AGENDA

PDF Agenda
Name Time Description
Registration12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 
Speaker Introductions1:00 PM - 1:15 PM 
Introduction1:15 PM - 1:50 PM
  • Your mindset
  • The importance of discipline
  • When to start your law practice
  • Your view of money
  • The two foundational principles
Marketing Your Law Practice2:00 PM - 3:35 PM
  • Overview of marketing choices
  • Referral marketing: the system
  • Mailings and print marketing
  • Websites and SEO
  • Social Media marketing
  • Q&A
The Ethics of Legal Marketing3:35 PM - 3:50 PM
  • The rules of advertising (Model Rules 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3)
  • Communications regarding specialization (Model Rule 7.2(c))
  • Q&A
Where to Practice4:00 PM - 4:50 PM
  • Choosing where you will live and practice
  • Consider a small town or rural practice
  • Build your own “small town” in a larger city (Dustin)
  • Doing a market analysis
  • Choosing the location of your office
  • The nuts and bolts of what you need for an office
  • The presentation of the office
  • Naming your law firm
  • Q&A
What Type of Law to Practice5:00 PM - 5:30 PM
  • What is your purpose? Your goal?
  • Specialization 
  • Choosing the best practice areas and what to avoid
  • Niche practices
  • Q&A
Your Image and Branding5:30 PM - 6:15 PM
  • Why a discussion about clothing?
  • Grooming
  • The uniform: the business suit, the shirts, the ties, the shoes, the coats
  • Social media: what are you putting out there?
  • An entire discussion on paper?
  • Branding and fonts
  • Letterhead, envelopes, folders, etc.
  • Business cards
  • Q&A
Evening6:15 PM - 9:00 PM

(spouses and guests welcome)

War stories with Ethan and Dustin
Questions and answers
Socializing
Dinner a la carte at Seelbach Hotel

Name Time Description
Operating Your Firm8:00 AM - 9:35 AM
  • The power of systems
  • Your roles as an attorney and business owner
  • Time management
  • Hiring and leading your team
  • Manage the cases 
  • Manage the paper
  • Manage the clients 
  • Manage your money 
  • Q&A
The Ethics of Law Firm Management9:35 AM - 9:50 AM
  • Ethics rules as applied to non-attorney staff (Model Rule 5.3)
  • Pursuing meritorious claims (Model Rule 3.1)
  • The attorney role as the advisor  (Model Rule 2.1)
  • Trust accounts  (Model Rule 1.15)
  • Competent representation: diligence & communications  (Model Rules 1.3 and 1.4)
  • Confidentiality of information (Model Rule 1.6)
  • Q&A
Fees10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
  • The philosophy of fees
  • Hourly fees and retainers
  • Hourly, plus “success fee” (Dustin)
  • Flat fees
  • Unit pricing (Dustin)
  • Contingent fees
  • Q&A
The Ethics of Charging Fees10:30 AM - 10:45 AM
  • The rules governing attorney fees (Model Rule 1.5)
  • Reasonableness of fees
  • Sharing of fees with lawyers not in the same firm
  • The rules governing contingent-fee contracts
  • Q&A
Partnerships11:00 AM - 11:35 AM
  • To have partners or not?
  • The business form: LLC vs. other corporate forms
  • How to set compensation
  • The partnership agreement
  • Dissolution contingencies
  • Sale of the practice?
  • Buying a practice?
  • Merging of practices?
  • Q&A
The Ethics of Partnerships11:35 AM - 11:50 AM
  • Ethics rules governing sale of a law practice  (Model Rule 1.17)
  • Supervising of other lawyers (Model Rule 5.1)
  • Professional independence (Model Rule 5.4)
  • Restrictions on lawyer ability to practice (Model Rules 5.6)
  • Q&A
Lunch12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 
Insurance, Bookkeeping, and Accounting1:00 PM - 1:30 PM
  • Why these are life and death matters.
  • Your insurance agent
  • Malpractice insurance
  • General liability coverage (including auto)
  • Employee theft and crime
  • Employment practices
  • Data breach
  • Umbrella
  • Bookkeeping
  • Hiring an accountant
  • Q&A
Participant Workshop1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Before the conference, each participant will be asked to bring a written business plan for their dream firm.  The plan should include: (1) the name of the firm, (2) who is in the firm, (3) where the firm will be located, (4) the target clients or cases [the practice areas or specialties], (5) the firm letterhead, (6) a basic marketing plan, and (7) a financial estimate of start-up costs and projected revenues.

The participants will review their plan, make revisions based on seminar information, and then will break up into groups of 5 to share their plan with each other.  Dustin and Ethan will mentor individuals and groups during the session.

Review and Discussion of Sample Participant Plans3:00 PM - 3:30 PM 
Questions, Answers, and Farewell3:30 PM - 4:00 PM