The Practice: Creating A ‘Brand,’ While Others Create Your Reputation
Reputations aren’t created or bought, they are earned...
The Practice: Finding Meaning
So many among us are miserable and wondering why — and what — we are doing. How can you find meaning as a lawyer?
AI Is Reshaping Legal Practice—But Tools Aren’t The Real Differentiator.
Explore the mindset, cultural shifts, and training strategies that define the AI‑savvy lawyer, revealing why human judgment, standardized competence, and integrated learning—not technology alone—will shape the future of the profession.
The Practice: The Danger and Pleasure of a Niche Practice
There’s been a lot written about niche practices, but Brian Tannebaum will tell you the truth about the danger and pleasure of having one.
The Practice: It’s Not Always About the Clients
What's Brian Tannebaum's strategy for dealing with clients that you realize aren’t a good fit, and that are abusive with you, your time, and your staff (even if your staff is just you)?
The Practice: When Things Are Slow
Columnist Brian Tannebaum has some advice for small-firm attorneys experiencing slow months at work.
The Practice: Growing
How do you grow your small firm?
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The Practice: The Great (Stupid) Office Debate
Everyday you’re around others, you’re developing relationships, you’re saying hello to other lawyers, other business owners and the public. At some point in your practice, moving away from a business district may be OK, but why start out that way?
The Practice: A Lawyer to Emulate — Marc Randazza
In order to create something -- something important -- you have to first learn from those that have created ahead of you. So who’s on your list? Who’s the lawyer(s) you aspire to be like?
The Practice: Does Anyone Want a Mentor Anymore?
Some Gen Y lawyers think their elders want them to fail, are scared of them stealing clients, and only offer criticism for these reasons. I hate to break it to you kids, but I want you to succeed, and my clients aren’t hiring you. They’re not hiring your website or your Facebook Fan Page. Really, they’re not...
The Practice: Setting, Earning, and Keeping Fees in Small Law Firms
How should lawyers at small law firms go about setting, earning, and keeping their fees?
What Biglaw Can Learn From Personal Injury Firms
How a former insurance agent built a Houston injury practice around systems, empathy, and disciplined advocacy.
The Practice: Technology and the Lost Art of Unavailability
Being out of the office is something lawyers need to do to avoid hating the practice of law, but it is becoming more and more looked down upon....
The Practice: Political Networking
There, of course, is a natural path from lawyer to legislator. But the low pay, travel, time commitment, and mud slinging that we see on TV and the internet turn many lawyers away from public service.The current political landscape also causes lawyers to be uninterested in participating in politics at any level, whether it means lobbying, running campaigns, fundraising, or attending political functions. It’s a mistake...
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....
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.…
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?