State Bar of Wisconsin

Law Practice Management Program Resources

Times may be tough economically, but often that’s a good time to try new strategies. Proactive law firms can take advantage of this opportunity to consider new marketing strategies, cost reductions, or ways to run your practice more efficiently.

Whether you’re just getting your practice started or are looking for ways to maintain it, these articles and other resources will help you get fresh ideas to re-energize your practice.

• Back to Lawyer Resources for a Down Economy

Practice management

• Free legal research from Fastcase
• ALA/ WALA : The State Bar of Wisconsin, the Association of Legal Administrators, and the Wisconsin Association of Legal Administrators have joined together to provide the Legal Management Resource Center which includes dozens of white papers and resources on law office administration, marketing, human resource management, and other topics.
• Practice411 Advice Alert: Hot topics and blogs from law practice management advisors and technical advisors.
• Lending Library: The LOMAP Lending Library has over 100 materials on practice management including:
  • "Beyond Price: Differentiate Your Company in Ways that Really Matter"
  • "How to Capture and Keep Clients"
  • "How to Start and Build a Law Practice"
  • "Lifescripts: What to Say to Get What you Want in Life's Toughest Situations"
  • "The Legal Career Guide From Law Student to Lawyer"
• Practice411 E-List : Network with colleagues on office space sharing and equipment to purchase, sell or trade, plus get valuable information on all aspects of practice management including technology, client relations, human resources, and much, much more.
• Practice Management Articles from Wisconsin Lawyer
• Finding some Silver in the Financial Clouds: Technology by David Bilinsky and Laura Calloway
• Legal Technology Trends for 2009: The Year of Hunkering Down by Dennis Kennedy
• Low-Cost Computer Fixes For Tough Times by Joseph Kashi

Setting up a new law firm

• Law Practice Today: Suddenly Solo
• Starting a New Law Firm: Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid, and Top 10 Tips for Success
• Resources on Starting a Firm from the ABA
• Solo Practitioner Websites:
  • My Shingle
  • SoloSez.net
• Wisconsin Lawyer Articles on New Lawyers

Marketing your firm during a changing economy

• Articles from Wisconsin Lawyer:
  • Marketing Your Firm During an Economic Decline 
    by Jennifer King
  • Surpassing the Gold Standard: Differentiate Your Practice in Ways that Really Matter
    by Kay Plantes
  • Other Wisconsin Lawyer Articles on Practice Management
• Other Articles / Links on Marketing
  • Solos Have Unique Advantages During harsh Economic Times by Susan Cartier Liebel
  • Create Top-of-Mind Awareness During Tough Economic Times by Mark Powers
  • How much money do you need to start a law firm? by Eric Mazzone
  • Alchemy in a Down Economy: Turning a 2L Summer Associate Job into a Golden Full-Time One by Meri Kahan
  • Six do's and don’ts for thriving in tough economic times (January 2009 WisBar)
  • Practicing in a recession: Scenes from Janesville (Feb. 4, 2009, WisBar InsideTrack)
  • Do you have the personality to manage your own small-firm practice? (Feb. 4, 2009, WisBar InsideTrack)
  • Health of Wisconsin job market measured by law student prospects (Feb. 18, 2009, WisBar InsideTrack)

Finding New Clients

• Lawyer Referral Programs
• Court Appointed Work
  • State Public Defender
  • Federal Defender Services
  • GAL (minor)
  • GAL (adult)
• Modest Means Program
  • Opportunity to participate in community service, while being referred clients with a prescreened ability to pay reduced legal fees
• Ethics Advice

Seminars and Events

• Wisconsin Solo and Small Firm Conference
• How to Strive and Thrive in a Down Economy by Dustin Cole
• Down-sizing Right: Laying Off Employees While Limiting Liability
• Buying and Selling Family Businesses - Part One
• Buying and Selling Family Businesses - Part Two
• Raising Private Capital: Practical Techniques for Community Banks to Increase Capital in a Down Market
• Seminars/CLE
• Hanging Out a Shingle? - Webcast Replay
• Hanging Out a Shingle? - On Demand
• BYP: Bankruptcy - The Basics of Filing Chapter 7 and 13
• BYP: An Introduction to Elder Law
• BYP: Handling a Basic Divorce
• BYP: An Introduction to Traffic Law
• BYP: An Introduction to Worker's Compensation
• BYP: Basic Residential Real Estate Transactions
• BYP: Choosing the Appropriate Business Entity
• BYP: Handing a Basic Probate
• BYP: Handling a Personal Injury Case From Start to Finish
• BYP: Step-by-Step Estate Planning I
• BYP: Step-by-Step Estate Planning II
• BYP: The Nuts and Bolts of Collections and Creditors' Rights
• Expanding Your Practice Using Limited Scope Representation