The Bottom Line

The newsletter of the ISBA’s Standing Committee on Law Office Management and Economics

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2010 Articles

Adobe Acrobat 9—More or less for the law office By Alan Pearlman June 2010 A brief explanation of the differences between Adobe Acrobat 8 and 9, and the reasons you may want to upgrade.
Digital dictation is here… Throw away your mini-tapes By L. James Hanson March 2010 Still using audio tapes for dictation and transcription? Here's how to make the transition to digital.
The hiring process—Legal considerations By Michael R. Lied March 2010 Some highlights of the law of hiring and employment-- A must-read for any attorney who is also an employer.
How cloud computing will change the way we work—Hint: it’s here now! By Alan Pearlman December 2010 Simply put, cloud computing means using Hosted Services. Hosted services can be a combination of offsite applications, data and hardware (servers) used to create and look up information, complete transactions, and perform analyses that would previously be performed only on a local PC or on-premises server.
How good is your e-mail evidence ?…RPost® Registered E-Mail® gives you the courtroom edge! By Alan Pearlman June 2010 Save yourself time and worry-- RPost provides you a registered receipt for each e-mail you send.
How to grandfather, or not: A health care reform update By Paul Shaheen December 2010 By carefully asking the right kinds of questions, and working with a qualified insurance professional in this regard, the analysis that you, and your firm, need to undertake in determining what type of plan is best for its needs will be made a great deal easier.
Law firm succession/exit strategies: Ideas for getting started By John W. Olmstead June 2010 You should make a succession/exit plan as soon as possible—not just for retirement but for unexpected situations as well—so that your family, employees and clients are not left in the dark if something should happen to you.
Law firm succession/exit strategies: Valuation of the firm By John W. Olmstead December 2010 How much is your firm worth?
LPES—Protecting your laptop from prying eyes By Alan Pearlman June 2010 Four simple steps to help you protect the confidential information contained on your laptop, should it become lost or stolen.
Message from the Chair: Musings and observations By Steven C. Lindberg June 2010 The final column from the 2009-10 Section Chair, Steven C. Lindberg.
Problem clients By Michael J. Meehan March 2010 It is easier to decline a problem client than to terminate the attorney-client relationship. By identifying these problem clients at the outset, you can be a happier lawyer and have a more productive practice.
Protecting your office from employee theft By Dan Breen December 2010 Possibly the best advice is to implement a written loss prevention policy for your office. Like any other plan or strategy you use when trying cases, developing your business, or monitoring your financial growth, this plan is most effective if you put it in writing.
Staying safe with GPS technology By Alan Pearlman December 2010 Being an active part of your children’s lives has always been important. Parental involvement is needed now, more than ever. Today it is possible to track a child’s activities via text messages and e-mail, as well as to monitor his or her whereabouts via GPS.
The wellness train: Time to come aboard By Paul Shaheen March 2010 Want to put an end to double-digit insurance rate increases? Read on to learn how!
Who does the file belong to? By Donald E. Weihl December 2010 There are many questions arising from clients who believe that the file an attorney creates for an engagement on behalf of the client is the property of the client.
Why it pays to accept credit cards By Amy Porter June 2010 Why turn away a prospective client who wants to use your law firm’s services and has the means to pay promptly?
Your client is cheating on you with another lawyer: Why client loyalty is disappearing and why your marketing (or lack thereof) may be to blame. By Richard Davis June 2010 A few things you should be doing to “market” to your current clients so they don’t wander.