How to Run a Thriving Small Firm

Agenda / Content Covered

1. Getting Paid: Fees, Billing, and Collections
   10:00 - 10:45, Danny M. Howell
   1. Setting a Profitable Rate/Fee Structure
   2. Billing and Invoicing Practices and Business Rules
   3. Automating Processes
   4. Rethinking Collection Practices
2. Planning for Profit: Accounting and Financing
   10:45 - 11:30, Josh Andrews
   1. Financial Planning Techniques
   2. Budgeting and Reporting
   3. Business-Critical Financial Metrics for Law Firms
   4. Informing Business Decisions With Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
   5. Managing Expenses and Cash Flow
   6. Tax Planning; Deduction Tips and Traps
3. Hiring and Staffing
   11:45 - 12:45, Danny M. Howell
   1. Determining the Right Time to Hire
   2. Identifying Which Type of Employee or Contractor You Need
   3. Job Descriptions, Responsibilities, and Postings
   4. Compensation Structure and Benefits
   5. Onboarding, Training, and Performance Evaluations
4. 25 Rapid-Fire Tech Tips for Solo and Small Firm Lawyers
   12:45 - 1:15, John J. Heinze
5. Networking, Branding, and Social Media
   1:45 - 2:45, Mary Ann McField
   1. Networking Strategies for Lawyers
   2. Assessing and Growing Your Referral Network
   3. Legal Branding and Rebranding in 2022
   4. Using Social Media to Grow Your Client Base
   5. Optimizing Google My Business Listings
6. Legal Marketing and Advertising Strategies 2022
   3:00 - 4:00, William J. Delaney
   1. Cost-Effective Legal Marketing Channels
   2. SEO and Blogging Strategies
   3. Paid Advertising Strategies
   4. Measuring Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI)
   5. DIY vs. Hiring vs. Contracting
7. Legal Ethics
   4:00 - 5:00, William J. Delaney
   1. Avoiding Conflicts of Interest
   2. Safeguarding Client Property
   3. Protecting Confidentiality in Electronic Communications
   4. Legal Advertising Traps for the Unwary

Accreditation Details:

Josh Andrews is the managing partner of Gatehouse Law where he focuses his practice on the legal needs of entrepreneurs, business law, and complex transactions, such as business formations; business transactions; raising capital for businesses; complex business negotiations; national and international intellectual property management, property disputes and expansion of business; mergers and acquisitions; and preventative law business consulting. Mr. Andrews is admitted to practice in Alabama and Georgia. He is a member of the Alabama State Bar and the State Bar of Georgia. Mr. Andrews earned his B.A. degree from Birmingham-Southern College and his J.D. degree from Cumberland School of Law.

William J Delaney is a member of The Delaney Law Firm LLC. Mr. Delaney is a lifetime fellow of the Rhode Island Bar Foundation, as well as a fellow of the American Bar Association. He is a member of the Rhode Island Supreme Court's MCLE Committee; and the Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York State, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut bar associations. He earned his A.B. degree from the University of Notre Dame, his M.B.A. degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, his J.D. degree from Albany Law School of Union University, and his L.L.M. degree from the Morin Center, Boston University School of Law.

John J Heinze is an attorney with Law Office of J. Jason Heinze, LLC. He focuses his practice in the areas of Social Security disability and ERISA disability. Mr. Heinze earned his B.A. degree from University of Texas, his M. Arch degree from Tulane University, and his J.D. degree from University of Maine School of Law.

Danny M Howell is the founding member of The Law Offices of Danny M. Howell, PLLC, a small firm in McLean, Virginia. His practice focuses on insurance coverage, professional liability defense, and commercial litigation at the trial and appellate levels in the state and federal courts in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Throughout his practice, Mr. Howell has represented attorneys in malpractice suits, bar complaints, and federal court disbarment proceedings; corporate officials in negligence actions; and insurers and policyholders in coverage and bad faith cases. His insurance coverage practice focuses on commercial general liability insurance in the areas of residential and commercial construction, professional liability insurance, and directors and officers insurance. Mr. Howell earned his B.A. degree from Indiana University and his J.D. degree from George Mason University.

Mary Ann McField is the owner of Law Office of Mary Ann McField. Ms. McField specializes in personal injury law with a concentration in motor vehicle accidents, consumer and small business bankruptcies, residential and commercial real estate, and contract law. She has experience in the state and federal courts of New Jersey. Ms. McField is admitted to practice in the state courts of New Jersey, district courts of New Jersey, Southern District Court of New York, Eastern District Court of New York, and Fourth Circuit Court in Virginia, as well as the US Supreme Court. She earned her J.D. degree from Mitchell Hamline School of Law.