Practice Management Resource Center

              JuriStaff - Great tips for those seeking jobs in the legal profession
              LawCrossing - Legal jobs website
              LegalAffairs - The magazine at the intersection of law and life

Going Solo

Articles

Is Your Parachute Ready to Make the Jump? PDF
The Leap of Faith & What Comes Afterward PDF

Client Relations and Communication

Client Communication

Articles

How To Conduct a Meeting (Foonberg's Ten Rules) PDF
Scoring Big Points on the Telephone

Checklists and Guidelines

e-Mail Disclaimer PDF
Telephone Protocol PDF

Forms

              Client Notice - Proposed Settlement MS WORD
              Client Service Questionnaire MS WORD
              Disengagement Letter - Engagement Completed MS WORD
              Disengagement Letter - Failure to Pay Fees MS WORD
              Disengagement Letter - Lost Client MS WORD

Client Intake

Checklists and Guidelines

New Client Screening PDF

Forms

              New Business Information MS WORD
              New Matter Report MS WORD
              Retainer Agreement - Contingent Fee MS WORD
              Retainer Agreement - Criminal - Fixed Fee - Hourly MS WORD
              Retainer Agreement - Flat Fee MS WORD
              Retainer Agreement - General - Business Client MS WORD
              Retainer Agreement - General - Hourly - Sample 1 MS WORD
              Retainer Agreement - General - Hourly - Sample 2 MS WORD
              Written Client Satisfaction Survey MS WORD

Conflicts of Interest

Articles

Who's the Client? PDF

Checklists and Guidelines

              Former Client Conflict Disclosure and Consent PDF
              Multiple Current Client Conflict Disclosure and Consent PDF
              Personal/Business Conflict Disclosure and Consent PDF
              Preventing Conflicts of Interest PDF
              The Attorney-Client Relationship PDF

Forms

              Conflict of Interest Search Form MS WORD
              Conflict Waiver Joint Representation of Multiple Clients MS WORD
              Pre-employment Conflict of Interest MS WORD
              Request for Conflict Search and System Entry MS WORD

Disaster Recovery

Articles

Protect Your Clients and Yourself: Prepare for Disaster Before it Happens
Would You and Your Practice Survive These Common Disasters?

Checklists and Guidelines

         Disaster Recovery Planning
         Resources to Help You Avoid Disaster in Your Disaster Recovery Plan
         Ten Tips for Dealing with Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Issues

Links

         A Business Continuity Checklist - From ComputerWorld
         Classic Mistakes - From ComputerWorld
         Data Recovery Planning: The First Step - From ComputerWorld
         Disaster Homework - From ComputerWorld
         Preparing For The Worst - From ComputerWorld
         Protect Your Business Against Disasters - From SmallBizPipeline
         Tips for Coping with Disasters - From ComputerWorld

Financial Management

Billing

Checklists and Guidelines

Collecting Your Fee PDF
Referral Fees PDF

Forms

Monthly Hourly Billing Statement MS WORD

Fee Setting

Checklists and Guidelines

              2007 Economics of Law Practice Summary Report PDF
              2007 Economics of Law Practice Interactive Survey Results PDF
              2003 Economics of Law Practice Summary Report PDF
              2000 Economics of Law Practice Summary Report PDF
              Setting Fees PDF

General Accounting

Forms

Monthly Budget MS WORD
Start-Up Budget MS WORD

How-to Kits

How to Prepare a Cash-Flow Budget for a Start-Up Law Practice PDF

Trust Accounting

Checklists and Guidelines

Common Trust Account Errors PDF
Ten Commandments of Good Trust Accounts PDF

Forms

Client Notification of Trust Account Transfer MS WORD

How-to Kits

Open an IOLTA Account (click on Building Your Practice)

Links

Ethics Opinions on Trust Account References - from the State Bar of Michigan
Michigan State Bar Foundation

Insurance

In General

Links

IRMI.com - International Risk Management Institute
Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc. - Insurance Management Society

Employment Practices Liability

Articles

When Employee Relations Turn Sour PDF

Lawyers Professional Liability

Articles

              Expanding the Plaintiff Pool PDF
              Getting Along With Underwriters PDF
              Hiring Without a Net PDF
              No Retreat in Retirement PDF
              Not to Panic - Suits Happen PDF
              Shopping for Malpractice Insurance PDF
              Shoring up Malpractice Insurance PDF
              The Buck Stops Where? PDF

Law Practice

Closing a Law Practice

Checklists and Guidelines

Firm Closure/Dissolution PDF
Guideline for Closing Your Practice PDF

Links

Ethics Opinions on Closing a Law Practice - from the State Bar of Michigan

Merging Law Practices

Articles

Your Future: Is There a Merger There?

Moving Your Law Practice

Checklists and Guidelines

              Checklist for Moving Your Office PDF
              How to Create a Move Plan Checklist PDF
              How to Plan for Office Relocation PDF

Opening a Law Practice

Checklists and Guidelines

              How to Evaluate Your Office Leasing Needs PDF
              Needs for New Law Office PDF
              Opening Your First Law Office PDF

How-to Kits

Open a Law Practice (click on Building Your Practice)

Practice\Risk Management

Articles

              Cell Phones - Great New Technology or Latest Per Se Negligence?
              Minimizing Risk While Maximizing Performance PDF
              Special Considerations for Sole and Small Firm Practitioners PDF
              The Hazard: Practicing Outside Your Area PDF
              The Hazard: Suing to Recover Fees PDF
              Ten Ways to Improve Your Practice and Stay Out of Trouble PDF
              The Top Ten Malpractice Traps and How to Avoid Them PDF
              Your Partner's Keeper PDF

Links

American Bar Association - ABA Law Practice Management Section
Law Practice Today - e-Zine

Quality of Life

Articles

              Career Vision: Moving Your Life From Stress to Balance
              Definitions
              Good Health Habits Sneaking in Under the Radar PDF
              Massage PDF
              Practice Random Kindness PDF
              Too Much To Do, Too Little Time?

Links

Lawyers & Judges Assistance Program - Consultations for lawyers and judges
Work Life Balance Calculator - Measure the impact of billable hours on your life

Structure

Articles

The Changing World of Work

Technology

Articles

              Hardware and Software: You Bought It, You've Got It—Now Use It!
              How Hard Is Your Tech Dollar Working? The Real Return on Investment PDF
              In the Right Persons' Hands: Extranets Start with a Focus on Your People
              The Top Ten Causes of Malpractice and How You Can Avoid Them PDF
               Wireless Insecurity

Links

              AskSam - Create searchable databases from web pages, PDF’s, texts and Word
              C/Net - Information regarding electronics
              DigitalLawyer - Selection of legal software links
              Law Technology News - Technology guide for your practice
              LawyerWare - Legal software applications
              Microsoft Windows - Microsoft site explaining how to customize the links bar
              Start-Stop Dictation and Transcription Systems - Audio transcription equipment
              The Virtual Chase - How established and cutting edge tech tools can help you
              Word MVP - Articles, tips, and resources to help tame Word

Management & Employee Relations

In General

Articles

              Generation X: What You Need to Know About Mentoring the New Generations
              How Can My Firm Avoid the Pitfalls in Implementing Effective Practice Management?
              Q. Is Practice Management Just the Latest Fad?

Checklists and Guidelines

The Law of Agreement

How-to Kits

How to Draft an Employee Handbook MS WORD

Links

              AllLaw.com - A compilation of human resources forms
              American Payroll Association - Service and support for the payroll industry
              EEO/Affirmative Action - Equal Employment Advisory Counsel
              Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act PDF
              Law Firm, Inc. - Ideas and innovation for law firm management
              LegalStaffing.com - Top legal staffing sites
              Michigan Legislature PDF - Bullard-Plawecki Employee Right to Know Act
              OSHA - Occupational Safety and Health Administration
              salary.com - Job related salary information
              U.S. Department of Labor - Family and Medical Leave Act
              U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - U.S. Department of Labor - Bureau of Labor Statistics
              U.S. Department of Labor - Fair Labor Standards Act, including criteria for overtime
              U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Associates

Articles

Advice for Young Lawyers about Career Development

Employee Separation

Checklists and Guidelines

Termination Checklist PDF

Support Staff

Legal Administrators

Links

Association of Legal Administrators

Legal Assistants

Articles

2004 National Utilization and Compensation Survey Report

Checklists and Guidelines

Model Standards & Guidelines for Utilization of Paralegals
The Human Resources Guide to the Legal Assistant/Paralegal Profession

Links

                   Legal Search & Management, Inc.- Legal assistant recruiting
                   National Association of Legal Assistants
                   Role of Non-Lawyers in Law Practice - Guidelines for the use of legal assistants

Records Maintenance

Document Procedures/Processes

Mail Handling

Checklists and Guidelines

Incoming Mail Procedures PDF
Outgoing Mail Procedures PDF

Paperless Office

Articles

Paper—Philosophical Pleasures, Practical Pointers
Paperless Perils! from the Michigan Bar Journal

Record Retention

Articles

Ownership of Lawyer's Files from the Michigan Bar Journal

Checklists and Guidelines

Closed File Checklist PDF
Record Retention Plans PDF

Links

Record Retention Kit - from the State Bar of Michigan

Disclaimer: The State Bar of Michigan Practice Management Resource Center provides the information on this website as a service to its members. The suggestions, opinions, and products presented are not intended as, and do not constitute, legal advice. Due to the rapidly changing nature of technology and the legal profession, and our reliance on information provided by outside sources, the State Bar of Michigan does not warranty or guaranty the accuracy or availability of the content on this site or on other sites to which we link. The State Bar of Michigan will not be liable to any party for damages arising in any way out of the availability, use, reliance on or inability to use the State Bar of Michigan website, or any information provided by or through the State Bar of Michigan website, or for any claim attributable to errors, omissions or other inaccuracies in any information provided by or through the State Bar of Michigan website.