November 2006

If you could change one thing about your practice, what would it be and why?

“Not being able to plan time off.”

“Having to comply with different billing and litigation reporting guidelines for each client.”

“Task-based billing codes.”

“Good lawyers do not necessarily make good managers. I work for a really large firm and one attorney oversees 150 attorneys and paralegals. Having come from a business and corporate background before being licensed as an attorney, this void was more evident to me than maybe it would have been to others. Though my lead attorney manages the workload well, you can imagine all the other areas that need to be managed with a large group. All law firms are businesses whose employees keep it running. Attorneys who lead others should have management training to insure the firm runs at its best for the good of the client.”

“All of the administrative, development and other hours I have to put in on top of billable hours requirements.”

“Clients who don’t come to me right away with a problem and instead wait until it’s too late.”

“Having little control over my own schedule.”