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LawBiz® TIPS – Week of September 10, 2013

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Wednesday is another day of memory, remembering that day of infamy in 2001, when our country received a crucial blow to its belly. What is more memorable, but seldom discussed, is how our people first came together and then how our politicians began to subvert the civil liberties we worked so hard to create over 200 hundred years.

I will be in Chicago on Thursday, October 3rd, and in Manhattan on Tuesday, October 8th. If you would like to have breakfast with me, let me know.

Call me if you're interested in an outstanding law practice in Bishop, CA. It's for sale. This is the best law practice in the entire county and the price is right!

TODAY: September 10th, 11am PDT / 2pm EDT. Please join me for a complimentary webinar with MyCase, "Having problems getting paid? Collecting your fees within the lines of ethics" Follow this link for more information and sign-up.
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"The Business of Law®" Is Business

Every public figure risks being misquoted, and often those misquotes attain a reality all of their own, no matter how inaccurate or incomplete they are. For example, the quote long attributed to Calvin Coolidge at the height of the Roaring 20s, "The business of America is business," is typically cited as an example of that era's greed. Yet what Coolidge actually said was more insightful, and although he aimed it at newspapers it is quite pertinent to law firms today:

A press which is actuated by the purpose of genuine usefulness to the public interest can never be too strong financially ... Rather, it is probable that a press which maintains an intimate touch with the business currents of the nation, is likely to be more reliable than it would be if it were a stranger to these influences. After all, the chief business of the American people is business. They are profoundly concerned with producing, buying, selling, investing and prospering in the world. I am strongly of opinion that the great majority of people will always find these are moving impulses of our life. [1]

Many lawyers insist that law is a "profession" and not a "business," an attitude that is ingrained in legal training. Law school curricula have little business focus, and the view that legal educators have of law as a profession means that they consider any business training to be trade-oriented and therefore beneath them, an attitude that is perpetuated by CLE courses. The result is that lawyers fail to understand the operation of the firm as a business with a budget, collections, profit and loss. And they too often have a poor grasp on their clients' business realities.

Almost two decades ago I registered the phrase, "The Business of Law®," because it summarized the basics of my law firm consultancy, because it focused on such an important truth - and because so many lawyers seemed to lack an understanding of the concept. The phrase "The Business of Law®" conveys to lawyers that law and business are not mutually exclusive. Lawyers who can make the leap between the two concepts will better assess the value they provide and create new ways to provide more of it. They become cost-effective contributors to their firms, and value-added resources to their clients.

Ultimately the country's 600,000-plus solo lawyers are small businesses that need to focus on their own business realities and those of their clients. Running a businesslike law firm makes the practice of law more professional - which Silent Cal, a lawyer himself, would certainly endorse.

[1] http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=24180

Exit Strategy AND Life After Law

Sell Your Business and Plan Your Future

Exit Strategy and Life After Law

1 book and 3 DVDs package

$199
until Oct 1
(reg. $296)

To Order:
1-800-837-5880

or order online at lawbizstore.com.

Exit Strategy: Selling & Other Strategies to Leave the Practice of Law reveals insider information that is sure to go a long way to help achieve optimal results while transitioning out of the practice of law. (audio excerpt available!) And, Life After Law: What Will You Do with the Next 6,000 Days? provides career advice on what is necessary and advisable to personally and professionally transition out of the practice. - Learn more.

"Whether you have spent decades in the legal profession, or entered it as a second or even third career, transitioning out of a law practice takes a good deal of thought and action. This book gives lawyers a road map to take the next steps, with stops along the way that we can consider as well. Life After Law fills a gap in career advice literature by telling lawyers what is necessary and advisable to personally and professionally transition out of the practice. It is essential information for all generations of lawyers."

In this issue:

"The Business of Law®" Is Business

Exit Strategy AND Life After Law - 33% OFF!

Video: Successful Law Firms Are All Alike, Part 1

Featured Video:
(click image below to view)

Ed Poll on YouTube video

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What Clients Are Saying:


"Ed's command of the podium and his connection and interaction with the audience were outstanding. His skills enabled us to successfully implement a new culture into the organization without damaging our relationships with outside counsel."

LS
Torrance, CA

"When I had my own private practice as a solo practitioner, I wanted to run my office as efficiently and profitably as possible. I researched business coaches and discovered that most had "passive" models as their basis for coaching, i.e. they would promise all the things they would do for my practice without my having to invest time and energy into the process. I'm so glad I chose Ed Poll instead, for he had an "active" model, i.e. how much I got out of the coaching was directly dependent upon what I put into it. Over a period of six months, Ed conferenced with me and gave me weekly assignments for structuring my practice as well as giving me tips on how to work with clients from the initial interview through to the end of the case. After working with Ed, I didn't have a single outstanding account receivable over $500. The time I spent working with Ed was invaluable and I would recommend him to any attorneys interested in improving the quality and profitability of their practices."

JL
Los Angeles, CA

Ed Poll, LawBiz® Management
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