Texas Law Blog

Friday Favorites (January 27, 2012)

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley B. Clark) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 04:29:00 +0000

Friday Favorites is a list of the top 7 articles I read or wrote this week about law, technology, marketing, entrepreneurship, or social media.

May Lawyers Offer Groupon Deals? New York Ethics Opinion Allows It, with Caveats. (ABA Journal).
Implementing Legal Project Management - The Work Break Down Structure. (Texas Law Blog).
A cautionary tale: Don't say "renew" when you mean "extend." (Technology Law Notes).
How the U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work. (New York Times).
Dear Google: Crappy Results Like this Don't Give the Impression You Care About Search. (Search Engine Land).
Listen to What Innovators Don't Talk About. (Harvard Business Review).
Findings from the 4th Annual Law Department Operations Survey. (Inside Counsel).

Implementing Legal Project Management - The Work Breakdown Structure

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley B. Clark) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:40:00 +0000

Last week we defined legal project management (“LPM”) and the reasons why solo and small firm lawyers should implement LPM in their practice. This week, we break down LPM and take a closer look at the work breakdown structure (“WBS”).

The WBS is at the heart of project management. The Project Management Body of Knowledge guide (“PMBOK”) defines the WBS as a “deliverable oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team.” In LPM, this means breaking down the case into its parts and assigning resources and a budget to each part.

In a typical Texas divorce case, a simple WBS may look like the following recognizing, of course, that not all parts may be necessary (for example, a final hearing is not necessary if the case is settled at mediation):

Client Intake

Original Petition/Answer

Temporary Orders

Discovery

Mediation

Final Hearing

Final Documents

Appeal

This WBS may further be broken down as follows (recognizing that not all tasks may be necessary):

Client Intake

Initial Consultation
Execute Engagement Letter
Retainer

Original Petition/Answer

Draft Original Petition (if petitioner)
Draft Original Answer & Counter-Petition for Divorce (if respondent)

Temporary Orders

Draft Motion for Temporary Orders & Temporary Orders
Set Hearing on Motion for Temporary Orders
Attempt to Negotiate Temporary Orders
Prepare for Hearing on Temporary Orders
Hearing on Temporary Orders

Discovery

Send Request for Disclosure
Send Request for Production
Send Interrogatories
Send Deposition on Written Questions
Schedule Oral Depositions
Respond to Discovery Requests

Mediation

Schedule Mediation
Attend Mediation
If a Mediated Settlement Agreement is Executed:

Draft MSA
Schedule Prove-Up
Draft Final Documents (see below)
Attend Prove-Up
Record Real Property & Other Security Documents

Final Hearing

Set Final Hearing
Subpoena Witnesses for Final Hearing
Prepare for Final Hearing

Prepare Witness Outlines
Prepare Exhibits
Prepare Witnesses and Client
Prepare Electronic Presentation of Evidence

Attend Final Hearing

Final Documents

Draft Final Decree of Divorce (and Agreement Incident to Divorce)
Draft All Real Property Documents
Draft All Personal Property Documents
Draft Qualified Domestic Relations Orders
Record Real Property & Other Security Documents

Appeal

The WBS can be broken down into as much detail as you want. What I have not included above is the corresponding schedule, assigned resources to each task, or a proposed budget for each stage (or task).

The WBS provides a roadmap for you and your client, helps manage your client’s expectations, facilitates communication about the case with your client, and provides a template for a repeatable process that will improve your efficiency and cost estimates in future cases.

Spotting probable trends in the legal market from an unlikely source

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley B. Clark) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:22:00 +0000

In his book The End of Lawyers? Rethinking the Nature of Legal Services, Richard Susskind wrote:

it is from clients that we can glean probable trends in the legal market. It is client demand for new working practices and new efficiencies that will ultimately incline law firms to adopt new technologies.

Do you know how your clients expectations and appetites are changing? What new working practices and new efficiencies are your clients demanding?

Do you use checklists in your law practice?

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley B. Clark) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 16:51:00 +0000

Over on LinkedIn, in the Legal Project Management group, Patrick DiDomenico has asked whether checklists are used in litigation matters and if so, what checklist applications are used.

The following is an excerpt of my comment to the post.

I too have read the Checklist Manifesto and am a believer in the power of checklists. I also utilize checklists in all areas of my law practice (including litigation).

I have found this practice very useful in driving efficiency between my paralegal and me and in creating a knowledge-management system. For example, I routinely set up legal entities and by using a checklist that has been refined over the last two years she is able to complete most of the work at a fraction of the cost with tremendous efficiency and quality. This has allowed me to spend less time on the matter thereby driving down the cost to the client (assuming the client is paying on the hourly rate) or increase revenue on fixed fee matters.

As for litigation, I can't think of a better system for managing the matter than using checklists. I utilize BasecampHQ which allows me to set up a simple LPM template which includes milestones and their corresponding tasks expressed as checklists. I am then able to assign various tasks on the checklists to members of the litigation team. What I love most about BasecampHQ is that it is so simple to use.

Additionally, because so many companies already use BasecampHQ, my clients are usually very familiar with the software. Unlike a paper checklist tucked away in the file, BasecampHQ allows me to have immediate access to all of my cases and the tasks that need to be completed through the dashboard no matter where I am in the world (and the same is true for my clients). The client's ability to see the checklist also helps solve the communication problem so many lawyers find themselves in since clients can see who is doing what, when they have done it, what needs to be done, and when it needs to be done by.

What are your thoughts? Do you use checklists and if so, how do you use them in your law practice?

Friday Favorites (January 13, 2012)

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley B. Clark) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:38:00 +0000

Friday Favorites is a list of the top 7 articles I read or wrote this week about law, technology, marketing, entrepreneurship, or social media.

Six Steps to Getting Started With a Paperless Office. (Small Firm Innovation).
What is Rarely About Workers. It's About Customers, Clients, Buyers, Patients, Consumers. (What About Paris?).
10 Ways to Minimize Risk When Running a Law Firm Webinar. (Jeff Krause's Practice Management Blog).
Electronic Confidential Information: It's Indestructible. (The Contracts Guy).
Six Family Limited Partnership Developments in 2011. (Forbes).
Another Reason Partners Should Learn About Legal Project Management. (Legal Marketing Blog).
What is Legal Project Management and Why Should I Implement it in My Practice? (Texas Law Blog).

* John Wallbillich over at WiredGC has 6 great posts on the State of Legal 2012 worth of 6 of the 7 spots this week. All six posts are must reads.

What is Legal Project Management and Why Should I Implement it in my Practice?

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley B. Clark) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:48:00 +0000

Last week we posited that legal project management (“LPM”) is not just for large law firms, Fortune 500 companies, or managing complex eDiscovery. This week, we look more closely at what LPM actually is and answer the question many solo and small firm lawyers are asking: why should I implement LPM in my practice?

LPM is first and foremost about efficiency. The increased unpredictability of legal costs is one of the biggest concerns for chief legal officers as-well-as small business owners. Inefficiency is one reason legal costs are unpredictable.

LPM requires that you break each legal matter into its main events (“milestones”), outline the “tasks” that must be performed in order to accomplish each milestone, assign people to perform each task with a corresponding deadline, monitor the progress of the individual tasks and milestones, assign budgets to the individual tasks or milestones, and monitor actual costs in relation to the budget. In other words, LPM drives efficiency.

The LPM process establishes accountability and promotes transparency between lawyer and client. LPM properly aligns the interests of lawyer and client in the delivery of legal services and dramatically improves communication and the management of expectations. A law firm that is more efficient through proper planning, execution, monitoring, and communicating is far more valuable to a client than a law firm that is not. These are just a few of the reasons why you should implement LPM in your practice.

Next week we take a look at the heart of LPM - the work breakdown structure (“WBS”). Until then, do you think the increased pressure to use alternative fee agreements (“AFAs”) and therefore the need for lawyers to be more efficient will push more lawyers to adopt LPM?

Legal Project Management is Not Just for BigLaw, BigCo, or Complex eDiscovery

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley B. Clark) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 14:17:00 +0000

I was reminded recently about the perception in the small firm and solo legal community that legal project management (“LPM”) is only for large law firms and Fortune 500 companies that are managing complex eDiscovery.

Whether we admit it or not, all lawyers are project managers. Every litigation matter and every transactional matter is a project that can be broken down into milestones and each milestone can be broken down into tasks and assigned to members of the team. LPM is utilized to define what needs to be done, by whom, by when, and at what cost.

The next three posts will introduce you to LPM, provide examples of how you can implement LPM in your practice, and introduce you to simple technology that will help you implement LPM in your practice.

What do you think about LPM? What questions do you have about LPM?

Law Firm Process Improvement

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley B. Clark) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:59:00 +0000

What process improvement techniques is your law firm using and how are they improving your practice and client relationships?

Texas Legislature - Bills Effective on January 1, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley B. Clark) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 02:02:00 +0000

The Texas Legislature posted this list of bills passed by the 82nd Legislature which take effect on January 1, 2012.

Friday Favorites

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley B. Clark) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:37:00 +0000

Friday Favorites is a list of the top 7 articles I read or wrote this week about law, technology, marketing, entrepreneurship, or social media.

Revisiting Use of Quotation Marks When Creating Defined Terms (The Concise Drafter).
Litigation Down in 2011, Study Says (Inside Counsel).
WSJ Law Blog Asks "What's a First Year Lawyer Worth?" (In Search of Perfect Client Service).
The Mac Lawyer Discusses Apple's Impact on Law Firms. (The Mac Lawyer).
The Impending Demise of Cost Recovery. (Mattern & Associates, LLC).
Story Time: When to Walk Away. (The Trust Matters Blog).
Life Lessons From Mock Jurors: Look Before You Sit & Always Read the Fine Print. (The Jury Room).

Two events this week I look forward to every year

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley B. Clark) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 02:42:00 +0000

Tonight was the first meeting of the Robert W. Calvert American Inn of Court. I leave every initial AIC meeting of the year with a renewed since of purpose and direction in my practice.

Thursday evening is Red Mass. I have been attending a Red Mass ever since my time in law school in San Antonio where the Archbishop presided. If you are not familiar with Red Mass it is a annual Mass celebrated at many Catholic Churches to request guidance from the Holy Spirit for all who seek justice.

One of the most famous Red Masses occurs on the first Sunday before the first Monday of the convention of the United States Supreme Court. That Mass is held at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington D.C. On October 2, 2011, Roman Catholic Chief Justice John Roberts joined Roman Catholic justices Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, and Alito for the service. They were joined by Justice Beyer who is Jewish. (Kudos to Justice Beyer for joining the other five!)

The Supreme Court is made of of 6 Roman Catholics: Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, Alito and Ginsburg. So...where was Ginsburg this year? Apparently, Justice Ginsburg no longer attends Red Mass because the one time she went the "[homily] was outrageously anti-abortion."

The Austin Red Mass will be held this Thursday evening at the Saint Mary Cathedral in downtown Austin.

Friday Favorites

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley B. Clark) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 17:30:00 +0000

Friday Favorites is a list of the top 7 articles I read or wrote this week about law, technology, marketing, entrepreneurship, or social media.

Are you billing customers for "non-value-added work"?

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley B. Clark) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 01:56:00 +0000

Do you know what activities add value in the eyes of your ~~clients~~ customers and those that do not? You better.

Those activities that do are referred to as "value-added work." Those that do not are referred to as "non-valued added work."

What sets innovative lawyers apart is their ability to recognize the non-value-added work and eliminate it (i.e., work that customers "would likely refuse to pay if given the choice, or would take their business elsewhere to find another [lawyer] who didn't have those costs").

After all, all non-value-added work is simply waste.

Is your law firm asking its customers: "How likely are you to recommend our law firm to a friend or colleague?"

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley B. Clark) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 03:10:00 +0000

Should you ask your clients: “On a scale of 0-10, with 0 being 'not likely at all,' 5 being 'neutral,' and 10 being 'extremely likely,' how likely are you to recommend my law firm to a friend or colleague?”

Over at Shatterbox, fellow Austinite Jay Pinkert believes that now is the time for innovative law firms to start asking this question in order to measure their firm’s Net Promoter Score. I think Jay is onto something here and I’m going to implement it in my practice.

Net Promoter Score (“NPS”) is a metric developed by Satmetrix, Bain and Company, and Fred Reichheld and was first popularized in The Ultimate Question: Driving Good Profits and True Growth. In short, NPS is a metric developed to measure and improve customer loyalty by holding—in this case law firms and their employees—accountable for their customer service.

NetPromoter defines Promoters (9-10 score) as “loyal enthusiasts who will keep buying and referring others thereby fueling growth;” neutrals (7-8 score) as “satisfied but unenthusiastic customers who are vulnerable to competitive offerings;” and detractors (0-6 score) as “unhappy customers who can damage your brand and impede growth through negative word-of-mouth.”

Starting Monday, I am going to ask my customers how likely they are to recommend me to a friend or colleague. After I obtain a significant number of responses I will then calculate my NPS as follows:

Do you know your law firm’s Net Promoter Score? Are your ~~clients~~ customers promoters, passives, or detractors? If customers are passive what can we do in the servicing of passive customers to make them promoters? Similarly, if customers are detractors what can we do to make them promoters?

Want to learn more about NPS? I recommend Reichheld’s The Ultimate Question 2.0 (Revised and Expanded Edition): How Net Promoter Companies Thrive in a Customer-Driven World as-well-as the Resources page on Satmetrix's website.

Finally...I wonder what my friend Charles Green—and author of The Trusted Advisor—thinks of using Net Promoter Score and the impact it could have on building trust-based relationships in the legal community?

I think it’s an excellent idea. Thanks Jay!

My Experiment with Legal Project Management in the Cloud

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley B. Clark) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:58:00 +0000

My clients love it and I'm sold on the concept now I just need to find the right tool. Several months ago I opened an account on BasecampHQ to experiment with basic legal project management principles and cloud computing technology. I've since ended the experiment and am now in search of the right tool (BasecampHQ, while a fantastic product, is probably not the best solution for a law firm).

Here's a list of what I loved most about using BasecampHQ and why I see a bright future for cloud-based legal project management tools:

I could access the project file from any device with an internet connection;
Every communication in the project was in the project file and organized;
Every document (including every version of the document) was in the project file and organized;
I easily assigned tasks to my paralegal and my client with corresponding due dates; and
I created a road map of the steps in the litigation that served to show the client where we are, where we've been, and where we are going. This simple outline helped manage expectations, meet deadlines, and more effectively communicate with my clients.

Next, I think I'll take RocketMatter and Clio for a test drive.

How to make 17,500 lawyers disappear

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley B. Clark) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 01:46:00 +0000

According to a recent blog post by Hildebrandt Baker Robbins, over the next seven years approximately 17,500 non-partner lawyer jobs will disappear. How? According to Hildebrandt, the loss will occur as a result of process improvement methodologies such as lean six sigma and legal process outsourcing. In fact, the Economic Times reported yesterday that the legal process outsourcing industry grew 100% last year and is expected to add an additional 30,000 jobs this year. With this rate of growth I'll be shocked if Hildebrandt did not miss the mark threefold. (Hat tip to Jane Genova at Law and More for bringing the Hildebrandt post to my attention.) All this has me wondering:

If LPO results in a cost-savings between 60-90% why are BigLaw rates increasing rather than decreasing?

How will the "addition" of more than 17,500 senior lawyers to the SmallLaw marketplace impact SmallLaw?

Will SmallLaw benefit from lean six sigma and LPO?

Are legal services becoming commoditized as a result of lean six sigma and LPO?

New Topics of Discussion

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley B. Clark) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 02:33:00 +0000

Over the next few months I plan to write on some of my favorite current topics in the legal profession including:

Legal Project Management;
Lean Six Sigma for Service;
Alternative Fee Agreements;
Knowledge-Based Client Relationships; and
Managing a Professional Services Firm.

Over the last 12-18 months I have read a number of books on these subjects including Steven B. Levy's Legal Project Management, Michael L. George's Lean Six Sigma for Service, Ross Dawson's Developing Knowledge-Based Client Relationships, and as many of David Maister's books as I can get my hands on including Managing the Professional Services Firm and The Trusted Advisor. We'll see how it goes as I am busy raising my two precious boys, coaching t-ball, training for triathlons, speaking, and writing. The more feedback and interaction I have with my readers the greater the return on my time invested and the more fun it will be for me!

To Buy Time or Results? That is the Question.

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley B. Clark) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 01:42:00 +0000

Most purchasers of legal services buy results for known or anticipated legal risks. By definition this should mean that clients do not buy time but rather the value of a result.

One example often used in support of value pricing results is the tax attorney who saved a client $100,000 in tax liability for an agreed value-priced fee of $25,000. Saving $100,000 was worth $25,000 to this client despite the fact that the lawyer spent less than $10,000 worth of time producing the result.

Does this example lend credibility to the argument in favor of selling time? Some commentators convincingly argue that it does. After all, the client in this example would have paid less if it had paid by the hour. Or would it have? One assumption necessary for this to be true is that the lawyer spent the same amount of time. Another assumption is that the value-priced result did not have an incentive in addition to the price.

Regular readers know that I am not a fan of selling my time and that I prefer instead to sell the value of a result.

Do you favor buying time or value pricing results? Send me your comments and be sure to indicate whether you are a purchaser or provider of legal results.

Georgia and Typography On My Mind

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley B. Clark) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 03:51:00 +0000

Want to print your own money or save money printing? Now you can according to this article by the Associated Press which takes a look at the printing costs associated with using various typographic fonts. I've never been a student of typography but recently I took a closer look at the differences between Times New Roman, Calibri, and Georgia not to save money but to find something different than Times New Roman. Times New Roman has to me become Times Old Roman. Boring.

Here's a comparison of several common fonts followed by a brief description of the differences:

I recently changed my default font in MS Outlook from Times Old Roman (12pt) to Georgia (11pt), a font developed for Microsoft in 1996 by Matthew Carter, for its contemporary style and aesthetically pleasing look on a computer screen (Carter also created Tahoma).

Over at Fonttester I compared Times New Roman, Georgia, and Verdana (all at 11pt with the same exact settings). Here's a look at the result:

Which font looks better on a computer screen in your opinion?

Interesting Georgia Articles & Posts:
Quirky serifs aside, Georgia fonts win on Web - Style - International Herald Tribune (NY Times 2006)
Georgia On My Mind (Inspirationbit.com)
Georgia (typface) at Wikipedia

IgniteLaw debate heats up

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley B. Clark) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 22:05:00 +0000

I'd love to join the great debate going on right now between MyShingle author Carolyn Elefant, My Law License author Brian Tannebaum, Simple Justice author Scott Greefield, and Spam Notes author Venkat Balasubramani but I think they all have said just about as much as can be said about the ABAs IgniteLaw event. If not then Antonin Pribetic, author of The Trial Warrior blog, has.

LexThink has a YouTube Channel showcasing the presentations. Is Brian right? Is the profession creating a generation of marketers and not advocates? Or, are we a generation that is too digital?

@Brian (I'm not a Slackoisie by definition though I know a few lawyers who are!)

Friday Favorites

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley B. Clark) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:27:00 +0000

Friday Favorites is a list of the top 7 articles I read or wrote this week about law, technology, marketing, entrepreneurship, or social media.

Schumpeter, Coase and the Future of the (Law) Firm
13 Essential Social Media Lessons for B2B Marketers from the Masters
Make a Date to Innovate
Let's Simplefy Legal Jargon (video)
WordPress Founder: Open Source is About People, Not Technology
Ken Robinson Says Schools Kill Creativity (video - not quite on topic but a very interesting opinion)
Why Your Brand Needs to Be on Facebook Now

Hitler Finds Out There is a New Addition (ugh...I mean, Edition) to the Bluebook

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley B. Clark) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 18:33:00 +0000

Law Journal geeks (I can say that because I used to be one) will find this video funny:

Update: Thanks for catching the editorial mistake, Michael. Since it is quite funny that I made the error given the topic I am going to leave "Addition" rather than change it to "Edition"!

5 Web Applications for the Virtual Attorney

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley B. Clark) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 04:42:00 +0000

This week is virtual law firm week at Martindale Connected. Join me and other lawyers for a week of focused discussion on the topic. Be sure to join us tomorrow for a live Twitter conversation with Larry Bodine (#MHVT). To get things started I posted the following in the Virtual Attorney forum:

The following 5 web applications ("apps") are apps I specifically use in my virtual practice. I have listed the particular apps I am most familiar with through my own use though there are certainly equally comparable alternatives (feel free to email me if you have any questions about these apps or other alternatives).

Basecamp. Basecamp is a web-based project management platform created by 37Signals that allows the virtual attorney to manage cases, share files, meet deadlines, assign tasks, and centralize feedback. BusinessWeek nailed it when it wrote: "Basecamp is addictively easy-to-use. It's so simple you can't do anything wrong." I use Basecamp and the feedback I receive from my clients is extremly positive.

DocuSign. One key to a successful virtual law practice is leveraging technology to provide cost-effective and efficient legal service. The ability to obtain enforceable digital signatures is at the heart of every virtual practice and DocuSign allows the virtual attorney to more quickly and efficiently obtain legally enforceable digital signatures.

DropBox. DropBox is to a virtual attorney what a server is to a brick-and-morter attorney. DropBox removes the headache and high cost of maintaining a server from the equation and allows the virtual attorney to focus on practicing law. With DropBox, I can access data anywhere, any time, from any internet connection.

Skype. Voice Over Internet Protocol ("VOIP") technology has significantly improved over the last several years and Skype is the leader in VOIP telephony. Skype allows the virtual attorney to place telephone calls, send text messages, or instant message a client from the convenience of the computer.

Evernote. The computer is a virtual attorney's desk and Evernote provides the best solution for collecting and storing information and ideas. Like Basecamp, Evernote is addictively simple to use. I use Evernote to aggregate information on topics I am litigating or writing about - especially information from the web - and then organize that information with keywords for fast retrieval.

The true virtual attorney is not limited to a particular workspace or a particular device. These five web apps will help you move away from the tether of your office and into a virtual law office ("VLO").

What are your favorite web applications and how do you use them in the practice of law?

The Firm of the Future #2

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley B. Clark) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:46:00 +0000

I arrived at the law firm's sprawling campus in the hills just West of Austin this morning to prepare for a meeting on a new project the firm received from Big Co. After stopping by our firm cafe and picking up my morning tall, double cafe mocha I headed up to our state-of-the-art conference room for the meeting. The IdeaPaint along one of the conference room walls was freshly installed yesterday and I could not wait to use it but that would have to wait for another meeting.

Our firm's Solutions Team met, via LifeSize, with Big Co.'s senior vice president and general counsel to explore the right number of team members the firm would utilize on this new project. Central to this decision was, and always is, a determination of what type of knowledge is necessary for this particular project. One of the many differentiators of our firm is that we employ a full time Six Sigma black belt who is also Lean certified. Research confirms that in professional service firms there is significant mental setup (i.e., learning curve) if the right type of knowledge is not placed on the project.

The Firm of the Future #1

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley B. Clark) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:36:00 +0000

Our law firm's culture is like that of Google. We don't have clients we have customers. We don't recruit we select. If you want to join our team you must want to practice law differently. We work in teams not practice groups. We work on projects not cases. We practice in the cloud not on servers. We are socially responsible because it is right. We are environmentally responsible because it is right. We are catalysts, entrepreneurs, attorneys, and disruptive innovators. We think differently. We communicate differently. We act differently. We are not managed like today's law firm or law firms of the past.

Who are we? We are the firm of the future. What is it like to work for and with the firm of the future? Stay tuned.

Texas Law Blog

Friday Favorites (January 27, 2012)

Implementing Legal Project Management - The Work Breakdown Structure

Spotting probable trends in the legal market from an unlikely source

Do you use checklists in your law practice?

Friday Favorites (January 13, 2012)

What is Legal Project Management and Why Should I Implement it in my Practice?

Legal Project Management is Not Just for BigLaw, BigCo, or Complex eDiscovery

Law Firm Process Improvement

Texas Legislature - Bills Effective on January 1, 2012

Friday Favorites

Two events this week I look forward to every year

Friday Favorites

Are you billing customers for "non-value-added work"?

Is your law firm asking its customers: "How likely are you to recommend our law firm to a friend or colleague?"

My Experiment with Legal Project Management in the Cloud

How to make 17,500 lawyers disappear

New Topics of Discussion

To Buy Time or Results? That is the Question.

Georgia and Typography On My Mind

IgniteLaw debate *heats* up

Friday Favorites

Hitler Finds Out There is a New Addition (ugh...I mean, Edition) to the Bluebook

5 Web Applications for the Virtual Attorney

The Firm of the Future #2

The Firm of the Future #1

IgniteLaw debate heats up