Are You Ready to Celebrate Pro Bono Week 2009?

Abacus is proud of the solid legal work our customers do every day. Many contribute their personal time to helping people or organizations who can't afford to pay for legal assistance. The ABA is sponsoring the first National Pro Bono Celebration this month, from October 25-31.  The celebration is a coordinated national effort to showcase the great contribution that pro bono lawyers make to the nation, its system of justice, its communities and, most of all, to the clients they serve. The week is also dedicated to the quest for more pro bono volunteers to meet the ever-growing legal needs of this country's most vulnerable citizens.

We all know the importance of helping those who are less fortunate than ourselves. During times of hardship, it is imperative that those who are able band together to help those in need. With the current economic crisis, lawyers across the country have stepped up to the plate to help those in need.  Bar associations are hosting events to celebrate pro bono work of their members. The Onondaga Bar Association is hosting an "Academy Awards" event to honor volunteer attorneys. The Pisgah Legal Services and the Mountain Area Volunteer Lawyers Program of Western North Carolina are hosting a Halloween-themed cocktail party featuring pro bono attorney musicians. 

ABA President Carolyn Lamm wrote an article this month in which she spoke of the importance of helping others. In "Finding New Ways to Help" she said, "Central to our system of justice, our profession and the American Bar Association is assuring that all people, regardless of income or personal wealth, have ac­cess to justice. Indeed, the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct call on lawyers, as 'public citizens,' to work on improving access to the legal system."

She went on to say, "Another equally critical component in bridging the justice gap is pro bono, and lawyers are rising to the challenge. A recent ABA study shows that 73 percent of lawyers reported doing pro bono work in 2008. The number of pro bono hours worked annually per lawyer increased from 39 in 2004 to 41 in 2008. While the profession’s dedication to pro bono is to be applauded, those efforts alone cannot fill the justice gap.

The ABA’s support for pro bono activity includes policies that encourage the adoption of pro bono practice rules for qualified retired or otherwise inactive lawyers, support transparency of law firms’ pro bono practices when recruiting at law schools, and encourage courts to develop programs that facilitate and recognize pro bono representation. Also, in an effort to encourage retired and inactive members to provide services, the ABA has adopted a dues waiver program for those who have provided 500 hours of pro bono service in the prior year."

To read the full article by Carolyn Lamm visit: http://www.abacuslaw.com/practiceadvice/newwaystohelp.html

To learn more about the National Pro Bono Celebration and how you can help others visit probono.net/celebrateprobono.

How to keep your clients happy

As a lawyer, clients come to you wanting help. Most of the time help is what they get. However, occasionally clients can become angered and upset with you and your services. A lot of the time they are angry with you for something that isn't entirely your fault.  Sometimes, however, lawyers do make mistakes.

Lee Rosen recently wrote an article, "10 Best Ways to Anger a Client", for his blog, Divorce Discourse. He outlines "the top ways to alienate a client, cause them to complain and encourage them to trash your reputation. It’s not always easy to make a client really, really angry. But with thought, effort, and this list you can help your client achieve a state of apoplectic rage."

How to anger your clients (what NOT to do):

• Don't call them back.
• Always explain things from the other party's point of view.
• Always be calm, cool and collected.
• Always put yourself first.
• Lie when something goes wrong.
• Blame someone else when something goes wrong.
• Make it clear that you know it all and have done it all before.
• File documents and send letter without showing them to your client first.
• Delegate the tough stuff to your client.
• Strive to be only slightly better than the other lawyers you deal with.

Lee Rosen is a Board Certified Family Law Specialist and founder of Rosen Law Firm.  Rosen has more than twenty years experience and training in negotiation, litigation and collaborative resolution of divorce matters, which has been his area of practice since he began his legal career in 1987. 

To read the full article visit: http://www.abacuslaw.com/practiceadvice/10-ways-to-anger.html

2009 ABA Technology Survey - How do you stack up?

Running a successful law practice in today's market requires business, marketing and especially technology know-how. Having the most up to date technology is key for every law practice. Recommended practices from even a few years ago are now dangerously out of date. The American Bar Association recently released their 2009 Technology Survey. Trends indicate a rise in lawyers' productivity and efficiency due to the help of current technology. 

Some results:

• 77% of respondents telecommute but only 6% have a virtual law office
• 43% of respondents said they maintain a social networking presence - up 15% from last year
• 82% of respondents use a PDA, Smartphone or Blackberry while out of the office (compared to 67% in 2008).

For more information on how technology can help your practice request a demo or call us at 800-726-3339.