ABA Journal

Building the 21st-Century Law Firm

28 ABA Journal Building the 21st-Century Law Firm articles.

Ask Daliah: Free client consultations can cost you

Dear Daliah: Should I offer free initial client consultations?

Dear Readers: Unless you have a very streamlined process for fielding new clients or can delegate the task to a non-attorney, my recommendation would be to charge.

Building a better law firm takes tech collaborators

More and more often, the answers are that entities that are not law firms can perform tasks at a higher level of quality, at a significantly lower price and faster than any law firm. Better. Cheaper. Faster. Is there something not to like?

Ask Daliah: It’s OK to start as a generalist, then choose a practice

Dear Daliah: How did you choose your practice area? Is it better to start out a generalist or a specialist?

(Culled from online questions)

Dear Questioners: There are two philosophies when it comes to hanging your own shingle: Take anything that walks in the door, or focus on a specific area or areas.

How a paperless law practice may be right for you

If you’re wondering whether to start a paperless firm, I have a surprise: You already have.

Ask Daliah: How to market on a budget

Dear Daliah: How do you find clients using methods that don’t cost more than $1,000 and don’t demand your every-day (every week?) attention? A simple plan to implement a marketing strategy.

Karen Guthrie

Dear Karen: Not all firms are alike, and not all firms can implement the same marketing strategies. However, all firms, regardless of size or practice area, can and should do these three things to effectively attract new clients—without spending lots of money.

Really Virtual: Putting a practice online means access, efficiency and upkeep

What is a virtual law practice? It’s a law firm that provides a web-based environment in which the client can communicate with an attorney and access legal services securely online.…

Ask Daliah: Millennials will let you know how to work with them

Dear Daliah: For the new series on “Building the 21st-Century Law Firm,“ please also address the issue of handling millennials as employees and future partners.

Santiago Concha

Law firms of the future will give clients an effortless experience

The highest-performing law firms of the 21st century will distinguish themselves along two dimensions. The first is the client-facing dimension: Leading law firms will focus on delivering effortless experiences that…

Ask Daliah: How can a solo find good contract help?

Daliah Saper, founder of the Chicago law firm Saper Law Offices, is answering reader questions about building a 21st-century law firm. She can be reached at [email protected].

Building the 21st-Century Law Firm

What should a 21st-century law firm look like?

Over the last 100 years, the ABA Journal has been chronicling the legal profession, its changes and challenges.

Use tech, yes, but your law firm must be client-centric

Richard Susskind, in his book Tomorrow’s Lawyers: An Introduction to Your Future, claims that legal institutions and lawyers are poised to change more radically over the next two decades than…

8 strategies for constructing your new law firm

It’s 2017, and we are all cyborgs. Don’t believe me? What’s the capital of Kyrgyzstan? You just thought about reaching for your smartphone—your auxiliary brain—to look it up, didn’t you?…

Going beyond the evidence to spin a story for your jury

Trial storytelling is often highly creative and innovative. It is filled with aesthetic danger and strategic risk-taking—as are all forms of narrative art. But there is far more at stake…