Brian Tannebaum
Posts by Brian Tannebaum
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Small Law Firms
The Practice: Getting Involved in the (Offline) Community
Brian Tannebaum used to be frequently asked, “Hey, I want to get involved in the community, can you tell me how?” He doesn't get asked that much anymore. “Community” is considered “the Twitter community,” or “the blawgosphere.” While the tech hacks haven’t yet declared community involvement “dead,” the fact that the result of becoming involved in the community is often organically-developed, real relationships with other like-minded people that may lead to business, is unattractive to those that have bought in to the notion that a collection of followers and friends online is a quicker path to lots of phone calls. So if there are any lawyers left out there that are still contemplating community involvement, Tannebaum offers the following.... -
Small Law Firms
The Practice: Fewer Clients
In prior years, Brian Tannebaum attempted to mentally keep track of who called him and who hired him, but he wound up forgetting a lot of the details. This year, he made some changes. On a monthly basis, he's reviewing prospective clients who called, as well as who referred them, who took their calls, their case types, and whether he was retained. The percentage of calls-to-retained used to be “most.” Most potential clients that came to his office retained me. He made it easy. He'd bring them in, spend some free time, smile a lot, negotiate the fee, and get the case. Now that percentage has gone down, way down.… 
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Small Law Firms
The Practice: Do You or Your Client Understand the Scope of Representation? (Part II)
So the matter/case (whatever you call it) is over. You’ve resolved the contract dispute, formed the corporate entity, ended the marriage, had the criminal case dismissed, resolved whatever the client’s issue was for which you were retained. You’ve taken Brian Tannebaum's advice and narrowly defined the scope of representation in your written, signed retainer agreement. Now what?
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Malpractice, Small Law Firms
The Practice: Do You or Your Client Understand the Scope of Representation? (Part I)
Be forewarned: Brian Tannebaum is citing case law here, so if that scares you, stop reading now. There are two things lawyers are doing wrong when it comes to scope of representation, as in, “What is your obligation to this client?” The failure to comprehend this critical concept begins when you are retained, and rears its head again when the representation is over. So let’s talk about the dumbass things you are doing to complicate your life, and how to fix them.... -
Money, Practice Pointers, Real Estate, Small Law Firms
The Practice: How Much Money Can You Make at a Small Law Firm?
Brian Tannebaum knows when you call him, when you come to his office to discuss the “possibility of leaving,” that it’s the only thing on your mind. Sure, you want your name on the door, more freedom, more client contact. But you just have one real question. One real fear. One real concern. One thing you need to convince your better half of before you make “the jump.” Can I make the same Biglaw money at a small firm? Here’s the answer.... -
Practice Pointers, Small Law Firms
The Practice: Who’s the Idiot That Invented Three Name Referrals?
Brian Tannebaum want to know when lawyers will stop using opportunities to give referrals as a panicked strategy of covering their asses. You know what he's talking about -- the “three names” idiocy? He knows, you were taught this. You never give one name. Why? Because what if it doesn’t work out? Then you’re going to have some sort of imagined problem that someone told you could be very, very bad.... -
Practice Pointers, Small Law Firms
The Practice: Goal Setting – Non-Billable Hour Edition
If you’re a lawyer, and some of you that read this are, you know it’s time to start trying to convince yourself that you’re going to do wonderful things “next year.” Advice is readily available on the internet about the proper way to set goals, but as usual, Brian Tannebaum is here to help you ignore all of that. Here is his surefire way to have a great 2012 as a lawyer.... -
Small Law Firms
The Practice: Enough with the Worthless Networking
There are two types of lawyers: Those that “don’t do networking,” and those that do it because it is required to establish a word of mouth practice. For those that want the word of mouth practice, and the reputation in the community as a go-to person (assuming you are a competent lawyer, and these days, that’s a big assumption), here are some things to consider.... 
SponsoredNavigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
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Bonuses, Money, Small Law Firms
The Practice: BREAKING NEWS -- There Is No Breaking Small Firm/Solo Bonus News
The Small Firm bonus memos are out and it appears that many are happy to have some extra coin to make a few car payments, and buy a new suit or two for when they have to go to court and conduct real business. If you are just googly-eyed at the notion of a $37,500 bonus given to a Biglaw ingrate, and let’s face it, if you are a small firm lawyer, you are, here are some ways you can turn that frown upside down thanks to Brian Tannebaum.... -
Facebook, Google / Search Engines, Legal Ethics, Small Law Firms, Social Networking Websites, Technology, Twittering
The Practice: The Definitive (All You Need To Know) Guide (This Is It) To Social Media For Lawyers
Sorry to disappoint the snake-oil salesmen, but in this small post Brian Tannebaum will buck the trend, and debunk the fallacy of non-practicing lawyers who write books about social media for lawyers. Here, today my friends, he will tell you everything you need to know about the complicated and scary topic of: how to talk to people on the internet like a normal person.... -
Holidays and Seasons, Small Law Firms
The Practice: It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like a Non-Biglaw Christmas
If you’re a newly departed Biglaw lawyer, that silence you hear is the absence of the email from the firm’s office manager asking you how many Christmas, sorry, “holiday” cards you need to send out this year. And if you’re in the first year or so of your own practice, I bet you can’t wait […] -
Biglaw, Continuing Legal Education / CLE, Small Law Firms
The Practice: Three Perfectly Good Uses For Biglaw Lawyers
It appears that Brian Tannebaum isn't a big fan of Biglaw -- but that’s not true. Actually, Biglaw has been very good to him, and it can be good to you as a solo or small firm lawyer. Just don’t steal any of the embossed coffee cups, and consider some of these ideas.... -
Biglaw, Job Searches, Practice Pointers, Small Law Firms, Solo Practitioners
The Practice: Leaving Biglaw to Become a Relevant Real-World Lawyer
Brian Tannebaum has learned a lot in his first week here while reading comments from the anonymous miserable Biglaw associates. He learned the term “s**t law.” He has some advice for those that want to practice law, and not feed the billable hour factory that is Biglaw....
Sponsored
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Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm.
Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get…
Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use.
Sponsored
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The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms.
Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so…
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Small Law Firms, Social Networking Websites, Solo Practitioners, Technology, Twittering
The Practice: Introducing The Contrarian To 'The Future Of Law'
It looks like Brian Tannebaum is going to hang out at Above the Law for a little while writing weekly about small-firm and solo law practice issues. He's as shocked as you are that he was asked to type over here -- as he actually practices law, in a suit, in an office, with other humans, with a desk, and has real live clients who actually need legal services....
