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Retirement Planning

More than 200,000 lawyers will be retiring in the next 10 years. To be prepared for this age wave, younger lawyers should seek mentoring and older lawyers should start planning. Below are planning tips and links to resources with more information.    Tips Advisors - consult insurance and financial advisors; contact state bar assistance programs. Career - consider working part-time or starting a new career.  Emergencies - be prepared in case you or an immediately family member are disabled. Health - exercise, eat nutritiously, and get health checkups to avoid issues. Housing - consider alternative housing for post-retirement years.  Insurance - plan for Medicare and supplemental insurance. Savings - determine whether you need to increase savings (or work longer). Articles Pre-Close Planning Deciding When to Retire Insuring Healthcare Mentoring Lawyers Planning Retirement Working After Retirement Books Finding Your Landing Zone Lawyer Retirement Life After Law Planning Ahead Second Acts
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Bridging Generations

Generational differences motivate clients and lawyers. Marketing, recruiting, and supervising can be more effective when adjusted for these differences. See below for a list of generational differences and resources for accommodating them. Silent Generation (ages 79 to 99; born 1925 to 1945) Grew up during the depression and lived through World War II. Prefer paper and low tech. Hardworking, loyal, and respectful. May need legal assistance with legal aspects of elder care and elder abuse. Baby Boomers (ages 60 to 78; born 1946 to 1964) Born during the golden age of television. Veterans of Korean and Vietnam wars. Known for strong work ethic, loyalty to employers, and professionalism. May need estate planning for themselves and for family members with special needs Constitutes about 25% of the workforce. Generation X (ages 43 to 59; born 1965 to 1980) Declining birthrates and advent of personal computers. Lived during Watergate, Arab Oil Embargo, and Aids Crisis. Increasing exposure to
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Responding to Emails

Below are tips for responding to emails from clients, lawyers, and prospects, Prompt replies improve goodwill, relationships, and reputations.  For more guidance, see the articles and books listed below. And for examples, see below for sample responses to website inquiries. Tips Attachments - summarize attachments and include a list at the end of  message. Automating  - automate replies to acknowledge receipt and provide timeline. Courtesy - be empathetic, polite, and positive.  Length - keep messages short (use attachments for long messages). Promptness  - respond within 24 hours. Subject - limit to a few words Articles Accelerating Replies Automating Responses Do's and Don'ts Emailing Professionally Ethics of Email Handling Unsolicited Inquiries Responding to Lawyers Sign-Offs and Signature Blocks Using Forms Books Mastering Email Writing Professional Email Samples Family Law Advocates  (Small Firm, Family Law, Tampa) Thank you for contacting FamilyLawAdvocates.com. We'l
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Planning Law Firms

Below are planning tips and resources to help implement them.  Planning can achieve goals and reduce stress. Start planning with an annual assessment and then create goals like improving relationships, managing caseloads, and work/life balancing. Put your goals into action with planning tools like apps, audits, budgets, checklists, and diaries. Work on one goal at a time to avoid overwhelming yourself.  Tips Budgets   – prepare annual budgets and monitor them monthly. Calendars  – try calendaring apps to record appointments, notes, and deadlines. Checkups  – use checklists and to-do lists to create action plans for cases and clients. Plans  –  create plans and periodically review them to identify areas for improvement. Technologies  – use apps and software to perform routine tasks.  Analog Tools Audits –  Firm  and  Individual . Budgets -  Operating ,  Cash Flow , and  Capital Expenditures . Calendars and Diaries  -  Amsterdam ,  At-a-Glance ,  Day-Timer ,  Moleskin , and  Per Annum .
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Tracking Tech Trends

Technology helps lawyers to gain a competitive advantage and improve work and life. Following are some statistics from the ABA's Annual Survey of Legal Technology .  And beneath that are links to resources to help you adopt technology for analytics, managing, drafting, litigation, and research.  Trends Automated research - over 50% of lawyer use Westlaw, Lexis, etc. Technology Spending - over 60 of law firms budget for technology  Laptops for computing - over 50% of lawyers user laptops as for work Virtual Lawyering - over 10% work without offices Cloud Computing - over 50% of firms keep their documents in the Cloud Cybersecurity - over 50% of firms have policies to protect security (encryption, etc.) Smart Discovery - over 30% of small firms and more than 70% for large firms use it Articles Cloud  Computing Cybersecurity Litigation Management Marketing Training Books Legal Technology Guide   Cybersecurity Handbook Checklists Apps Red Flags Technologies Webinars Adopting Technology
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