The Case For Culture How To Stop Being A Slave To Your Law Firm Grow Your Practice And Actually Be Happy

Most lawyers don't set out to be business owners. They become business owners when they open their own law firm, and from that point forward, their work tends to become disconnected and chaotic. They're so busy with HR, bookkeeping, and marketing that they're lucky to have twenty minutes a day to work on cases. Many lawyers are drowning, which contributes to the profession's unsettling levels of alcoholism, drug addiction, and depression. Eric Farber knows what it feels like to be, as he puts it, "running in scarcity." He did it for years before discovering the secret to turning things around: putting culture first. In The Case for Culture, Eric gives lawyers the wisdom and tools they need to transform themselves and their culture. By creating a community of people and rallying them around a shared mission, you'll build a law practice that will take care of you, not the other way around. If you want to grow your practice and be happy, it starts with culture.

Large law firms have become a dominant feature of the legal landscape in the United States and elsewhere. This volume of Studies in Law, Politics, and Society examines the situation of large law firms.

From the creator of the popular website Ask a Manager and New York’s work-advice columnist comes a witty, practical guide to 200 difficult professional conversations—featuring all-new advice! There’s a reason Alison Green has been called “the Dear Abby of the work world.” Ten years as a workplace-advice columnist have taught her that people avoid awkward conversations in the office because they simply don’t know what to say. Thankfully, Green does—and in this incredibly helpful book, she tackles the tough discussions you may need to have during your career. You’ll learn what to say when • coworkers push their work on you—then take credit for it • you accidentally trash-talk someone in an email then hit “reply all” • you’re being micromanaged—or not being managed at all • you catch a colleague in a lie • your boss seems unhappy with your work • your cubemate’s loud speakerphone is making you homicidal • you got drunk at the holiday party Praise for Ask a Manager “A must-read for anyone who works . . . [Alison Green’s] advice boils down to the idea that you should be professional (even when others are not) and that communicating in a straightforward manner with candor and kindness will get you far, no matter where you work.”—Booklist (starred review) “The author’s friendly, warm, no-nonsense writing is a pleasure to read, and her advice can be widely applied to relationships in all areas of readers’ lives. Ideal for anyone new to the job market or new to management, or anyone hoping to improve their work experience.”—Library Journal (starred review) “I am a huge fan of Alison Green’s Ask a Manager column. This book is even better. It teaches us how to deal with many of the most vexing big and little problems in our workplaces—and to do so with grace, confidence, and a sense of humor.”—Robert Sutton, Stanford professor and author of The No Asshole Rule and The Asshole Survival Guide “Ask a Manager is the ultimate playbook for navigating the traditional workforce in a diplomatic but firm way.”—Erin Lowry, author of Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together

What if you had total control overyour hours and weekends? What if you didn't have toanswer to anyone? What if you took control over your future? When you work for someone else, you don't control your future. Your boss decides how much money you make and how many hours you work. For many, the law is just a job that you do to make ends meet and pay the bills. It's time to change that It's not just about work and money. It's about loving what you do and looking forward to coming to work. It's about spending time with your family and living a fun life. It's time you make the rules For the first time, you have in your hands the technical, managerial and entrepreneurial secrets to running a multi-million dollar law firm. Tried and true methods for managing and growing the injury law firm of your dreams is now in your hands--precise methods that, when applied, will slowly but surely grow your law firm into an asset that serves your ideal lifestyle. Who said you have to be a slave to your law practice? IT'S TIME TO BREAK ALL OF THE RULES so you have the one thing that all lawyers should seek: autonomy to live life on your terms. THE POWER OF A SYSTEM Torts, contracts, constitutional law...you got your fill in law school of theoretical concepts that you need to pass the bar exam. But then a funny thing happened, you got out of law school, opened your new law firm and you realized something--no one ever taught you how to run your own law firm in law school. Suddenly, you're on your own with fancy new letterhead, a few clients and not much else. Your dusty law school books aren't much help. It's great to have your book smarts and fancy law degree but how do you pay the bills every Friday when your staff wants their paycheck? You pull your hair out wondering how you got yourself into this mess. This book was written for you. You are not alone. Yes, others have done the same thing before you and believe it or not, there are tried and proven recipes for success. Instead of fumbling around like the other lawyers in your town and just waiting for your phone to ring with your next case, you study the recipe and principles for a big-time injury law firm and little by little you begin implementing systems into your new law firm. You have in your hands tried and proven systems for the injury law firm of your dreams. It's not just the technical aspects of running your own law firm, but the managerial and entrepreneurial principles that you must have to keep a constant stream of new cases and clients coming down the pipe. And no, these are not law school theoretical concepts but the technical, managerial and entrepreneurial "how to" steps that have been tried and tested over years of trial and error. You won't find a book like this in your law school library...or anywhere else. Law school's out--no more time for theoretical concepts--it's time to get bills paid, move cases to trial, start making money and begin living life on your terms. All royalties from the sale of this book are donated to Doc to Dock, Inc., an amazing nonprofit organization based in New York that collects unused and unwanted medical supplies from around the country and ships them to hospitals and clinics in impoverished Third World nations in Africa and Haiti. Every day tons of unused medical supplies and equipment are incinerated or tossed into landfills in the U.S. Rather than letting the unused medical supplies go to waste, Doc to Dock, Inc. collects the donated medical supplies consisting of basic medical devices such as catheters and ultrasound machines, and transports them to developing countries where they are needed the most. Doc to Dock, Inc. has provided shipments to 18 different countries in the poorest regions of sub-Saharan Africa and has made a huge difference in preventing very curable and basic illnesses that are often life-threatening in Africa due to their lack of medical supplies.

Transform your legal education into a successful and fulfilling legal career In How to Be a Lawyer: The Path from Law School to Success, a team of veteran lawyers and entrepreneurs delivers an eye-opening discussion of how to translate your years of training and education into a running start in the world of practice. The book bridges the gap between law school and practice, whether you hope to be a big firm transactional attorney, a solo criminal lawyer, work for the government or any other legal profession. You’ll discover how you can use what you learned in law school and how you can develop the real skills you’ll need as you deal with clients and colleagues. The authors explain what your professors won’t tell you in law school and what employers and clients will actually expect from you. You’ll also find: Case studies and guest chapters describing the transition to major areas of law and how it can and should affect your law school decision making Expert advice on making your first job a successful one Guidance on how to avoid the most common career pitfalls and client mistakes Unfiltered opinions from clients about what they really think about lawyers An ideal resource for aspiring and current law students and early career lawyers, How to Be a Lawyer is the practical blueprint you need to build your legal career from scratch.

Level Up Your Law Practice lays the foundation for grounding a healthy mindset in practical business realities, so you can apply these principles to your law practice and build a vibrant business that serves both you and your clients. A healthy mindset gives you defensive measures to absorb criticism and manage your fears, and provides the foundation on which you can build a successful law practice. Progressive and sustainable business practices enable you to go on the offensive and build the practice you want. And having strong relationships with your clients gives you the leverage to take your practice to the next level. Level Up Your Law Practices gives you tools in each of these areas to become the lawyer you want to be and have a successful law practice.

Despite clear evidence of a serious decline in morale, the major competitors in the law firm management marketplace have virtually ignored the motivational facet of current managerial theory and practice. As evidenced by a review of the literature dealing with law firm management, including major books, handbooks, and professional seminar outlines, there has existed until now no treatment of current management theory and practice as it pertains to law firms. In addressing human resources topics as they apply to the modern law firm, this book fills a genuine void in an area which is of major importance to law firms challenged to remain profitable in an increasingly hostile environment. Managing People in Today's Law Firm: The Human Resources Approach to Surviving Change provides a comprehensive treatment of critical aspects of modern management: motivation, communication, organizational culture, structure and strategy, power and politics, recruitment and training, the reward-performance-retention dynamic, performance appraisal, and planned change. Grounded in managerial theory and research, based on extensive practice, and exemplified by anecdotal war stories, this book makes valuable reading for partners, associates, managers, and future members of law firms—and offers important ideas for motivating members of all professional service firms. Intended for law firms and lawyers within them, solo practitioners who contemplate joining with others in a firm partnership, law school libraries, and general and professional association libraries including bar associations on the state and local levels.

This book examines how lawyers can find deeper meaning in their work, practice more compassionately, and discover enjoyment in what they do, all by developing a greater awareness for their inner lives. Filled with inspiring profiles of lawyers who have successfully changed their work habits and who have healed themselves as individuals and within their communities, this book makes it clear that the opportunity for change exists for every lawyer, in every kind of practice.