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Everyone has a preference or comfort zone when it comes to working as part of a team. Some people desire and thrive in collaborative settings, while others dread collective decision making and would prefer to work alone. However you feel about working as part of a team, the reality is…

After working with legal firms for 25 years, as a consultant and accountant*, I focus on one simple formula to consistently and effectively measure a firm’s efficiency – the productivity ratio. The ratio measures the number of support staff to fee earners. For example a 1:1 ratio will have 1…

Although the majority of employees are honest, a trusted employee will steal when three elements exist: pressure, opportunity and rationalization. Pressurearises when an employee is faced with a significant financial problem that he/she may feel unable to discuss with, or seek help from, others. Opportunityis present when the employee believes…

Providing exceptional and consistent client service is critical to your firm’s success, but to be a real winner, you will have to deliver an exceptional client experience (CX).  With clients now in the driver’s seat and law firms aggressively competing to hold on to clients or take work away from…

What’s old is new again. Conflicts of interest still remains one of the most recurring regulatory infractions reported in the Bencher’s Bulletin’s regulation of the profession section. Integrating this simple, but effective, checklist into your daily practice, will help reduce this risk by implementing preventative procedures rather than reactive efforts….

“Creative leadership is about being courageous enough to ask powerful questions, to engage in dialogue, and to create an atmosphere of trust and safety in which difficult and open questions can be explored. It’s more like an improvisation than a set piece, more jazz than playing to a score. We all improvise…

Dear law firm trainers!  In my never-ending quest to be a handy helper, I thought I’d post a document that you could simply cut and paste onto your firm’s letterhead so that you can make a business case for purchasing an LMS. (Of course, I add a few special benefits of…

If you are a member of a law firm with a growing number of aging partners, (so that means all of you); succession planning has become, and continues to be, a growing concern. The changing demographics tell us so. In order to navigate the future of your law firm successfully,…

Welcome aboard! That’s the heartfelt greeting that you’ll receive from the captain when you board his/her ship or boat. Think back to a time when you were starting a new job. Did you receive that same heartfelt greeting?  We’ve all been there—excited about what is to come but apprehensive not…

In the first post in this series, attorney and MyCase Director Nicole Black introduced the concept of law practice management software platforms with built in client portals.  In part two, she outlines the many benefits that web based client portals offer lawyers. Client portals are incredibly valuable tools for law…