Response to Question about Practice Management Software
Here is my response:
The two software programs that I see many smaller firm lawyers using successfully are Time Matters and Amicus Attorney. Both programs can help you to keep all the emails, documents, telephone calls, contact information, to-do’s, notes, etc. together by client. You can also use the programs for conflict checking, group mailouts and other practice management activities. Which program will be best for you will, of course, depend on a lot of factors, such as your comfort with technology and the nature of your practice.
Send Holiday Greetings That Really Connect
The holidays and year end present many opportunities for enhancing existing client relationships and developing new prospects. Many attorneys don’t take full advantage of the opportunities, however, because they fail to invest a little forethought. Here are some ideas to consider if you engage in the venerable tradition of sending out holiday greetings.
When to Send Out Greetings
Although the number of holiday cards sent out has declined over the last decade, it is still difficult to stand out in the flurry of holiday communication. Some lawyers have migrated to sending Thanksgiving cards. What an excellent opportunity to express gratitude for your clients’ trust and confidence in you, as demonstrated by their business. Alternatively, you might choose to adopt the French tradition of sending New Year’s cards. Either way, at least your card won’t be buried in a stack of other cards. If you want to showcase your firm’s experience in representing clients who do business in China, perhaps you should consider sending out Chinese New Year cards.
Differentiation by Design
Recently I ran into a Houston lawyer at the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. As we chatted, he extolled the virtues of the hotel. He began with his amazement that, although he had only stayed there once before, the doorman called him by name when he arrived. Then he gushed about the impact of walking into the luxurious bathroom in his room.
At the Vintage Inn in Napa, California, as I unlocked the door and stepped into my room, I heard gentle strains of soothing music. Lamplight and a fire flickering in a fireplace created a romantic mood and warmed me from the chill of the night air. A small table held a complimentary bottle of wine, with glasses and a corkscrew. I sprawled on the bed, and felt like I had landed on a fluffy cloud. This was not my usual business trip experience. When I got home I started planning how I could get back to that hotel.
What do these stories have to do with your law practice? They illustrate the marketing power of focusing on a client’s experience when delivering service. These hotels stood out in an industry with competitors literally around the corner. Would your clients say that about your firm?
Joys of Lingering in France
When daydreaming of France, people may think of the stars and glitter of the Cannes Film Festival, the haute couture of Parisian designers, famous architectural innovations and landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, the perfectly executed haute cuisine of expensive French restaurants, the centuries of cultural history on display at the Louvre, the opulence of Versailles, or the blasà nudity on the beaches of the French Riviera. Many such attractions draw millions to visit France every year.
I like those things, but what makes France a joy for me are the smaller things that I encounter in daily living here. I like turning on to my street, cresting a hill, and suddenly confronting a stunning view of the valley dotted with pink, coral and white houses with tile roofs, followed by more mountains and the Mediterranean Sea in the distance.
I like the delight of savoring truly fresh bread that I pick up every day at one of the five bakeries within a mile of our house. If my teenage son is with me, I order extra. He devours most of a baguette, breaking it off in warm chunks, in the five minutes before we get home. Baguettes are the 18-inch long tube-shaped rolls that Americans call AFrench bread, despite the fact that there are so many different types of fresh bread in France. We have all wondered out loud how we will survive without fresh bread every day when we get back to Houston. How can we go back to the tasteless, uniform, pre-sliced stuff in a plastic bag?
I like the numerous sidewalk cafes and the way people linger about in coffee shops and cafes. I bask in the sunshine and sip something while watching the world drift by, whether in July or November. I have never felt rushed by a waiter, even if […]
Who Do I Need to Know and How Do I Meet Them?
I. Rule 1.01 of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct
A lawyer should not accept employment in a matter beyond his/her competence.
Unless: 1.01(a)(1) a competent lawyer is associated with client’s prior informed consent
“Competence” defined as having the ability to timely acquire the necessary knowledge, skill & training.
Need to know: lawyers
- That you can call on to give you advice and guidance to expeditiously acquire such additional knowledge, skills and training as you may need.
- That you can associate in your client matter with the client’s consent if the matter is too complex to handle on your own.
How do you meet them?
- Houston Young Lawyers Association meetings
- State and local bar association section meetings.
- Solos Supporting Solos.
- Call your old professors, especially if you are practicing in the same town. They can answer questions and refer you to other lawyers. They may even be able to help you find employment down the road if you stay in touch. Established lawyers often contact their old professors when they are looking to hire a young lawyer.
- Lawyers in firms where your friends are working. Even someone just 2 or 3 years ahead of you can be helpful.
- Take on bar association duties or section duties.
Start attending meetings before you have questions, so that you will already have the relationships established before you have the questions. Most of the organizations have student memberships, but very few students take advantage of them. You will stand out as dedicated, plucky, and savvy.
Find ways that you can benefit the lawyers you would like to benefit from. When you do them a favor first, they will want to find a way to benefit you.
- Perhaps offer to 2d chair a trial with them for free, or at a very cheap rate.
- Handle some of their “dog” cases for them.
- Find out what needs or interests they have and try to help […]
Is Your Life Fulfilling?
Want a happier and more fulfilling life? Then perhaps you should look at what really peeves you. Are you driven nuts by drivers who weave in and out of the freeway lanes? Do you find yourself screeching at family members who leave dirty dishes on the sink instead of putting them in the dishwasher? Does your blood pressure rise in the doctor’s waiting room as the clock strikes half an hour past your 11 a.m. appointment?
When you identify what annoys or angers you, you find a clue to one of your values. By “values” I don’t mean virtues or morals, but rather, what is important to you. Your annoyance is a signal that one of your values is being stepped on. The weaving driver may violate your value for safety or predictability. The family member leaving a trail of dirty dishes may violate your value of orderliness or personal responsibility. The doctor with the overloaded appointment book may violate your value for punctuality or reliability or respect.
If the situation doesn’t just annoy you, but rather, it makes you want to explode, then that same value is probably being stepped on elsewhere in your life. What changes can you make in your circumstances, your attitude or your actions that will bring your life more in alignment with your values? Wherever we are not honoring our own values, we create stress and imbalance in our life. Often, that is just when we tend to blame someone else for our unhappiness.