, Manchester Business School and Vanson Bourne. Cloud everything has become increasingly popular with any business, especially for Law firms that can’t afford a basement full of servers or finds an IT department impractical for other reasons.Security in the Cloud

But how secure is the cloud? Security levels vary from one provider to the next, but one thing most decision-makers may not know is how much control they do have over their own cloud security. […] «Security in the Cloud: How to Protect Your Law Practice Business Data»

28 03, 2013

A Chance to Grab a Better Law Firm Website Name

2019-03-11T21:17:38+00:00By |Comments Off on A Chance to Grab a Better Law Firm Website Name

Website and Domaine Blog 3-28-13There’s a big shake up going on in the world of internet domain names. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is accepting applications for new generic Top Level Domains (TLDs). Top Level Domains are the second half of your website name – the part that follows the “dot,” such as .com, .net and .info. Historically, ICANN authorized only 22 generic TLDs and 248 country code TLDs, like .ca or .fr. Recently, however, ICANN began accepting applications for the issuance of new descriptive TLDs, such as .book or .auto.

So why should you care about all this mumbo jumbo? […] «A Chance to Grab a Better Law Firm Website Name»

17 07, 2012

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

2019-06-25T16:28:02+00:00By |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.  […] «Have You Noticed What Siri Can Do for a Solo Attorney?»

23 08, 2010

Debra’s Now Guest Blogging for SPU

2010-08-23T13:13:37+00:00By |1 Comment

Recently Susan Cartier Liebel, founder of Solo Practice University,  invited me to become a regular guest blogger for the Build A Solo Practice @ SPU blog. Although I had previously been a guest blogger there, my inaugural post as a team member was published on August 19, 2010. Got Clients? How Did THAT Happen? explains why lawyers should keep records tracking their marketing efforts, as well as ask new clients how they came to the firm.

In addition to the blog post, check out the comments for even more ideas on how to identify what really works in your business development efforts. And while you’re there, if you’re trying to get a solo practice going, check out SPU. It has a lot to offer.

10 02, 2010

ABA Journal quotes Debra

2010-02-10T14:43:36+00:00By |Comments Off on ABA Journal quotes Debra

Debra Bruce, President of Lawyer-Coach, was quoted in the February 2010 issue of the ABA Journal. The article is titled “Virtual Escape: Lawyers Wrestle with 24/7 Technology.” Authors Becky Beaupre Gillespie and Hollee Schwartz Temple explore the impact on attorney productivity and stress levels resulting from being constantly tethered to smart phones.

The last time Debra was quoted in the ABA Journal, the article was “Midcareer Malaise:
How to find a new path for your 40s.”

22 07, 2009

Alert for Lawyers on Nonprofit Boards

2019-02-10T23:15:57+00:00By |Comments Off on Alert for Lawyers on Nonprofit Boards

Many lawyers get invited to serve on nonprofit boards. Of course, the organization hopes to get some free legal advice from you now and then, but they may also be seeking your general worldly wisdom and perspective. Serving on the board for a cause you care about gives you a chance to make a difference in your community, while also doing some much needed public relations work for the legal profession.

Most lawyers work with nonprofits for laudable and generous reasons, but even the curmudgeons among us have found that serving on a such boards can be good for their law practice. Nonprofits usually seek out business leaders and prominent citizens to serve on their boards, so board membership gives you a chance to get to know and interact regularly with quality potential clients and referral sources.

[…] «Alert for Lawyers on Nonprofit Boards»

7 10, 2008

Store Humor and Gratitude in Your Disaster Recovery Kit

2019-02-10T23:15:56+00:00By |Comments Off on Store Humor and Gratitude in Your Disaster Recovery Kit

Hurricanes, tornados, mudslides, firestorms, floods, ice storms, blizzards, riots – there are many different kinds of disasters that can affect a law firm. Savvy lawyers create a disaster preparedness plan before trouble strikes, and then do their best to cope with the ultimate results. There are two things you might not think to include in your disaster survival kit, however – humor and gratitude.

Gratitude as a Survival Tool

I began writing this during the 12th day without electricity following Hurricane Ike, which knocked out electric service to 90% of Houston. Even though personally I was fortunate to sustain only a minimum of damage, trying to live and conduct business without electricity (and therefore air conditioning, refrigeration, lights, microwaves, stoves, computers, Internet, email and sometimes telephones) creates challenges that fray the nerves. When I found myself feeling irritable, I knew that I was starting to engage in a futile internal battle with “what is.” That’s when turning to gratitude saved the day for me.

[…] «Store Humor and Gratitude in Your Disaster Recovery Kit»

 

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