The Practice

How can a summer associate make the most of the experience? Brian Tannebaum has some tips.

If you’re getting the wrong referrals, it’s your fault.

Here is a "best practice" for lawyers committed to client service. Are you following it?

How can you get some free advertising for your law practice? By following these five easy steps...

Reputations aren’t created or bought, they are earned...

So many among us are miserable and wondering why — and what — we are doing. How can you find meaning as a lawyer?

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.

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)?

Columnist Brian Tannebaum has some advice for small-firm attorneys experiencing slow months at work.

How do you grow your small firm?

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?

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?

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...

How should lawyers at small law firms go about setting, earning, and keeping their fees?

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....

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...

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....

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.…

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?

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....