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Outsourcing some of the old “full service” model allows marketing departments to work within shrinking budgets By Heather Suttie, Lexpert, March 2017; reprinted in The Law Office Management Association (TLOMA) newsletter, April 2017 Continuing pressure for value and intense focus on profit is resulting in tightened controls and reduction of law firm spending. Some firms continue […]

Natural disasters can strike at any time. Is your firm prepared? Ten years ago, 70-mile-per-hour winds gusted through downtown Indianapolis. They blew out the windows of Krieg DeVault LLP’s headquarters, damaging the framework of the building and sending thousands of papers to the ground below. Immediately, every worker was displaced, and the firm scrambled to

By Niki Black | Jan.02.17 | Cloud Computing, Daily Dispatch, Legal Technology Finally, 2016 has drawn to a close — and what a long, strange trip! Whether politics, entertainment or legal technology, it was an eventful year, to say the least. Fortunately, legal technology was a bit less tumultuous than the political scene. In fact,

STRATEGIC ACTIONS FOR LEARNING HOW TO THINK STRATEGICALLY What is strategic thinking? What does that term mean? My research into definitions brought me to the following thoughts. Strategic thinking is a process that defines the manner in which people think about, assess, view, and create the future for themselves and others. It is more about

By Shawn Healy | Dec.13.16 | Communicating, Daily Dispatch, Law Firm Management, Relationships Workplace conflicts among colleagues are not only common, they are necessary. Despite most people’s desire to avoid or minimize them, conflicts are normal. In fact, conflicts are not even a bad thing. Most of them are positive, we just tend to remember

In the past, having access to necessary information meant that law firms had to devote an enormous amount of space to storing hard copies of files. Everything had to be printed, copied, and physically put in its proper place – something that took an inordinate amount of time and money. But we’re living in the

Having worked with new leaders for the past ten years and through our First 100 Days program (www.first100daysmasterclass.com) my colleague Brian Burke and I have witnessed a number of common mistakes that we see inexperienced leaders making – even those who have served on the firm’s elected Board or as an office head for some

Current trends around law office redesign have a lot to do with financial responsibility and technology, as the age of the elaborate firm with a massive reception area is making way for a multifunctional space for all employees, Toronto legal management consultant Mark Dormer tells Lawyers Weekly. As Dormer, owner and president of Cosgrove Associates Inc., says in the

You just learned that you’ve been promoted and will now be managing a team of your former peers — exciting news! That is, until the moment you realize that your good fortune means disappointment for your coworkers who didn’t get the job. When you’re promoted over people who have always been friends (or rivals), the

Traditional marketing techniques used in an attempt to set lawyers and firms apart often fail to resonate with prospective clients because such “marketing speak” lacks authenticity, says Toronto legal business development expert Jane Southren. Legal marketing often focuses on broadcasting messages to the effect that the lawyer or firm provides fantastic service, responsive and sensitive pricing and