Doing Good Work Is Not Enough To Get Referrals

In a recent blog post by The Legal Practice Pro, "If you don't help your clients get what they really want then you've lost the war for their referrals." But how do you know what your clients want? The best way to know is to simply ask them, and keep asking.

In addition to handling your cases in a timely and successful manner, your clients expect to hear from you as their case progresses. A great way to ensure your clients stay informed is to send them an email every time something pertaining to their case takes place. AbacusLaw facilitates this process by having all their contact and case information linked for quick retrieval. 

Law Firm Loses $1.3 Million in Embezzlement Scam - How to Avoid this in Your Firm

A woman in Sacramento recently admitted to stealing over $1.3 million from the law firm she worked for. Addressing the situation, Sheila Blackford, an attorney and practice management advisor for the Oregon State Bar Professional Liability Fund, recently identified the 3 things you should do if you suspect an unauthorized transaction in your trust account.

1. Contact your bank and close the account (or put a hold on it)
2. Contact the Professional Liability Fund in your state
3. Contact your bar's General Counsel office to be referred to a Disciplinary Counsel

AbacusLaw can help you reduce your risk (or deal with) embezzlement scams. It allows you to select who is authorized to have accounting and checkbook access, and create an audit trail for all related activities. For instance, whenever you write a check or make a deposit, the entries can't be changed.

To learn more about how to safeguard your firm against fraud and embezzlement read the rest of the article here.

Abacus Partners With Total Practice Management Association to Increase Your Resources

The Total Practice Management Association (Total PMA) is dedicated to helping attorneys and other legal professionals run profitable law practices without sacrificing their personal lives. Total PMA's website at http://totalpma.org offers a unique legal community, an expert video series to help with every aspect of building and maintaining a legal practice, a blog regularly updated with practical information and insights from attorneys, marketing pros, management experts and more...and it's all absolutely free to members.

In fact, right now, membership to the Total Practice Management Association is free. And with membership comes password protected access to the many resources TPMA provides. For example, be sure to check out Gerry Riskin's video on enjoying your law practice.

You'll also want to check out Total PMA's live events, like the upcoming Get a Life(TM) conference in Chicago. This truly is a legal conference like no other, with top-notch experts, luxurious accommodations, great food, fun evening events and the opportunity to network with attorneys from across the country who are employing innovative solutions in their practices.”

Are You Ready for Forms and Court Rule Changes as January 1 Approaches?

Many courts have calendar rules and forms changes that go into effect in just two weeks. For example, sixty-six California Judicial Council forms have changed or been added effective January 1, 2010. AbacusLaw customers with Abacus CA Judicial Council forms subscriptions (to auto-fill these forms directly from their Abacus database) can download the forms via their Abacus Updater on December 29, 2009 or anytime thereafter. It's quick and easy.

To stay up to date on your jurisdiction's court forms and calendaring rules, call Abacus at 800-726-3339.

Happy Holidays 2009

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanzaa and Happy New Year! No matter what you celebrate, we'd like to wish you a safe, happy and healthy holiday season.