Running a law practice goes beyond providing excellent legal service—it requires strategic planning, meticulous management, and preparation for the unexpected. Whether you’re launching a new firm, navigating the intricacies of trust account management, or ensuring your practice can weather disruptions, having the right tools and knowledge is essential.
To support aspiring and current firm owners, we've refreshed our practice management book series, complete with our latest malpractice avoidance tips, general guidelines, and practical forms. The new design format enhances readability, while the trio of covers embraces the essence of the Pacific Northwest. Whether you're planning to start a firm or already managing one, this set from the PLF reveals valuable insights to guide your journey.
1. Launching Your Own Practice: A Roadmap for Firms
If you’re considering starting a law firm, Launching Your Own Practice is your complete roadmap. Updated and reorganized, this publication presents a step-by-step overview of the fundamentals—from selecting your business entity to managing client expectations. We've updated the content to reflect modern setups and reorganized it for greater clarity and added all resources with QR codes to professional networking groups, educational materials, forms, and more.
Key topics include:
- Office setup considerations to fit your budget,
- Effective procedures for client relations, intake, and supervising staff, and
- Important office systems for efficient operations, including file management, conflicts, calendaring, billing, and accounting.
2. Mastering Your Lawyer Trust Account: The Client Funds Manual
One of the most critical and complex elements of law firm management is handling trust accounts. Mismanaging these accounts can lead to serious ethical violations, making it imperative to approach this aspect of practice with diligence and care.
Mastering Your Lawyer Trust Account dives into the details of:
- Ethical obligations when handling client money,
- Good habits to prevent potential mismanagement of funds, and
- Answers to common questions about trust accounts.
3. Planning for the Unexpected: A Blueprint for Disruption Planning
While managing the day-to-day tasks of your practice, planning for unforeseen events might not seem like a priority—but it absolutely should be. Illness, injury, or other unexpected circumstances can disrupt your ability to perform legal work. Planning for the Unexpected equips you to ensure your clients remain well-served, even if you’re unavailable.
This book offers:
- A comprehensive 10-step checklist for preparing your practice for potential emergencies,
- Tips for enlisting the help of an assisting attorney if necessary, and
- A sample agreement to close your law practice.
We hope that this trio of publications will empower you throughout your legal career. If you're starting a firm from scratch, opening a trust account, or preparing for practice disruptions, our resources provide the practice management guidance you need to succeed. Go to osbplf.org > Services > CLEs & Resources > PLF Books and download your copies today!