@AZStateBar Find-a-Lawyer portal takes aim at legal services gap

Imagine a way to assist consumers in locating an attorney – at the widest possible range of price points – and doing so in a way that helps lawyers obtain clients and develop their law practice.

That imaginative effort culminates today in the launch of web portal Find-a-Lawyer by the State Bar of Arizona.

How appropriate that the launch is on Law Day – an annual event that celebrates the role of law in society.

According to the State Bar, more than 8,000 Arizona lawyers have already updated their online profiles – which means they will receive matches with potential clients who post in the new tool that they are seeking legal assistance.

A first of its kind, the Find-a-Lawyer website allows consumers to control the process of finding and hiring an attorney through a safe and reliable platform. Find-a-Lawyer is accessible through smartphones, tablets and desktop computers via azbar.org to find legal help in three easy steps:

• Summarizing their legal need Consumers will post their legal needs anonymously, quickly and for free. They will also choose what they can afford to pay.
• Receiving emails from lawyers Lawyers who are interested in working on the consumer’s legal project will contact the consumer via email.
• Review and Select a Lawyer Consumers will review emails from lawyers and will then select the lawyer who best fits their needs.

What follows is some more background about Find-a-Lawyer.

Facing a legal problem can be intimidating. Hiring a lawyer shouldn’t be. That’s why the State Bar of Arizona has created a new online tool to connect consumers with lawyers that’s free and easy. The new Find-a-Lawyer puts consumers in control.

According to a 2017 legal trends report, the most common way consumers find lawyers is through a referral. A friend or family member may recommend someone. But, what if no one in your circle knows a lawyer? What if that lawyer isn’t practicing in the right area?

The new Find-a-Lawyer gives consumers the ability to find lawyers in a safe and stress-free way.

How does it work?

Consumers start by going to the State Bar’s website, AZBar.org. Next, they’ll click on the Find-a-Lawyer button. They can then start the process of finding a lawyer. They’ll have the chance to post a brief summary of their problem and choose a practice area like bankruptcy or divorce.

Next, they’ll have the option of saying how much they can afford. They can choose low, medium or high. But the website makes it clear that the amount paid likely affects the amount of experience. As with many other professions, the more the consumer is willing to pay, the greater the level of expertise they’ll receive.

A 2014 research project done by the Texas A&M University School of Law found that providing legal services for people with lower incomes is an area of great concern. It pointed out that while more than 81 million households earned less than the median income of $51,017 in 2012, many of these individuals made too much to qualify for free legal services. The new Find-a-Lawyer will give people in lower incomes the ability to find the right lawyer at the right price.

Once the legal project is posted, Arizona lawyers who practice in that area of law will get an email about the case. They can respond to the consumer with information about how they can help, including information about price. If the consumer gets multiple responses, they can choose which lawyer will meet their needs.

People who have limited financial means can also post cases. They’ll be asked to provide information about their income and the number of people in their home. Lawyers willing to help can contact the individuals directly, although it’s important to point out there are only a limited number of free cases handled each year.

While lawyers will pay an annual fee to respond to cases, there is no charge per case and no fee splitting. That potentially means lower costs to the consumer.

Find-a-Lawyer can be easily accessed by smartphones, tablets and desktop computers, making it a next-generation tool. It makes the process of hiring an attorney painless and puts the consumer in control.

To learn more just go to AZBar.org and click Find-a-Lawyer.

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Assessing boom and bust in law practice niches

On a regular basis, Bob Denney puts himself and his judgment out there and predicts what will be the coming year’s hot—and cold—law practice areas.

He recently did so again, and I encourage you to read his prognostications.

In the meantime, here are a few he mentioned that made me pause and wonder how lawyers and law firms are responding to these new pushes and pulls. As Bob says:

Social media. Continues to be far more effective for building individual lawyer reputations than for firms.

Competition. It’s no longer just from other law firms. It’s now coming from two other directions: Non-legal business entities like LegalZoom and, for large firms, more and more from the clients themselves who are using their legal departments as well as alternate service providers.

Cybersecurity. While many firms have developed plans for reacting to a cyberattack, many more have still not developed or implemented cybersecurity plans to prevent such attacks. One overlooked factor is what actually constitutes a breach. Some firms regard any unsanctioned access of a firm system as a breach, while others do not regard it as a breach until something — data, files or money — has been taken.

Scamblogging. A category of online writing by debt-burdened law school graduates who are convinced their law schools misled them about their opportunities for employment.

What’s growing in your law practice? If it’s a niche or topic that surprises you, please write to me at arizona.attorney@azbar.org.

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Law practice + @goclio data

Data + lawyering? Yes, say Clio.

Was it way back in December that I wrote about the new Clio law practice report? And promised you more?

Sorry about that.

Yes, it was in the December issue of Arizona Attorney Magazine that I chatted about the Clio Legal Trends Report. You can read the column here.

Because I’m super-helpful, I’ve pasted in below what I wrote, so you don’t even have to click.

And tomorrow, I’ll offer some more thoughts on what we can learn from the Clio report—and reports like it. Here’s my column (plus an image):

We thought we understood the way the world worked—and then the Cubs won the World Series.

I suppose it’s good we’re still capable of being surprised. It probably says something nice about our capacity for joy. Or something.

Of course, surprises are not always happy, which occurred to me as I read a new report on law practice trends.

Via their “Legal Trends Report,” the people at Clio—the cloud-based practice management people—want you to know two things about your law practice.

First, your practice is a funnel—one that may be malfunctioning.

And second, consider using data—actual facts based in reality—to drive your practice decisions.

Clio will likely say I’m oversimplifying a vast array of takeaways from the report released in late October. But those takeaways—and the underlying facts—are pretty stunning.

Here is a link to the complete report. Read it yourself and let me know what you think.

And here are two insights compiled by Clio:

• The average rate billed by lawyers across the United States is $232 per hour.
• The total utilization rate (billable hours as a proportion of hours available in a working day) for lawyers in 2015 was just 28 percent. For solo lawyers, that number drops to just 22 percent.

What makes this noteworthy?

First—and maybe less interesting to you—is the newfound power of data to provide insight. I’ll write more about this in the future (probably in my blog https://azatty.wordpress.com/), but it’s incredible that via our own real-time software choices, companies like Clio can assess the state of law practice—all within the agreed-upon terms of use.

They can see, moment by moment, how many new matters are opened, how many invoices are generated, how many remain unpaid.

Does this spell the end of surveys based on self-reported data? We’ll see.

The second takeaway is related to the unprofitability of many attorneys’ law practices. When we look at just two of Clio’s many charts—Arizona’s average hourly rate, and its (gulp) average collection rate, the situation appears dire.

There’s definitely more to the picture. But as we head into 2017, we will seek ways to tell the true story of law practice challenges.

Until then: Go Cubs.

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Webinars from @fastcase @goclio next week aid lawyers, law practice

Time to get your Boolean search skills up to snuff, with Fastcase.

Two items to add to your calendar, each from companies that are State Bar of Arizona member benefit providers (see the complete list here):

1. On Thursday, Oct. 20 (10:00 a.m. MST), Fastcase offers its “Introduction to Boolean (Keyword) Searches (2016),” which is part of your legal research member benefit.

2. And on Tuesday, October 18, 2016 (11:00 a.m. PT | 2:00 p.m. ET), Clio offers a free webinar titled “The Shift to Mobile Legal Services.”

As Clio describes:

Mobile + lawyering? Yes, say Clio.

Mobile devices have fundamentally transformed consumer behavior across a number of industries—and legal is no exception. Today’s legal client expects on-demand service and a seamless client experience, and modern lawyers are harnessing mobile technology to help deliver. Are you? Join us to see how attorneys can utilize smartphones in their everyday practice to great benefit, and how to address the inherent security concerns that come from mobile lawyering, including:

• Ethics to keep in mind when accessing client data in public
• How to setup your mobile phone for secure access
• What apps to choose for legal practice, including a sneak peek at Clio’s new app
• How to protect yourself and your clients while practicing on the go

(These are the same folks who brought you the well-regarded Clio Cloud Conference. Read about it here.)

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8/9 webinar by @goclio on picking a niche, growing legal career, with @JoshuaLenon @harringj75

In the upcoming issue of Arizona Attorney Magazine, you can read a follow-up to a great panel discussion on selecting the right law firm model to match your approach and expectations. It was hosted by David French and was a great way to assess your own practice. I hope he continues to hold similar roundtables.

As you think on those law practice issues, consider a webinar tomorrow that examines niche practice as a source of satisfaction and profitability. It’s hosted by two smart people, so my confidence level is high that attendees will gain a lot of value.

Here are the details of the event, hosted by Clio practice management:

Date: August 9, 2016

Time: 11 a.m. PT — 2 p.m. ET

Clients are no longer seeking lawyers with broad skillsets and general knowledge, but rather experts who focus on a unique industry and specialize in the laws that surround it. Now more than ever lawyers need to abandon the “any case that walks in the door” approach and start a niche practice in order to grow their businesses and find success.

Join Joshua Lenon, Clio’s Lawyer in Residence, and Jay Harrington, author of One of a Kind: A Proven Path to a Profitable Legal Practice, to learn how you can command higher rates, attract high-value clients, and increase your profile by starting a niche firm.

Joshua Lenon

Jay Harrington

In this one hour webinar Jay and Joshua will discuss:

• Why it’s important to carve out a niche
• Why lawyers with niche practices develop more business and command higher rates
• How to pick a profitable and sustainable area of specialty
• How to market your niche practice through various thought leadership and content marketing initiatives
• How to customize your practice management software to your niche

Register for the webinar here.

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Lawyer roundtable to explore best strategies by practice area, size

The Camby Hotel in Phoenix will be the site of what looks to be a valuable lawyer roundtable on Thursday, May 26.

We routinely consider the modern challenges that face attorneys and their law practices. But those challenges vary considerably depending on your practice type, firm size, and client base.

That is part of the strategy behind a roundtable discussion this Thursday evening, May 26. Attorney David French, who is also a broad thinker about the legal economy and legal future, will moderate a group of lawyers from diverse practices.

Gathering starting at 5:00 pm at the Camby Hotel in Phoenix, participants range from those in global law firms, to regional (southwest) law firms, to primarily Arizona operations, and even those who have crafted profitable practices as small firms.

RSVP to 602-753-6027 or rsvp@dfrenchadvisors.com.

Those speaking will be:

• Mark Nadeau, DLA Piper
• Leah Freed, Ogletree Deakins
• Darrell Davis, Clark Hill
• Lew Clark, Squire Patton Boggs
• Dave Shein, Chester & Shein
• Neil Biskind, Biskind, Hunt & Semro
• Grady Gammage, Gammage & Burnham
• Billie Tarascio, Modern Law

Here is a flyer with all the information:

I’ll be there on Thursday evening, and I hope to see you too.

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Cloud-based platform LawHUB for member attorneys launched by @NYSBA

One place for all the practice tools a lawyer could need? That’s what the New York State Bar Association has developed.

I just flew in from New York, and, boy, is my brain tired.

Previously, I wrote about a conference focused on criminal justice that I participated in last week. Hosted in the Big Apple, it brought together great people and some legal luminaries—like Judge Jed Rakoff, U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York.

I plan to tell you more about the symposium soon. But while I was in that great city, I was thinking about a terrific product, recently launched, that benefits attorneys all across that state.

So today, let’s talk about a unique hub that gathers together tools and products that are most useful to practicing lawyers. If I were running the show, I’d aggregate all those tools in an easy-to-use app-like interface, one that remembers me, the individual user, whenever I’m logged on, and one that looks cool, operates fast, and thinks about what I need before I do. And I think I’d call it a lawhub. Or maybe a LawHUB.

Which is precisely what the New York State Bar Association did this year, when it rolled out its innovative LawHUB. Smart folks there.

A benefit for members of the NYSBA (a voluntary bar), LawHUB is impressive, and it’s described by the bar like this:

“LawHUB is the first comprehensive tool for the legal profession that lets attorneys easily and efficiently streamline their practice into one customizable dashboard. Get access to highly curated content, the cloud-based platforms essential to your practice, and a vast network of peers all without leaving the LawHub.”

You can read more about it here, where the NYSBA put out the news. And here is the page where their members get started.

Interested in more? One of the deepest dives available to us nonmembers is on this informative About page.

And for real production values and a quick (and dramatic!) introduction, here is their launch video:

Let me know what you think. Long term, it’s possible the New York State Bar may be seeking to license this platform to other bars and associations. Would this kind of online structure assist you in your law practice?

And in the meantime, congratulations to the smart and innovative folks at the NYSBA!

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Cybersecurity, mindfulness among the growing legal practice focuses

Yes, mindfulness is making a dent in the legal profession, among other simmering trends.

We all have our guilty pleasures, and I confess one of mine is legal predictions.

Based on the number of folks who share with me their thoughts on which firms will next merge or go belly up, I cannot be the only one.

But among the less painful predictions are those related to what will happen to legal practice areas: Which will grow—and which will shrink—in the coming year.

Among those accomplished at the prognostication task is Bob Denney. His posts with his previews are much anticipated—and shared.

So that’s what I do today. Here are his best estimates for practice area changes in 2016.

For those in too big a hurry to click, here are a few of his predicted areas of growth: cybersecurity, white-collar crime, mergers & acquisitions, and employment & labor. Keep reading here.

Do you agree? Are you seeing the same thing? Write to me at arizona.attorney@azbar.org – maybe there’s a story in it.

OK, I give in to the “hotness” analogy: What’s hot and what’s not In the legal profession?

And here are a few other fascinating bits from Bob Denney:

Social media. Except for Facebook, it continues to be hot. Firm websites and blogs are still among the most effective online means for reaching in-house counsel and potential clients, but some marketing experts say they may be surpassed by …

Content syndicators and aggregators. Platforms like JDSupra, Mondaq and even LinkedIn enable a firm to push its content to other sites and services.

Advertising. Whether online, print, TV, radio, billboards or even bus exteriors, advertising continues to be the principal marketing strategy for personal injury lawyers as well as others.

Millennials. Hiring, training and retaining them, as staff as well as lawyers, will continue to be a challenge because many of them chafe against the traditional law firm culture. Yet they are the future of the legal profession.

Departures. Although lateral hiring continues to be a hot growth strategy for many firms, most is at the partner level because firms want the book of business laterals can bring with them. However, fueled to a great degree by the expansion of corporate legal departments, law firm associates and even partners without a large book of business are departing to join legal departments. Why? The workload and the compensation are generally more consistent, without the pressure to record high billable hours and originate business. Translation: The quality of life is better.

Mindfulness movement. There are now reportedly at least two dozen law schools that offer for-credit courses in this Zen-inspired blend of meditation, breathing exercises and focus techniques, which are supported by companies such as Google and General Mills. At least one law firm and the legal department of a major corporation retain a mindfulness coach.

Bar exam scores. The average score on the 2015 summer bar exams reached its lowest level since 1988. Some law school deans have said the test was unfair and that a software glitch made it harder to submit test results. The president of the National Conference of Bar Examiners, which created the multiple-choice section of the test, replied that law schools have been admitting students with lower qualifications who may encounter difficulty in taking the exam. And, of course, applications to law schools have been declining.

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Lawyer fears the focus of @ABAJournal, law professor

Managing fear is simply part of a person’s life, experts say.

As we enter the most joyous—and most pressure-filled—time of the year, I hear from a lot of attorneys that their stress levels are reaching peak levels. As the end of the calendar year races toward us, so do obligations and deadlines, professional and personal.

To help counter that, today I share an ABA Journal article titled “How Lawyers Can Turn Fear Into an Ally.”

The piece by Kevin Davis includes these eye-opening sentences:

“Lawyers often are imprisoned by fear. They’re fearful that their cases are out of control. They’re fearful of looking foolish. They’re fearful of negotiating. They’re fearful of appearing weak. Even continuing legal education courses can contribute by making lawyers fear that they are not up to date on current practices or wary of the myriad number of things that can go wrong.”

Among the resources cited by Davis is a piece by John Lande titled “Escaping from Lawyers’ Prison of Fear.” It’s worth a look.

I previously shared a guest post by John, who is a law professor emeritus at the University of Missouri School of Law.

John Lande

Here’s hoping these resources, and others, can keep the holiday fears at bay.

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Law practice tips offered by lawyer, law professor

You know the law … but how’s your practice know-how?

Last month, I heard from a lawyer and law professor. He had written an article for publication on the blog of the Washington State Bar Association, and he wondered if I was interested in publishing it too.

I was intrigued—and not just because John Lande and I graduated from the same law school (in different years; we don’t know each other). I was interested because the material could be useful to practicing lawyers.

Let’s begin with the title: “Tips For Lawyers Who Want To Get Good Results For Clients And Make Money”

So right off the bat, we see that John knows how to draw readers in.

Here is a little about John:

“At the University of Missouri School of Law, John Lande is the Isidor Loeb Professor Emeritus and former director of the LLM Program in Dispute Resolution. He received his J.D. from Hastings College of Law and Ph.D in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Before coming to MU, he was director of the Mediation Program and assistant professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law, where he supervised a child protection mediation clinic.”

John Lande

You can read his more complete bio here.

Most important for today’s purposes, he contributes to the Indisputably blog of ADR law professors.

In his post, he examines with some detail multiple areas of law practice. An initial glance may suggest to you that you “already know this stuff.” In fact, most lawyers should have some facility with each of John’s topics (I’d hope!). But a more leisurely read reveals nuggets that would serve attorneys well.

Here are the topic areas he discusses:

• Understand Your Clients’ Interests
• Pay Attention to What’s Really Important in Your Cases, Not Just the Law or Winning
• Recognize the Importance of Emotions–Especially Yours
• Get to Know Your Counterpart Lawyer
• Make a Habit of Preparing to Resolve Matters at the Earliest Appropriate Time
• Be Prepared to Negotiate More than You Might Expect
• Get Help From Mediators When Needed
• Be Prepared to Advocate Hard and Smart

You can read John’s complete blog post here.

And he welcomes comments and questions; contact him here: landej@missouri.edu

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