By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC
Q. I am a solo attorney and have had my practice for 15 years. I have one secretary that has been with me 14 years. I have heard you and others state that solo and small firm practitioners need to work on getting to the next level. What is the next level?
A. The next level is when your practice begins to build synergy – when one plus one equals three or four rather than two. It is when you have a sufficient consistent volume of work that you are able to add additional layers of attorneys and staff. When lawyers start out their practices, most support themselves on their own work or time production. However, eventually there must be others in the firm who generate more profits than they consume and thus provide additional income to the owners. This is leverage. Leverage can come from junior level owners, associates, paralegals, and legal assistants. The important takeaway here is eventually a structure must exist within the firm whereby each owner can make a reasonable income but not have to provide all of it himself or herself. This must come to pass if the senior lawyers are to spend more time on firm investment activities (non-billable matters) such as generating new business, training and mentoring new associates, or managing the firm.
While the getting to the next level can improve profitability if done right – new challenges and frustrations come into play as well. You must now manage others – motivate them, hire and fire, and retain quality lawyers and staff. You are now a manager as well as a lawyer – like it or not!
John W.
Practice News
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July 7, 2010 |
Practice News
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July 6, 2010 |
Practice News
In the July Illinois Bar Journal, veteran employment lawyer Mike Lied of Peoria takes a look at some of the new (2010) Rules of Professional Conduct that affect his practice area. Especially noteworthy, he says, are rules governing lawyers who represent i) organizations and ii) clients who appear before agencies and boards, along with rules aimed at prospective clients, misdirected documents, and lawyer-arbitrators.
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July 6, 2010 |
Practice News
In an opinion written by the U.S. Supreme Court's newest justice, Sonia Sotomayor, the Court held last term that attorneys who provide bankruptcy advice to assisted persons are debt relief agencies under the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA), the Illinois Bar Journal reports. As the National Law Journal notes, this was one of "an unusually large number of cases last term involving how lawyers do their jobs."
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July 1, 2010 |
Practice News
It can help you save time, make money, and even avoid malpractice claims, according to legal technologists. Read all about it in the article Does your practice need practice management software? in the July Illinois Bar Journal.
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July 1, 2010 |
Practice News
The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Robert G. Gibson as Circuit Judge in DuPage County. Gibson replaces the Hon. Perry R. Thompson, who is retiring. The appointment is effective Aug. 2 and terminates on Dec. 3, 2012.
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July 1, 2010 |
Practice News
By Peter LaSorsa It is probably easier to find an attorney who still uses a typewriter than one who doesn’t own a Smartphone — although they are probably one in the same. Here are a few tips that may help you become more productive or just get more out of your current phone. For Blackberry owners, make sure you are always updating the device software. Desktop Software 5.0.01 is the latest and greatest. There will be an application on your phone that says Wireless updates — click to update the latest software. You can also go to the Research in Motion website to download the latest version. When you finish downloading, launch the Blackberry Desktop Manager and click Backup And Restore from the Main Menu. Click on the Options button under Backup and you can enable or disable the device memory backup and file encryption. You can also automatically backup the device with these settings. For iPhone users, one tip when viewing long documents or web pages, instead of scrolling back and forth, tap the top edge of the visible screen (where you see the time, battery meter and network provider). The page will rapidly scroll to the top of the document or page. Another tip for iPhone users is to not spend time typing .com or www. Simply highlight the URL field in Safari, tap the X to clear it and type the name of the domain you wish to go to — for example ISBA and you will automatically be taken to ISBA.org. The browser will not only take you to the website adding the .org prefix but also will check to see is there is a mobile version of the website.
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June 30, 2010 |
Practice News
Asked and Answered By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC Q. I am the managing partner in a three attorney firm and am having problems with office staff members getting along. Office conflict is rampant. Any suggestions? A. You must begin by identifying some of the causes. Poor communications often can be the root cause of such problems. Interview each of your staff members individually and probe. What do they think? Is communications a problem? Are roles, duties, and responsibilities clarified? Lack of clarity can in these areas can lead to turf wars. You may want to design job descriptions for each employee and clarify roles, duties, and responsibilities for each employee. Conduct short weekly staff meetings to enhance communications. Use agendas. Take minutes of the meetings. Advise everyone of your expectations including all members working together as team members. Let them know that working together as a team is a performance factor that will be considered in performance evaluations and reviews. Conduct periodic performance reviews. Counsel and take action against problem employees. John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC, is a past chair and member of the ISBA Standing Committee on Law Office Management and Economics. For more information on law office management please direct questions to the ISBA listserver, which John and other committee members review, or view archived copies of The Bottom Line Newsletters. Contact John at jolmstead@olmsteadassoc.com.
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June 29, 2010 |
Practice News
The Informant! What a movie. Illinois Lawyer Now gives it two thumbs up. After all, how can we resist a Hollywood flick that's based in Illinois and features a lawyer among its heroes? Especially a lawyer who happens to be former CLE program chair for the ISBA Antitrust & Unfair Competition Law Section, fer cryin' out loud? ISBA's Antitrust Law newsletter couldn't resist, either. In the latest issue, Jennifer Dixton and Kalina Tulley of the DOJ's antitrust division interview Jim Mutchnik, a former division lawyer now with Kirkland and Ellis who was portrayed in The Informant! by Jayden Lund. (Jayden doesn't look a thing like Jim.) Also read an earlier interview with Jim and FBI agent Bob Herndon in the WSJ Law Blog.
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June 26, 2010 |
Practice News
By Lisa Colpoys
Looking for Pro bono case pairing and mentor matching system? If so, the brand new Pro Bono Case Pairing and Mentor Matching System found at www.IllinoisProBono.org is here to help you! This system connects pro bono volunteers with one another as mentors and mentees or as case partners. Ultimately, the system is designed to make pro bono work more accessible, efficient and effective for pro bono attorneys and the clients they serve.
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June 24, 2010 |
Practice News
CRIMINAL
People v. Boeckmann
By Kerry J. Bryson, Office of the State Appellate Defender These consolidated cases involved a constitutional challenge to Section 6-206(a)(43) of the Illinois Vehicle Code, the statutory provision which requires suspension of driving privileges for 90 days for any person receiving court supervision for unlawful consumption of alcohol under 21 years of age. The circuit court held that the statute, as applied, violated due process because a vehicle was not involved in the commission of the offense. The Supreme Court disagreed. The purpose of 6-206(a)(43) is to "promote the safe and legal operation and ownership of motor vehicles." Suspension of driving privileges bears a rational relationship to that purpose because "young people who have a driver's license and consume alcohol illegally may also drive after consuming alcohol regardless of whether a motor vehicle is involved." And, the suspension of driving privileges is a reasonable method of furthering the public interest in safe and legal operation of motor vehicles, despite the absence of a vehicle or any plan to drive. So, for persons under 21, it doesn't matter if a vehicle is involved in the commission of the offense of unlawful consumption of alcohol. It doesn't even matter if a person under 21 who commits the offense of unlawful consumption of alcohol contemplates driving or not.