Law Office Management

Law Office Management for Paralegals, Fourth Edition is a comprehensive introduction to law office management, emphasizing ethics, law office culture, law office systems, and “soft skills,” such as communications and critical thinking. Assignments are drawn from real-world law office management situations and supported by innovative visual aids and learning tools. Students get hands-on practice with timekeeping, conflicts-checking, file management, trust accounting, business planning, correspondence, and much more. They are exposed to law office software, such as Clio, and learn to perform vital functions using other software and even freeware. Career profiles emphasize the importance of involvement in professional organizations, advancement in the legal field without obtaining a law degree, and that the legal profession is populated by men and women of all ages and backgrounds. New to the Fourth Edition: New ethical discussions: the obligation to keep up with current technology, disaster planning, and dealing with clients using crowdfunding. New technology discussions: artificial intelligence in legal practice, online notarization, client portals, and apps to make the practice of law more efficient and mobile. New discussions of law as a business: features of property insurance, malpractice insurance, insurance for and on employees; trends in office space. New soft skills discussions: dealing with incivility in the legal profession, managing staff through technology changes. Professors and students will benefit from: Author Laurel A. Vietzen’s outstanding reputation in the paralegal market. Drawing on her extensive background as a professor and practitioner, she clearly presents basic law office management and organization. Well-crafted assignments throughout the text help students hone practical skills such as critical thinking, organization, general communication, and computer proficiency. The text is particularly adaptable for an online or hybrid class.

Practical and engaging introduction to Law Office Management for paralegals. Features: Comprehensive overview of the basics of law office management in today's legal environment. Features real-world examples of law office management issues faced in the law office today. Includes helpful vocabulary, constructive discussion starters, and useful case excerpts underscoring core concepts. All of these help instructor's engage students with the material. Discussion questions and case studies are provided at the end of each chapter to reinforce the material. Each chapter includes review checklists and additional resources to help students master the concepts. Students are taught the ethical requirements of the legal business but are also challenged to understand their real-world underpinnings. New to the Second Edition: Updated to reflect changes in the legal profession as clients demand economically viable solutions and technology increasingly allows lawyers to provide them Coverage of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in Chapter 5. Coverage of sustainability in facility management in Chapter 6 More focus on developing demonstrable skills useful in law office management, in the legal field, and beyond Greater emphasis on client relationship management and legal project management by all members of the legal team Career preparation tips in every chapter Chapter outcomes added to the beginning of every chapter Coverage of texts and instant messaging in Chapter 7 New section on Marketing the Law Firm in Chapter 8 Enhanced discussion of social media and its usefulness in law firm marketing

Roper takes a practical approach to law office management. "Checklists," "How to" features and quotes from practicing paralegals emphasize the " self-management" style of the text. Clear explanations and many illustrations further reinforce chapter material. "Know Your Ethics" sections offer hypothetical scenarios that pose ethical dilemmas for students to consider. A computer emphasis provides clear coverage of computers and law office management software programs reinforced by hands-on exercise.

The last ten years have been a period of extraordinary change for law firms. The rapid growth of corporate law firms and the emergence of global mega-firms such as Clifford Chance, Linklaters, and Freshfields, have strained the traditional partnership model of management. Some managers of law firms are appalled at the creeping 'corporatism' that they fear may result. However a growing number believe that it is time to move on and adopt more contemporary forms of structure andmanagement.Successfully meeting the challenges of this new business environment is vital for the continuing prosperity of law firms. Featuring contributions from both management researchers and legal practitioners, Managing the Modern Law Firm presents the latest insights from Management Studies in an approachable, practical, and relevant manner for lawyers and other professionals involved directly and indirectly with the management of law firms.

Fundamentals of Law Office Management is an excellent learning and reference tool for paralegal and law students seeking thorough knowledge of how a law office operates and their future roles in that process. One of the unique approaches to illustrating the material is the presentation of a fictitious law firm and how each chapter’s content applies to the firm. Discussions include why law firms function differently from businesses in other industries and such essential elements as fees, billing, record keeping, client relations, financial management and more. Additional features bring the student up to date on the use of technology in the law office setting, trends affecting the industry and related Web sites.

This is the ideal reference for legal secretaries, legal assistants and law office managers.

What separates this manual and textbook from others in the field of law practice management is the experiential component. The course takes students step-by-step through the process of opening their own law firm. The textbook incorporates breakout boxes with experiences from the authors' own law practices to illustrate points in the text. The book's appendix includes a comprehensive collection of sample forms that law school clinics and new attorneys can use as a reference for the various types of cases that they may be called on to handle. And, finally, the new edition of this book includes an exploration of the issues involved in deciding whether or not to open a virtual office. The teacher's manual lays out exercises in detail, week by week, for the entire process of opening a law firm. It also features simulations, class discussions, and written reflections to give students the experience of handling the kinds of dilemmas, struggles, and emotionally charged situations that are common when starting and running solo and small-firm practices.