Law Office Management for Paralegals, Fourth Edition is a comprehensive introduction to law office management, emphasizing ethics, law office culture, law office systems, and “soft skills,” such as communications and critical thinking. Assignments are drawn from real-world law office management situations and supported by innovative visual aids and learning tools. Students get hands-on practice with timekeeping, conflicts-checking, file management, trust accounting, business planning, correspondence, and much more. They are exposed to law office software, such as Clio, and learn to perform vital functions using other software and even freeware. Career profiles emphasize the importance of involvement in professional organizations, advancement in the legal field without obtaining a law degree, and that the legal profession is populated by men and women of all ages and backgrounds. New to the Fourth Edition: New ethical discussions: the obligation to keep up with current technology, disaster planning, and dealing with clients using crowdfunding. New technology discussions: artificial intelligence in legal practice, online notarization, client portals, and apps to make the practice of law more efficient and mobile. New discussions of law as a business: features of property insurance, malpractice insurance, insurance for and on employees; trends in office space. New soft skills discussions: dealing with incivility in the legal profession, managing staff through technology changes. Professors and students will benefit from: Author Laurel A. Vietzen’s outstanding reputation in the paralegal market. Drawing on her extensive background as a professor and practitioner, she clearly presents basic law office management and organization. Well-crafted assignments throughout the text help students hone practical skills such as critical thinking, organization, general communication, and computer proficiency. The text is particularly adaptable for an online or hybrid class.

Practical and engaging introduction to Law Office Management for paralegals. Features: Comprehensive overview of the basics of law office management in today's legal environment. Features real-world examples of law office management issues faced in the law office today. Includes helpful vocabulary, constructive discussion starters, and useful case excerpts underscoring core concepts. All of these help instructor's engage students with the material. Discussion questions and case studies are provided at the end of each chapter to reinforce the material. Each chapter includes review checklists and additional resources to help students master the concepts. Students are taught the ethical requirements of the legal business but are also challenged to understand their real-world underpinnings. New to the Second Edition: Updated to reflect changes in the legal profession as clients demand economically viable solutions and technology increasingly allows lawyers to provide them Coverage of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in Chapter 5. Coverage of sustainability in facility management in Chapter 6 More focus on developing demonstrable skills useful in law office management, in the legal field, and beyond Greater emphasis on client relationship management and legal project management by all members of the legal team Career preparation tips in every chapter Chapter outcomes added to the beginning of every chapter Coverage of texts and instant messaging in Chapter 7 New section on Marketing the Law Firm in Chapter 8 Enhanced discussion of social media and its usefulness in law firm marketing

While there is significant interest in knowledge management as it applies to legal environments, there are very few books specifically focused on this topic. In Effective Knowledge Management For Law Firms, Matthew Parsons expertly fills this gap by drawing on his work with a leading commercial law firm, Mallesons Stephen Jaques. He examines how law firms can implement a knowledge strategy to support their business strategy, rather than getting beguiled by fads and technology. Parsons first outlines the terrain, including what knowledge management means, the business and economics of law firms, and how lawyers work as knowledge workers. He then introduces a methodology for creating and implementing law firm knowledge strategy, which combines for the first time the interrelated aspects of recruiting, training, research, document production, information management, and digital knowledge strategy. Parsons goes beyond theories to provide detailed, practical help for the analysis, implementation, and measurement of performance-increasing initiatives. This book will be an invaluable resource for all those involved with the management and leadership of law firms and knowledge management initiatives.

This book covers topics such as: fundamentals of law firm financial information, with easy-to-understand examples of the data involved and financial management concepts.

Risk Management: Survival Tools for Law Firms helps you to establish solid policies, procedures, and systems to minimize your firm's risk. This completely updated and revised edition provides a complete overview of risk management and offers a practical approach to evaluating the state of risk management within your firm.

What separates this manual and textbook from others in the field of law practice management is the experiential component. The course takes students step-by-step through the process of opening their own law firm. The textbook incorporates breakout boxes with experiences from the authors' own law practices to illustrate points in the text. The book's appendix includes a comprehensive collection of sample forms that law school clinics and new attorneys can use as a reference for the various types of cases that they may be called on to handle. And, finally, the new edition of this book includes an exploration of the issues involved in deciding whether or not to open a virtual office. The teacher's manual lays out exercises in detail, week by week, for the entire process of opening a law firm. It also features simulations, class discussions, and written reflections to give students the experience of handling the kinds of dilemmas, struggles, and emotionally charged situations that are common when starting and running solo and small-firm practices.

The Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides an up-to-date resource for information on legal ethics. Federal, state and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in solving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions and much more. In this volume, black-letter Rules of Professional Conduct are followed by numbered Comments that explain each Rule's purpose and provide suggestions for its practical application. The Rules will help you identify proper conduct in a variety of given situations, review those instances where discretionary action is possible, and define the nature of the relationship between you and your clients, colleagues and the courts.

Skilled lawyers who open their own firms can quickly find their dream career turning into a nightmare. When the firm doesn't grow as fast as you expected, the money doesn't come like you'd hoped despite working long hours, and your less-capable peers are passing you by, it can be demoralizing and deeply frustrating. Mike Morse has been there. The change he made that transformed both his personal life and his professional future was running his law firm like a business. Now, along with John Nachazel, Mike has written the book he wishes he had twenty years ago. In Fireproof, the duo lay out a roadmap of business principles to help you sort out what's missing from your firm. By running your firm like a business, you are free to work in your sweet spot, doing what you love to do every day. You'll attract more clients, make more money, and enjoy newfound freedom. As your firm grows, you'll enjoy peace of mind knowing it'll bring more profitability-not more problems.

The legal industry has long been risk averse, but when it comes to adapting to the experience-driven world created by companies like Netflix, Uber, and Airbnb, adherence to the old status quo could be the death knell for today's law firms. In The Client-Centered Law Firm, Clio cofounder Jack Newton offers a clear-eyed and timely look at how providing a client-centered experience and running an efficient, profitable law firm aren't opposing ideas. With this approach, they drive each other. Covering the what, why, and how of running a client-centered practice, with examples from law firms leading this revolution as well as practical strategies for implementation, The Client-Centered Law Firm is a rallying call to unlock the enormous latent demand in the legal market by providing client-centered experiences, improving internal processes, and raising the bottom line.

"The purpose of this book is to help you manage and run a successful law practice"--