Latest & Greatest - Unbundled Legal Services: A Family Lawyer’s Guide

By Forrest S. Mosten and Elizabeth Potter Scully

Published by American Bar Association

KF 299 .D6 M67 2017

Using the prevalence and proliferation of self-representation as an impetus, authors Forrest S. Mosten and Elizabeth Potter Scully have embarked upon the advancement of a method of legal representation known as unbundled legal services, or as it also called, limited scope representation in their book, Unbundled Legal Services: A Family Lawyer’s Guide. Broken down into its simplest terms, unbundled legal services refers to the practice of offering various legal services and allowing the client to select the “discrete lawyering tasks” he/she wants the lawyer to perform. The authors have identified seven categories into which these tasks fall and have provided a framework through which such unbundled services can be delivered, thereby allowing a family lawyer with the flexibility to offer full service court representation or become a non-court family lawyer offering limited scope services. Each chapter focuses on the various roles that a family lawyer is typically called upon to assume and explains how such roles can be transformed into one unbundled service. For instance, in many cases, lawyers are, at the same time, dispute resolution managers, negotiators, document drafters, and litigators for their clients. However, according to the authors, each of these roles can be unbundled and offered to the client as separate tasks as opposed to the typical all-or-nothing approach that most full service representation presents. Thus, the client can hire the attorney for those tasks for which he or she might need the most assistance. At the end of most chapters, the authors have provided their readers with practice tips for putting the presented models into play. Also, the authors have set forth the ethical considerations involved with unbundling and possible malpractice “minefields.”

If the idea of the unbundled legal services approach is new to you or if you have not yet considered it as an option for your law practice, come to the Harris County Law Library and have a look at Unbundled Legal Services: A Family Lawyer’s Guide. Who knows? It might be the right plan for you.

Latest and Greatest – Texas Small-Firm Practice Tools

By Cindy Stormer

James Publishing, Inc. (2015)

KFT 318 .S76

As a small-firm or solo practitioner, you may handle a large variety of cases, thus requiring you to be an expert in many different practice areas. Attorney Cindy Stormer has made your job a lot easier with her book, Texas Small-Firm Practice Tools. Loaded with checklists and over 560 forms, this book focuses on 16 main practice areas, including: civil and business litigation, car accident cases, consumer protection and fair trade practices, landlord-tenant issues, employer-employee relations, credit and collections, small business issues, marriage dissolution, estate planning and administration, criminal defense, and real estate. For each practice area, the author discusses the essential law and procedures with which you need to be familiar and provides you with some useful samples of letters, motions, and client interview questions. It truly is a toolkit for the small-firm or solo lawyer. So, come on down to the Harris County Law Library and find out for yourself how valuable Texas Small-Firm Practice Tools can be to your practice.

Latest and Greatest - How to Manage Your Law Office

How to Manage Your Law Office

Mary Ann Altman & Robert I. Weil

Matthew Bender

KF 318 .A758

As part of Law Practice Management Month, the Harris County Law Library has been offering tips and recommending resources to help solo and small-firm lawyers better manage their practice. Another resource that we have here at the library is How to Manage Your Law Office. Whether you are a solo practitioner, a lawyer in a corporate law department, or an attorney in a governmental law office, this two-volume set is an indispensable tool in opening your office and keeping it running smoothly.

After discussing the organizational structure of the various types of law offices, the authors dive into the issues that affect the day-to-day management of the firm, such as legal fees, accounting basics, the roles of nonlawyer staff members, law office technology, and related ethical considerations and risks. The remainder of the book is devoted to strategic planning and marketing, the hiring of new associates and support staff, and law office design, all matters that can shape the success of your law practice.

Latest and Greatest – SMART Marketing for the Small Firm Lawyer

Smart Marketing for the Small Firm Lawyer

Kenneth Vercammen

American Bar Association

KF316.5 .V47 2014

You need to attract clients to your firm – that’s business 101. But for the solo or small firm practitioner who is already practicing law, managing staff, and paying the rent, marketing seems easy to place squarely on the back burner. That can be especially true if digital marketing tools seem a little foreign – like, what is the difference between a blog post and a LinkedIn® update anyway?

That’s where SMART Marketing for the Small Firm Lawyer comes into play. This publication from the ABA General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Division breaks down various types of marketing tools – from blogs and websites to social media – and provides links to examples from the author’s own marketing efforts. Subsequent chapters simplify daily and low-cost marketing practices small firm lawyers can implement to expand their business and provide tips on content creation and crafting promotional materials. Regardless of where you are on the marketing know-how spectrum, this resource can help you improve your marketing strategies and attract more clients.

Visit the Law Library to discover a copy of SMART Marketing for the Small Firm Lawyer today!