The Practice Guide section of FindLaw's Law Firm Management Center provides free resources dedicated to operational and risk management issues encountered by solo and small law firm practices. Business issues such as Disaster Preparedness, Malpractice Insurance, Client Relations and Practice News are critically important to the success and survival of your law practice. Risk management limits business liability exposure and can put your practice on the road to recovery in the event of a disaster. Staying current on the news, events and trends in your practice area allow you to keep ahead of the competition. Managing the client relationship is a core issue and challenge for any law practice. As a small business owner, you need to understand these issues well enough to make informed decisions that impact your law practice. Browse, read, and share FindLaw's free collection of articles, news and tips that make up the Practice Guide.
Practice Guide
Practice Guide
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State of the Legal Profession: Client Driven Innovation
Innovation in the legal services industry is frequently driven by client demand. Over the years, large corporate clients, in particular, have had a substantial impact on the way law firms handle core matters, such as billing and staffing. Recently, large clients have established new varieties of financial and practical requirements that legal service providers must meet.
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Answers to Common Legal Malpractice Insurance Questions
Before you consider buying malpractice insurance, it is important to understand the basics of insurance.
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Negotiating Better Results for Your Law Firm's Clients
For a number of years I have been doing research into how one's behaviors at the negotiation table affects financial and other outcomes. For lawyers who negotiate on their clients' behalf day in and day out, understanding this connection could be highly beneficial, or failing to notice it, highly detrimental.
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Thinking About Law Firm Risk Management
If you're a good lawyer, you won't get sued for malpractice. This belief may be comforting, but it's a myth. Good (and bad) lawyers get sued. There is no simple way to predict if your client will sue you for malpractice. In fact, risk management begins as soon as a person becomes a potential client.
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How to Deal with Difficult Clients
Though no one will admit it, more than a few attorneys who are otherwise competent negotiators have returned to their office after a client meeting, closed the door, plotted revenge or, worse, wept (metaphorically speaking). Why do some clients have this aggravating effect?
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Team Conflict Management
Watching fireworks light up a summer sky awakens the wonder in us all. When fireworks light up a conference room and team members are ready to explode, it can be the true test of your project management and leadership skills.
Practice Guide Articles
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What US Airways v. McCutchen Means for Your Personal Injury Cases
ERISA liens are becoming more and more commonplace in personal injury cases, where clients' medical bills are paid through an employee health plan that is governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). How does the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in US Airways v. McCutchen affect these lien claims?
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Tips for Negotiating ERISA Liens in Personal Injury Cases
Many ERISA plans assert that they are under no obligation to reduce their lien claims, and purport that they are entitled to their entire reimbursement claim regardless of the circumstances of the case. How can you tackle these ERISA liens and try to negotiate them down?
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State Medicaid Liens Limited by US Supreme Court in Wos v. E.M.A.
In Wos v. E.M.A., the U.S. Supreme Court addressed the question of how to determine what portion of a Medicaid beneficiary's tort recovery is attributable to medical expenses.
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Negotiating Tips for "Med Pay" Claims for Reimbursement
Under med pay coverage, you or your client can submit their medical bills to their own insurance company for payment under the med pay provisions of their own insurance policy (1st party coverage). This article will go over some considerations to keep in mind when dealing with med pay claims for reimbursement.
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Negotiating Tips for Hospital Liens in Personal Injury Cases
Hospital lien claims are problematic for several reasons. Here are some considerations to take into account when dealing with these often difficult hospital liens, and keep them from eating up all of your client's recovery.