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Ancillary Businesses: Assessing Their Overhead Costs

By Jim Jones and Mike Short

[Editor's note: In February's edition of the A&FP newsletter, an article and accompanying worksheet provided an overview of various law firm resources that might need to be committed to a proposed ancillary business. That article focused on how an ancillary business might unexpectedly challenge the physical, financial or service resources of the law firm. This month's article examines somewhat the reverse issue: financial strains on the ancillary business that could unexpectedly result from its association with the law firm.]

Seeking to differentiate their firms in a competitive legal marketplace by providing a broader range of services, an increasing number of law firm planners find themselves performing a cost-benefit analysis of proposed ancillary businesses ' non-legal ventures that offer services complementary to those provided by the law firm. Services provided by ancillary businesses include, among others: advertising, consulting, claims administration, document management, government relations, human resources, real estate appraisals, real estate development, title insurance services and tax counseling.

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