Tip of the Week

2008 Tip of the Week Archive
2007 Tip of the Week Archive
2006 Tip of the Week Archive
2005 Tip of the Week Archive

For the Week Beginning November 16, 2009
Marketing your Practice with Online Video
Enhance your website with online face-to-face video to market your firm. This method of marketing gives your firm's website a feeling of genuine interaction and encourages trust. You can replicate an in-person interview that addresses the prospective clients' concerns and offer your visitors an opportunity to check you out before picking up the phone. Lawyers can showcase their personalities and areas of expertise. It's an ideal icebreaker that will reach a wide audience in a minimum of time and viewers can get the information they need to prequalify themselves before they call.

For the Week Beginning November 9, 2009
Take Your Backups Off-Site!!!
If you are storing your computer backup data in a "fire safe" common in retail stores, you are not necessarily safe. Great, you have in place a system for backing up your electronic files and you are on a rotation schedule for multiple copies but you leave the office every night and the backup files stay there. Most models of portable fire safes will only protect the contents for about an hour at temperatures sometimes below what occurs during a fire. And some don't protect against moisture damage. Think about what happens when the water from your sprinkler system or firemen hoses hits that heat and flame - Poof, steam. Don't forget that moisture along with intense heat will cause havoc with your storage media. Take your backups off-site!

For the Week Beginning November 2, 2009
Being "Unique" Might Bring More Business
Having a "unique" business card can be key in attracting more business. Think outside the box when it comes to your business card. Plain white rectangular business cards are always good to have, but why not create a card that really expresses your personality or that would be attractive to a specific population you would like to represent?

Think of ways to change the size, shape, color and content of your business card to reflect your practice. It may not be for everyone, but "outside-the-box" business cards might mean more business!

For the Week Beginning October 26, 2009
When to Buy Business Equipment
Throughout the business equipment industry, the end of the year is a good time to get better-than-average discounts. When looking for discounts, 25% to 30% are widespread and discounts of 35% are not uncommon. If the discount is 20% or less, keep looking. Also, keep in mind that the discount should also be applied to options prices, too, not just to the price of a basic machine. If you have a trade-in, make sure that any trade-in credits are in addition to the normal discount. If you're interested in pricing new equipment, please contact Pam Myers at pamm@gabar.org or 404-526-8621.

For the Week Beginning October 19, 2009
Keep the Work Moving
Reserving five to ten minutes every day to spend with your secretary and/or legal assistant can assure that the work keeps moving. Try scheduling the first ten minutes every day or the last ten minutes of every day to be accessible to your support staff. This should be time for them to ask YOU questions, not for you to delegate more work to them.

If you do this on a regular basis they can have a list of questions ready for you to discuss, and it will help them complete the assignments you have given them. Be brief, really keep it to no more than ten minutes, remember there will be another 10-minute meeting reserved just for them to ask questions - tomorrow.

We often find that the work the attorney has delegated to their support staff with the impression that it will be taken care of - starts to back up at the secretary's or legal assistant's desk because work coming from you is a non-stop stream, the staff is often pressed to work on what they can finish that day. Any thus - the stack on the side is growing steadily and developing into a situation of crisis management.

Remember - 10 minutes a day keep the problems away!

For the Week Beginning October 12, 2009
Wrapping Up a Closed Case
Did you know that having a systematic closure to a client's case will benefit both YOU and THE CLIENT? Here is how it can be done:

Conduct a 'post mortem' session. Give the client an opportunity to ask any and all 'final' questions about the outcome of their case. YOU are the most knowledgeable person about their case to give the answers to those last questions, not their neighbor, their friend at work, or a gym buddy. Make sure you are accessible to your client after everything has been said and done.
Send the final invoice. Sending the final invoice as soon as the last task in the case has been performed will give a final accounting or status report to the client in an expeditious manner, and increase the likelihood of collection - instead of waiting for the next billing cycle to come around. Make sure your billing software can accommodate 'out of the normal billing cycle' final billing without any flaws in the system.
Return client's property. Sending the client's property back immediately after completion of a case or giving the client a deadline to pick up their property from your office, will serve as an additional reminder to the client - the case is over. Also, it will save you from having to store and safeguard any materials that should rightfully be returned to the client as soon as you no longer need them. Prepare a checklist of items returned to the client and have them acknowledge receipt by signing your form.
Closing the file. Prepare a closing file checklist. (The LOMP of SBOT has a sample) Make sure the file is culled for any duplicate drafts of documents, legal pads, etc. Separate the items to be returned to the client from what you may want or need to keep. Assign the file a 'closed file' identifier and incorporate it in your closed files system. You will store less materials and use up less space in the process, by having a lean and orderly file.
Schedule file for periodic review. Initially schedule the file for review in three months to make sure all 'return receipt requested' cards have been received, the final bill has been paid, and all lose ends have been taken care of. Then schedule the file again for review in another three to six months as needed. After that you will want to schedule the next review a year later or at whatever interval is necessary for the particular case, to make sure all follow-up work has been successfully completed. Thereafter a regular review can be scheduled in preparation for eventual disposition.
Thank the client! Make it a habit to send either a card or a letter to the client to thank him/her for choosing you as their legal representative - it will go a long way!

For the Week Beginning October 5, 2009
Timing Your Billing to Improve Collection
It may be a good idea to time your bill to arrive before the client's cut-off date. Have someone in your firm take the time to find out the monthly cut-off date for each client's bill-paying cycle. Try to time your bill to arrive before the cut-off date each month, so that it does not wait around for another month's cycle. This may mean doing your bills in several small batches, but it is sure to improve your cash flow!

For the Week Beginning September 28, 2009
Avoid "Phone Tag"
A study conducted by Case Western University School of Law has found that Lawyer Accessibility was the most important factor when rating client satisfaction. One way to remain accessible to clients and avoid "phone tag" is to block a specific time for returning all your clients calls.

For the Week Beginning September 21, 2009
Some Things Do Not Change
The scarcest commodity in law practice today is not clients, technology sophistication or even capital resources? It's good people.

With a shortage of available skilled talent, it is more important than ever to "hire for attitude, then teach the skills." The bedrock principle "The best predictor of future success is past behavior" has never been more applicable. The skills needed to work in a law firm can be taught, but if the underlying work ethic is laziness or untruthfulness you would be better off leaving the position vacant. Thus, training new employees, once the fit is correct, has taken on an even greater importance. Certainly, this is true as it applies to technology usage. Many dollars are wasted by throwing new employees into a "sink or swim" environment with new software. The few dollars invested in training new employees to use the current versions of major law office software will bring an even greater return when the employee has the "right" attitude and motivation.

For the Week Beginning September 14, 2009
Cross-Training Can Solve Temporary Staff Shortages
Cross-training support staff can reduce the stress level when you need to fill a temporary vacancy on your staff.

Start by having everyone establish a 'position' description (Checklist of all tasks performed at each desk). Encourage each person to 'help out' in a different area on a regular basis (Half a day every week, until they are familiar with the responsibilities of each area of the organization).

The checklists will serve as a reference source. This way, when a team member is out, another can fill in more easily to assure continuation of the workflow at minimum interruption.

For the Week Beginning September 7, 2009
Save Your Sanity
Did you know that regular vacations are essential for maintaining your mental and physical well-being? Psychologists agree vacations are a way to take a break from a busy, stressful schedule. But don't fall into two common traps:

Don't overplan your vacation. Scheduling too many things can be counterproductive to a relaxing vacation. Avoid rushing to do anything, and leave time to be spontaneous. And just make time to do nothing.
If you feel you must bring along work, laptop or cell phone, limit the amount of time you spend using them. Otherwise, you are cheating yourself and your family out of a meaningful, refreshing experience.

For the Week Beginning September 1, 2009
Involve Your Clients
It is a very good idea to involve your clients in their legal matters as soon as possible and as much as possible. The lawyer-client relationship that develops is much better than those in which the client is not involved. Ask your clients to draft their own case histories, review documents obtained in discovery, and participate in the preparation of pre-trial statements. As a result, clients obtain some appreciation for the amount of time and type of work involved in preparing their cases, gain some control over their own cases, understand the effort and skill involved in being an attorney, and gain a greater sense of trust and appreciation for your services.

For the Week Beginning August 24, 2009
Tidy Up Your Files
Having a written file closing procedure to close a client's case will benefit both you and your clients. Here are six steps you can mix and match to fit your practice:

Conduct a"post mortem" session. Give the client an opportunity to ask any and all "final" questions about the outcome of their case. It will also give you a chance to review the file and tie up loose ends. Consider making this a "no charge" session, as it is as much for your benefit as it is for your client.
Send the final invoice. Sending the final invoice as soon as the last task in the case has been performed will give a final accounting or status report to the client in an expeditious manner, and increase the likelihood of collection - instead of waiting for the next billing cycle to come around. Make sure your billing software can accommodate "out of the normal billing cycle" final billing without any flaws in the system.
Return the client's property. Sending the client's property back immediately after completion of a case or giving the client a deadline to pick up their property from your office will serve as an additional reminder to the client - the case is over. Also, it will save you from having to store and safeguard any materials that should rightfully be returned to the client as soon as you no longer need them. Prepare a checklist of items returned to the client and have them acknowledge receipt by signing your form.
Close the file. Prepare a closing file checklist. Make sure the file is culled for any duplicate drafts of documents, legal pads, etc. Separate the items to be returned to the client from what you may want or need to keep. Assign the file a "closed file" identifier and incorporate it in your closed files system. You will store less materials and use up less space in the process, by having a lean and orderly file.
Schedule the file for periodic review. Initially schedule the file for review in three months to make sure all "return receipt requested" cards have been received, the final bill has been paid, and all lose ends have been taken care of. Depending on the type of case, you that you will want to schedule the next review a year or two later to see if the client's circumstances have changed, and they would benefit from additional legal counseling.
Thank the client! Make it a habit to send either a card or a letter to the client to thank him/her for choosing you as their legal representative - it will go a long way!

For the Week Beginning August 17, 2009
Keep Records of Your Trust Account Transactions
Most state bars require that a lawyer maintain records of client trust account transactions for a period of at least 5 years after termination of representation (ABA Model Rule 1.15). Leaving a law firm or other practice setting does not relieve a lawyer's obligation imposed by this rule. When changing firms or practices, take affirmative steps to retain those trust account records, make copies of all such records or reach a written agreement with your former firm to securely retain those records on your behalf. The written agreement may not be sufficient in all cases, but it shows you were trying to meet your professional obligations.

For the Week Beginning August 10, 2009
Prepare a Budget
Would you ever tell a secretary that her pay should be whatever is left over after expenses are paid? Many sole practitioners pay their own salaries that way, instead of budgeting a minimum salary level and then paying themselves an annual or quarterly bonus if revenue is higher than anticipated. What's worse, they don't have a sense of whether the expenses are where they should be, because they haven't budgeted either desired income or anticipated expenses. Inexpensive accounting programs like Quicken have easy-to-use budgeting features that make planning simple and fun.

For the Week Beginning August 3, 2009
Office Procedures Manuals Make Your Workplace Policies Clear
Having an office procedures manual will contribute to a more efficient, less disruptive work-flow. Creating an office procedures manual does not have to be such a daunting chore that no one wants to spend precious work time getting it together. Here are some simple steps to get started:
Have everyone create a checklist of all the tasks they do. (We all like to brag about all the things we do!)

Review checklists with each individual. (For completeness, etc.)

Have everyone expand on each checklist item by writing one paragraph for each task on how it is performed. (This does not have to be a novel, just relevant information that would allow the reader to perform the task without having to ask someone else!)

Gather everyone's input and combine in a 3-ring binder under identifying tabs. i.e. Reception Area, Mail Room, File Room, Secretarial Area, Paralegal Area, Production Area, Bookkeeping Area, etc.

Update as needed.

For the Week Beginning July 27, 2009
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 20, 2009
Well-organized Files Convey Concern, Competence and Attention to Detail
Clients reach conclusions about your qualities as a lawyer by extrapolating from the visible to the invisible. The condition of your files becomes a symbol of your skills and your attitude toward your clients and their problems. Messy, disorganized files project carelessness, while neat, well-organized files convey concern, competence, and attention to detail. Other lawyers and judges also notice the condition of your files, so your reputation in the legal community, and consequently your effectiveness as a lawyer, is influenced by the messages they send.

Here is a proposed standard for file maintenance: My clients can come in at any time and look through their files without their condition or contents embarrassing me.

For the Week Beginning July 13, 2009
Make it Easy for your Prospective Clients to Find You!
Your receptionist's ability to give concise directions to your office is vital to the success of your practice? Don't turn off clients before they ever reach your office! Make sure your receptionist or secretary knows how to direct clients to find your office. (Don't assume they can give directions just because they come to work every day!) In addition, create written directions that includes major landmarks, number of miles from the airport, courthouse, or nearest Interstate exit. Your office should have a clearly readable map that should be faxed to everyone making an appointment. Further, if your office is located in an office park, are there signs that direct them to your building? Are the signs placed where people in a car can view them? If not, your map and directions need to compensate for the landlord's poor planning.

Clients should also be informed ahead of time if parking is provided, and whether there is a parking fee. It is frustrating to drive several blocks to find a parking spot, walk back to an office building and learn later that parking is available in the same or an adjacent building for free!

No need to frustrate a potential "million-dollar" client, when they just might drive off to find another lawyer's office!

For the Week Beginning July 6, 2009
Minimum Control, Maximum Benefit
Some very basic internal controls can reduce the likelihood of employee theft and fraud. Review the following suggestions and compare your firm procedures to see if change should occur.

Petty cash access by only one person.
Forward unopened bank statements to "financial" partner for review prior to accounting review.
Whoever opens the mail should not also be the one who issues checks and deposits income.
Separate the roles of check writer and signature authority.
Whoever orders goods and supplies does not also approve the vouchers for payment.
Be aware of the potential for software theft. Secure the location of discs licensing agreements, respective serial numbers and proof of purchases.

For the Week Beginning June 29, 2009
Save your Sanity - Take Little, Bitty Bites out of that Monster
A seemingly large job or task can be accomplished with less anxiety by breaking it down to smaller, manageable components? Think of that item that keeps getting pushed from today's to-do list to tomorrow, to the day after tomorrow, and so on. If you start breaking it down to smaller increments or steps - one to be done each day or in whatever frequency you can manage - that large job or task will be completed before you know it. Create a timeline for the whole process, to stay on target - and you won't end up in crisis management.

For the Week Beginning June 22, 2009
How to Prevent Fraud and Embezzlement: A Checklist
All law firms should adopt an effective, documented system of internal controls to protect against acts of dishonest lawyers and staff. Incorporating the following procedures can greatly narrow if not eliminate windows of opportunity for wrongdoers. *This checklist was excerpted from the ABA's Law Practice Management magazine June 2009 issue.

Bank and credit card statements can be delivered to the managing partner at a home or separate address for the MP's personal review.
Checks and debit memorandum should be reviewed with the statements.
Checks and wire transfers should require two signatures and signatures should be verified.
A copy of the bank reconciliation should be attached to each monthly bank statement and reviewed by two parties.
Finance or accounting personnel should not be signers on all bank accounts.
Checks received in the mail should be immediately endorsed by a two-person team who opens and processes the mail.
After checks are properly endorsed, the accounting or bookkeeping department should take charge of the checks for deposit.
Whenever possible, a check-protector machine should be used for entering the amount on the firm's checks.

For the Week Beginning June 15, 2009
Planning On-Line Research can save Time and Money
A quality search online can be done cost effectively. Here are five legal research tips you should consider next time you go online:

Identify the goal of your research. General or background knowledge about a topic? Use books or if necessary use CD-ROMs. Current state of the laws? Gain the necessary overview from books and CD-ROMs before you go online. By doing this you will be able to quickly identify what is relevant and what is not to the point of law you are researching.
Before you even begin your online research, you should consider the pricing of your online service or services. For example, whether the online service you will be using charges by the transaction or by the hour.
Before you go online, you should prepare an outline for your research and stick to it.
When choosing the databases that you will use for your research, remember to choose wisely. Avoid using more databases then you actually need because you may be charged for the number of databases that you use.
If you have access to more than one online research service, be sure to use the one that is the most cost effective when performing your primary research. Then once you have your results, with a different online service you can check key cites and sources.

For the Week Beginning June 8, 2009
From Chaos to Bliss in Ten Minutes
The most effective time management tool is being organized. Have you ever paid attention to how much time is wasted in looking for "the missing file" or anything else that seems to have gone astray (the scissors, the staple remover, more paper for the copier or printer, a PEN!)? Here are some suggestions on how to become more organized.

Have a specific place for everything in the office.
Put everything in its right place after using it.
Each day before you leave the office - spend ten minutes clearing your desk. Put books back on the shelf, return files to the file cabinet, make a to-do list for the next day, have your desk clean before you leave.
The next morning you are ready to start the day with a clean 'slate' and get right to work without having to think about what to do first, and where everything is.

For the Week Beginning June 1, 2009
A "Cool" Tool
Would you like to send and receive audio emails without big attachment files? A very low cost program is available at www.real.com/products/sonicmail.html which permits you to do tasks such as:

Send and receive voice e-mail
Dictate notes to others that you don't have time to put on paper
Send yourself a vocal to-do list
Send your secretary a voice-based greeting card (don't wait until you're in a pinch or it is secretary's week)

A microphone and speakers are required to record and listen.

For the Week Beginning May 25, 2009
Air Travel Made Easier
Did you know that many attorneys spend a great deal of time flying be it for business or pleasure? Traveling to depositions, client meetings, and vacation destinations has become much more difficult, if not unreliable. Whether flying for business or pleasure, here are a few helpful tips from industry experts to assist you when you travels:

Book the first flight of the day. If flights are cancelled, you have a better chance of obtaining standby seats on succeeding flights.
Think alternate airports and cities. Some major cities have several airports or another airport in a nearby city; if your flight is cancelled, immediately check for availability to another airport.
Paper tickets are your friend when it comes to delays and cancellations. Electronic tickets actually diminish your options if there are any flight irregularities. Paper tickets are negotiable documents and therefore will be honored by other airlines. If there is a delay or cancellation, e-ticket holders must wait in line to get a paper ticket, while paper ticket holders may already be booking the last available seats on another airline.
Find out the number of the aircraft that is assigned to your flight-this is different from the flight number. If your flight is delayed, contact the airline and ask for the status of that aircraft by number. The aircraft assigned to the flight may be stuck elsewhere, so you can attempt to determine whether to try to make alternate travel arrangements or wait for the aircraft.
Know your travel rights. In the event of any flight irregularity of any kind--except weather-- you have certain rights (In industry jargon this is known as Rule 240), including being booked on another airline or given overnight accommodations. However, the terms and conditions vary by airline. Most airlines will help you find another flight on another airline and endorse your ticket over to that new carrier; some will provide accommodations and even meals. What you get depends on the rule of that airline. Rule 240 should be available for review upon request at all airport ticket counters. It is also available at www.onetravel.com; click on "Rules of the Air."
Carry the 800 number of your airline or travel agent. If you have to wait in line at the airport, you can always try to make alternate arrangements via cell phone.

For the Week Beginning May 18, 2009
Nothing Breeds Success like a Good Attitude!
Having a positive attitude is vital to the survival of your practice. Always stay upbeat about your practice, no matter how slow or financially precarious it might be. People want to refer business to successful lawyers. So when people ask you how your practice is doing, say "it's great," or "I'm busier than ever, but I'm always looking for a few more good clients." A winning attitude helps build a winning practice!

For the Week Beginning May 11, 2009
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 4, 2009
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 April 27, 2009
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 20, 2009
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 13, 2009
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 6, 2009
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 March 31, 2009
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 23, 2009
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 16, 2009
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 interest in database software, contact Natalie Kelly at 404-527-8770.

For the Week Beginning March 9, 2009
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 2, 2009
Take Advantage of Casemaker Legal Research
Casemaker is up and running; training has commenced. If you haven't signed up, give Law Practice Management a call at 404-527-8772. You can also register online at http://gabar.org/news/casemaker_training_offered_to_bar_members/. If you'd like to talk about Casemaker features before signing up, please call our Resource Advisor, Pam Myers 404-526-8621.

For the Week Beginning February 23, 2009
Tax Deductions for Your Clients
Most professional services and costs are tax deductible, including legal fees. Your clients will appreciate your letting them know this. A good way to keep them informed is to have a line automatically print on your billing statements. Something as simple as "These legal fees may be tax deductible - please keep this invoice with your tax papers" will do the job.

For the Week Beginning February 16, 2009
There's still time to make plans for Chicago
If you are a legal professional 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 information.

For the Week Beginning February 9, 2009
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 $30 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 2, 2009
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 http://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 Janaury 26, 2009
It's 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 Janaury 20, 2009
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.

For the week beginning January 12, 2009
Another Potential Source of New Clients
A good way to glean additional business from your existing clients and attracting new clients is by simply sending out a newsletter. Newsletters are great marketing tools. The newsletter doesn't have to be a novel; a four to eight page newsletter would more than suffice as it can include all necessary information about your firm and still be short enough not to overwhelm your clients. Don't have the time? Go back to the basics: news in a letter. A brief summary on the happenings of your law firm can also be sent out on your company letter head. If you need some guidance, our Resource Library can lend you Successful Client Newsletters, a complete guide to creating powerful newsletters.

For the week beginning January 5, 2009
Interview "Do's" and Don'ts"
There are two quick questions you can use to assist you with the legality of interview questions for prospective employees?

Does this tend to have a disproportionate impact in screening out applicants based on sex, race or creed?
Is this information necessary in order to judge an individual's ability to perform in this particular job?

Of course there should not be any specific questions about disabilities. But rather than not ask, the best approach is to ask the applicant, after handing the applicant a copy of the job description, "Can you perform all the essential functions of this job?" An employer may ask if an applicant can perform tasks with or without accommodations, and, if an accommodation is necessary, what accommodation.

A few examples of what you cannot ask during an interview are:

Do not ask the applicant's age, date of graduation or other questions which might relate to an applicants age.
Do not ask the applicant what house of worship he or she attends or the name of their religious leader.
Do not ask the applicant who resides with them, how many children they have or their ages.
Do not discuss where the spouse or parent works or resides.
Be careful not to make a statement that may sound like a promise of a job or certain hours.