The Survival Guide to Implementing Effective Law Firm Management Strategies

Arthur G. Greene is a principal with Boyer Greene, LLC in Bedford, New Hampshire. He is the author of Paralegals, Profitability, and the Future of Your Law Practice (ISBN: 978-1-59031-159-2), The Lawyer's Guide to Governing Your Firm (ISBN: 978-1-59031-780-8 ), The Lawyer's Guide to Increasing Revenue, 2nd Edition (ISBN: 978-1-61438-094-8 ), and Strengthening Your Firm: Strategies for Success (ISBN: 978-1-59031-159-2) Sandra J. Boyer is a principal and the managing shareholder of the AndersonBoyer Group. She has consulted with law firms for almost fifteen years and her practice includes general management; strategic planning; associate development; marketing; mergers and acquisitions; and personnel management, including the recruitment of the law firm administrative team. Sandra is also the executive vice president of the Network of Leading Law Firms, a non-profit organization of affiliated law firms from around the world. The network focuses on referring work between firms and preparing firms for the future of the law practice as it emerges into a new era. She previously served as the associate director of the Institute on Law Firm Management and the Administrator of the law practice management continuing education courses at the Institute of Continuing Legal Education at the University of Michigan Law School, where she developed and administered courses and seminars on law practice management. She is a member of the Law Practice Management Section of the American Bar Association and is a member of its Leadership Task Force. She is also active in the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section of the American Bar Association where she serves as the Chair of the Economics of Law Practice Committee and serves on the Membership Committee. In addition to being active in the American Bar Association, she is a member of the International Bar Association. Sandra authored The Administrator's Guide to Firm Dissolution and has co-authored Succession Planning: The Legal Administrator's Role in Ensuring the Future of the Firm for the 2002 Association of Legal Administrators Management Encyclopedia - Volume II. She is the co-author of Associate Retention: Keeping Our Best and Brightest (June, 2002). Her articles have been published in many law practice management newsletters, including the ABA Law Practice Management Section's Law Practice Quarterly, the International Bar Association magazine and the AndersonBoyer Group newsletter. She has lectured nationally and internationally at law practice management programs presented by the International Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan, the Georgia State Bar, and the Association of Legal Administrators. Sandra holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Human Resource Administration from Concordia University.

About the Authors vii Acknowledgments ix Part I It's All about the Culture 1 Chapter 1 Why Cultures Matter 3 Part II Planning: Why Do It? 9 Chapter 2 Core Values, Mission, and Vision 11 Chapter 3 Strategic Planning 17 Chapter 4 Marketing Plans 23 Chapter 5 Lawyer Annual Practice Plans 33 Chapter 6 Succession Planning 37 Part III Healthy Partnerships 45 Chapter 7 Protecting the Firm 47 Chapter 8 Partnership Agreement Provisions 57 Chapter 9 Partners, Associates, and Other Lawyers 65 Chapter 10 Lawyer Compensation 71 iv The Survival Guide to Implementing Effective Law Firm Management Strategies Part IV Management 83 Chapter 11 Effective Management 85 Chapter 12 The Law Firm Administrator 93 Chapter 13 Practice Groups 99 Chapter 14 Delegation Strategies and Techniques 109 Chapter 15 Associate Recruitment and Training 113 Part V Financial Management 121 Chapter 16 Reporting Financial Data 123 Chapter 17 Paralegal Profitability 129 Chapter 18 Partner, Associate, and Paralegal Accountability 141 Chapter 19 Improving Revenue 149 Appendices 159 Appendix A Individual Lawyer Marketing Program 161 Appendix B Individual Lawyer Annual Practice Plan 165 Appendix C Model Partnership Agreement-Short Form 167 Appendix D Model Partnership Agreement-Long Form 173 Appendix E Criteria for Partnership 185 Appendix F Non-Equity Partner Criteria 187 Appendix G Associate Lawyer Guidelines 189 Appendix H Formula Compensation System 193 Appendix I Subjective Compensation System 195 Appendix J First Combination Compensation System 197 Appendix K Second Combination Compensation System 199 Appendix L Compensation System Study Memo 201 Appendix M Compensation Study Committee Outline of Questions 203 Appendix N Table of Contents for Compensation Study Report 205 Appendix O Compensation Study Committee Retreat Agenda 207 Contents v Appendix P The Management Committee: Roles and Responsibilities 209 Appendix P-1 Financial Partner 211 Appendix P-2 Professional Personnel Partner 213 Appendix P-3 Marketing Partner 215 Appendix Q Managing Partner Job Description 217 Appendix R Legal Administrator-Small Firm 219 Appendix S Legal Administrator-Large Firm 221 Appendix T Practice Group Chair 225 Appendix U Practice Group Agenda 227 Appendix V Associate Orientation Program 229 Appendix W Litigation Associate Task Performance List 231 Appendix X Associate Mentoring Program 233 Appendix Y Associate Training Policy 235 Appendix Z Monthly Summary of Financial Indicators 237 Appendix AA Monthly Summary Memo of Financial Data 239 Appendix BB Associate Evaluation Form 241 Appendix CC Associate Self-Evaluation 245 Appendix DD Paralegal Performance Review Form 247 Appendix EE Partner Peer Review Evaluation Form 251 Index 255