Law Firm Management

Hardly a week passes without receiving information about a new publication or seminar about law office management. However, information is not readily available about what specifically managing partners and members of management committees should do to coalesce their partners, associates and staff into a well-managed and informed organization.

The diversity of AFA approaches and objectives can divide consumers and providers of legal services, and magnify the law firm-client communication challenges presented by movement away from an entrenched business model.

What is work? When does the workday begin and end? These seemingly easy questions are not so easy anymore. Here's why.

Successful transitioning of client work from senior to other partners involves numerous components that have to be planned and implemented in an effective and timely manner.

Coming into 2010, it has become clear that, for law firms, not only is electronic billing here to stay, but adoption by corporate clients will continue to accelerate.

In response to increased pressure, administrative leaders are seeking out ways to measure the performance of administrative functions ' to justify the function's staffing and costs and to demonstrate the group's value to firm leadership. The drive for performance measurement programs in law firms entails a shift toward careful assessment and analysis of the overall performance of various law firm administrative functions and their respective value to the firm.

Who's doing what; who's going where.

Here is the rest of "The Best of MLF 2009," from July through December.