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Continuing to Bring
"The Business of Law"®
to MCLE
I'm proud to announce that as of last fall, Edward Poll & Associates, Inc. was once again approved as a provider of education for lawyers licensed by the State of California for the term of September 1, 2007 to December 31, 2010. Through all our LawBiz educational programs and tools, we have brought to lawyers a new and enhanced appreciation for "The Business of Law"® and its role in improving lawyer-client relations. Thousands of lawyers have benefited from our efforts over the years, and we take great satisfaction that the provider status granted by The State Bar of California recognizes this contribution. I've done my share of grumbling about state bar associations, so I definitely want to emphasize my appreciation for what the State Bar's support means.
In many states, the practical skills that lawyers most need to keep their practices profitable and problem free—such as training in effective client service and law practice management techniques—either are not covered or are actively eliminated as legitimate MCLE credits. They also happen to be skills that no law school faculty would dare touch, lest they be considered "trade school" instructors.
Law school does not teach lawyers how to effectively interact with clients, how to efficiently manage their practices, how to become good rainmakers or make money. Without Bar Association approval for programs and training such as those we provide at LawBiz, lawyers have no place to learn these skills other than from the "School of Hard Knocks." That is neither an efficient nor an effective way to learn how to build a better practice that better serves clients.
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Do you want to:
• Be more successful by design than by accident?
• Be more profitable?
• Attract more clients?
• Have your clients pay on time?
• Have greater control of your practice?
• Have greater peace of mind?
If your answer is yes to any one of these questions, you must read this book. I have simplified the mystical process of operating a law practice so anyone can be more effective with his or her clients—and become more profitable.
This expanded edition adds 27 new chapters on marketing, personnel issues, technology, time management, clients' trust accounting, opening a new office, and changing from one practice to another. As I say in my Preface to the Second Edition, "When we lawyers act in a more business-like manner, we tend to be more effective in the delivery of our services." The many ready-to-use forms and charts are available on a disk in Word Perfect, Excel, and Quattro Pro formats.
Take the first step in achieving a more successful practice—order today to get your own copy of the expanded Second Edition of Attorney and Law Firm Guide to The Business of Law® today!
Click here to purchase the 642 page soft cover book + diskette of forms for only $119.95
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Personal Commentary
Last month I had the opportunity to both testify before the California State Bar Board of Governors committee on discipline as well as listen to some horror stories of "criminal" infliction of damage to clients by some lawyers.
My testimony concerned my belief that teaching law practice management should be a mandatory component of Minimum (a.k.a., Mandatory) Continuing Legal Education programs for the State Bar of California. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the open reception to this idea that was expressed by the committee. The reason I say that I was surprised is that just two years ago, another committee of the State Bar rejected the idea because it seemed to be just one more requirement being requested from lawyers. I am pleased that at least one segment of the new State Bar Board "gets it." I'm hoping this new wave is merely an indication of a broader change across the country.
The horror stories that I heard today do not impact the relevance of my proposal because these particular horror stories were, in effect, "criminal acts" by the lawyers in taking money from clients without doing the promised work. That is an entirely different subject. Most lawyers who do come before the disciplinary system are over-worked and under-paid; they are struggling both to get more clients who pay their fees as well as to find better and more efficient ways to produce the promised work. They are good people and well-intentioned lawyers who were never taught in law school how to manage their case loads or their practices. The State Bar, in my opinion, has an obligation to treat these lawyers with greater respect and to offer them more management tools to improve their service performance.
Best wishes,
Ed Poll
lawbiz.com
800-837-5880
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What Readers Are Saying...
"The Business of Law (2nd. ed., 2003) might be the most practical and informative book I have read in 10 years, honestly."
-Atty, Dallas, TX
"I have...assigned many of your articles and excerpts from your book to my students in Law Office Management. You are indeed the master."
-JB
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