Client service
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Biglaw, General Counsel, In-House Counsel, Midsize Firms / Regional Firms, Small Law Firms
Why Was Your Firm Fired as Outside Counsel?
How can your firm stop corporate client attrition? It's all about awareness and dialogue, according to this Acritas survey. -
Practice Pointers, Small Law Firms
The Practice: Client Control, Before It’s Out Of Control
As lawyers, we often look past obvious signals when we’re about to get a new client. Here's some advice from small-firm columnist Brian Tannebaum on how to control client behavior before it gets out of control. - 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… -
Biglaw, In-House Counsel, Partner Issues
Inside Straight: Being Responsive
Being responsive — there’s nothing to it. Why do so many lawyers mess it up?
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Biglaw, Billable Hours, In-House Counsel, Partner Issues
Inside Straight: How To Drive Outside Counsel Nuts!
In-house lawyers: do you engage in any of these annoying behaviors, which are guaranteed to drive outside counsel crazy? -
Biglaw, In-House Counsel, Litigators, Partner Issues
Inside Straight: How To Drive Clients Nuts!
In-house columnist Mark Herrmann describes things that outside counsel do that annoy their clients majorly. -
Secretaries / Administrative Assistants, Small Law Firms, Solo Practitioners
The Practice: Engaging the Client, Before and After You're Retained
Practical pointers from Brian Tannebaum, one of our small-firm columnists, on how to engage with your clients. -
Cars, Death Penalty, Depositions, Drinking, Guns / Firearms, Kids, Murder, Non-Sequiturs, Paralegals, Police, Sex, Television, Violence
Non-Sequiturs: 07.24.12
* Will consultation with victims’ families determine whether James Holmes deserves the death penalty? You could probably consult with a wall to make that determination and get the same result. [PrawfsBlawg] * Just like that, with incredible ninja-like speed, someone has already filed a negligence suit against the Aurora Century 16 Theater where the shootings took place. [Gawker] * And no, sorry to disappoint you, but notwithstanding his self-admitted teeny peeny, we don’t think that James Holmes decided to go on a shooting spree because he got rejected by a few women on Adult Friend Finder. [Jezebel] * While we’re talking about gun violence, Mike Bloomberg has got a great idea: all police officers should go on strike until legislators push through stricter gun laws. How is a nanny state supposed to work properly when all the governesses are off duty? [Gothamist] * Knowledge is power in the hands of a client, especially when the knowledge you’ve given them is just another tool to piss off opposing counsel during a deposition. [Popehat] * Personal responsibility fail: allowing your 13-year-old to drive you home because you’re wasted. Fathering fail: believing that was a good idea in the first place. [Legal Juice] * A fake TV show starring a wheelchair-bound paraplegic paralegal? You know you’d watch this. [The Onion] -
Small Law Firms
The Practice: Do Your Referral Sources Get It?
If you’re getting the wrong referrals, it’s your fault. - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Small Law Firms
The Practice: The Mid-Representation Conversation
Here is a "best practice" for lawyers committed to client service. Are you following it? -
Allen & Overy, Biglaw, Breasts, Facebook, Morning Docket, Police, Stephen Breyer, Technology, United Kingdom / Great Britain, White & Case
Morning Docket: 02.22.12
* Vedel Browne, the man charged with robbing Justice Stephen Breyer, will enter a plea of not guilty. Why turn yourself in and then claim innocence? That makes no sense, mon. [Washington Post] * Guess which Biglaw firms helped to broker the $173B Greek debt deal? Cleary Gottlieb, Allen & Overy, and White & Case. […]
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Biglaw, Boutique Law Firms, Small Law Firms
From Biglaw to Boutique: Which is Better for Clients?
A general counsel recently asked Tom Wallerstein, “Why should my company risk hiring a lesser-known, small firm?” Tom told him that it shouldn’t. Tom doesn’t think any company should unnecessarily “risk” its business without good reason. Tom will be the first to admit that there are some matters that simply demand big firm attention. But Tom also told the GC that there were many matters that he thought his smaller firm could handle just as well as could a big firm.... -
Biglaw, In-House Counsel, Litigators
Inside Straight: Unbelievable! A Smart, New Idea!
In 25 years working at law firms, I never offered this to a client. In two years working in-house, no outside law firm ever before offered this to me. But I heard it moments ago, and I couldn’t believe how foolish I’ve been. I smiled, shook my head, hung up the phone, and popped open […] -
In-House Counsel, Litigators
Inside Straight: In-House Counsel's Three Clients
There’s a six-year-old trapped inside of me, pounding on the inside of my skull and screaming to get out. (Many of you would say that the quality of these columns proves that I don’t manage to keep the kid fully contained. Yeah, well: It’s a good thing you’ve never heard any of my jokes.) My […]
Sponsored
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
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
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…
Sponsored
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
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms.
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Biglaw, In-House Counsel
Inside Straight: Keeping People In The Loop
How much do other people have to know? This question comes up in many different contexts, and answering it always requires a little judgment. At law firms, the questions often involve what the partner or the client needs to know. These people are supposed to be kept in the loop, but that task may be […] -
Biglaw, In-House Counsel, Litigators, Shameless Plugs
Inside Straight: Bringing A Client Up To Speed
First, a shameless plug; then, back to business. Law360 surveyed practicing lawyers around the country asking what books the practitioners would recommend for new lawyers –- the so-called “legal greenhorns.” (The Law360 article requires a subscription; this recent piece from the ABA’s “Young Lawyer” is free of charge and summarizes the results.) The recommended books […] -
Associate Advice, In-House Counsel, Small Law Firms, Sports
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: Tell Them Why the Trains Are Late
As you probably know, the Boston Bruins won their first Stanley Cup since the Nixon Administration. I’m no kind of hockey fan, but as a Boston sports fan, I took a passing interest in it. Which is to say that I watched Game 7 on Wednesday. Mine was a short ride on the bandwagon. (I […] -
Associate Advice, Screw-Ups, Small Law Firms
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: Sorry About This Post
Have you ever messed something up for a client? Ever make a mistake that was yours and yours alone, that caused your client a problem and you and your firm some embarrassment? If you haven’t, then you haven’t been practicing very long. Because you can’t practice for a long time without making some mistakes. It’s […] -
Biglaw, General Counsel, In-House Counsel
Inside Straight: Tasks Versus Projects
Success — at a law firm, in-house, or in any professional services environment — requires a certain mindset. The mindset is this: “My job is not to take an order from my client (or boss) and fill that order, but rather to achieve things.” Or, to put it differently, strive to execute projects, not simply […] -
Biglaw, General Counsel, In-House Counsel
Inside Straight: Delivering Bad News
Several readers have sent e-mails asking for advice on how to deliver bad news to clients. Here’s proof that, if ye shall ask, ye may receive. Think first about the “bad news” that you’re delivering. You’re not a physician, so you’re not looking a person in the eye and explaining that he or she has […] -
Small Law Firms
Size Matters: Growing Up Together
Oprah is ending on May 25. Like most Americans, I am exhibiting signs of Empty Oprah Syndrome. During this time, as I mourn the loss of my “ultimate girlfriend,” I find myself asking one key question: why does Gayle King get to be Oprah’s actual best friend? I would be way better. There are a […]