Practice Management Software

There's a debate over at the Solosez list-serv about whether attorneys really need practice management software, or whether MS Outlook can do the trick.

Allison Shields has a great post, which effectively argues for practice management software.

I'm going to throw my hat in the ring, because I used to believe one school (MS Outlook is okay), and have converted.

Although I think you can manage your practice without the use of "PMS", you'll thank yourself if you use it. I recently (about 4 months ago) incorporated PracticeMaster into my business. I chose PM primarily based on price, but also because I tried the software and found it fit my needs.

Here is what I've found:

1. Outlook is a tough way to organize client notes, documents, files, and related parties. PMS allows you to easily document conversations with clients, opposing counsel, and 3rd parties. It eliminates "Post-it Note-taking", and merges the notes into the client file.
2. I no longer have 3 (or more) different documents to help task/track my clients. I used a combination of an Excel file, Word document, and yellow pad to make assignments, track the number of cases, and create necessary tasks. PMS gives me an organized list of my clients, the type of matter, and their contact information, in addition to any other information I need. The great thing too is that my email messages and documents get incorporated as "journal" and "doc" entries to review in the PracticeMaster program. It's unnecessary for me to flip between 3 or 4 different computer folders, files, programs or documents.
3. Cost savings. I purchased the "Basic" version of PracticeMaster because I felt I didn't need some of the extended features. I would recommend going for the Premier version of the program for 2 reasons. 1st: "PM Briefcase" to use on your laptop; and 2nd: Document Assembly. Although neither of these features has been vitally important, there have been times when I wished I had them. I chose the "smaller" version because for under $250 I could have 2 clients running (me and an intern/assistant), and the maintenance package. Talk about money well spent!

"Suddenly Solo"

July's issue of Law Practice Today is phenomenal! If you're not a subscriber, you need to be. Each month's webzine features very useful articles about managing and maintaining a successful legal practice.

July's issues is geared toward those attorneys who are "suddenly solo" because of layoffs. I think law graduates fall into one of two categories: solo/small firm bound (and knew it from day 1), or BigLaw bound (or at least aspiring to such). In my case, I fell into the former category.

My story is probably quite similar to a lot of people. I didn't have a particularly good law school experience, and basically after my first year had decided I was not going to work in any sort of capacity.

During my first summer, I took a legal aid-type job (because everything else was taken and I couldn't get a "law" job) with a small firm specializing in Indian law. That experience changed my life, and I knew at the end of that summer I wanted to be an attorney, albeit, not one of those "stuffy" ones I saw at school or downtown.

I began quickly by assessing my options and formulating my practice plans. Based on my experience, I knew the real action was as a solo or small firm practitioner, thus I slurped up everything I could on the subjects. I joined list-serves, practice management associations/groups, and talked to other attorneys. After all my preparations,I felt I was ready, and I made the leap.

I think the key to my success thus far has been my preparations. I may not know everything (which I freely admit), but I know how and where to find the information. I know this partly because of experience (being thrown into the oven helps one to quickly learn), but because my "Practice Preparation Plan"demands it.

My PPP is a simple statement, one-page in length, that discusses the question, "what would I do if I suddenly lost my job." I created the page because I knew/know that I serve at the will of those around me. It's not secure enough to trust that because I have a law degree, I'll guarantee myself a job. Quite simply, the cliche about death and taxes is the one secure point.

The essence of the PPP is to answer the question and lay a simple ground work for landing a new job (increasingly more difficult in this economy) or venturing on your own (more of an option). There's no magical formula or design template, because it's based on your wants, desires, and goals. However, it should be pin-point focused, offering suggestions that will motivate your broken spirit, develop your drive to rebuild, and give you answers to fundamental questions. Mine happens to have a significant statement about my overall goals and dreams: "I want to spend more time with my family than the office, therefore I will leave the office no later than 5 p.m." Of course, this gets broken every few months, but it's a general statement about my philosphy, and a reminder that some things are more important than my work.

What I knew I needed when I finished my 1st year, is something I believe every attorney must have, regardless and in spite of your present security. The skills you've acquired during your studies and career are meaningless if you can't put them to use. This is the essence of the July webzine. If you're not practicing with your own PPP, I'd encourage you to create one now.

Bar Exam & Post-bar

Well, it's almost time for the harrowed bar exam. I took the dreaded test this time last year. It was nerve-racking and stressful, but I tell you, you will get through it! Good luck!

Valuable Resources

There are some resources that are simply too valuable for you not to take advantage of in your law practice. The ABA's publications for the Law Practice Management section are just those. This month's issue of the LPM e-zine, Law Practice Today, contains some helpful information for all individuals.

I found two of the articles, Using Windows on Your Mac, and How Much Money Do You Need to Start a Law Firm, very pertinent to my own practice. I also enjoyed, A Formula for Shy Attorneys, which gives some helpful tips to encourage everyone to be more outgoing in your practice marketing/networking.

Keep your promises

My friend, Eric Urbach, has a great post at his website titled, "You Have a Great Case!" His article discusses one of the biggest traps you'll face as a young attorney: The inclination to tell the client what they want to hear. Eric notes that these fateful words can be misleading, especially when you consider the complexity of many cases.

I'll affirm Eric's warnings, and note one other thing: never feel sorry for a client. I don't want to sound harsh, you should feel sorry so you can advocate, but never get so emotionally involved with a client or the client's case that you lose perspective. I had a client who fired me, then asked that I return back as the attorney. I took the client back because I felt sorry for the position the client was in. What I didn't realize was that by breaking my cardinal rule, I essentially enabled or encouraged the client to "walk all over me." This mistake didn't affect the outcome of the case (the client fired me a 2nd time), but it certainly affected our relationship.

Advice for Building a Profession Services Firm

There's this great post that discusses some of the beneficial habits for building your firm. Anything that reminds you of customer service is something to grab hold of.

I especially like habit # 9: Don’t keep people waiting in your reception area. Imagine every minute they wait reduces their trust by 5%.

Citigroup v. Students

I'm not sure how I feel about this story. Apparently Citigroup is lobbying for people to oppose the President's new proposal to lend government-backed student loans directly to students. This would eliminate the "middleman," and possibly create a new department/agency/"bloated government wasteful entity" to handle student loan lending.

On one hand, I like the concept of not having to work through institutions like SallieMae to get money for college, but I'm partially opposed to bigger government.

There's a few things about Citigroup's letter that offend me. I don't believe that privatization of student loans actually has any beneficial effect on students. I know in my lending experience, I rarely examined the lender, and regualarly went with my school's suggestion. Also, I don't think that counseling programs are beneficial in helping students establish good behaviors (i.e. the bankruptcy process), rather they're simply another way to inform borrowers about the responsibility of paying back the loans.

I can't tell how to vote or feel, because I don't know, but you should definitely be aware of this push.

Hosted vs. Unhosted Exchange

I've noticed that the number 1 thing a lot solos and smaller law firms wonder is, "how can we share calendars among our attorneys and staff?" The simple answer is Microsoft Exchange. It's the standard, and the best.

However, most people gasp when they examine the price. Everyone is looking for "shortcuts" to capitalize on the Exchange platform, without the price. One program, ShareO, does the trick. It's not difficult to set up, and it works well. There are some glitches, but in general, can you beat the price tag? See a review here.

As Mr. Ross Kodner pointed out recently in a Solosez thread, Exchange comes with the system if you purchase MS Small Business Server software. This is a great advantage because you're getting all of the benefits of Exchange SBS, without compromising on the quality. We purchased a new server over 1 year ago in the office with SBS 2003 from Dell. It's a great product, great price, and it's wonderful to have synchronized calendars. Be advised though, there are some maintenance requirements that you must be aware of. It's not for the faint of heart to manage, but once it's up, you're doing great. Note: you can find some excellent (more affordable) server options by visiting the Dell Outlet. If you're not opposed to purchasing a computer someone else owned (and why would you with a Dell warranty), then this is a great option.

One final suggestion is hosted Exchange. This is often a simple alternative for a lot of firms who are concerned about the mechanics of their own Exchange system. I've opted (for a number of reason) to move my stuff to Sherweb. It's a great service, and at $9 per month, it's an unbeatable price. It took me less than 30 minutes to signup and setup my systems.

There are so many choices, but you can hardly go wrong with the one you make.

Feedburner

You should quickly subscribe to our Feedburner feed: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/legallyeasy

Solo Practice University

I have to hand it to Susan Cartier Liebel, she has created a valuable tool for solo practitioners with her Solo Practice University.

I signed up as a "test" before the price increase deadline, thinking, "I'll try it out for a week, then quit." Man, I'm hooked!

There's so many different things to experience on the site, that one week or month, couldn't get you through. While I find that some topics may be "for beginners," there's so much advice in every class, that it's not worth passing up. You're getting a valuable "education" from real-life lawyers (like the adjuncts we all loved in law school), who actually, versus theoretically, know what the real world is like. This is the education you thought you were getting when you went to law school.