Flying Solo, Fifth Edition: A Survival Guide for the Solo and Small Firm Lawyer / Edition 5

by K. William Gibson

Overview

Newly revised and updated to meet the needs of today’s legal professionals, Flying Solo is a comprehensive guide to establishing and maintaining a successful solo law practice. The fifth edition of this ABA classic includes practical information gathered from a wide range of contributors, including successful solo practitioners, law firm consultants, state and local bar practice management advisors, and law school professors. Whether you're thinking of going solo, new to the solo life, or a seasoned practitioner, Flying Solo provides time-tested answers to real-life questions.

This book will help you:

• make the decision to open your own law firm;
• choose the right practice area(s);
• create a business plan and determine your fees;
• leave your current firm—without burning bridges;
• set up an office space;
• work with traditional and alternative billing arrangements;
• use technology to manage your finances;
• develop and execute a marketing plan;
• gain clients through social media;
• plan strategically for the future; and
• much more!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781614388142
Publisher:	American Bar Association
Publication date:	11/07/2016
Edition description:	Fifth Edition
Pages:	512
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.90(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

K. William Gibson has been a lawyer in Portland, Oregon, since 1980. He was a partner in Gibson & Duffy, a plaintiff's personal injury law firm in Portland, from 1980 until 1997 and has been a solo since then. He was admitted to the Oregon State Bar in 1979 and has handled only personal injury cases since 1985. He also regularly serves as an arbitrator and mediator in personal injury cases and other disputes. Mr. Gibson is a longtime member of the ABA Law Practice Management Section and served as Chair in 2001-2002. He has served on several ABA Committees and Commissions and is a member of the ABA Standing Committee on Publishing Oversight. Mr. Gibson served as a regular columnist for Law Practice Magazine, published by the ABA Law Practice Management Section. He has written numerous articles on law practice management and is a regular speaker at CLE programs. He served as editor of the 4th and 5th Editions of Flying Solo: Survival Guide for the Solo and Small Firm Lawyer, published in 2005 & 2014 by the ABA Law Practice Division. Mr. Gibson received a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in industrial and labor relations from the Universityof Oregon.

Table of Contents

About the Editor ix

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction xiii

Part I Preflight Manual 1

Chapter 1 Are You Cut Out for Solo Practice? K. William Gibson 3

Chapter 2 Small-Firm Law Offices: Keys to Success James A. Calloway 9

Chapter 3 Practice Management and Personal Advisors Sheila Blackford 15

Chapter 4 Coaching 101 for Lawyers Andrew Elowitt 21

Chapter 5 What to Consider When Leaving a Law Firm Dennis Kennedy 39

Chapter 6 Why (Not) Specialize? Gary A. Munneke 57

Chapter 7 A Solo Can Represent Big Business Mark A. Robertson 67

Part II Financial Manual 81

Chapter 8 Profitability Potential for the Small Firm Arthur G. Greene 83

Chapter 9 Strategic Planning for Solo and Small Firms Thomas Grella 101

Chapter 10 The Value of Timekeeping: Time Is Money Theodore P. Orenstein 117

Chapter 11 Alternative Billing for the "Main Street Lawyer" James A. Calloway Mark A. Robertson 123

Chapter 12 Financial Management Technology Laura A. Calloway 133

Chapter 13 The Solo's Guide to Collecting Fees Linda J. Ravdin 149

Chapter 14 Creating a Business Plan Gary A. Munneke Carol A. Seelig 177

Part III Operations Manual 191

Chapter 15 The Essentials of Office Sharing and Executive Suites Nancy Byerly Jones 193

Chapter 16 Leasing Office Space K. William Gibson 203

Chapter 17 Financing Your Practice: Working with Lenders Edward Poll 211

Chapter 18 Virtual Law Practice Chad E. Burton 223

Chapter 19 Staff: Selection, Management, Motivation, and Delegation Susan G. Manch Marcia Pennington Shannon 233

Chapter 20 Increase Profits by Decreasing Costs K. William Gibson 247

Chapter 21 Successfully Managing the Risks of Solo Practice Reid F. Trautz 253

Chapter 22 Creating Practice Management Systems and Procedures Reid F. Trautz 275

Part IV Technology Manual 293

Chapter 23 Cloud Computing for Lawyers Nicole Black 295

Chapter 24 Free and Low-Cost Legal Internet Research Carole A. Levitt Mark E. Rosch 311

Chapter 25 Collaboration Tools and Technologies for Solo Lawyers Dennis Kennedy Tom Mighell 329

Chapter 26 Knowledge Tools Marc Lauritsen 349

Chapter 27 Social Media Carolyn Elefant 375

Chapter 28 Adobe Acrobat for E-filing and More David L. Masters 385

Part V Marketing Manual 405

Chapter 29 Successful Marketing for the Sole Practitioner Thomas E. Kane 407

Chapter 30 Marketing the Solo/Small Firm Practice K. William Gibson 421

Chapter 31 When I Die, Part II Ross A. Sussman 451

Resources Publications of the Law Practice Division 467

Index 477