Practice Management

Lending Library books of a more general practice management nature are listed in the Additional Info box on the right.  More specific topics in the practice management area are listed as subcategories of Practice Management in the navigation pane on the left.  You may have to scroll down the page to see all of the subcategories. 

101 Sample Write-Ups for Documenting Employee Performance Problems: A Guide to Progressive Discipline & Termination (2nd ed.)
Falcone, Paul

There's no escaping problem employees. But with 101 prewritten disciplinary write-ups at a manager's fingertips, there is a way to escape the headaches, anxiety, and potential legal trouble of performance review or counseling sessions. Completely updated and covering the latest developments in employment law, the second edition of "101 Sample Write-Ups for Documenting Employee Performance Problems" explains the disciplinary process from beginning to end and provides ready-to-use model documents in print and on disk that eliminate the stress and second-guessing about what to do and say. Expertly written, the write-ups cover every kind of problem substandard work quality, absenteeism, insubordination, e-mail misuse, sexual harassment, drug or alcohol abuse, and more. Readers will also find new information on laying the ground work for a tidy dismissal; tying progressive discipline to annual performance reviews; formally addressing intermittent FMLA abuse; ways to avoid drafting documentation that could later be used against their company; and much more. There is perhaps no more dreaded managerial task than communicating with an employee about a disciplinary problem, but this one-of-a-kind guide helps managers handle any scenario fairly, constructively, and, most importantly legally.

101+ Practical Solutions For the Family Lawyer: Sensible Answers to Common Problems (2nd ed.)
Herman, Gregg M.

A collection of practical tips from prominent family lawyers offering a wealth of advice and proven techniques to enhance the family law practice.

365 Ways to Simplify Your Work Life: Idea That Bring More Time, Freedom, and Satisfaction to Daily Work
Pollar, Odette

The key to regaining balance in a frenetic work world of cellular phones, non-stop faxes, gut-grinding gridlock and the exhausingly frantic is to simplify. Here, bestselling author and Fortune 500 consultant Odette Pollar offers practical ways to bring more time, freedom, and satisfaction in daily living.

500+ Steps to Being a Profitable, Happy, Efficient Law Office: The Foonberg Law Office Management Checklist
Foonberg, Jay G.

1001 Ways to Energize Employees
Nelson, Bob

Weaving together case studies, examples, techniques, research highlights, and quotes from business leaders, this practical handbook is packed with suggestions for increasing employee involvement and enthusiasm.

1001 Ways to Reward Employees
Nelson, Bob

Why is 1001 Ways to Reward Employees, with over 1.4 million copies in print, such an extraordinary bestseller? Because a little over ten years ago Bob Nelson took the seeds of an idea and turned it into something indispensable for business. The idea? That it’s not a raise that motivates an employee, and it’s not a promotion—what really sparks a person to perform are those intangible, unexpected gestures that signify real appreciation for a job well done. Now, after having worked with thousands of organizations in the years since 11001 Ways to Reward. . . was first published, Bob Nelson presents a second edition packed with hundreds of new ideas and examples of how companies are using rewards and recognitions to boost productivity and keep their valued employees happy. Airplane mechanics are rewarded with balloons and pinwheels. Another manager calls his employees’ mothers and thanks them for raising such industrious children. There are ideas from the offbeat (The Margarita Award) to the company-wide (a quiet room) to the embarrassingly simple (a hand-written thank you note) to the wacky (the Laugh-a-Day challenge) to the formal (a two-week promotion to special assistant to the president). Each section includes no-cost rewards and low-cost rewards, both public and private, making this new edition an indispensable resource for making the person/achievement/reward equation work.

2006 National Conference on Employment of Lawyers With Disabilities: A Report From the American Bar Association for the Legal Profession
Parry, John W.

ABA Model Guidelines for the Utilization of Paralegal Services
ABA Standing Committee on Paralegals

Advocacy Words: A Thesaurus
Drennan, William

America's Greatest Places to Work With a Law Degree: And How to Make the Most of Any Job, No Matter Where It Is!
Walton, Kimm A.

Discover hundreds of extraordinary places to work--law firms, corporations, government agencies, advocacy groups and much more!

Amicus Attorney in One Hour for Lawyers 
Billinsky, David J.

A handbook on managing Amicus Attorney's file manager, contact manager, calendar, time sheets and call centre features. Divided into five lessons, it includes over 100 screen shots that support its explanations, as well as a variety of real-world examples. Keyboard shortcuts are also covered.

Annotated Model Rules of Professional Conduct (6th ed.)
Center for Professional Responsiblity (ABA)

The Annotated Model Rules of Professional Conduct is ABA's definitive resource for information about lawyer ethics. Each chapter includes a Rule and its Comment, a detailed discussion of the Rule's meaning, application and interpretation, with citations to more than 4,000 cases and ethics opinions, hundreds of law review articles, and the relevant sections of the Restatement (Third) of the Law Governing Lawyers. The information is carefully organized under numerous subheadings, making it easy to find specific information.

Ask the Career Counselors: Answers for Lawyers on Their Lives and Life's Work
Morris, Kathy and Eckert, Jill

This manual shows readers how to propel themselves to a more satisfying professional life in and beyond the law.

Associate's Guide to the Practice of Copyright Law, An
Kent, Meaghan H. and Kaufman, Joshua J.

An Associate's Guide to the Practice of Copyright Law guides associates through what is typically the most challenging part of their job: knowing where to find information and what specifically they need to complete a particular task or assignment. Written by a senior associate and a supervising partner, the authors rein in the work process for associates and give practice-oriented advice on important topics such as what questions to ask a client, what research to conduct, what elements must be met for various causes of action, the potential repercussions for various actions and the proper alternatives to be considered. The book also includes sample documents and pleadings, references to secondary sources and key cases in copyright law. A CD-ROM containing many forms in electronic format, is included.

Attorney and Law Firm Guide to the Business of Law: Planning and Operating for Survival and Growth (2nd ed.)
Poll, Edward

Are you a lawyer? Do you want to: Be more successful by design than by accident? Be more profitable? Attract more clients? Have your clients pay on time? Have greater control of your practice? The expanded second edition of "Attorney and Law Firm Guide to the Business of Law" can answer these questions and more. With 27 new chapters on marketing, personnel issues, technology, time management, clients' trust accounting, opening a new office, changing from one practice to another, and much more, this step-by-step manual guides you through each critical step of setting up, managing, taking control of, and growing a successful law practice. Law practice management expert Edward Poll has simplified the mystical process of operating a law practice so anyone can be more effective with his/her clients and become more profitable. Equally helpful for startups, solos, small-firm practitioners, large-firm practice group managers, fee-based and contingency lawyers, this new book includes many ready-to-use forms and charts are available on a disk in Word Perfect, Excel, and Quattro Pro formats.

Author Law A to Z: A Desktop Guide to Writers' Rights and Responsiblities (1st ed.)
Randolph, Sallie G.

Written by a quartet of straight-talking author-lawyers, this is the most comprehensive and thorough reference guide on publishing law—in an easy to read format. From authors to editors, literary agents to journalists, anyone who works with words confronts an astonishing variety of legal puzzles and perils. This easy-to-use guide to writers’ rights and responsibilities will help users navigate this legal maze and work more profitably. Part legal dictionary, part publishing encyclopedia and chock-full of helpful how-to advice, "Author Law A to Z" addresses key concepts in the publishing field. Styled as a series of alphabetical entries, this reference book makes it easy for readers to locate answers to specific questions, get help with a particular problem, or simply browse an array of fascinating entries for greater professional knowledge. Topics include all the major legal issues related to the business of writing and publishing. Entries are extensively cross-referenced for maximum usefulness and most are supplemented with charts, checklists, sidebars, boxes, tips, profiles, case summaries, sample letters, contracts, forms, and other illustrative material.

Basic Training Manual for Legal Secretaries 
Jarvis, Sally

Being Prepared: A Lawyer's Guide for Dealing with Disability or Unexpected Events (1st ed.)
Cohen, Lloyd D. and Cohen Debra Hart

This is an essential workbook and guide for lawyers to protect their practice against casualty or other unexpected event. It is designed to assist the lawyer in thinking about and formulating an action plan to properly protect their firm, their clients, and their family in the event of temporary disability, incapacity, or other unexpected event.

Best Practices in Attorney Professional Development: Heading Off and Handling Wrong Turns
ABA Career Resource Center

This manual consists of Best Practice Tenets for law firms and lawyers across the country.

Beyond the Big Firm: Profiles of Lawyers Who Want Something More
Morrison, Alan B. and Chin, Diane T.

This succinct paperback will fill a major information void for students and recent graduates who are interested in a legal career outside the typical large, corporate law firm. "Beyond the Big Firm" offers more than 30 engaging profiles of lawyers who have chosen to follow nontraditional legal careers, in a wide range of subject areas, practice settings, and types of work. This distinctive book explores the many possibilities open to graduates of law school through the use of profiles -- written primarily by students interested in public interest law -- of lawyers who made "alternative" career choices. The editors of this informative compilation are long-time public interest lawyers; the actual authors of the profiles are primarily students who capture the personalities of their subjects in a way that is sure to resonate with the audience because they share the same questions about career choices. The subjects of the profiles have been out of law school 10-15 years, they represent 18 law schools, and they work in 15 states. The lawyers profiled have jobs in governments, non-profits, and small private firms; both civil and criminal law are covered, including prosecutors and defense counsel. Some of the fields that the lawyers work in are civil rights, civil liberties, immigration, personal injury, and human rights. In addition to the fascinating lawyer-profiles, special features include: a special resources chapter to help students determine and follow their career choice; a final chapter with mini-profiles of 3 lawyers who are not practicing law, but for whom their legal training is vital to their work; and short essays by current and former Stanford Law School deans Larry Kramer and Kathleen Sullivan.

Building a Practice
Infopac

Busy Lawyer's Guide to Success: Essential Tips to Power Your Practice
Trautz, Reid F. and Pinnington, Daniel E.

Busy lawyers do not have dozens of extra hours to conduct research looking for new tips and ideas to streamline and enhance their practice of law. They need just-in-time learning to acquire the knowledge necessary to build their practices. This convenient pocket guide is the best ever collection of practical tips, ideas, and techniques to help you survive, thrive, and find success in the practice of law.

Colorado Real Property Law
Reeves, George E.

The most comprehensive treatise on Colorado real property to date. Providing almost 200 years of state land history in one source, this beautiful hardbound book is filled with reference material for real property lawyers, litigators, title professionals, and law professors, as well as anyone who needs detailed information about Colorado law on real property. Includes the 2007 Supplement.

Colorado Revised Nonprofit Corporation Act, The: With Commentary by the Revision Committee (2nd ed.)
Nonprofit Corporation Act Revision Committee

Commercial Litigator's Job, The: A Survival Guide
Rose, Cristen S.

This book provides helpful tips and instruction on the assignments that litigators are likely to receive in the commericial litigation department of most law firms.

Compendium for Professional Responsibility Rules and Standards
Center for Professional Responsibility

Complete Guide to Contract Lawyering, The: What Every Lawyer and Law Firm Needs to Know About Temporary Legal Services (2nd ed.)
Arron, Deborah L. and Guyol, Deborah 

In a tough economy, contract (freelance) lawyering is the fastest growing segment in the legal profession. More lawyers and law firms are turning to temporary legal services as an answer to building profitability and managing growth. This new third edition--with separate chapters for contract lawyers and hiring lawyers--has the latest on rate-setting, placement agencies, state and local ethical opinions, and malpractice liability, and offers sample agreements and marketing tips.

Complete Guide to Designing Your Law Office, The
Schultz, Suzette S. and Schultz, Jon S.

This comprehensive new resource provides all the information needed to plan or remodel a law firm's office space.

Complete Guide to Divorce Practice, The: Forms and Procedures for the Lawyer (3rd ed.)
Rice, Larry

This book is so easy to use. It is arranged in the natural order of the divorce experience. It starts with the clients, follows through with the interview, proceeds through trial and ends with prenuptial agreements.

Complete Reference Checking Handbook, The: Smart, Fast, Legal Ways to Check Out Job Applicants
Andler, Edward C.

One third of all job applicants lie on their resumes. When these bad apples get hired, it means putting high turnover, low productivity, discipline problems, and legal nightmares on the payroll. This new book is the only comprehensive guide available to the delicate art of reference checking. Managers, small company owners, and human resources professionals can top troubles before they begin by using this book's dozens of proven techniques for getting at the truth. It shows readers how to: ** detect lies or evasions on resumes and in interviews ** avoid illegal questions during the interview and reference-checking process ** get meaningful information from what references say -- and don't say ** check public and official sources such as credit, criminal, and driving records -- even workers' compensation claims EDWARD C. ANDLER (St. Louis, MO) is a recognized authority on reference checking. Since 1988 he has headed Certified Reference Checking Company, which conducts reference checks for hundreds of companies nationwide.

Concise Guide to Paralegal Ethics (3rd ed.) 
Cannon, Therese A.

This concise version of Therese Cannon's highly acclaimed and successful textbook provides authoritative, concise coverage of ethical principles from the perspective of the practicing paralegal. Perfect for use in shorter courses or in substantive courses where ethics is introduced, this text delivers: current coverage of all the major areas of legal ethics, placing special emphasis on how the rules affect paralegals an authoritative presentation combined with clear and readable pedagogy each chapter begins with an overview, followed by well-written text in a well-organized format. Key terms are introduced in italics, and marginal definitions help students with terminology. Review questions, hypotheticals, and discussion questions and projects reinforce the material useful appendices that provide the text of relevant ethical codesThe Third Edition, thoroughly updated and polished, features:updated and new rules, cases, and narrative an exciting new section on assignments and research projects more hypotheticals in discussion questions changes in ABA Model Rules new cases in UPL, confidentiality, and conflicts Written by the highly respected legal educator, Therese Cannon, this succinct, reliable text is the ideal tool for teaching students about paralegal ethics in the real world.

Convincing the Judge: Practical Advice for Litigators
Kuhne, Cecil C.

Learn what judges like and do not like and how to deal with the judge throughout the entire litigation process. This book distills the advice of judges to practitioners appearing in their courtrooms and provides practical advice on case management, all phases of trial, and appeals. It also explains the judicial role and suggests tips for dealing with a difficult judge. Each chapter includes valuable practice tips and specific examples for enhancing your litigation skills.

Corporate, Securities, and M&A Lawyer's Job, The: A Survival Guide
Lee, Daniel and Swartz, Matt

Busy, experienced deal lawyers do not always have the time to teach new deal lawyers the basics. This Guide is a head start on those lessons, speeding the learning of everyone who uses it. New corporate lawyers are assigned a number of tasks for which law school provides no preparation. Some of the tasks covered include:
How should you organize and execute the closing of a transaction?
How should you conduct and report a due diligence investigation?
What are the key documents of a venture capital financing and how do they work?
What are the main components of an acquisition agreement?
What are the basics of drafting board minutes and resolutions?
What tasks should you expect to receive if you are assigned to work on a public securities offering?

Creative Lawyer, The: A Practical Guide to Authentic Professional Satisfaction
Melcher, Michael F.

The Creative Lawyer is a self-help and career-management book for lawyers of all levels of experience. Written by Michael Melcher, one of America's leading career coaches who is himself an attorney, the book is a step-by-step method for imagining and realizing your path to personal and professional satisfaction. Brilliantly written, consistently practical, and filled with scores of illuminating exercises, The Creative Lawyer is the book that the profession has been waiting for. If you're a young lawyer, The Creative Lawyer will give you a template for envisioning and managing your own professional development, whatever path you choose. If you're an experienced lawyer, The Creative Lawyer will help you to reassess and renew your career. It will aid you in understanding how your own values and passions might have changed over the years, and what to do if they have. If you are unhappy or stuck in your career, The Creative Lawyer will help you figure out ways to ameliorate your problems and gradually get to a place where your work is in synch with who you really are. If you are happy in your career, The Creative Lawyer will help you to manage your career so that you can stay happy. If you are not sure what you think about your career, The Creative Lawyer will give you a framework for sorting things out and moving forward amidst ambiguity.

Criminal Lawyer's Job,The: A Survival Guide

This guide provides the lawyer with valuable how to advise for taking the initial client meeting to picking a jury and trying the case. It is not intended to be a summary of the law, but rather a cheat sheet. It is a guide that most senior criminal defense attorneys likely wish they had when they tried their first few cases.

Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law, The
Hermann, Mark

This collection of essays written by The Curmudgeon, offers practical, honest and you need to know this advice for surviving and thriving in a law firm. The book covers the basics of law practice and law firm etiquette, from doing effective research and writing to dressing for success, dealing with staff and clients and building a law practice. Concise, humorous and full of valuable (albeit curmudgeonly) insight, this is a must-read for every newly minted law school graduate or new lawyer.

Civil Litigation for Support Staff (Law Office Videos)

COBRA Compliance Alert 2 CD Set: Retroactive Changes, Immediate Compliance Required
Hamburger, Paul M.

Dear Sisters, Dear Daughters: Strategies for Success from Multicultural Women Attorneys (2nd ed.)
Clanton, Karen

This book is a unique, inspirational collection of letters from 44 experienced, highly accomplished women attorneys of color to the next generation outlining various roadmaps for success in the legal profession as a minority woman attorney. The book is organized by practice setting, and at the end of each chapter are tips for success from the authors featured in that chapter. The essays end with a response from a sister/daughter from the next generation.

Della Street is Retiring: Managing the Next Generation of Secretarial Services

Developing and Operating a Records Retention Program
ARMA Standards Program

Program principles, staff and management structure, and program development strategies are highlighted in this records retention guidebook. Further attention is given to: determining records retention periods and obtaining approval for retention schedules and procedures, establishing a records retention program in litigatio, and determining a record's value and developing appropriate destruction procedures. Eight appendices contain samples of policy statements, inventory forms, retention worksheets, destruction authorization forms, legal requirements index, and manual and automated retention schedule forms. Also includes a glossary and bibliography.

Difficult Clients - Dedicated Attorneys: Practical Psychology for Effective In-The-Trenches Representation
Gullette, Lyn C. and Gullette, William R.

This book is a collaborative effort by an experienced psychologist and attorney who share their practical suggestions for helping attorneys prevent, avoid, and repair difficult situations brought on by clients. A must-read for every attorney who has ever had a difficult client, this book discusses the most common difficult clients: The Angry Client, The Delaying, Procrastinating Client, The Changing Client, and The Intensely Expressive Client. The authors examine these typical client behaviors, discuss underlying causes, and provide tips on helping clients through the rough spots to foster a smoother attorney-client relationship and ensure the clients’ effective participation in the case. Basic information is provided about psychological disorders and emotional problems, with a focus on how these problems impact the attorney/client relationship and the legal process. The authors also discuss the role of the therapist and how attorneys can arrange for accommodations for clients with these difficulties. A directory of common client difficulties, with suggestions for interventions, is provided as a “first-aid kit” for use in everyday practice. The book also includes a chapter describing how attorneys can help clients who have mental or emotional difficulties by providing accommodations in their own practices and by advocating for others in the legal system to provide accommodations. The Americans with Disabilities Act and the Model Rules of Professional Conduct are discussed.

Effectively Staffing Your Law Firm (The Firm Building Series)
Rose, Jennifer J.

With the advent of sophisticated office technology, lawyers are tempted to rely more on themselves than staff to run and operate their law offices. But can you do it all yourself - or do you need help? Effectively Staffing Your Law Firm will provide you with the necessary tools to manage your workload and determine staffing needs that make sense for your firm. Employing additional staff frees you to do what you do best - practice law.

From Metropolis to Mayberry: A Lawyer's Guide to Small Town Law Practice
Williams, Philip C.

The IP Licensing Lawyer's Job: A Survival Guide (1st ed.)
Bullock, Jim E.

This practical guide will help attorneys new to intellectual property law demystify the intellectual property license. It reviews each of the basic issues applicable to all licensing agreements and provides an outline to assist in reviewing any intellectual property issues. It provides answers to questions such as: Why is the intellectual property being licensed? Who is authorized to possess and use the intellectual property? For how long may the intellectual property be used? How may the intellectual property be used? Where may the intellectual property be used?

A Lawyer's Guide to Estate Planning: Fundamentals For the Legal Practicioner (3rd ed.)
Hunt, Rush L. and Hunt, Lara Rae

This book provides an introduction to the basics of estate planning and will make this area of the law more accessible to the nonspecialist.

Objection Overruled: Overcoming Obstacles in the Lawyer Job Search
Morris, Kathy

This book covers common barriers to the successful lawyer job search and provides practical, engaging advice about overcoming the stopping blocks. From the initial decision to search for a new job, within or an alternative to the legal profession, to closing the deal at a strong interview, the books shows lawyers how to manage the process to their best advantage.  Lawyers will get concrete help about: making an insightful assessment about their career; understanding the essential elements of a strong job search; developing a focused plan to overcome the obstacles and; implementing a successful job search.

Paralegals, Profitability, and the Future of Your Law Practice
Greene, Arthur G. and Cannon, Therese A.

This book provides advice on how to hire and use top notch paralegals to achieve success in providing clients with quality service.

Procrastinator's Handbook, The: Mastering the Art of Doing it Now
Emmett, Rita

Almost everyone procrastinates. For most people, procrastination is a frustrating, troublesome habit they know they should be able to overcome. Rita Emmett will inspire them to get started, with advice drawn from her own experience as a "recovering procrastinator" and that of people she has met at her acclaimed seminars. In Rita Emmett's hands, self-improvement is as entertaining as it is rewarding.