How to build and manage a personal injury practice

This essential guide discusses the basic differences between personal injury law and other types of law practice, and provides guidance for avoiding common pitfalls. Newly revised to reflect the changing world of personal injury law, this edition contains updated information about the latest legal software, including cloud-based products, and practical tips for small firms and solo practitioners.

• Acknowledgments p. vii
• About the Author p. ix
• Introduction p. xi
• Chapter 1 Why a Personal Injury Practice Is Different p. 1
• Self-Analysis p. 2
• Chapter 2 Your First Big Decision: Solo Practice or Partnership? p. 7
• Advantages of a Solo Practice p. 9
• Advantages of a Partnership p. 11
• Taking on a Partner p. 12
• Choosing the Right Partner p. 14
• Issues to Discuss Before Forming a Partnership p. 16
• Resolving Disputes p. 18
• Chapter 3 Planning for Your New Practice p. 21
• Getting Financial Advice p. 22
• Developing a Financial Forecast: Expense Projections p. 24
• Developing a Financial Forecast: Revenue Projections p. 28
• Going All the Way p. 30
• Chapter 4 Your New Office p. 31
• Choosing Office Space p. 31
• Organizing the Law Office p. 37
• Computer Hardware and Technology p. 38
• Chapter 5 Marketing the Personal Injury Practice p. 41
• Marketing Plan p. 42
• Market Analysis p. 44
• A Little Background on Marketing p. 47
• Entering the Market p. 49
• Marketing Strategies and Tactics p. 63
• A Final Word About Selling p. 81
• Chapter 6 The New Client p. 83
• Taking Their Calls p. 84
• Meeting in Person p. 85
• Getting All the Facts p. 87
• Auditioning p. 88
• Signing Fee Agreements p. 89
• Confidential Client Questionnaire p. 90
• Selecting Cases p. 92
• Discussing the Client's Objectives p. 93
• Chapter 7 Keeping Personal Injury Clients Happy p. 99
• Why Clients Become Unhappy p. 99
• How to Keep Clients Happy p. 101
• Ask Your Clients How You Are Doing p. 103
• One More Rule: Put Your Clients First p. 104
• Chapter 8 Working with Employees, Contractors, and Other Professionals p. 107
• Working with Support Staff p. 107
• Hiring Good Employees p. 110
• Using Staff Effectively p. 111
• Establishing Systems and Procedures p. 114
• Using Practice Advisors p. 118
• Working with Other Lawyers p. 118
• Consulting with Other Lawyers p. 120
• Working with Other Professionals p. 120
• Chapter 9 Managing the Workload: Case Management p. 121
• Allocating Resources p. 125
• Dealing with Bad Facts p. 127
• Is It Worth the Investment? p. 128
• Master Case Plan p. 129
• Summary of the Facts of the Case p. 129
• Litigation Action Plan with Timetables p. 130
• Adopting the Methodical Approach p. 134
• Chapter 10 Essential Technology for Case/Practice Management, Document Management, and Trial Presentations p. 135
• Changing Programs p. 137
• Case/Practice Management p. 137
• Client Portals p. 142
• Document Assembly/Document Management p. 143
• Trial Presentation p. 144
• Other Essential Software p. 145
• Chapter 11 Preparing for Settlement, Arbitration, and Trial p. 147
• Conclusion p. 151
• Appendix A Marketing Plan p. 153
• Appendix B Market Analysis: Competing High-Volume Personal Injury Firms p. 155
• Appendix C Market Analysis: Differentiation from Competitors p. 156
• Appendix D Initial Contact Report p. 157
• Appendix E Initial Client Interview p. 158
• Appendix F Confidential Client Questionnaire p. 163
• Appendix G Client Service Questionnaire p. 169
• Appendix H Task Assignment p. 171
• Appendix I Master Case Plan p. 172
• Appendix J Sample Letters for a Personal Injury Practice p. 175
• Index p. 187
• About the CD p. 201