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Preface | |
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The Legal Marketplace | |
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Structure and Organization | |
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Size | |
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Specialties | |
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Management Styles | |
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Forms of Management | |
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Private Law Firms | |
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Sole Proprietorships | |
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Partnerships | |
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Professional Corporations | |
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Limited Liability Corporation and Limited Liability Partnership | |
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Boutique Firms | |
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Office-Sharing Associations | |
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Legal Clinics | |
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Private Industry | |
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Corporate Legal Departments | |
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Private Companies | |
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Attorney Service and Nonprofit Companies | |
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Government Agencies | |
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Federal Agencies | |
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State Agencies | |
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County Agencies | |
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City Agencies | |
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The Changing Marketplace | |
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Multidisciplinary Practice | |
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Nonlegal Subsidiaries | |
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Law Firm Structure and Organization | |
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Legal Insurance Plans | |
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The Legal Team | |
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Historical Perspective | |
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Legal Team Members | |
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Attorney | |
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Legal Administrator | |
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Law Office Manager | |
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Paralegal | |
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Law Clerk | |
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Legal Secretary | |
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Receptionist | |
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Other Personnel | |
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Outsourcing | |
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Personnel Relations | |
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Management Objectives and Employee Relations | |
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The Manager's Role in Personnel Relations | |
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Functions of a Personnel Manager | |
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The Hiring Process | |
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Employee Objectives and Management Relations | |
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Communication | |
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Education | |
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Motivation | |
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Evaluation | |
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Compensation | |
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The Team Approach | |
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Commitment | |
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Competency | |
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Constructive Feedback | |
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Creativity | |
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Cooperation | |
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Conclusion | |
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The Attorney-Client Relationship | |
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Variables Affecting Client Relations | |
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Role of Bar Associations | |
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Role of the Lawyer | |
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Role of the Paralegal | |
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Role of the Client | |
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Cultivating Clients | |
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Marketing Activities | |
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Advertising | |
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Promotional Activities | |
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Public Relations | |
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Solicitation | |
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The Attorney-Client Relationship | |
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When Does the Attorney-Client Relationship Begin? | |
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The Five Cs of Client Relations | |
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When Does the Attorney-Client Relationship End? | |
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Attorney Discipline | |
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Admonition | |
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Reprimand | |
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Probation | |
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Suspension | |
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Disbarment | |
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Other Forms of Discipline | |
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Conclusion | |
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Paralegal Ethics and Client Relations | |
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Evolvement of Paralegal Ethics | |
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Role of Bar Associations | |
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Role of Paralegal Associations | |
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Paralegal Ethics and Client Relations | |
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Competence | |
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Commitment | |
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Communication | |
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Conflict of Interest | |
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Confidentiality | |
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The Unauthorized Practice of Law | |
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Representing Clients in Court or Government Agency Proceedings | |
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Preparing Legal Documents | |
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Giving Legal Advice | |
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Independent Paralegals | |
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Abuses | |
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Conclusion | |
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Legal Fees | |
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Historical Perspective | |
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Types of Fees | |
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Retainer fees | |
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Hourly Fees | |
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Flat Fees | |
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Task-Based Fees | |
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Contingency Fees | |
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Statutory Fees | |
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Referral Fees | |
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Premiums | |
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Combination Fees | |
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Division of Fees | |
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Division of Fees Among Lawyers | |
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Division of Fees with Nonlawyers | |
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Other Fees and Charges | |
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Other Law Firm Personnel | |
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Hard Costs | |
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Soft Costs | |
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Statutory and Judicial Guidelines | |
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Calculation of a Reasonable Fee | |
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Lodestar and Multipliers | |
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Liens | |
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Paralegal Guidelines | |
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Fee Agreements | |
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Retainer Fee Agreements | |
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Hourly Fee Agreements | |
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Flat Fee Agreements (Fixed Fee) | |
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Contingency Fee Agreements | |
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Conclusion | |
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Timekeeping | |
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Timekeeping Requirements | |
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Billable and Nonbillable Hours | |
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Calculation of a Billable Hour | |
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Minimum Charges | |
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Billable Hour versus Actual Hour | |
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Timekeeping Records and Reports | |
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Billing Clients | |
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Compensating Hourly Employees | |
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Calculating Employee Productivity | |
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Planning | |
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Monitoring Work in Progress | |
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Projecting Profitability | |
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Forecasting Income | |
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Elements of Timekeeping | |
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Coding | |
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Contingency Fee Law Firms | |
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Corporate Legal Departments | |
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Government Legal Offices | |
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Timekeeping Systems | |
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Manual Systems | |
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Automated Systems | |
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Timekeeping Ethics | |
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Common Problems | |
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Timekeeping Tips | |
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Keep the Time Sheet Handy | |
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Record the Largest Amount of Time | |
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Document the Time as a Project Is Finished | |
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Do Not Estimate Time | |
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Be Accurate | |
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Be Descriptive and Concise | |
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Record All Nonbillable Time | |
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Develop To-Do Lists | |
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Conclusion | |
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Billing and Financial Management | |
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The Art of Billing | |
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Communication | |
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Documentation | |
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Regular and Frequent Billing | |
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Descriptive Bills | |
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The Billing Process | |
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Interest Charges | |
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Credit and Credit Cards | |
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Billing Systems | |
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Billing Styles | |
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Billing an Hourly Fee Case | |
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Billing a Flat Fee Case | |
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Billing a Contingency Fee Case | |
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E-Billing | |
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Collection | |
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Sending Reminder Letters | |
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Renegotiating and Withdrawing | |
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Suing | |
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Using a Collection Agency | |
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Billing Ethics | |
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Legal Auditors | |
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Common Billing Problems | |
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Client-Directed Billing Policies | |
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Fee Disputes and Arbitration | |
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Financial Management | |
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Law Firm Profitability and Realization | |
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The Realization Process | |
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The Budgeting Process | |
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Income Projection | |
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Personnel Costs Projection | |
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Operating Expense Projection | |
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Calculating an Expense Percentage | |
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Managing the Client Funds Trust Account | |
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Types of Funds Held in the Trust Account | |
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Costs and Expenses | |
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Estate Proceeds | |
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Escrow Funds | |
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Settlements | |
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Judgments | |
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Fee Advances | |
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Funds in which a Third Party Has an Interest | |
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Maintaining the Trust Account | |
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Opening a Trust Account | |
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Preparing the Client Ledger Sheet | |
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Maintaining Journals | |
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Communicating with Clients | |
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Documenting Transactions | |
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Disbursing Funds | |
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Reconciling the Account | |
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Preparing Monthly Statements | |
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Closing an Account | |
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Keeping Records | |
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Interest on Lawyers' Client Funds Account | |
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Trust Account Abuses | |
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Conclusion | |
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Technology in the Law Office | |
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Common Law Office Software | |
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Word Processing | |
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Spreadsheets | |
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Database | |
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Time and Billing | |
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Case Management and Docket Control | |
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Litigation Support | |
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Substantive Software Applications | |
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Court Forms Generating | |
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Browser | |
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The Internet | |
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History of the Internet | |
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Protocols | |
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Domain Names | |
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The World Wide Web | |
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Locating Information on the Web | |
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Reliability of Information on Web Sites | |
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Intranets and Extranets | |
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Intranets | |
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Extranets | |
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Electronic Mail | |
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E-Mail Addresses | |
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Listservs and Discussion Groups | |
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Netiquette | |
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Managing E-Mail | |
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Keeping E-Mail Confidential | |
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Technology Ethics | |
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Advertising | |
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Domain Names | |
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E-Mail | |
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Retention of Advertising Materials | |
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Multistate Compliance | |
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Unauthorized Practice of Law | |
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Conclusion | |
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Law Office Systems | |
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What Is a System? | |
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Types of Systems | |
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Macrosystems | |
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Microsystems | |
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Minisystems and Subsystems | |
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Systems Development | |
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Candidate Selection | |
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Analysis | |
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Synthesis | |
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Organization | |
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Finalization | |
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Systems Storage | |
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Essential Skills for Systems Development | |
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Common Problems with Systems Development | |
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Systems Evolvement | |
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Third-Party Systems | |
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Conclusion | |
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Docket Control Systems | |
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Elements of a Docket Control System | |
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Calendaring Systems | |
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Master Calendar | |
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Personal Calendar | |
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Calendaring Procedures | |
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Calendaring Ethics | |
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Tickler Systems | |
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Manual Tickler System | |
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Tickler Procedures | |
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Computerized Docketing Systems | |
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Static Calendar Programs | |
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Automated Docketing Programs | |
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File Review System | |
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File and Records Management | |
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Filing Systems | |
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Types of Filing Systems | |
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Filing System Classification | |
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Coding Systems | |
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Numeric Coding Systems | |
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Alphanumeric Coding | |
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Cross-Index | |
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Color Coding | |
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File Retrieval | |
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Electronic Files | |
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File Opening | |
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Preclient Files | |
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File-Opening Procedures | |
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File Maintenance | |
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Document Categories | |
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Case Cover Sheets | |
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Indexes | |
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Document Management | |
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Managing Electronic Records | |
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Document Retrieval | |
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Automated Document Management | |
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File Closing, Retention, and Destruction | |
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File-Closing Procedures | |
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Inactive Records Storage | |
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Records Retention | |
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Records Destruction | |
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File and Records Management Ethics | |
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Preserve Client's Property | |
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Perform Conflict-of-Interest Checks | |
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Promptly Return File to the Client | |
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Retain Records | |
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Preserve Confidentiality | |
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Conclusion | |
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Law Library Organization and Management | |
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The Nature of Law | |
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Law Classification | |
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Classes and Authority of Law | |
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Primary Authority | |
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Secondary Authority | |
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Search Tools and Form Books | |
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Law Library Organization and Procedures | |
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Library Size | |
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Types of Library Organization | |
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Library Checkout Systems | |
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Law Library Technology | |
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On-Line Legal and Nonlegal Databases | |
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Microform | |
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CD-ROM | |
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E-Mail and Telefacsimile (Fax) Transmission | |
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The Internet | |
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Electronic Citation | |
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Court Forms, Form Files, and Knowledge Banks | |
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Court Forms | |
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Form Files | |
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Knowledge Banks | |
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The Law Librarian | |
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Conclusion | |
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Answers to Self-Test Questions | |
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Associations for Paralegals, Legal Secretaries, and Managers | |
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Federal Employment Laws | |
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Definitions and Code of Ethics of National Paralegal Associations | |
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Docket Calculation Chart | |
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Glossary | |
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Bibliography | |
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Index | |