Trial Magazine

Technology has made a world of difference in case and office management. When I began practicing law, we used binders filled with every detail of the cases we were preparing, organized with tabs, indexes, notes, references, and addenda. The binders were enormous and cumbersome. These days, all of that information is in alphabetized computer directories.

AAJ has many resources to help you streamline and find new ways to manage your practice. “No more binders” is a good mantra, but tapping into the resources offered in this month’s issue of Trial is a better solution. For example, learn about working remotely (p. 28), law firm cybersecurity (p. 22), and building a productive team with the next generation of lawyers (p. 36).

Trial’s recurring Tech Brief column is also full of tips on marketing your practice and running it efficiently—upcoming topics include password-keeping programs and managing e-discovery costs for small firms.

I also invite you to look at some online resources available through AAJ. An Exchange Litigation Packet called Running a Small Firm: Management From Start-Up to Trial specifically addresses opening and operating a small law office, staffing, law firm technology, marketing, and accounting. It also includes sample forms and templates for fee agreements, client communications, and office policies, plus AAJ Education faculty papers, Trial articles, and newsletter articles on related topics from leading sole practitioners and small firm owners around the country.

If you work at or run a small firm, consider joining the Sole Practitioner and Small Firm Section, one of AAJ’s most active and fastest growing Sections. The group meets at both the annual and winter conventions, hosts CLEs, and has a secure document library and list server for its members. 

AAJ’s Marketing and Management Seminar, now in its third year, is another resource. Scheduled for May 3 in New Orleans (one day before AAJ’s Jazz Fest Seminar), it will focus on business ­planning basics, how to stretch your marketing dollars, marketing techniques for the 21st century and mistakes to avoid, social media’s effect on your practice, and how to measure your return on investment.

And if you want to be a part of marketing and technology-related conversations year round, sign up for AAJ’s ­Marketing and Legal Technology list servers. They’re free for AAJ members.

Online presence and digital marketing are two areas that must be reassessed constantly to keep up with technology. And like any firm, AAJ must be smart with its digital outreach. I look forward to seeing where we can go and who we can reach—and that includes you. If you haven’t connected with us online, please do! Find us at www.justice.org, www.facebook.com/JusticeDotOrg, and www.twitter.com/JusticeDotOrg.

Julie Braman Kane is a partner at Colson Hicks Eidson in Coral Gables, Fla. She can be reached at julie.kane@justice.org.