2005 Tip of the Week Archive

For the Week Beginning December 26, 2005
Need New Office Furniture???
January and February are traditionally good months to purchase office furniture. If starting up, to save on initial overhead, purchase the minimum amount of furniture possible. Work with key items for a couple of months to let your office shake out, then make decisions on additional items.

For the Week Beginning December 19, 2005
Freeze Excel Column and Row Headings
If you or your staff use Excel a lot, this can help end the frustration of constantly scrolling to see where you are in the input process.

When scrolling around a large Excel worksheet, the headings will disappear making it difficult to track the data accurately. Freezing the rows and columns beneath the headings will eliminate this. Excel inserts a thin, black line to show where the frozen pane begins. It is possible to freeze a row, column, or both.

To freeze a row:
1) Select the row number or a cell in Column A that's immediately beneath the last row your want frozen.
2) On the Menu Bar, click on Window and select Freeze Panes.

To freeze a column:
1) Select the column letter or a cell in Row 1 that's immediately to the right of the last column your want frozen.
2) On the Menu Bar, click on Window and select Freeze Panes.

To freeze both a row and a column at the same time:
1) Select the cell that bisects the column and row beneath the ones you want to freeze.
2) On the Menu Bar, click on the Window and select Freeze Panes.

To restore the workbook to its normal view (remove the freeze feature):
On the Menu Bar, click on Window and select Unfreeze Pane

For the Week Beginning December 12, 2005
Internal Controls
No one likes to think they might have a dishonest employee. To protect yourself and your employees, never let the same person deposit funds, write checks and reconcile your bank statement. Make sure your systems include separation of duties.

For the Week Beginning December 5, 2005
Need Better Internet Search Results?
Using Boolean Search Logic can increase your internet "hit" efficiency. If you are researching information using a search engine and find that your query has yielded thousands of hits, try doing a Boolean search. Use Boolean operators, such as, AND, OR, NOT, NEAR, and ADJ (adjacent), in your query. For example, rather than searching for "airline tickets", search for airline AND tickets. You will find that the number of hits has been greatly reduced, resulting in a more fulfilling web search.

For the Week Beginning November 28, 2005
Taking Better Photographs
This isn't a practice tip; it's a tip to practice. If your Thanksgiving photos disappointed in any way, here are 10 tips to help improve your "photojournalism" skills. Capturing our family celebrations with memorable photos (works for both digital and film) is paramount.

To see examples of each of the tips below, visit www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=317&pq-locale=en_US

Look your subject in the eye
Use a plain background
Use flash outdoors
Move in close
Move it from the middle
Lock the focus
Know your flash's range
Watch the light
Take some vertical pictures
Be a picture director

For the Week Beginning November 21, 2005
Cost Cutting After Retiring/Closing Your Practice
You might be able to save a bit of money by reducing your professional liability coverage to "extended reporting" coverage upon retiring from your practice and/or closing down your office. This removes coverage for "continuing acts" and thereby reduces your cost while still providing insurance coverage on a claims made policy. Check with your professional liability carrier if retirement or closure is on your horizon.

Week of November 14, 2005
Getting Through the Holidays
It's not too early to begin thinking about balancing your life and work for the upcoming (eeeek! It's upon us!!) holiday season. Here are some tips you might be able to use as we ramp up to the New Year.

Having realistic expectations is really important. Don't set yourself up for disappointment.
If you must fulfill holiday obligations, have some fun, too. If you're having family over and past experiences have proven stressful, go ahead and invite two or more friends, as well. If your gatherings lean toward "tense," having others in the mix can alleviate some of that.
Plan ahead. You can leave room for spontaneity, but don't rely on it. Organize activities that children can do while adults visit. And then plan to do something everyone enjoys, whether it's pulling out the old photo albums or renting a favorite movie. Get plenty of rest and plenty of exercise -- two stress-relievers that are good all year round. During the holidays, it's too easy to stay up late to make "midnight-madness" sales or wrap gifts elaborately -- things that don't really have to be done but that many people feel obligated to do.
Leave "hot topics" alone for now. If a family member has a problem with alcoholism, for example, this is not the time to solve it.

You may not need all the above tips, but perhaps one or two might smooth out holiday stress.

For the Week Beginning November 7, 2005
Choose Software before Hardware
Software dictates hardware needs. When buying or upgrading computers, figure out what kind of software you want first, then determine what kind of hardware you will need to run the software.

For the Week Beginning October 31, 2005
Bills as a Status Report for Your Clients
A detailed bill can serve as an excellent status report to your client. An informed client will call you less to check the status of their case. If you need a sample, please give us a call at 404-527-8772 -- we'll be glad to send you one.

For the Week Beginning October 24, 2005
Log Your Time Promptly
If you don't record your time contemporaneously, you will forget what you did. The longer you wait, a day, a week, or a month, the less likely you are to reconstruct your time or produce an accurate bill.

For the Week Beginning October 17, 2005
Prepare your digital life for disaster
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (and now we've got Wilma on the way) have brought home the fragility of our lives and property. Evacuations don't give you the time to ponder everything worth saving. Certainly your life and those of your loved ones come first. Beyond that, what can you feasibly take when disaster closes in?

Some of the most useful things you can save are records and information. They can include anything from financial records to photos. But there's not enough time to organize these things if you have to evacuate suddenly.

In the digital age, it's wise to keep backups. Important data should be in one place, ready to go.

If you have a desktop, you'll need a backup medium you can pack. One of the most mobile is a thumb drive. You can get a gigabyte-capacity thumb drive for under $200. Or 512 MB drives run well under $100. Many also provide rebates. Be sure to look for encryption features.

Of course, thumb drives are nowhere near as large as hard drives. So only the most important documents will make the cut.

Good candidates include birth certificates, titles and deeds, and tax records. Other valuable scans include insurance policies, bank statements and medical records. Some documents are best kept on traditional media. So paper will still be a part of your evacuation packing. Most important, keep these documents in a small, portable package.

Thumb drives are also handy for digital photos, which can be irreplaceable. Along with personal photos, take photos of your household possessions. Keep them with a spreadsheet of purchase dates and prices.

If you need more room for photos, you could burn CDs. But that would make your emergency packing more cumbersome. Another option is to back up photos onto the Web. Kodak EasyShare, Yahoo! Photos and Snapfish provide photo storage for a yearly fee.

Want to take everything on your computer? Back up your desktop to an external hard drive. It won't be as mobile as a thumb drive, but it can still pack easily into a suitcase or backpack.

Brands include Maxtor, Western Digital and Seagate. You can set up automatic backups of the entire contents of your computer. Then your external drive is always ready to go. You should be able to get an 80 GB drive for $100 to $150.

For the Week Beginning October 10, 2005
Back Up Your Network!
We have watched it happen in New Orleans, Biloxi, Mobile and all over Florida -- Mother Nature ripping through law offices, causing a great deal of business interruption. This is another very good reason to back up your network; it is an important aspect of disaster planning. Backing up your firm's computers should be part of your office's daily (or at least weekly) routine, whether you use a tape drive, zip drive, or on-line service. It is important to store the backup off site, otherwise, you're defeating the purpose of backing up your computers.

For the Week beginning October 3, 2005
Use of Personal Automobiles
Did you know that an employee driving his/her own vehicle on behalf of your firm can put you at risk in case of an accident? Consider Other Owned Vehicle Insurance. Check it out with your insurance agent.

For the Week beginning September 26, 2005
Increase in Standard Mileage Reimbursement Rate
In case you hadn't heard, due to recent increases in fuel prices, the IRS has raised the standard mileage rate to 48.5 cents per mile. This change was effective September 1, 2005 until December 31, 2005. Here's the IRS press release. I'm certain you and your employees who are reimbursed would appreciate it if you would pass this along to them.

For the Week Beginning September 19, 2005
Ten Tips to Improve Your E-Mail Writing

Think before you write. Just because you can send information faster than ever before, it doesn't mean that you should send it. Analyze your readers to make certain that you are sending a message that will be both clear and useful.
Remember that you can always deny that you said it. But if you write it, you may be held accountable for many many moons. You may be surprised to find where your message may end up.
Keep your message concise. Remember that the view screen in most e-mail programs shows only approximately one half of a hard-copy page. Save longer messages and formal reports for attachments. On the other hand, do not keep your message so short that the reader has no idea what you're talking about. Include at least a summary (action or information?) in the first paragraph of your message.
Remember that e-mail is not necessarily confidential. Some companies will retain the right to monitor employees' messages. (Refer to #1 and #2, above.) Don't send anything you wouldn't be comfortable seeing published in your company's newsletter (or your community's newspaper).
Don't attempt to "discipline" your readers. It's unprofessional to lose control in person, to do so in writing usually just makes the situation worse.
Don't "spam" your readers. Don't send them unnecessary or frivolous messages. Soon, they'll quit opening any message from you.
DON'T TYPE IN ALL CAPS! IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE YELLING AT THE READERS! Remember, if you emphasize everything, you will have emphasized nothing.
don't type in all lower case. (unless you're e.e. cummings.) if you violate the rules of english grammar and usage, you make it difficult for the reader to read.
Use the "Subject" line to get the readers' attention. Replace vague lines ("Information on XYZ Project," or "Status Report Q1") with better "hooks": "Need your input on the (insert title) Project," or "Analysis of recent problems with the new Widgit."
Take the time to poofread your document before you sent it. Rub the document thru the spell checker and/or the grammer checker. Even simpl tipos will make you look sloppie and damage you're proffessional credubility. (see how annoying that is!!!)

For the Week Beginning September 12, 2005
If your practice budget runs on an annual basis, it is not too early to begin mapping out next year's budget. Here are some easy steps to follow:

Look at last year's financial statements.
Look at the bottom line.
Change the bottom line to where you want it (need for it) to be twelve months from now.
Look at your last year's expenses line by line and see how each item will change over the next twelve months - based on what you have to do to reach the new bottom line.
Look at your revenue. See by how much it will have to change to reach the new bottom line.
Make plans to increase your income (Review your marketing strategies, review your existing client and case base, review your intake procedures, review your billing procedures, review your collection procedures and document the nexessary changes that have to happen in order to reach the new bottom line).
Prepare a time-line for implementing necessary changes.
Establish a schedule for regular budget/actual reviews (i.e. quarterly).
Take corrective action when necessary.

For the Week Beginning September 5, 2005
Have you heard about "ICE"
ICE stands for In Case of Emergency. If you become incapacitated, emergency responders may check your cell phone to see if you have an ICE listing. If you put a period in front (as in .ICE) it will be positioned at the top of the list of contacts. You can also have a "Call If Found" entry with your landline number in case you lose your phone and some honest person finds it.

For the Week Beginning August 29, 2005
Head off Accounts Receivables Woes...
Establishing clear communication with your client about your billing processes before you send out the first bill may reduce accounts receivable woes down the road.

For the Week Beginning August 22, 2005
It happens more than you think...
Have you ever been unable to get to your office in a snowstorm or other emergency? How can you contact your clients, opposing counsel or the court to postpone important events? Keep a list of all office and home phone numbers of clients and opposing counsel. Take home an updated hard copy of the list -- or e-mail it to yourself -- every few months. In case of an emergency, such as sickness, injury, storm or damage to your office, you will have a way to contact clients and other attorneys to inform them of the situation. Be sure to keep your client list in a confidential and secure location.

For the Week Beginning August 8, 2005
System Requirements for Voice Recognition Software
Further to last week's tip, if you'd like to go paperless using voice recognition software, below are the minimum requirements for most programs.

Intel Pentium III/500 MHz processor (or equivalent AMD processor)
256 MB RAM (512 MB RAM recommended)
500 MB free hard disk space
Microsoft Windows XP (SP1 or higher; includes XP Tablet Edition) or Home and Professional 2000 (SP4 or higher)
Sound Card Supporting 16-bit recording
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 or higher
CD-ROM drive, required for installation
Noice-canceling headset microphone
Speakers
Web connection for activation

For the Week Beginning August 8, 2005
Thinking About Voice Recognition Software?
Some voice recognition software boasts a 98% accuracy rating. While those claims may well be true for the vendor, this may not be the case for others. "Training" the software and a fast computer processor are required to attain such accuracy. When looking at voice recognition software, look at recommended system requirements and then double to ensure your hardware can handle the software.

For the Week Beginning August 1, 2005
Bill Early... Collect Timely
Setting a cut-off date for your billing cycle a few days before the end of the month can generate quicker cash flow than sending your bills out after the first of the month. This technique will put your invoices in clients' hands late in the month and may create the possibility of either immediate or timely payment.

For the Week Beginning July 25, 2005
Automated Timekeeping --An Invaluable Management Tool
Automated timekeeping records are possibly one of the best management tools regardless of billing method used. They can give you information on timekeeper efficiency, profitability of certain practice areas, work volume by client, and many more important facts. If you'd like to automate your timekeeping, please phone Natalie Thornwell at (404) 527-8770 for more information.

For the Week Beginning July 18, 2005
Confidentiality and the Fax Machine
Confidentiality is a big issue when sending faxes to your client. When a client gives you his or her fax number, determine right then how the client receives faxes. Is it a neighbor's fax machine, a common fax machine in an office, or a personal computer accessible to several people? Make a note by the fax number whether the fax machine is reasonably confidential or whether the client must be called first in order to stand by the fax machine to receive the fax. You may want to modify your client intake form to include this information.

For the Week Beginning July 11, 2005
Make a Good First Impression
How you introduce yourself can make a big difference in your business development efforts. Learn how to meet and greet people and not turn them away by how you introduce yourself. If you immediately say "I'm a labor lawyer," few people will ever think to themselves that they will need your services. At that point you may have lost the opportunity to market yourself for any other purpose. Create a five second introduction to repeat when meeting new people (i.e. potential clients). It should be natural and informative, such as "I am a problem solver for small businesses" or "I help families plan for their financial future."

For the Week Beginning July 4, 2005
Discussing Fee Issues with Your Client
It is best to discuss fee issues with the client more than once. Remember that clients are often under considerable stress (from their legal problems) the first time they visit a lawyer. Your explanation of your fees and costs may be a model of clarity, but it may not sink in. Give your explanation in writing as well as verbally. If a lot of money is at stake (in the eyes of the client), allow the client time to think it over before committing to your fees. Clients who 'buy in' to a fee agreement are more likely to abide by it. Then take the initiative to periodically discuss the amount of fees throughout your representation. If at any given point the fee does not comport with the client's expectations, resolve the situation as soon as possible - don't let it fester until the attorney/client relationship is irreparably damaged.

For the Week Beginning June 27, 2005
Stay in the Technology "Fast Lane"
The average life span of technology is roughly 18 to 24 months. An excellent means of staying abreast of the ever-changing technology world is to read hardware and software reviews. Many tech journals offer such reviews on-line such as Law Office Computing, PC Magazine, PC World, to name a few. There are also web sites dedicated solely to technology which offer reviews regularly such as www.cnet.com.

For the Week Beginning June 20, 2005
Casemaker Quick View and Search
The Georgia Code is not contained in Case law. Here's a quick way to view a case and search for a statute. This will allow you to maximize your search capability when using Casemaker by having 2 windows open at the same time.

Hold down "ctrl" key, and then press the "N" key to open a second window. By doing this, you can search Case law in one window and search the Georgia Code & Acts in the second window.

This week's tip is courtesy of Jacqui Fitzgerald, the Bar's Casemaker Coordinator. Give her a call if you need more Casemaker info at (404) 526-8618.

For the Week Beginning June 13, 2005
Tips on Client Trust Account Maintenance
The following tips can help you manage your client trust account: In addition to the account journal, you must create a ledger for each client on whose behalf you hold money. Also, create a ledger to record any administrative costs used to cover bank charges. Never pay a client with cash; always have a check as a record. Do not use an ATM card to withdraw money, and never use a deposit ticket to get "cash back." Even a wire transfer isn't a good idea. Don't disburse a check until the deposited funds have cleared. Be diligent, but don't let a client rush you. After you have written the disbursement check(s), take a moment to add them up and compare against the client's balance in the trust account. Make sure there are funds available to cover the checks. Reconcile monthly, no matter how much of a pain it is! Have a good audit trail. In addition to the account statement and any canceled checks, keep a monthly folder with the following: copies of all checks deposited to or written on the account and copies of all deposit slips (copies made by you--don't rely on the bank); a copy of all disbursement statements/agreements signed by your clients and fulfilled that month, and a copy of your account journal (or a screen print from your computer) showing the account transactions for that month. Re-read your rules annually to make sure you are still incompliance.

For the Week Beginning June 6, 2005
Five Steps to Regaining that New Windows PC Performance
Is your "fast" computer not so fast these days? Even the most vigorous computers get bogged down over time. Unnecessary files, unused programs and programs running in the background consume valuable space. There are five easy steps to rejuvenate your now sluggish, once zippy Windows machine.

1. Lighten the load. Your hard drive, no matter how big, will slow down once it reaches 90 percent capacity. To free up valuable space, you can remove unused programs. Click Start>>Control Panel (in Windows 98/ME, Start>>Settings>>Control Panel). Double-click Add or Remove Programs.

If you have Windows XP, you can see the size of the program, how often it's used and the date it was last used. Although helpful, this info should not be the only determining factor.
Click the program you want to remove and then click Change/Remove (In Windows 98/ME, Add/Remove).

During this process, you may encounter a message asking if you want to remove a shared component. Select "no to all." These files are small and may be necessary for programs to operate properly.

2. Clean it up. Disk Cleanup will delete downloaded program files, temporary files, temporary internet files and items in your Recycle Bin. Windows XP's version of Disk Cleanup also deletes offline Web pages and compresses rarely used files.

Click Start>>(All) Programs>>Accessories>>System Tools>>Disk Cleanup. Select the drive you want to clean (probably C:) and click OK. Place a check mark next to the items you want deleted and click OK.

You can also remove Windows components that you don't use. Start Disk Cleanup and click the More Options tab. Click "Clean up" under Windows components. You can remove games, accessories and other non-essential Windows components.

The More Options tab also allows Windows XP users to clear old restore points. These chew up a lot of space over time. Just click the "Clean up" button under System Restore and then Yes.

3. Reduce your start-up time. Instant messaging programs, media players and other programs sneak an automatic start with Windows, slowing down your boot time while reducing your system's resources. You can stop these programs by clicking Start>>Run. Type "msconfig" without the quotes and click OK. Click the Startup tab.

You'll see a number of programs listed. Some names are easy to figure out. But the majority is difficult to decipher. You can find a list of entries and explanations here: http://www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.php

Clear the boxes for the programs you don't need. Click Apply>>OK. You'll be prompted to restart your computer.

After restarting you'll receive a message stating that the System Configuration Utility is in Diagnostic or Selective Startup mode. Just check the box next to "don't show this message again" and click OK.

4. Consolidate. Photographs take up a lot of space and it's easy to have multiple copies of digital picture files. A good photo organizer will help consolidate all of your pictures and remove duplicates.

There are a number of good organizers under $50 from Adobe, Nero and Ulead. If you want to try an organizer, there is a free program called Picasa at http://www.picasa.com/picasa/.

5. Search. Find and remove very large files through Windows' search function. Click Start>>Search>>All files and folders. Then click on the arrow next to "What size is it?" Click Large>>Search.

This function will show you all those forgotten video or music files and data files from games you used to play. If you're not absolutely sure what the file is, it's best to conduct an Internet search using the file name.

Exercise these steps on at least a quarterly basis. You'll keep your computer spinning like a top!

For the Week Beginning May 31, 2005
Thinking of Moving Ahead Toward a Paperless Office?
Imaging/scanning software is an important key to establishing a paperless office. Make sure that the software that is bundled with the scanner includes Optical Character Recognition (OCR). OCR allows the scanned documents to be converted into an actual text file which can then be edited. Otherwise, you simply have an image or picture of the document which you will not be able to edit in any way. Contact Pamela Myers, Resource Advisor for Law Practice Management at (404) 526-8621 for a list of OCR program distributors.

For the Week Beginning May 23, 2005
Summer is a Great Time for Practice Evaluation
If your firm has "downtime," you can utilize that free time to re-evaluate certain aspects of your practice. If your practice slows down a bit this summer, take some time to review your practice. Do you need to revise your business plan? Need to develop that marketing plan? Are your office systems adequate to avoid malpractice? If you need assistance with practice management issues, please contact Natalie Thornwell at (404) 527-8770.

For the Week Beginning May 16, 2005
Need a New Search Engine?
Most search engines only search a very small fraction of the web. Try this little-used, very effective search engine, www.alltheweb.com, that searches 3-4 times more of the web than standard search engines popular today.

For the Week Beginning May 9, 2005
Customizable Time and Billing Software
Most time & billing programs such as Timeslips, PCLawJr., TABS III, etc. are all customizable allowing the user to customize the layout and appearance of the bill. Most clients expect to see exactly what they're being billed for. These programs will allow attorneys to customize their bills to adhere to the specifications of the client.

For the Week Beginning May 2, 2005
Make Your Bills Clear and Concise
Clarity of explanation when preparing your bills is essential to avoiding any misunderstandings that might hinder payment of the bill. Make your bills clear and informative, with a format and layout that is easy to read. Ask several clients, your spouse or other non-lawyer to review several samples of your bills -- with names and addresses redacted, of course! Is the wording free of jargon? Do they understand what work was performed? Can they understand how the amount of the bill was calculated? If so, you probably have a winning format that your clients will respect and pay.

For the Week Beginning April 25, 2005
Has Your Practice Stopped being Fun?
You can bring fun back into your practice. If you are starting a new practice, or you are not enjoying the type of cases you are presently getting, work on focusing, or re-focusing, your practice. This is particularly important for new lawyers, who run the risk of either being overwhelmed because they try to handle everything that comes in the door or are doing nothing because potential clients don't identify them with any particular area of the law.

Once you select a focus area, or two areas which will complement each other, do market research to determine whether that practice niche is already filled in your community. If not, begin to identify the clients you want. Define them by geographical area, gender, age, education, occupation, financial and marital status. Then determine where you can expect to find such people and the best methods to make them aware of your services. Review our rules of professional conduct before designing your marketing efforts. Develop a marketing plan with qualitative standards, pursue it steadily, and review your results frequently.

For the Week Beginning April 18, 2005
Getting A Response to Your Telephone Messages
Are people phoning back when you leave a message? When leaving your telephone number on someone's voice mail or answering machine, be sure to say it slowly. Many areas of the country now require ten-digit telephone numbers, plus many small office phone systems also have three-digit extensions. YOU may know your number quickly, but the person trying to write it down does not. Saying your the number slowly on the answering machine can alleviate the receiving party's frustration at having to replay the message several times to transcribe the number correctly. It's the small things that set us above the crowd!

For the Week Beginning April 11, 2005
Original Documents and the Initial Client Interview
During an initial client interview, it is best not to retain original documents from the client. Many experts agree that until the client has retained your services, it is not wise to keep the client's original documents. Photocopy any original documents the client may have brought to the conference and return those at the same time to the client. (If the documents are too voluminous, don't offer to copy and return them after the consultation--there are too many ways they could get lost or you get blamed for not returning them.) Consider modifying your client intake sheet to include a statement that the client gave you permission to photocopy the originals and an acknowledgment that they were, in fact, returned. Then you won't be responsible for producing an original document, or years later trying to decide what was an original document. Yes, there may be exceptions when you should hold onto an original document, but those instances are few and far between.

For the Week Beginning April 4, 2005
Avoiding Client Frustration -- and it's sooooo easy!
Changing your greeting on your voice mail/answering machine regularly can your clients from much frustration. Add a personal touch to voice mail: Change your greeting daily -- or at least weekly -- to reflect your schedule so callers will know whether you will receive their message in ten minutes, ten hours or ten days! There are few things more frustrating for a client than to call their lawyer and get the same "I'm either away from my desk or on another line," only to find out their lawyer is in trial for three days or in Tahiti for three weeks. Also, if you are going to be unavailable for more than a day, leave instructions on your greeting message on how to reach a real live person if they need to when you're unavailable. Your clients may not thank you, but they will appreciate it!

For the Week Beginning March 28, 2005
Create, Maintain and Manage your Case Chronologies
Unlike word processing software, database software makes it easy to create, maintain and manage your case chronology. If you use a multi-user database, several of your trial team members can simultaneously enter data, find out about facts and make changes as needed.

Database software automatically sorts your facts chronologically, and provides the date the information was entered. A user can enter information from a selection of lists, which saves time and eliminates misspellings that ordinarily occur with manual entry. Database software makes exploring your chronology much easier. It allows you to filter chronologies down to any area of interest. Thus, instead of printing a chronology that lists all facts of a case, you can print those facts that are particularly important or areas that are of major interest. If you're interested in database software, contact Natalie Thornwell at 404-527-8770.

For the Week Beginning March 21, 2005
Give Your New Clients a File
When you are engaged by a new client, it is an excellent idea to provide him or her with a sturdy file folder bearing a label with your firm's name, address, phone and fax numbers, e-mail, etc. Place a signed copy of the fee agreement in the file as the first document.

Further explain to the client that you will be sending copies of everything related to the case, both documents you generate and those you receive, and that the client should place these documents in the file immediately when received. Many clients don't have an adequate at-home filing system; the things you send, therefore, may end up on the kitchen counter decorated with applesauce or as someone's telephone message slip. By the end of representation (or at any point in between), your client will have a complete copy of their file.

For the Week Beginning March 14, 2005
Make your passwords tough to track
Did you know hackers use special programs that can crack most passwords in a few minutes? This software will find almost any word, name, date, series of numbers or letters, words spelled backwards, and more. For a password that's harder to crack, use the maximum number of characters allowed, and use a mix of numbers, letters, and punctuation symbols.

For the Week Beginning March 7, 2005
Take Advantage of Casemaker Legal Research
Casemaker is up and running; training has commenced. If you haven't signed up, give our Membership Department a call at (404) 527-8780. If you'd like to talk about Casemaker features before signing up, please call our Casemaker Coordinator, Jacqui Fitzgerald, at (404) 526-8618.

For the Week Beginning February 28, 2005
There's still time to make plans for Chicago
If you are a Legal Professionals who is interested in legal technology, ABA TECHSHOW offers more than 65 education and training sessions in eight different tracks - sessions designed to help people at various skill levels learn to make the most effective use of technology in their legal setting. Whether you are an IT novice or a technocrat, ABA TECHSHOW provides education and training sessions sure to challenge your thinking and expand your knowledge. Sessions are created to accommodate the needs of solo practitioners and those operating in large firms. Visit http://www.abanet.org/techshow for registration inforamtion.

For the Week Beginning February 21, 2005
Your Hard Drive and Charity
With the cost of computers dropping, many lawyers are purchasing new computers, then donating their old computers to charitable organizations. Before you do, consult our bar rules and ethics opinions to avoid potential ethics violations.

Most likely, the computer hard drive contains confidential client information. The only State Bar of Georgia requirement for keeping client files relates to trust account records for six years. Unless you're sure you have a hard copy of all this information, you should save the information contained on the hard drive. You can transfer it to your new computer's hard drive, or make a complete back-up via zip drive, tape drive, CD-RW, etc.
Now the tough part: Donating the computer without properly discarding the information contained on hard-drive may violate Georgia's confidentiality rule. Just deleting everything on the hard drive probably is not enough, as the information can be easily restored and viewed. You should take reasonable additional steps to make sure the information remains confidential. In most instances, the best thing to do is to reformat the hard drive or use a software utility that "wipes" the hard drive clean. Try Shredder95 or Eraser (from East Tech), shareware programs are about $20 each and available from ZDnet at http://www.zdnet.com/swlib/utilities/file_utilities.html. If the information on your hard drive is VERY sensitive, then consider removing the hard drive from the computer and keeping it or physically destroying it. Yes, it significantly reduces the value of your donation, but isn't it better to be safe than sorry? (You can also buy an inexpensive new hard drive to make your donation complete.)

For the Week Beginning February 14, 2005
Recycle your phone book ...
... and use your computer instead. Download free software from BellSouth and access the contents of the phone directory without actually downloading the whole directory. More accurate than other online directories, it even looks like a phone book. Besides convenience, you will gain the ability to link to business Web sites in the yellow pages. Plus, use "EZ-View" to magnify those tiny numbers. The directory is available free at www.realpageslive.com. If your Internet connection is slow, a free CD-ROM is also available. What's more, phone directories for nine southeastern states are included in either version.

For the Week Beginning February 7, 2005
Are you complying with OFAC regulations?
The Office for Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is a branch of the U.S. Treasury that enforces sanctions against "enemies of the United States" as designated on a master list called the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Entities. OFAC has strict regulations regarding the acceptance of payment from individuals suspected of aiding terrorists. Many law firms may be unaware that they are expected to screen all past and potential clients against a list of nearly 5,000 entities that changes daily. Violating OFAC regulations, whether knowingly or unknowingly, can result in fines of up to $10,000,000 and 30 years in prison. The Sentinel is a SDN List Compliance Tool devised by a lawyer in Arizona. A browser-based application made freely available by Legal Technology Consulting, Inc., it helps maintain compliance with OFAC regulations by comparing Outlook contacts to the government list. To learn more, go to www.sdncompliance.com.

For the Week Beginning January 31, 2005
Its Not All About Money ...
Non-monetary incentives can be used to motivate team members. Raises and promotions aren't necessarily an employer's only options to motivate his/her staff. Incentives such as flexible work hours, titles, upgraded work space, plaques, paid vacation time, participation in improvement teams, lunches, company picnics, flowers on Secretary's Day, etc., can be just as effective as a raise.

For the Week Beginning January 24, 2005
It's All About Time
You can manually sync your watch and PC to the exact time using www.time.gov, a public service of the US Government. Or download a freeware or shareware program that will automatically update your PC to the exact time in your time zone by linking to atomic clocks in various parts of the world. Check out http://winfiles.cnet.com/apps/98/clock.html for time synchronization programs (in the search box, type in "time sync" (such as the highly-rated Atomtime98) and other timers for you and your PC.

For the Week Beginning January 17, 2005
Newsletters and Marketing Plans
Newsletters can play a tremendous marketing role in many law firms. A good newsletter starts with a good marketing plan. A marketing plan will help guide your ideas, so that you can market yourself and your services to clients. Here are a few tips that you can use as a guide in creating your newsletter.

1. Setting goals.
2. Setting objectives.
3. Finding a well-defined audience.
4. Matching your goals and objectives to target markets and forming an action plan.
5. Keep mind that a successful newsletter should always show the publication's goals and connect with readers' interests.
6. Develop a plan that will express what your firm can offer clients.

If you'd like some guidance on building a marketing plan, give LPM a call at 404-527-8772.

For the Week Beginning January 10, 2005
Get Your Name Out There!!
Did you know that public seminars are excellent means of marketing your firm? Holding informational seminars for the general public in your community is an excellent way to get your name out and become recognized as an attorney. For example, if you're an estates planning attorney, you may want to hold a seminar or workshop on wills at a retirement center. The key is to let members of the community know who you are and what you do.

For the Week Beginning January 3, 2005
!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR !!! Don't Let Your Hard Work Go Up In Smoke
Fire prevention plans should be considered in all law offices. Fire prevention is rarely contemplated in the daily management of a busy law office, but the effects of a fire could devastate your law practice. The fire doesn't even have to start in your office suite; down the hall or one floor away, the smoke and water damage could paralyze your practice and harm your clients' case if papers and evidence are damaged or destroyed. The chance of a fire may seem remote, but the resulting consequences could be catastrophic. Take a few moments to consider your precautions in case of a fire (or other such disaster) and implement some simple loss prevention measures.

Review the fire prevention and minimization systems in your office. What precautions do you have including smoke detectors, fire alarms, sprinkler systems? Could these be upgraded at reasonable cost?

The information stored on your office computers should be periodically duplicated (backed up) onto tapes or disks, and stored at an off-site location. These tapes/disks should not only encompass client information, but firm financial information. An undamaged back-up tape of your most recent billing cycle will keep your cash flowing and save immeasurable hours of lost time and aggravation. (Remember to periodically restore a sample file from the tape/disk to make sure your backup system is really working.)

Important client documents and case evidence should also be protected from fire. Most attorneys do not have the space or resources to house important documents or evidence in fireproof file cabinets. However, there are some things that may be worth the additional investment. A "one-of-a-kind" piece of evidence in your possession should be kept in a fireproof safe, as should evidentiary photos or x-rays.

Finally, keep a confidential copy of your client list, including names, addresses and telephone numbers, in a secure and confidential place out of your office; be sure to update it several times per year. If there is a fire and you cannot get into the office, at least you have a way to contact your clients to let them know the situation.

Tip of the Week (All tips featured here are provided by the State Bar of Georgia's Law Practice Management Program and the Practice Management Advisors Committee of the ABA Law Practice Management Section. The tips are not meant as legal advice, nor binding on the State Bar of Georgia or the ABA.)