Many factors contribute to the success of a law firm. This book explores management and administration issues in law firms of all sizes and includes valuable information on law firm culture, marketing strategies, and employment issues. It addresses everything from space planning, accounting principles, and professional conduct rules, to choice-of-entity considerations, tax issues, strategic planning, and technology.
Principles of Law Office Management is a thorough and detailed guide, written for managing partners, law firm administrators, and small-firm and solo attorneys who run their own offices. Sample forms are included that can be used for billing, employee reviews, financial analysis, marketing evaluation, and client engagement. The appendix includes abridged versions of several major cases that address law office administration, as well as an extensive bibliography of the author’s publications on this subject.
The book contains four sections:
The first section, “Ways to Look at the Law Office,” attempts to give perspective to the person who is concerned about law office management and administration.
Section II addresses “Ways to Manage a Law Firm.” It consists of two parts. The first part examines the structural aspects of managing a law firm. The second part explores the operational issues of managing a law firm.
The structural aspects of law firm management involve an understanding of how legal cultures are managed, compensation and profit distribution, legal fees and billing, and space planning.
Operational issues in law firm management involve personnel management, risk management systems, financial management, and technology.
Section III examines the critical new role of strategic and marketing planning, including client development. This section addresses establishing vision and mission statements, preparing a strategic business plan, and, based on that plan, developing a marketing plan and techniques for its implementation.
The final section includes appendices with edited versions of the major U.S. Supreme Court cases that permeate law office administration, a bibliography by subject area, and an index to the text.
