Features
Insurance Limited Partnerships As an Alternate Estate Planning Tool
Valuation discounts in estate planning has permitted the transfer of assets from one generation to another in an economically efficient manner. Two of the various discount methods claim lack of control (minority interest discount) and lack of marketability. The IRS has traditionally objected to these approaches in intra-family transfers, while Congress has attempted to legislate away these "loopholes" unsuccessfully and the Treasury Department is contemplating new regulations to accomplish this goal.
Features
Media & Communications: Upgrade Your PR Game!
Admit it: You've been doing the same thing for too long in an attempt to get your firm in the news. And it's just not working anymore. Below are five ways to be more effective in 2016.
Features
Breaking Bad: The Pitfalls of Using Research and How to Avoid Them
This article enumerates the most common pitfalls in any research study to help you ensure the information you and your firm rely on is the best available, and used properly.
Features
Your Billing Process Is Wrong 'Time to Fix It!
It's hard to find a process more critical to the lifeblood of a law firm than its invoicing. Getting paid quickly and fully for professional services rendered is what keeps the lights on. It is what enables firms to grow, attract the best attorneys and serve the interests of more clients.
Features
Break Down the Silos and Lead Your Firm's Information Services From the Data
Law firms are metrics-driven organizations, and the need for accurate metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) will only continue to increase as law firms answer the client's demands to re-tool service delivery and organizational structure. This need for metrics-driven analysis now extends to the firms' research services, a heretofore last bastion of resistance to technology and measurement.
Columns & Departments
<i><b>At the Intersection</i></b>Manterruption Redux
Last August and September, we published a two-part article on the phenomenon called "manterruption." We commented on some important social research discussing men's pervasive tendency to interrupt women in group meetings or settings where the power stakes were high ("manterruption") and to appropriate women's ideas as their own ("bropropriation"). These posts triggered a torrent of response, some of which was gratifying to us and some of which was pretty bewildering.
Features
Cost Recovery in 2016
2016 is in full swing and we will soon be conducting the 2016 Mattern & Associates Cost Recovery Survey. We've been conducting this bi-annual survey since 2004 and, during that time, it has become an industry resource for tracking the cost recovery practices of law firms across size and geography.
Features
Prioritizing e-Mail Security in the Legal Sector
Data breaches and cyberattacks aren't new occurrences, but it can sometimes feel like they are. It's only in the last few years that we've seen these attacks make headlines more and more, increasing in both quantity and impact.
Features
Training Tomorrow's Lawyer
"There's math and technology involved? Count me out, that's why I went to law school." But the practice of law is not immune to technological advances, especially in the areas of research methodologies and, of course, electronic discovery. Furthermore, clients are continuing to focus on value, whether that is in seeking alternative fee arrangements or evaluating outside counsel on their efficient delivery of legal services.
Features
The Power of a Professional Video
Put yourself in a perspective client's shoes. You're in a bind and need a lawyer. What's the first thing you do? You ask someone you trust for a recommendation and visit the lawyer's website to learn more about him or her before making an initial call or appointment.
Need Help?
- Prefer an IP authenticated environment? Request a transition or call 800-756-8993.
- Need other assistance? email Customer Service or call 1-877-256-2472.
MOST POPULAR STORIES
- Top 5 Strategies for Managing the End-of-Year Collections FrenzyEnd of year collections are crucial for law firms because they allow them to maximize their revenue for the year, impacting profitability, partner distributions and bonus calculations by ensuring outstanding invoices are paid before the year closes, which is especially important for meeting financial targets and managing cash flow throughout the firm.Read More ›
- The Self-Service Buyer Is On the RiseLaw firms and companies in the professional services space must recognize that clients are conducting extensive online research before making contact. Prospective buyers are no longer waiting for meetings with partners or business development professionals to understand the firm's offerings. Instead, they are seeking out information on their own, and they want to do it quickly and efficiently.Read More ›
- Should Large Law Firms Penalize RTO Rebels or Explore Alternatives?Through a balanced approach that combines incentives with accountability, firms can navigate the complexities of returning to the office while maintaining productivity and morale.Read More ›
- Sink or Swim: The Evolving State of Law Firm Administrative SupportThe paradigm of legal administrative support within law firms has undergone a remarkable transformation over the last decade. But this begs the question: are the changes to administrative support successful, and do law firms feel they are sufficiently prepared to meet future business needs?Read More ›
- Tax Treatment of Judgments and SettlementsCounsel should include in its analysis of a case the taxability of the anticipated and sought after damages as the tax effect could be substantial.Read More ›