Practice Management – NWSidebar

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Risk Management by the Numbers – New ABA Study on Malpractice Claims

Approximately every four years since 1985, the American Bar Association has published a “Profile of Legal Malpractice Claims.” Plaintiffs’ personal injury and family law are the most frequent source of claims, according to the latest profile. Although the Profile does not correlate the severity of claims by practice area, the Profile’s “anecdotal observations” section suggests that business and commercial law have traditionally been higher-risk areas on this score.

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7 Virtual Networking Tips for Legal Professionals in the 21st Century

The digital transformation of the legal industry went into overdrive the last few months. With in-person meetings and large gatherings canceled for the foreseeable future, networking virtually has become the norm. While networking virtually has made it easier than ever to reach out to a stranger and connect, virtual interactions can still feel awkward and unnatural.

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How to Find a Lawyer Using WSBA’s Legal Directory

Recently, the Washington State Bar Association updated our Legal Directory — a searchable database of every legal professional in the state of Washington—to make it easier to use and with a few expanded features to provide additional information when you’re researching a lawyer. Read on to learn how to use the Legal Directory to find a lawyer and how to access additional resources to get connected with affordable legal help.

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On-Demand Office Environments for Legal Business

There are many options when it comes to on-demand office space. You can rent a conference room or a private office to limit access from other people. Or you can with other remote employees. Attorney Yuriy Moshes offers a few things to consider when choosing flexible office space.

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Art and Law Meet in Washington State Bar News

What do lawyers do with their precious non-billable hours? In the new issue of Bar News, we hear from six lawyer artists about their creative processes and how their legal training has influenced their music, poetry, photography, stage play directing, and even podcasting.

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Best WSBA Summer Sale CLEs to Stream During Lockdown

The WSBA Summer Sale is upon us again. This year, to better assist our members with the hardships posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the discount will be increased to 50 percent for on-demand Continuing Legal Education (CLE) courses and webinars, the sale will run longer than before, and more CLEs are available at rock-bottom prices. Scroll down to see some of the top streamable content that you can binge watch without the guilt.

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WSBA President Majumdar Discusses His Mental Health Journey and Stigma: Part 2

We are all human beings and we all have frailties, it is important lawyers recognize this in themselves and that we support each other with this understanding.

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WSBA President Majumdar Discusses His Mental Health Journey and Stigma: Part 1

For WSBA President Rajeev Majumdar, taking the step to go to therapy meant treading down a path that, to him, initially felt like failure. Recently, Majumdar took a little more time to speak with us about his mental health journey and what he hopes sharing it will do for others in the legal profession.

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How COVID-19 Will Change Solo and Mid-Size Law Firms, Plus 4 Marketing Tools for a Customer-Centric Business

Clients will expect technology platforms to help avoid in-person consultations, and they will want electronic documents. With the ongoing economic hardships, potential clients may wish to pay for services via a flat fee rather than by the hour. They may also wish to handle matters mostly on their own with just a little guidance from their attorney. To answer these needs, lawyers and law firms will have to put the client and customer first. This is customer-centric business and there is really no way to get around it.

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Employment Watch: How COVID-19 is Impacting Washington’s Legal Job Market

For legal professionals, the economic impacts of COVID-19 may have been behind national trends, but in the weeks following the unprecedented nationwide shutdown, unemployment in the legal field too began its uptick.

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Can You Practice in a New Area of Law During COVID-19?

Several attorneys have asked the WSBA Ethics Line whether they can offer services in areas that are new to them. The primary ethical principle to consider before you offer any service is competence.

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Addressing Data Security and Privacy — Especially While Working Remotely

Working remotely increases the probability of problems created by malware and ransomware, and the damage caused by them can be extreme. Therefore, a reasonable lawyer should take additional steps to secure the data if the burden of those steps is not too great.

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Unemployment, Civil Legal Aid, and the COVID-19 Crisis

If the economic shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was the earthquake, the mounting claims of unemployment and other legal issues are the coming tsunami.

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Online Dispute Resolution in the Time of Coronavirus

Online dispute resolutions will be a critical component in preventing residential and commercial evictions rather than hashing issues out in court after someone has already been displaced.

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Where’s the Hurt? Part 2: The Financial Forecast for Large Washington Law Firms amid Coronavirus

The WSBA Ethics Line has received inquiries from laid off or furloughed attorneys concerned about their firm’s ability to continue serving clients while also cutting staff, but other evidence seems to indicate that Washington-based medium and large firms aren’t gutting staff expenses on the books. Robin Schachter of Gamoran Legal Consulting advises medium and large firms in Seattle (as well as Anchorage and Portland), but said her clients haven’t reported layoffs or other significant cuts.

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Laid Off During COVID Crisis: What to do If You’ve Been Let Go

Recently, several legal professionals have called the WSBA Ethics Line to ask about their ethical obligations if they’ve been let go from their job. Here is a snapshot of your ethical obligations any time you leave a firm