A surprisingly large number of law firms are not in compliance with state bar regulations for IOLTA Accounts. In some cases, firms may have as many as five different accounts that haven’t been reconciled properly for more than 10 years. 

California now requires every attorney to certify that they understand and are following state bar guidelines. Is your state next?

As a follow-up to the Does Your Law Firm Have a Succession Plan panel at the Symposium, Sharon Christie, founder of Sharon Christie Law, spoke with Janet Falk. Christie explored how she decided to close her disability practice and the steps she took leading to a merger with another firm. This is an edited transcript of that discussion.

I had my own solo firm for 16 years. At first, I was really in need of some help on the business side, which is why I joined a mastermind. The people there talked about building your law firm as an asset. At that point, I just wanted to build a steady stream of clients. But I listened to what they were saying and it really put me on the path to understand, from the beginning, I'm working on building my awareness and client base, but I needed to also build an asset.

Prepare to Meet Your Peers and Follow-up at the Women Owned Law Symposium

In a few short days, you will gather with your peers for the annual Women Owned Law Symposium.

Over your career as a lawyer, you’ve probably experienced difficult interactions with colleagues, staff, clients, adversaries and court personnel. The exponential increase in texting, posting and communicating on-line means that many of these interactions with difficult counterparts have the potential to become even more toxic. This discussion focuses on utilizing tools to handle those difficult interactions, particularly when modern communication technology is used as a weapon by a difficult person.

This is the third in an occasional series of TOP TIPS from attorneys with specific practice areas. Their pearls of wisdom extend past a single practice and appear relevant to your practice as well. Follow these insightful reminders to strengthen your relationships with clients and manage interactions with opposing counsel and judges.

Let’s hear from 12 attorneys with an intellectual property practice, building on the December article with advice from lawyers with an employment practice. Consider their guidance for a hypothetical new associate who has joined their firm after three years in a different field of law.

You are a partner in a law firm. Lately, somehow, things are not going the same as in the past.

You and your partner(s) decide to separate.

This is the second in an occasional series of TOP TIPS from attorneys with specific practice areas. Their wisdom reaches beyond a specific sector and probably bears relevance to your practice as well. Follow these insightful reminders to strengthen your relationships with clients and manage interactions with opposing counsel.

We turn to attorneys with an employment practice, building on the October article with advice from lawyers with a family law, matrimonial law, mediation or divorce practice. Consider this guidance for a hypothetical new associate who has joined their firm after three years in a different field of law.

This is the first in an occasional series of TWO TIPS from attorneys with specific practice areas. Their sage advice applies to that particular arena, and is very likely relevant to your practice as well. It’s always helpful to be reminded to follow the basics.

Let’s begin with attorneys who have a family law, matrimonial law, mediation or divorce practice. Each was asked to impart wisdom to a new associate who has joined their firm after practicing in a different field of law.

The pandemic is a modern tragedy that has permanently changed many aspects of our lives, and our businesses are no exception to this change. Resiliently, businesses pivoted to the online work environment to continue operations while maintaining vigilance of the health and safety of their team members and clients. Today, remote working or a hybrid environment largely prevails.

The online work environment comes with a unique set of challenges. To leverage its full value, we must stay focused on developing tools and best practices that enable our teams to maximize output; optimize efficiencies; respect and nourish human capital; and protect against burnout. A guide that has created immeasurable value for our firm is ACT, an acronym that highlights focus areas for leaders and employees alike. Consulting this guide, while managing, supporting and encouraging your team’s endeavors, ensures that everyone will always have opportunity to develop as a community, while maintaining a focus on growth and advancement.

It’s summer and either you’ve taken vacation or plan to take time off.

Review how your colleagues of Women Owned Law manage their time, their practice and their personal lives to have a truly relaxing vacation. Which tips will you follow the next time you leave the office?

By: Janet L Falk, Ph.D

Your long-awaited summer vacation is around the corner. Time to compose your Out of Office (OOO) automated email reply.

Let’s say you’re involved in cross-border litigation with an entity in Denmark and the case will be tried in U.S. federal court;  all the trial exhibits and discovery documents must be translated from Danish into English. Perhaps you represent a U.S. manufacturer whose workforce is primarily Spanish-speaking; you advise your client a best practice is to translate their handbook, NDA and onboarding forms into Spanish. Maybe you file a lawsuit on behalf of your client; when the defendant speaks Korean and is not English-proficient, the summons and related paperwork must be translated for them. You may need to depose a witness who doesn’t feel comfortable being questioned in English. Are you handling the estate of someone who owned properties in the United States and Venezuela? You’d better learn about the Venezuelan proceedings. Whatever the circumstance, you face a language barrier between you and whatever you need to accomplish for your case.

Here are three considerations when you require translation or interpretation services:

When I started my solo disability law practice, I got bogged down answering the same basic questions from potential clients over and over again. 

I needed to screen potential clients without myself or my staff speaking with every caller, only to find that they did not meet the basic requirements for a case that we would accept. 

by Mandy Rosenblum | Law Office of Mandy C Rosenblum, LLC

Female entrepreneurship in the law is the lifeblood of Women Owned Law. We would not exist but for the efforts of the many brave women who fought their way into the profession. For Women’s History Month, we encourage you to recognize the courageousness and drive of Charlotte E. Ray.

by Beth Granger | Granger Granger Consulting

LinkedIn provides all sorts of information, but rarely tells users what to do with what they learn from it. Some people limit their time on LinkedIn, when they could engage more strategically.

The New Year is upon us and you’re eager to dive in and make changes in your practice, your finances and managing your time.

Consider some of these tips gleaned from your Women Owned Law colleagues as you charge into 2022.

by Janet Falk, Ph.D. | Falk Communications and Research

If you haven’t already sent your holiday greeting card, do not panic.

by Jennifer Gillman | Gillman Strategic Group

Small law firm owners and solo practitioners are certainly aware of the phrase, chief cook and bottle washer. Not only are they aware of it, but they also live it every day. As a business owner and practicing lawyer, she must handle everything from the most important tasks to the smallest, most menial tasks. One minute, the lawyer is closing an important deal or arguing a case; the next moment she is ordering office supplies and paying the phone bill. With all these responsibilities, how can she also financially grow her firm? As a legal recruiter, I have seen two paths: merge or hire.

by Ashley Robinson | GreenCardiganMarketing.com

Reviews are considered by many as one of (if not THE) most important marketing tools for lawyers. Online reviews have become part of conducting business. With the birth of Yelp! in 2004, reviews are now increasingly important for the customer experience.