The Washington State Bar Association is pleased to announce the Practice Education Center, an online web education resource for law practice management created by the WSBA’s Law Office Management Assistance Program (LOMAP).
Each audio segment is short and easy to digest. They can be streamed or downloaded as MP3 files to listen to on the go, and are available to you anytime in 2- to 10-minute, bite-sized pieces. You can also click the resources link for the topic to find information that goes deeper. The resources pages will be where the Practice Education Center will grow, so keep an eye on it.
There are 14 topics now available in the Practice Education Center. The subjects were chosen based on a Self-Audit Checklist and conversations and consultations with members, who gave us the most frequently asked questions and most important topics. They are the core building blocks of practice management. You’ll find everything you would want to know about running a law office, even information you might feel too silly asking of a colleague. (Then again, why not ask a colleague? It’s a good thing to share knowledge and experiences, especially in private practice.)
Not sure what the Practice Education Center has to offer you? Keep these in mind:
- It’s not just for beginner lawyers and firm owners. I have found that lawyers often discover a painful lack of infrastructure or systems right when they need them most. Want to grow your business? Then you need a business plan and marketing strategy. Want to work better and quicker? Think about practice management software. Feel like you work constantly and aren’t making any money? You may need to track time better through time and billing software. Confused by the IOLTA rules? There’s information on how to set up and manage your lawyer trust account. Take charge of the office before it takes charge of you.
- It’s not exclusively for solos or small firms. While these are often the lawyers who are most interested in LOMAP’s services, we want to be of service to the entire membership. There is information on employee relations, conflicts check systems, and protecting client data — all issues that affect larger firms too. Is it time to revise your fee agreements? Find out what should be in a fee agreement.
We are interested in your feedback! If you don’t find what you’re looking for, tell us at lomap@wsba.org.
Charity Anastasio. Charity Anastasio is a practice management advisor with the WSBA Law Office Management Assistance Program (LOMAP). She graduated from Seattle University School of Law in 2007 and opened a solo practice in 2008 where she focused on estate planning, probate, and family law. In 2013, she joined the LOMAP team at the WSBA. She is on the Board of the Eastside Legal Assistance Program’s Domestic Violence incubator program and regularly contributes to the NW Lawyer and the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center’s Law Technology Today blog. You can reach Charity at charitya@wsba.org or 206-733-5949.
