Law Firm Management

  • The Medical Marijuana Act (MMA) puts Pennsylvania among the growing number of states permitting the use of marijuana for prescribed medicinal purposes. The MMA, like all state laws purporting to "legalize" marijuana use, squarely conflicts with federal law, which still considers marijuana to be a Schedule 1 substance under the Controlled Substances Act, with no legitimate medical uses.

    March 02, 2017John A. McCreary Jr.
  • 2017 has arrived with a bang: expenses are back on the rise and demand growth is trending negative. Last year in the March issue of this publication, we hypothesized what the results of the 2016 Mattern & Associates Cost Recovery Survey would reveal. With the results tabulated, let's see how accurate our predictions were as well as analyze the results.

    March 02, 2017Rob Mattern
  • Companies are constantly looking for ways to recruit, retain and reward valued employees. The Department of the Treasury issued final regulations addressing deferred compensation and safe harbor planning utilizing §§409A(d)(1), 457(e)11 and 31.3121(v)(2). These regulations set forth how plan sponsors can provide death benefits on a permissibly selective basis.

    March 02, 2017Lawrence L. Bell
  • The focus of this article is on the public speaking aspect of the content marketing initiative. It provides suggestions that readers can share with motivated attorney presenters who wish to improve results from speaking efforts.

    March 01, 2017Cindy Sharp
  • Though 'Virtual Firms' Are on the Decline, Cloud Technology May Be Shifting the Model to Refocus on Lawyer Mobility
    The rise of cloud computing in particular has made it possible for attorneys to keep all the technology tools they need to practice on hand at all times, and eschew direct client contact and office space if so desired.

    March 01, 2017Gabrielle Orum Hernández
  • The ability to hire and retain a competent, responsible workforce distinguishes the great human resources managers from the merely mediocre ones. Retention is highly valued in most successful businesses because hiring on limited information often comes down to more luck than skill, and nobody wants to engage in hiring more often than absolutely necessary.

    March 01, 2017K. Bryance Metheny
  • Over the last few years, the legal operation managers' role has flourished, growing from a profession in its infancy into an unruly teenager, far more mature but with substantial areas poised for development. Now, more than ever, law departments are focused on implementing programs and structures to improve their financial management and deliver value.

    March 01, 2017Robin Snasdell
  • As the chances of a data breach incident increase, savvy firms and businesses have invested time and thought in a response plan. But plans never survive first contact with the enemy. Stress test your incident response plan to find and resolve its weaknesses while time is on your side.

    February 01, 2017Rich Blumberg and Eric Hodge
  • How to Avoid the Tax Pitfalls of 26 U.S.C. §956 when Negotiating Lending Transactions for Clients with Foreign Country Operations

    A popular conduit for operating in a foreign country is a controlled foreign corporation (CFC). In 2012, U.S.-controlled foreign corporation earnings topped $793 billion as the world economy became increasingly interconnected. See, IRS, Statistics of Income. How does the aforementioned trend impact the legal profession?

    February 01, 2017Marcus Dyer