Attorney and law firm guide to the business of law : planning and operating for survival and growth

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this updated third edition of an ABA best-seller outlines the fundamentals of running a successful law practice. Whether you are starting a law practice from the ground up or you are looking to enhance the practice you have, this book contains the information you need to achieve success. Ed Poll, respected columnist and management consultant with over four decades of experience in business and in law, has simplified the mystical process of operating a law practice so that anyone can be more effective with his/her clients and become more profitable. New and updated in this edition are the sections on internet marketing, social media, legal technology, and overcoming stress in your legal career.

Law is a business -- First steps in starting a new practice : initial checklist -- The planning process -- Setting goals -- Creating the marketing plan -- A solo and small-firm practitioner's marketing renaissance -- Using the Internet to market your legal services -- Using social media to market yourself -- Using business cards, stationery, and print media to support rainmaking goals -- Branding -- Rules for improving client relations -- Listening to clients -- Creating the financial plan -- Methods of determining revenue -- Pricing legal services -- The billing process -- Credit and collections -- Banks and loans -- Equipment lease financing -- Risk management for lawyers -- Client trust accounting the easy way-with quickbooks -- Improving your bottom line -- Playing the slow economy game -- Hire is not a "four-letter word" -- The law office as equal opportunity employer : rights, risks, and responsibilities -- Conducting effective performance appraisals in a law office setting -- Preventing workplace harassment and retaliation in the law office -- Should you hire an executive director? -- Technology and the legal information age -- Financial and ethical implications of technology -- A checklist for moving your law firm -- Your own island : opening a home-based practice -- Case study : starting a family law practice -- Overcoming stress in your legal career.