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Practice Management
This competency requires a lawyer to run their business practice in compliance with all legislative requirements and to manage office staff, files and finances.
| Start-Up Kit | This resource is provided by the Professionalism & Policy Department of the Law Society of Alberta to help Alberta lawyers with practice management. |
| CPD Tips: Practice Management | Keeping busy workloads under control can be a big challenge. Practice management is a competence to be honed and developed throughout a lawyer’s career. |
| 15 Myths of Small Firm Practice | The goal of marketing is to get more work, lawyers don’t need to do market research, single-shot advertising strategies can work and more… |
| 20 Red Flags of Bad Cheque Fraud You Should Recognize | Lawyers in all areas of practice continue to be the frequent targets of bad cheque scams. These scams involve debt collections, business loans, IP licensing disputes or spousal support payments. |
| Annual Milestones for Regular Financial Year | Financial milestones for March – December. |
| Avoid the Penalty Box | The top recent insurance claims trends (inspired by the names of NHL teams). |
| Checklist When Moving Law Offices | This checklist is for lawyers moving to new office space, whether they are transferring to a new firm or moving their practice. |
| Considerations for Opening a Law Office | Before you take this bold step, you need to ask yourself: Are you prepared? Do you understand the challenges that you face? Do you understand yourself? |
| Contingency Fee Issues | Law Society of Alberta audits have disclosed a wide range of methods for calculating contingency fees, many of which result in overpayments to lawyers. |
| Contingency Planning Video | This video shares some helpful tips and resources to build a contingency plan for your law practice, including our When Bad Things Happen to Good Lawyers: A Contingency Planning Guide. |
| Computer/Network Security Checklist | Security in the law office context is more than just a locked door and secure file cabinet. |
| Crossing the Border with Electronic Devices | Prepared by the Policy Counsel Counterpart Group, Federation of Law Societies of Canada
With travellers at Canadian airports and border crossings subject to increasing scrutiny, it is important for lawyers to have an understanding of how the privacy interests of their clients may be impacted by legislation and policies developed to address public safety issues. |
| Debt and the Small-Firm Lawyer | Many small-firm lawyers have clients with limited resources. Those who aren’t firm about payment often end up with problems caused by excessive unbillable time, high accounts receivable and exorbitant write-offs. |
| File Retention and Document Management | File storage and retention is of concern to practicing lawyers, particularly due to the cost of storing original file materials and the attractive alternatives offered by technology. |
| Fraud Fact Sheet – Cybercrime and Bad Cheque Scam | Cybercrime and bad cheque scams are some of the most common, significant and costly problems for lawyers. |
| Fostering a Healthy Workplace for the LGBTQ Community | Lawyers, law firms, and law societies seeking to create a culture of inclusion and to support LGBTQ colleagues, staff, or clients, may find these tips helpful. |
| Get a Practice Plus-One |
If you practice on your own, you may also have noticed how hard it is to take a vacation or just step back from the details of practice for a while. |
| Goods on Going Solo WEBINAR | Professionalism and Policy staff cover topics such as: law office must-haves (hardware/software requirements), what to include in your law office manual, and best practices for file, time and financial management. |
| Giving Independent Legal Advice | A person seeking independent legal advice is as much your client as any other. |
| Independent Legal Advice Checklist | Sample form. |
| Interactive Non-Engagement Letter Guide | A non-engagement letter confirms to a potential client, after a consultation or phone conversation, that the firm is unable to act on the matter. |
| Interactive Retainer Letter Guide | Retainer letters are recommended practice in Alberta for non-contingency retainers. |
| Law Firm Closure Milestones | Milestones for an approximate 180 day process. |
| Law Firms and Security Strategies for Today’s World | There is no time like the present to assess your office security and mail handling procedures. |
| Law Firm Startup Trust Safety Milestones | Milestones from day one to the fourth month. |
| Mastering Client Files | One of the key tools or techniques recommended is a Master Client File List. This list provides key pieces of information about each active file. |
| Paying Practice Debts | A lawyer has a duty to carry on the practice of law and discharge all responsibilities to clients, tribunals, the public and other members of the profession honourably and with integrity. |
| Planning for Retirement | There are a number of things that have to happen before you can lock the doors to your office and walk away into the sunset. |
| Preparing for Parental Leave | Preparing for maternity or parental leave may be a cause of stress and anxiety for both lawyers and law firms. |
| Rarely a Borrower Be | When you are starting a new law firm, you will likely need to borrow some money, or at least establish a line of credit. Paying back the debt will be a growing pain you will have to endure. |
| Returning to Active Practice | Whether you are a seasoned stay-at-home mom who has taken a few years off, you have taken time to care for a loved one, or you have worked outside the legal profession, returning to active practice after an extended hiatus can be daunting. |
| Slow Death from Exposure | The irreducible reality is that you have to lay money out for overhead and disbursements before you can bill your clients. You may get paid right away, or you may have to wait for your money. |
| Tips for Successful Succession Planning | The following checklists have been provided to serve as a starting point in developing a succession strategy for a law practice: |
| To File or Not to File | File retention practices are changing due to the cost of storing files and the attractive alternatives offered by technology. |
| Top 10 Things to Include In Your Law Office Manual | This “Top 10” list is a starting point to tailor a manual for your firm. Remember to update the manual regularly, and engage colleagues and staff in its development and revision. |
| Top 10 Ways to Secure Your Online World | A top priority for all law firms and corporate legal departments is to ensure that online activities are protected. |
| Top Five Ways to Avoid Falling Into the Mortgage Fraud Trap | Given the recent economic climate, fraudsters may be on the lookout for ways to target unsuspecting lawyers. |
| Trust Accounting Glossary | An explanation of common trust accounting terminology. |
| Two Email Tips to Save You From Heartache | Email communication is effective and efficient in many ways, but we have all experienced moments when our heart skips a beat. |
| When a Lawyer Leaves A Firm | Lawyers are no longer committed to the same firm for their whole careers, and regularly move to new firms or leave to start their own practices. |
| Why I Self-Referred to the Practice Management Department | The time to look carefully at the holes in your practice is on the sunny days. Waiting until someone makes a complaint to the Law Society, or sues you, or some other crisis happens, means you are responding to those problems in the context of that crisis. |
| When Bad Things Happen to Good Lawyers: A Contingency Planning Guide | Every lawyer, whether working as a sole practitioner or in a firm, as a sole proprietor or through a professional corporation, needs to consider the impact should the unthinkable occur. |