Attorney Time Management Archives

2 10, 2012

Would a Virtual Law Office Work for You?

2019-04-01T20:55:07+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|4 Comments

Rania Combs is a wills, trusts and estates lawyer, licensed in Texas since 1994. When her spouse got transferred to North Carolina, she examined her options for practicing law there. Opening a virtual law office seemed like the solution to a challenging circumstance. She launched her virtual practice in January 2010.

Many lawyers may wonder whether a virtual law office would solve their problems, too. Here are some examples of why they might be considering it:

• Newly licensed attorneys may want to avoid the overhead and long-term commitment of a traditional brick and mortar office.
• Experienced lawyers may want to expand the geographic reach of their existing practice to garner more clients.
• Many lawyers have a thriving practice in a smaller town, but have difficulty finding locally the high caliber legal talent they need to help handle the work flow.
• Family obligations or other circumstances make it difficult for some attorneys to keep traditional office hours.
• For some attorneys, the international scope of their work demands technological innovation to serve client needs.
• Some attorneys just long to escape the snow in the winter or the heat in the summer without interrupting their law practice. […]

17 09, 2012

Systematize to Optimize Your Legal Practice – Part 3

2019-03-11T22:13:59+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|2 Comments

In this issue of “Raising the Bar”, Debra L. Bruce continues with the final part of her series which addresses how law office systems work to provide improved efficiency, increased quality control, and cost reductions. Part 1 focused on “Why Systems Matter”, Part 2 introduced “How to Employ Systems”, and this final part continues with some additional steps to “Employ the Systems”. If you missed Parts 1 or 2, follow the links on our blog to read them.

1. Stop recreating redundant letters and emails. All lawyers have forms as starting points for longer documents like interrogatories or purchase and sale agreements. Many continue to prepare common emails and letters from scratch, however. Even if they will need some customization, design forms for frequent letters and emails. Begin with one you have already written, or the next time you write one, save an extra copy of it in your forms folder. You’ll be able to whip out future emails more quickly, or let your assistant do the first draft for you to edit. Email forms can be saved in the drafts folder in Outlook (or another email program) for a quick copy and paste into a new email. […]

13 12, 2011

To Do or Not To Do

2019-06-25T16:27:18+00:00By Cathy L Ribble ACP|Comments Off on To Do or Not To Do

The season is upon us! You know — the season of fa-la-la-la-la, holiday decorations, greeting cards, family parties, gift buying, travel plans, winter snow storms, and year-end business. The list goes on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on….too much to do and not enough time. If you make it to January 1, then your knee deep in a different set of tasks headed into tax season.

So what is a smart attorney or paralegal to do? Organization is key, but who has time – or money — right now to implement complicated practice management software?

SOLUTION: Pick one of these quick, easy and inexpensive online task management solutions. Register for a free user name and pick a password. Then start listing everything congesting your over-crowded mind. Start with just the basics by listing the task and assigning a deadline. That’s it!! You can expand your vision and develop a more-rounded solution when the time crunch has eased.

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29 11, 2011

Introducing Guest Blogger Cathy Ribble – “Virtual Paralegal Partnerships: What Solo Attorneys Need to Know”

2019-04-01T21:26:16+00:00By Cathy L Ribble ACP|Comments Off on Introducing Guest Blogger Cathy Ribble – “Virtual Paralegal Partnerships: What Solo Attorneys Need to Know”

Cathy L. Ribble is a senior level litigation paralegal who decided in 2009 to offer virtual services to U.S.-licensed attorneys when she founded Digital Paralegal Services. She is certified by the National Association of Legal Assistants as an Advanced Certified Paralegal in the area of Trial Practice. She matches attorneys looking for virtual paralegal support with NALA-certified paralegals by practice area and geographic location.

Cathy contributed to NALA’s 2010 Career Chronicle with her article Could You Be One? Virtual Paralegals. She has been featured in Texas Far Journal’s Testing the Waters: Is It Time to Try a Virtual Legal Assistant? Paralegal Today’s Freelance Freedom, Carolina Paralegal News Virtual Paralegals Becoming More Common as Profession Grows, Practical Paralegalism’s Top 50 Twitter Feeds for Paralegals, ParalegalGateway’s Toolbar for Paralegals under Paralegal Tweeps and Paralegal Blogs, and The Paralegal Mentor’s Virtual Paralegal Interview Series.

Solo attorneys throughout the United States are hearing the terms virtual paralegal and virtual legal assistant for the first time. Today’s economy and the desire to keep a home-office practice are leading many solo attorneys to seek more information about virtual support. […]

14 11, 2008

Successful Lawyer Time Management

2008-11-14T16:16:34+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|Comments Off on Successful Lawyer Time Management

A lot of lawyers struggle with time management. Many lament the unpredictability of their schedules and the volume of last minute client “emergencies.” Some get so many interruptions during the day that they don’t actually get a good start on their most important projects until after 5:00 pm. They work long hours just to make a little progress.

Some attorneys want to please their clients, so they promise to deliver the client’s work at the earliest date they can get it out. Unfortunately, they usually make the assessment in a vacuum, without first assessing the other commitments they have already made, and without allowing space for unexpected contingencies.

There are many such issues that affect an attorney’s productivity. Here is my top ten list of time management behaviors of productive lawyers.

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10 03, 2008

Speech Recognition Software May Be Worth the Price Now

2019-02-10T23:15:55+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|Comments Off on Speech Recognition Software May Be Worth the Price Now

Speech recognition software seemed like a pipe dream for many veteran lawyers who never really learned to type. Many tried it a few years ago and found it a disappointing experience. Today, however, the technology has improved enough that even today’s law students (who probably learned to use a keyboard before they learned to ride a tricycle) are finding it valuable to use. To see how it works in a legal application, check out Robin Hood’s video on YouTube. Robin is a law student who created a video demo of using Dragon’s Naturally Speaking voice recognition software.

Before you race off to buy the software, however, you should make sure your computer has adequate processing speed and RAM. Check out the Amazon.com reviews of the software to see what real users say you need. As you know, the minimums stated on the software box rarely suffice for getting the results you are looking for. If you are interested in the software because you are such a Luddite that you need help with mere typing, you might want to get some help with the initial installation of the software and with training it to recognize your accent.

I haven’t personally tried the more current version of this software, so I can’t give you my opinion. I thought some small firm lawyers might be interested in watching the above video to see how the progam works for someone other than a salesperson. You can watch the sales video, too, which demonstrates how the software can type as fast as you speak. If you don’t want to invest in the expense of additional administrative personnel, or can’t find quality help in a small town, this software might be a bandaid for you. With a price tag of under $100, it is probably worth the price to save a little […]

20 12, 2007

Response to Question about Practice Management Software

2019-02-10T23:12:03+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|2 Comments

I received this question from a reader today:”I am a solo practitioner with a very diverse practice. What software system would you recommend for keeping the basic information and notes on my files, plus allowing me to create mail out lists?”

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.

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25 05, 2007

Don’t Wait to Read This: Tips for Procrastinators

2007-05-25T13:11:03+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|Comments Off on Don’t Wait to Read This: Tips for Procrastinators

I procrastinated in writing this column. Many wise people have said that we teach what we need to learn, so overcoming procrastination is the topic for this month. Let’s start with why we procrastinate. Here are some common reasons:

It involves an unpleasant task.
We don’t know or are unsure about how to do it.
The task involves a tough decision.
We don’t have all the materials or information we need.
The project is too big and overwhelming.
We underestimate the time required and have a lot to do.

What do we do to get past procrastination? In my coaching I find there are very few one-size-fits-all solutions. There are patterns and tendencies, however, so we experiment, and we understand that what worked yesterday may not work with a different project today. Here are some tips for your experimentation:

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1 01, 2005

Secrets to Actually Accomplishing Your Goals

2005-01-01T11:11:09+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|3 Comments

It’s the start of a new year. Time to set new resolutions and goals that, if history is a predictor, will be off track and broken by the end of February, despite our best intentions now. Want to make this year different?

Let’s take a look at why our goal setting hasn’t worked in the past, and what we can do about it.

Not Our Goals

One reason why we often fail to accomplish our goals is that they weren’t really our goals in the first place. They were “shoulds” impressed on us by our spouses, parents, children, business partners, or society in general. So ask yourself, “I want this goal for the sake of what?” Why do I want this? If it’s to get my spouse off my back, I might be better served by choosing a more direct goal for improving my relationship with my spouse.

Do I want it badly enough to really change the way I behave? Do I want it badly enough to get out of my comfort zone and do something kind of scary? Am I willing to work for it? Do I want it enough to persevere and restrategize if initially I do not succeed?

If you cannot honestly answer “yes” to those questions, you would probably be better served by choosing another goal that is closer to your heart. If we keep our same old patterns, we will probably get our same old results.

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