August 14, 2020

How To Catch Drafting Mistakes Before They Derail a Case

Attorneys are held to a high standard in all aspects of their work and responsibilities. This is important to maintain the standards of a respected profession, and it is required by the American Bar Association’s Rules of Professional Conduct. As per Rule 1.1 , “competent representation requires… thoroughness and preparation reasonably necessary,” for the proper representation of clients. This...

August 13, 2020

The Best Advice For Small Law Firms Without a Big Law Staff Roster

This post was originally published in August 2020 and updated in September 2023. Small firms are expected to be everything a business is and more. They are not only providing legal representation for their clients, but they are also performing administrative duties, operations, accounting and billing, development and other tasks — all while turning out a profit. While some aspects of running a business can be...

July 28, 2020

5 Key Steps for Employers After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Landmark LGBTQ Ruling

In a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that federal law protects gay and transgender workers from workplace discrimination. In the majority opinion authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia , the court held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from firing workers on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. In light of this landmark...

July 13, 2020

How to Choose the Best Name for Your Law Firm

Until just recently, many state bar associations required that law firms be named after their partners. For years, law firms always went by any combination of last names. You know the drill: Donelson & Donelson, or Baker, Thompson & Roe. Essentially, names outside of those parameters were not permitted. But state by state, that rule is finally changing. New Law Firm Name Opportunities State bars are increasingly...

July 06, 2020

Stress Management Tips for Solo Practitioners

Regardless of how rewarding being an attorney is, it is still a difficult profession to excel in. This is particularly true for solo practitioners, who often must handle the difficulties associated with entrepreneurship in addition to legal services. As a result, one of the largest challenges of being a solo practitioner is dealing with stress. Why Are Lawyers So Stressed? Stress is universal, and lawyers must manage...

June 26, 2020

The Law Librarian in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Law librarians have always been a far cry from the traditional imagery that accompanies the word “librarian”— i.e. a stiff, serious sort of person who spends their time perusing dusty bookshelves, “shooshing” children and adjusting a set of bifocals. And as technological innovation has found a foothold in the legal industry, the modern law librarian doesn’t even come close to evoking...

June 19, 2020

CBD Class Actions Placed on Hold for FDA Rulemaking

Many cannabis users say the drug distorts their perception of time , making it feel as if time has slowed to crawl. Now, plaintiffs with lawsuits over CBD-containing products may begin to feel the same sensation. Two proposed product liability-related class actions involving CBD products have been placed on hold until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration clarifies its regulatory stance towards them. The most recent...

June 12, 2020

Best Practices for Law Firm Video Conferencing

Not long ago, video conferencing was a fancy, ultra-modern convenience. Now it’s a necessity for law firms and their attorneys. And with the proliferation of online video conferencing services lately, most of us now feel somewhat comfortable in front of the camera. Gone are the days (hopefully) when a partner panic-calls you five minutes before a client meeting to ask how to turn their camera on. As attorneys...

June 11, 2020

Four Ways Associates Can Become Invaluable to Their Firms

In any economic climate, associates who prove indispensable to their law firms will likely get ahead in their careers. When the economy goes bad though, as it always does at some point, being indispensable is an attorney’s best asset in the fight for professional survival. The best and most recent examples of this are in the current COVID-19-induced economic downturn and the Great Recession of 2008—during...

June 05, 2020

The Five Biggest Legal Questions in “Tiger King”

You can call the Netflix® true crime serial “Tiger King” a lot of things. It’s a story about society’s fascination with exotic animals and the price of keeping them in captivity. It’s a story about drugs, politics, arson, reality TV, suicide and murder. It even makes room for multiple May-December romances—some involving Joe Exotic, the eyebrow-ringed, firearm-toting, leopard-print...

June 04, 2020

Unbundled Legal Services: The Cure for the Access to Justice Problem?

The United States legal system has an “access to justice” problem. An increasing number of low-income Americans are not retaining attorneys to help them with their legal matters. By some estimates, at least 60% of litigants do not have a lawyer representing them in court. And when individuals without legal training feel that they must handle legal matters themselves, it is unlikely that those matters will...

May 18, 2020

Four Steps to Becoming a Remote Mentor

Mentoring relationships have existed for as long as law firms have had attorneys with different legal experience levels. While formal mentoring programs are a relatively new development in the legal industry, informal mentoring dates back to the first time a law firm associate asked a senior attorney for guidance on their legal practice. But while mentoring has long been a mainstay in the practice of law, technology is...

May 14, 2020

In a Crisis, the Cannabis Industry Presents an Opportunity for Small and Midsize Firms

Early in 2020, the legalization of cannabis in a growing number of U.S. states was one of the hottest stories. The news cycle has certainly shifted since then, but the number of cannabis companies and entrepreneurs seeking legal guidance when it comes to creating their brands, marketing their products, and protecting their intellectual property in compliance with state laws continues to grow. As many cannabis companies...

May 04, 2020

Five Best Practices for Internal Crisis Communications in Small and Midsize Law Firms

Internal communications is a vital part of any law firm’s communications strategy—a fact that becomes all-the-more apparent during emergencies. How you communicate and act in times of crisis can define your reputation and shape your firm’s brand. But there’s good news. Thanks to their ability to adapt quickly, small and midsize practices have a considerable advantage over larger firms, specifically...

May 01, 2020

Survey Says: Big Changes Could Be Coming to the Bar Exam

Over the last decade, both the practice of law and the legal industry have undergone a transformation. This has led many lawyers to voice their concerns that the skills they believe are needed to excel in the practice of law are neither taught in law school nor tested on the bar exam. The organization responsible for producing the bar exam, The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), has apparently heard these...

April 28, 2020

Working from Home? Here are 3 Things Law Firms Should Know About Cybersecurity

A large section of the legal industry has gone digital as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic—something experts didn’t think we’d see anytime soon. Yet with so many firm employees spending more time online, it means that cybercriminal activity is rising as well. For law firms that weren’t prepared to go digital, the time is now to enforce and reinforce some prudent security policies. Here...

April 27, 2020

How To Take Pro Bono Cases Without Losing Money

Pro bono literally means “for the public good.” The idea of pro bono services is to provide all people legal assistance, despite their financial situations. For attorneys, it provides a way for them to use their professional talents in a way that helps under-served populations in their community and narrows the access to justice gap. Pro bono work can be incredibly rewarding, but it’s not typically...

April 23, 2020

How to Build a Recession-Resistant Law Firm

As shelter-in-place orders to combat the novel coronavirus went into effect, businesses of all types were forced to shutter or drastically scale back. Even those that continue to operate remotely are seeing revenues drop as the economic impact spreads. Law firms are no exception. While many firms have gone virtual , that does not shield them from the same issues affecting all businesses. Firms have responded by cutting...

April 22, 2020

Five Ways Solo Practitioners and Small Firms Can Upgrade Their Legal Technology

Some of us are old enough to remember the screech of a 56K modem and the rhythmic hum of a floppy drive—maybe even the tap-tappa-tap of an IBM ® Selectric . But like any small business, lawyers in solo and small law firms must always look ahead to new technological innovations to ensure they’re delivering that perfect mix of efficiency and client service. And considering how fast the legal technology...

April 22, 2020

Why Attorneys Shouldn’t Use Internet Search Engines for Legal Research

A lot of lawyers list an internet search engine as one of their go-to online legal research tools. While that’s a handy way to research your favorite 1980s TV show , it may not be prudent to rely on Google™ for legal advice. Why? It’s a simple question of trusting the data. You may be shocked (gasp!) to discover that not all the information on the internet is reliable. An attorney’s legal research...

April 16, 2020

The Unexpected Challenges to Adopting New Technology in Your Law Firm

Legal technology can completely change the practice of law. But implementing legal technology into your law firm can have unexpected challenges. Indeed, incorporating law and technology into your practice can seem like a daunting task, especially if it means changing familiar habits and procedures. However, taking on the challenge to implement new technology into your firm can offer significant long-term benefits. By...

April 13, 2020

Five Tips for Starting Your Own Law Firm

So, you’re starting a law practice, eh? Awesome. But as you undoubtably know, starting your own law firm requires more than moxie, pluck and fresh business cards. How do you get clients? And if you want to grow, how do you get more clients? It may be overwhelming when you first toss around the idea of starting your own legal practice but, when you break it down, the process is far more manageable. In fact, we’ve...

April 13, 2020

Five Tips for Law Firms Managing a Partner Departure

When a key partner leaves (and in the legal business, many do) it can shake a law firm to its core. Feelings of betrayal can fester among remaining partners and associates, even if the move is not altogether surprising. Depending on the situation, the departure can be a drag on firm morale or just a temporary blip. Regardless of how the internal response plays out, if clients are following the partner to the new gig...

April 10, 2020

Maintaining Your Law Firm’s Culture and Client Service While Working from Home

Whenever employees find themselves working from home for the very first time, they usually discover that it’s not as easy as it seems. Fortunately, most attorneys are already comfortable working remotely. Whether it’s during a large-scale crisis or a minor hiccup in the routine, attorneys are often adept at working wherever they can power a laptop. Even so, according to a 2019 American Bar Association Legal...

April 09, 2020

How to Create a Vision and Mission for Your Law Firm (And Why It’s So Important)

Whether you are a solo attorney just starting out, a partner at an established firm or somewhere in between, a clear vision and mission for your law firm provides the groundwork for a successful, enduring practice. We all know lawyers who can’t articulate why they do what they do. It’s as if they woke up practicing a type of law that they never intended to pursue. Sometimes, an entire firm faces a similar...