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.
Checklists - Firm, Individual, and Technology.
Plans – Business, Marketing, Personal, and Professional
Apps
Assisting - Alexa, Cortana, Google, and Siri
Calendaring - Apple Calendar, Calendly, Google Calendar, and Outlook.
Listing – Apple Reminders, Asana, Microsoft To Do, and Todoist,
Note-Taking - Apple Notes, Evernote, Google Keep, and Microsoft OneNote.
Managing – Clio, MyCase, Practice Panther, and Rocket Matter.
Articles
Julie Bays and Jim Callaway, Why Should a Solo Law Firm Budget, Law Practice Magazine, Sep. 21, 2021.
Andrea Cannavina, 10 Quick Tips to Organize Your Law Office and Control the Chaos, Attorney at Work, Oct. 7, 2022.
Norma Harris, Why Do Lawyers Need to Keep Up With Legal Technology, Law Technology Today, Mar. 23, 2023.
Sharon Miki, How to Set Lawyer Goals for Success, Clio, Dec. 11, 2020.
Keith Lee, Annual Planning for Lawyers – Reference Guide, Associates Mind, Nov. 24, 2015.

Books
Kelly Anders, The Organized Lawyer, Carolina Academic Press, Jan. 1, 2009.
John Iezzi, Results-Oriented Financial Management, ABA Book Publishing, May 19, 2015.
Jeremy Waymond Richter, Building a Better Law Practice: Become a Better Lawyer in Five Minutes a Day, ABA Book Publishing, Jun. 27, 2018.
Daniel Siegel, et al., Checklists for Lawyers, ABA Book Publishing, Nov. 24, 2014.
Edward Poll, Attorney and Law Firm Guide to the Business of Law: Planning and Operating for Survival and Growth, 3rd Ed, ABA Book Publishing, Apr. 10, 2014.
Daniel Siegel, et al., Checklists for Lawyers, ABA Book Publishing, Nov. 24, 2014.

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