EVERYTHING YOU DIDN’T
LEARN IN LAW SCHOOL
Massachusetts Law Office
Management Assistance Program
www.masslomap.org
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@MassLOMAP
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Agenda
• Office Organization
• Client Communication
• Marketing
• Technology
• Data Security
• Additional Resources
Better Not . . .
OFFICE ORGANIZATION
How to efficiently and effectively organize your practice.
Filing System
• Organizing Files + Folders
• Naming Conventions
• Lost + Found
• Paperful vs Paperless vs Hybrid
• Document Management Program
Calendar Management
• Your Activity Hub
• What to Track
• Appointments
• Court dates
• Statutes of limitation
• Self-imposed deadlines
• Using Ticklers
• Back It Up
• In Sync
Tracking Time
• Always (regardless of billing type)
• Completely
• Contemporaneously
• Electronically
Office Management
• Working with Staff
• Working with Supervisors
• Collegiality – It pays to be nice!
• Basic Human Resources
• Ethical Duties
CLIENT COMMUNICATION
Get ‘em in, get ‘em happy, and keep ‘em comin’!
Client Contact Management
• Intake Process
• Conflict Checking
• Follow Up
Client Education
• Attorney + Client Responsibilities to the Matter
• Confidentiality
• Timeliness
• Boundaries
• Technology
Documenting the Relationship
• Disclosures
• Fee Agreements
• Non-engagement Letters
• Memorializing Course of Decisionmaking
• Disengagement Letters
• Attorney Notes to File
• Create a Record!
Billing
• Types + Sorts
• Billable hour
• Flat fee
• Unbundled
• AFA
• Hybrid
• The Art of Drafting Bills
• The Science of Sending Bills
• Collection
MARKETING
Know what you’re selling and how to sell it.
Networking
• Elevator Pitch
• In-Person vs Online
• Associations + Organizations
• The Importance of Referrals
Traditional vs Online
• Advertisements
• Content Marketing
• Storefront/Website
• Networking/Social Media
• Publication/Blog
Return on Investment
• $ + Time = $
• Formulae
• Analysis
• Budgeting
• Tools
Ethical Considerations
• False or Misleading
• 2-Year Rule
• Solicitation
• Practice Areas
• Limited Liability Entities
TECHNOLOGY
Boost productivity and organization with technology.
Generally
• The Future Present of Law Practice
• ABA Model Rule 1.1: Competence
• Productivity
• Mobility
• Security
Software
• Law Practice Management (LPM)
• Document Management
• Email + Calendaring
• Time + Billing
• Financial Management
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Paperless Office
• Scanning + Scanners
• PDF w/ OCR
• Naming Conventions
• Folder Architecture
• Form Creation
• Electronic Signing
Mobile
• Remote Access
• Time Capture
• Productivity
• Security
DATA SECURITY
Maintain client confidences and protect firm data.
Confidentiality
• It’s the Client’s File
• Retention
• Disposition
The Cloud
• Pros + Cons
• Ethics
• Encryption
Data Protection Rules
• Statutory Authority
• M.G.L. c. 93H + 93I
• 201 C.M.R. 17.00
• SJC Interim Guidelines
• Applications
Data Backup
• Redundancy v Backup
• Local
• Cloud
• Testing
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Finding the resources you need.
Resources
• Ethics
• Board of Bar Overseers / Office of Bar Counsel
• Massachusetts IOLTA Committee
• Legal Research + Education
• Social Law Library
• MCLE
• West’s Mass. Practice Handbook
• Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly
• Communities
• Bar Associations
• Local, State, National, Practice Area-specific
• Social Media Groups
• Listservs
Better Yet . . .
GOOD LUCK!
Toll Free 1.888.54.LOMAP
Info@masslomap.org
www.masslomap.org
Facebook.com/MassLOMAP
LinkedIn.com/company/Mass-LOMAP
@MassLOMAP
@RodneyDowell
@JaredCorreia
@HeidiAlexander