Introducing The Law Practice Management School: Online Law Practice Management Instruction in marketing, technology, finance and management

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Chicago) November 15, 2010

For further information contact: Nick Augustine (312) 854-7149 / nick@alrpra.com

Online Law Practice Management Instruction in marketing, technology, finance and management

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Webinar-based law practice management course material will be taught by The Law Practice Management School beginning January 5, 2011.  One hour classes meet online each Wednesday evening at 6:00 pm Central Time.  Course materials are designed to offer lawyers pragmatic law practice management tools.

Course subjects are split by week each month in the following order: marketing, technology, finance and management.  Periodic guest lecturers will share professional experience and advice on core topics.  Courses are offered in traditional academic quarters.

The online webinar platform makes attendance and participation easy.  Weekly lectures are recorded and available for later use and review.  Quarterly tuition is competitively priced to make The Law Practice Management School affordable to lawyers in need of practice management education.

The Law Practice Management School is a private organization funded solely through course tuition.  Instruction and administration are provided by ALR/PRA, Inc., a national law practice management agency headquartered in Chicago.

ALR/PRA President and founder of The Law Practice Management School, Nick Augustine, earned a Bachelors of Arts degree in Communications and Rhetorical Studies from Marquette University and a Juris Doctor degree from The John Marshall Law School.  Augustine is active in the Law Practice Management Section of the American Bar Association and also writes a weekly column for “Attorneys In Transition” a career resource published by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company.

The Law Practice Management School is currently taking applications for classes beginning January, 2011.  Interested applicants should send their inquiries through the contact portal on http://www.alrpra.com/.

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For interviews regarding The Law Practice Management School, and for information and applications, contact Nick Augustine at (312) 894-7149 or mailto:nick@alrpra.com

© 2010 ALR/PRA, Inc.

YOUNG JURIST PROJECT

To apply for participation in the Young Jurist Project, contact Nick Augustine at ALR/PRA.  Open to 3L’s and recent graduates looking for new experiences and opportunities.  Open projects are available in several practice areas and agencies.  Students participating in the project are included in semi-annual reports promoted to media outlets and publications.

ALR/PRA, Inc. Young Jurist Project

Project Mission: Connect law students and recent graduates with experience building opportunities – learning and cultivating colleague relationships.

o   Federal and State agency volunteer referrals

o   Pro-bono cases taken by high profile attorneys

o   Litigation assistance and trial preparation

Locate the best and brightest talent and make placements with hiring law firms

o   Some volunteer opportunities turn into paid positions

o   Law firms seek paid project based work and temporary assignments

o   Position seeking candidates may be recruited for permanent positions

Project Benefits: Provide resources to attorneys working on pro-bono cases.

o   Service to the community is a character and professional development tool

o   Building professional relationships opens the door to future opportunity

o   The selfless offer of time and services is a tradition in the legal profession

Offering much needed help to solo practitioners in need volunteer assistance

o   Solo law practitioners offer you the experience you need

o   Understanding the logistics of a solo law practice is an valuable asset

o   Law firm business and practice management are observed in solo practice firms

Keep Reading & Learning™: Lawyers as Employers

Keep Reading & Learning™

Half way through April, I finally found time to read the March edition of the Illinois Bar Journal.  As I sat on the train reading an article, regarding lawyers as employers, by ILBJ author, Helen W. Gunnarsson, I made notes to myself and thought the following tips would be appropriate.  The following ideas were inspired by the Gunnarsson article, and are also derived from personal experience.

Considerations in taking the next step in staffing:

1)      What are your work habits?  Many of us like to think we work well with others, and as attorneys, the ability to be flexible and negotiate is a cornerstone of our professional lives.  Understand however, that the production end of legal work is often habit forming and many of us are less flexible than we realize.  Are you the type of person who needs to maintain control of the work and the client relationships?  If so, what type of assistant works best for you?  Take a look at how you work comfortably and what types of activities you are best be able to delegate or keep for yourself.

2)      Is your employee going to generate revenue or simply help get the work done?  If you are going to bill your employee’s time you should pay attention to the rate at which your employee will bill and what makes sense to the client.  You might presume that all clients prefer to receive a lower hourly rate for services; however, your client may have chosen you because they want you to do their work personally.

3)      What constitutes your law firm’s brand?  If you are a rainmaker you should consider how a new individual could help or hurt your reputation.  Some lawyers prefer hiring staff and associates who operate similarly in personality and professional character, while some others want to hire an individual who may be the yin to their yang.

4)      Do you have a long term growth plan?  Hiring one or two individuals breathes life into your office.  All of a sudden, you might realize that you have the resources to take on new practice areas, more staff, bigger office space, and before you know it, either you are ready to retire or the overhead has you living like you did when you were in law school.

There are many factors to consider when evaluating staffing and growth issues.  For law firm staffing consulting and services please inquire with ALR/PRA through our web site.

The Keep Reading & Learning™ blog series is inspired by the work of various contributing authors and is published for you by ALR/PRA, Inc.