Entries by Gideon Grunfeld

The Boutique Firm Business Plan for 2021

As managing partners and practice group leaders weigh the costs and benefits of returning to their offices, they should take advantage of the next six months to modernize their business plans. Three areas in particular are especially ripe for new approaches right now – real estate, practice area mix, and talent acquisition. Lawyers are creatures […]

Should All Your Employees Return to the Office?

With vaccination rates rising and states reducing restrictions around COVID-19, discussion in the legal services industry has turned to whether and to what extent law firms will require their people to return to offices. A lot of media reports have framed this issue as a tug-of-war between managers and their workers. The simplified conclusion is […]

Certain Hours Are More Valuable Than Billable Hours

Many firms continue to act as if billing a particular number of hours is the most valuable use of every attorney’s time. In the grand scheme of things, however, devoting time and resources to strategizing the firm’s positioning in the market can be more lucrative. Firm leaders, having never been taught to value management time […]

The Time Is Now for CA Lawyers to Voice Their Opinions on Nonlawyer Ownership in Law Firms

Members of the State Bar of California’s Closing the Justice Gap working group are split over how broad to make the state’s trial of regulatory changes. The board of trustees approved the working group, which is tasked with considering changes in nonlawyer ownership and fee sharing, in May 2020. Its SCOPE subcommittee is currently debating whether or not the organizations […]

Writing Content That Reaches Business Clients

As more and more of our professional interactions move online and the number of emails we receive on our smartphones continues to mushroom, law firms that serve businesses and other entities need to devote more resources to creating engaging content. The bar is higher now than ever before as law firms, HR and accounting firms, […]

Why You Might Want to Consider Charging a Flat Fee

Too many lawyers have the misconception that flat fees are only appropriate for small, simple matters such as basic wills and trusts or entity formation. There is, however, a much broader range of work where flat fees are appropriate. Flat fees should be considered when one of the following factors is present:   The value […]

ABA Ethics Committee Provides Tech Guidelines for Practicing Remotely

On March 10, the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility published Formal Opinion 498 permitting the virtual practice of law. A year into pandemic shutdowns which included the widespread closure of courts and law offices, this is unsurprising. With much of the industry forced to practice remotely during this period, it’s […]