MyShingle : Solo and Small Law Firm Management and Marketing

FREE Webinar on Business Competency for Lawyers

I've mentioned Ed Poll, one of today's preeminent law practice management experts and coaches, a number of times on MyShingle (most recently in a post about New York's new proposed attorney advertising rules), and a number of his articles are included in our Online Guide to Creating a Law Practice. So I'm particularly pleased to help spread the word about a free webinar Ed will be presenting based on his recent book, Business Competency for Lawyers: A LawBiz Management Special Report. The webinar, An Introduction to Business Competency for Lawyers will help you understand the essential ways in which your practice is a business as well as a profession.

In the webinar, Ed will cover the importance of business planning and the components of a business plan, including a marketing plan and a financial plan. He'll talk about how to evaluate your firm's business performance and the crucial element of cash flow management. He'll discuss billing rates and cycles, and will explain some of the pricing options available to lawyers (including hourly, fixed fee and value billing). Since billing is only part of the equation, he'll also address collections. Finally, he'll take attendees through some case studies in understanding business competency, analyzing the real costs of e-mail and capital investment.

The webinar, which will take place on Tuesday, July 18 at 2 p.m. EST (11 a.m. Pacific), is sponsored by Legal Research & Writing Pro, a new venture from my friend Lisa Solomon. Ed will present for the first 45-60 minutes of the webinar; after that, all participants are invited to stay in the online conference room for a mini "coaching summit," during which Ed will open the floor for questions about any aspect of law practice management. To register for the webinar, go to www.LegalResearchandWritingPro.com (it's important to register for this webinar even if you attended the last free webinar LRWP sponsored, since there is a new conference room password). Tell your friends and colleagues about the webinar, too.

Lisa has advised me that the webinar interface is not Mac compatible. However, this is a great opportunity to get together with a colleague who has a Windows machine, or you can purchase a program like VirtualPC. Whether you are participating from your office or a colleague's, you can have as many people in the room with you at the time of the webinar as you would like.

If you've ever considered hanging out your own shingle, this webinar is a great opportunity to learn some of the business skills you'll need to make your practice a success. If you're already a shingler, it's a great opportunity to brush up on your business skills, and it may reveal some areas in which you could use some additional guidance.

Legal Research & Writing Pro will be sponsoring additional free webinars in the future, and I'll announce them here.