Any firm can lose money to the very partners who are bringing in the most of it. That's because firms measure partner profitability by revenues only, and that doesn't show the full financial picture, says practice management consultant Andra Watkins of Positus Consulting in Charleston, SC. There's also a subjective side to evaluating each partner's contribution. And that … [Read more...] about What’s overshadowing your partnerʼs big revenues?
Managing the office
Why employers often get worker wellbeing wrong and how to get it right
A report from the Campbell Institute indicates not all employers are getting worker wellbeing right, and it could be affecting the sustainability of their business. While many organizations today are focused on wellbeing programs that tackle smoking cessation, weight loss or nutrition—not bad programs in and of themselves—the Campbell Institute report indicates a more … [Read more...] about Why employers often get worker wellbeing wrong and how to get it right
Nine traps to avoid when checking for conflicts
Before a law firm accepts any new file, it must first ensure that no conflict of interest exists. Yet, despite having stringent conflict-checking procedures, conflicts of interest are still a serious problem for many firms. How do your procedures stack up? Do they address these common mistakes? Any firm knows a conflict of interest can result in bad things. … [Read more...] about Nine traps to avoid when checking for conflicts
Not just another HR story
By Lynne Curry bio Which do you believe? ☑ You can't trust anyone in HR: they'll get you talking, look sympathetic, but then turn everything you say over to management; ☑ HR is a luxury we don't need when we need all our budget resources to pay the employees who produce; ☑ HR = a partnership for managers, employees & organizations; ☑ HR = lots of talk + … [Read more...] about Not just another HR story
9 ways to stay neutral (and sane) when reporting to multiple lawyers
The job of managing a law office can be unpredictable, because you often don't have the luxury of answering to just one boss. Instead, there are as many bosses as there are lawyers, and the lawyers don't always get along with one another. For that reason, your survival rests on neutrality, says management consultant Donna R. Gary of Legal Administrative Services in … [Read more...] about 9 ways to stay neutral (and sane) when reporting to multiple lawyers
Ways you’re using the cloud without even knowing it
By Doug Striker bio As I visit law firms, I frequently hear from trainers and IT professionals who say that their upper management and attorneys are "afraid to move to the cloud." These trainers and IT folks are usually quite tech-savvy and understand that this resistance is holding the firm back (and also putting its clients at risk of a security breach) but … [Read more...] about Ways you’re using the cloud without even knowing it
10 ways managers are improving their law firms
Ah, the woes of running a law office. You know them well: Reams of reports, scheduling squabbles, technology tangles, and so much more. It takes a lot of skill, patience, and strategy to make a law office run smoothly—plus a little bit of help from others who know your pain. That must be why the Reader Tips section of our website is so popular. It contains dozens of solutions … [Read more...] about 10 ways managers are improving their law firms
You can be personally liable for what happens in your workplace
By Lynne Curry bio It comes as a surprise to most managers when a plaintiff names them personally as a co-defendant in a lawsuit against the manager's company. The ugly truth? Personal tort actions against individual managers and employees often accompany discrimination and harassment claims. Disgruntled employees may target a manager not for what he did, but for … [Read more...] about You can be personally liable for what happens in your workplace
5 blind spots in sexual harassment policies and how to fix them
The past couple of years have witnessed the morphing of workplace sexual harassment prevention from legal requirement to moral imperative. And while the recent fervor is a bit unnerving for employers, to the extent it shatters complacency, it's a positive and even necessary development. Sexual harassment has evolved dramatically in the past two decades—in terms of not just … [Read more...] about 5 blind spots in sexual harassment policies and how to fix them
A simple way to rate attorney performance
A North Carolina administrator follows an extremely simple formula to calculate the attorneys' monthly and yearly profitability. It also shows them their own profitability compared to the other attorneys'. Originally, the firm showed them only the billed hours, says the financial manager for the seven-attorney firm. But that wasn't enough. The billed hours alone were not a … [Read more...] about A simple way to rate attorney performance