Every week subscribers receive the ICYMI enewsletter from the NCBA Center for Practice Management. The newsletter highlights tips, tools, trends, and techniques to help your law practice. Following are a few popular links from the past issues of the newsletter. Judge Disparaged Lawyer, Apparently Unaware of Livestream: ‘Can You Imagine Waking Up Next to Her Every Day?’ (January 21, 2022) We have…
In April 2021, the NC State Bar removed the requirement to register a law firm trade name for approval from the Rules of Professional Conduct. There are still some stipulations about choosing a trade name, mainly that it not be misleading. While registering a trade name was never onerous, this change may prompt you to reflect on your firm’s name,…
In the early 2000s many lawyers were horrified to find that their documents could reveal more than they meant to share. In addition to forgetting to remove comments and track changes, Microsoft and PDF documents have file properties that reveal everything from author to editing times to file location. There are many ethics opinions that address metadata, including NC 2009…
You have a thriving practice. Almost too thriving. The phone is constantly ringing. Clients say that you are not responding to calls, but they often do not leave a message. Your team is overwhelmed. Is there some way to help deal with the incessant and time-consuming phone communication? Outsourcing If you do not have a dedicated receptionist and you or…
Many law firms put off upgrading and replacing outdated software and hardware because of the cost and disruption. However, putting off purchasing replacement hardware and updating your operating systems, server software, and mission critical systems until they are outdated and insecure will cost far more eventually. The delay in upgrades and replacements will have a cascading effect, forcing you to…
In the September/October 2021 issue of Law Practice Magazine, Lucian Pera suggests lawyers have an ethical duty to read the news. Why? Because in order to maintain competency in technology, lawyers need to keep up to date with the latest security threats and breaches, be aware of when your firm needs to patch or protect a vulnerability and understand best…
In a recent LinkedIn post Patrick Brown, director of information security at Lawyers Mutual, noted that the Fall 2021 North Carolina State Bar Journal has an all-caps message on page 24 from the Grievance Committee stating “… that lawyers who fail to take adequate precautions to protect against wire fraud scams can expect imposition of more serious professional discipline.” Why? Despite…
Guest Post by John D. Kitch At one time or another each one of us has taken on clients who became disasters. It may have been because our rent was due, and the clients had enough up-front money to cover it. It may have been because we felt sorry for them. It may have been because our phone wasn’t ringing…
Every lawyer has had to deal with a problem client (or two). Over the years you learn from experience how to spot them and when to fire them. What are the warning signs of a problem client? What can you do in pre-intake and intake to identify potential issues? Assiduous use of agreement letters can help with communications, as well…
Guest Post by Jim Calloway, Director of the Oklahoma Bar Association Management Assistance Program Veteran lawyers have hopefully learned what clients to avoid representing. Today we will discuss some warning signs of potential problem clients. Unfortunately, no such treatment can be completely exhaustive. When a client exhibits several of these warning signs, however, it is appropriate to ask yourself whether you…