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Top Paralegal Resolutions For 2016

January 18, 2016

by Lawyers With Purpose with No Comment Systems & Processes Team Building

Some of you have probably already made – and broken – your New Year’s resolutions for 2016, to include common personal ones like losing weight, doing more exercise, eating better, and quitting bad habits. However, consider making and sticking with some work-related resolutions as well as personal ones to keep you on track professionally. The following list from the paralegal perspective, but it can be applied to any position in your law firm.

FOCUS – January is the time to revisit time templates or to resolve to go back to good habits allowed to lapse, like using planning organizers. Lawyers with Purpose provides you with time management tools as well as a range of focusers, including those for daily, weekly, and monthly planning. Make sure your time template has time devoted to planning each and every week. Time spent planning will be repaid in increased efficiency and goal attainment. Every year I make myself a New Year’s gift of a great calendar as a reward for planning ahead. This calendar can be paper or digital, whatever your preference.

EDUCATE – Plan and prepare for further career development by identifying where the gaps in your knowledge and experience are, and deciding how to go about filling those. Or perhaps you want to hone part of your existing skill set. The mind, like many other tools, needs to be kept sharp to work at its best. Lawyers with Purpose offers you various ways of keeping informed and educated, including ListServs for BOTH the attorneys and their team members, blogs, and webinars on the event calendar. There are also the Tri-Annual Practice Enhancement Retreats (TAPER), which offer legal-technical focus sessions in addition to firm planning and personal development.

CHECK IN with your goals and/or set new ones. It’s been roughly three months since TAPER in Phoenix, so it’s the midpoint of the period during which many of you resolved to implement some projects. Have your efforts lost steam? This is a great time to reassess derailed projects and set tasks to get them back on track. If you did not attend the last TAPER event, now is a great time to set new goals. There are tools on the LWP website that you can use in your "Brainstorming Sprints", as well as project focusers like the "Money Plan" and "The Implementation Focuser".

RENEW your commitment to the system. Have you been so busy doing the work that you haven’t had time to do the necessary data input crucial for tracking? Regardless of what file management system you may use or whether you are still using paper files or have gone completely digital, attorneys must allow time for their team members to perform all the file maintenance required. If you don’t schedule regular maintenance – just like a car – the engine starts to run rough and may stall. Remember, it may just take 10 minutes to make a phone call, but it can take 5 minutes more to document the phone call, potentially mark a task complete and then schedule a follow-up task. In a typical work day for the law firm, I spend easily an hour of my time on file maintenance alone – adding file notes, scanning and uploading documents, marking tasks done, scheduling follow-up tasks, updating status of file in workflow, linking emails. It is this maintenance that permits you to track the work being done in your firm and hold team members accountable. Pull up your reports and identify where clean up must occur and schedule time on your template to chip away at any overdue file maintenance.

Finally APPLY the 4 D’s of time management – delete, delay, delegate, and do – to any and all of your lists and/or piles in your office. There are variations of these terms, so feel free to adopt the version that makes the most sense to you and your job responsibilities. With this strategy, you review incomplete tasks and decide whether you are going to delete, delay, delegate, or do the task. If a task is no longer important or relevant, or perhaps is already done, can it be deleted? Or you may have a task that you would like to do one day, but it can be deferred or delayed to a later time. Don’t lose sight of this task by adding it to a focuser reserved for remote future planning. Meanwhile, delegate those tasks that can be done by someone else, preferably someone who can perform the task better than you could. Finally, whatever is left over, you do. These might be tasks that can be done in 10 minutes or less and just need to be completed, or they may be tasks of higher priority that need to be scheduled immediately.

These five recommendations are my professional resolutions for 2016. By focusing on planning, scheduling time for education and training, checking in with previously set goals, renewing the commitment to your file management system, and applying the 4 D’s of time management to any pending matters, you can reboot your system, so to speak. I invite you to join me in resolving to start the new year with a fresh beginning – professionally and personally. Happy New Year!

If you want to learn more about becoming a Lawyers With Purpose member and what we have to offer your estate or elder law practice, join us this Friday, January 22nd for a FREE webinar "How You Can Have the Business, the Income and the Life that You Once Dreamed About When You First Started Your Practice. Click here to grab your spot today.

By Sabrina A. Scott, Paralegal, The Elder & Disability Law Firm of Victoria L. Collier, PC and Director of VA Services for Lawyers with Purpose.

Victoria L. Collier, Veteran of the United States Air Force, 1989-1995 and United States Army Reserves, 2001-2004. Victoria is a Certified Elder Law Attorney through the National Elder Law Foundation; Author of “47 Secret Veterans Benefits for Seniors”; Author of “Paying for Long Term Care: Financial Help for Wartime Veterans: The VA Aid & Attendance Benefit”; Founder of The Elder & Disability Law Firm of Victoria L. Collier, PC; Co-Founder of Lawyers with Purpose; and Co-Founder of Veterans Advocate Group of America.

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Are you busy?

October 15, 2015

by Lawyers With Purpose with No Comment Systems & Processes

I appreciate how incredibly busy you are, trust me.

Not so busy that you don't have time to generate leads and get hired by clients…

…but still busy.

As we learned after getting great feedback over the past week, it appears many attorneys like you are too busy to take a look at our complete, automated, integrated practice management, marketing and document drafting system to see if it was worth the investment.

Because of this, I’m going to do something extraordinary.

I'm giving you full access to “The Revenue Focuser 90 Minute Virtual Workshop™.” This is the very tool that allowed my partner, David J. Zumpano, CPA, Esq., to create an estate and elder law practice that generated the revenue he wanted (he started paying himself first on day 1). Because of this tool, he was able to work only 40 hours a week and hire his first full-time team member to handle all of the non-revenue-producing activities!

This isn't a “teaser” tips and techniques tool that’s going to force you to print a tree. Click here to download the 90-Minute Revenue Focuser Virtual Workshop. We have had attorneys across the country double their revenue – not just because they completed the worksheet, but because they actually started charging the fees we recommend. We call that FDS: Follow the dang system!

Do yourself a HUGE financial favor (“I’m not making money”… STOP that NOW!) and download here.

In your corner,

Molly

P.S. If you would like a suggested Fee Schedule, shoot me an email and I’d be happy to share Dave Zumpano’s fee schedule, which he uses every day in his practice.

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Who Has Your Back?

October 6, 2015

by Lawyers With Purpose with No Comment Systems & Processes

I was sitting in a hotel room in Florida at 11:24 in the morning when my cousin called. My aunt was in the hospital after having a stroke and learning she has a brain tumor. It was Saturday and the hospital wanted to discharge her to a rehabilitation facility on Monday. Like many of our clients, my aunt had completed a will in the 1980s but did not have a financial power of attorney or health care directive. Knowing that I am an elder care attorney, my cousin reached out to me for help.

We spent almost an hour on the phone outlining priority actions. Although I could educate my cousin and tell her what needs to be done, I could not personally help because I don’t know the laws in Texas, where I am from and where my aunt lives. Fortunately, I do know people.

Immediately I reached out to my friend and colleague, Sandra Ard, from Ard Law Firm, PLLC, www.ArdLawFirm.com, in Dickinson, Texas. After returning home from getting her nails done, Sandy spent the rest of her Saturday afternoon preparing legal documents and driving to Galveston to meet my aunt at the hospital to execute them. Sandy could have said, “Call me on Monday.” But she didn’t.

I would not expect any lawyer, even a friend, to take such remarkable measures for a client. I did not expect Sandy to do so just because it was my family member who needed help, but I was hopeful.

I was right to be, for one simple reason: Ard Law Firm is a member of Lawyers with Purpose. Sandy is the epitome of what a Lawyer with Purpose is and shows exactly what members in our community do for each other. Sandy has my back!

Without Lawyers with Purpose, I would not know Sandy Ard. Without Sandy Ard, I would not have been able to help my cousin and aunt so quickly. Although many organizations offer similar software and training, Lawyers with Purpose has a community that cannot be compared or copied.

Want to experience this for yourself?

I may be able to get you in the door for the Practice Enhancement Retreat, Wednesday, October 21st – Friday, October 23rd. Email me at vcollier@lawyerswithpurpose.com if you’re at all interested – I'll have your back – but do so quickly!

Victoria L. Collier, Co-Founder, Lawyers with Purpose, LLC, www.LawyersWithPurpose.com; Certified Elder Law Attorney through the National Elder Law Foundation; Fellow of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys; Founder and Managing Attorney of The Elder & Disability Law Firm of Victoria L. Collier, PC, www.ElderLawGeorgia.com; Co-Founder of Veterans Advocates Group of America; Entrepreneur; Author; and nationally renowned Presenter.

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Looking forward to Phoenix for so many reasons …

August 17, 2015

by Lawyers With Purpose with No Comment Estate Planning Drafting Software Systems & Processes Team Building

As the Education Director for LWP™, it has been my privilege to take part in the development of the TAPER programs and to work with the amazing staff that makes these events unique. We’ve all been to the (yawn) lawyer conferences that should be advertised as a cure for insomnia. Our goal at LWP was to create a unique experience that advances the members to the next level by providing the tools to create a dream future, gain energy, engage the team and get focused. It only takes a moment to feel the energy in the room and know that you are not at an ordinary legal training event!

As an LWP trainer, the Tri-Annual Practice Enhancement Retreats (TAPERs) offer the opportunity to “pay it forward” and pass along some of the lessons that experience has taught. I’m particularly excited to be presenting a focus session on adding an Associate Attorney to your LWP firm.

As an LWP Mentor Coach, there is incredible satisfaction in watching from the sidelines as teams break through the barriers and find the road to success. The TAPERs are an opportunity to touch base with those teams, put names with faces, and really see the energy develop around their own futures.

As a member of LWP, the Practice Enhancement Retreats have always been a highlight, something that goes on our annual calendar the moment we learn the dates. We look forward to them as a team because we are anxious to shift focus and work ON the practice rather than IN the practice. The retreats are aptly named “retreats” because they are truly a time to get away from our day-to-day world, reflect on where we’ve been AND set the course for the future (whether that means the next weeks, months or years).

There is no denying the energy burst that comes from attending an LWP Retreat, and that is why LWP is doing them more often. If we could get an energy burst once a year, imagine how powerful three of those bursts per year would be! Triple the impact! For the last two years, I have shut down my law firm not once, but three times each year – and I really mean “shut down,” since the ENTIRE TEAM attends every retreat. That is the value of these events – every single member of the team gets a customized experience with the opportunity to focus on both professional and personal growth. What a difference! The team has taken ownership of the firm, and ownership of its own growth and development.

As a business owner, the thought of shutting down the business for any reason is scary. We ask: “What about the lost revenue?” “What about the expense of flying everyone around the country and putting them in hotel rooms?” “What about feeding them?” “Dollars seem to be flying out the window!” All of that is real. It IS expensive to attend three retreats every year, until you realize that this is NOT an expense – it is an investment. It is an investment in the future of the business made without hesitation because the ROI is exponential. The payoff is a team committed to the firm’s future, a team working together for common goals, a team dedicated to personal and professional growth, a team poised to push each other toward personal goals, a team that understands the power of teamwork!

And it shows in the bottom line. Despite and because of the three weeks per year of shutdown, our revenues have never been higher. That is the power of the LWP Tri-Annual Practice Enhancement Retreat.

Don’t take my word for it; find out for yourself. Join us in Phoenix and feel the power!

Early Bird registration is open! If you're ready to reserve your spot now email Amanda Ross at aross@lawyerswithpurpose.com or just call 877-299-0326 and she's standing by to help get you're seat reserved!

Susan Hunter

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Considering a Vacation? Consider This!

July 14, 2015

by Lawyers With Purpose with No Comment Coaching & Implementation Estate Planning Drafting Software Systems & Processes

No one is more excited about going on vacation than you. Yet no one has more angst about taking time away from the office than you. With proper planning, you can eliminate the stomach ulcers and last-minute marathon sprints to get everything done before you leave. Isn’t that what we tell our clients? “With proper planning….”

This year has been the year of vacations for me. In February, my family took its first winter break to go skiing. My children are five years old and I figured it was the best age to introduce them to the sport. In April, we went to Arizona to enjoy the desert. Then, in June, we went to the beach for a week. That made three one-week vacations within six months. Last January, I was paralyzed at the thought of being gone so much. How would the office make money in my absence? How would the work get done?

Knowing this was coming, I made three necessary changes to the structure of my office.

In December, I hired a full-time marketing associate. With the financial goals the team set, it was imperative that the firm extend its efforts to get our name out there and have a greater presence in the community.
To help manage the increased workflow, whether I was in the office or on vacation, in December I also added an “of counsel” attorney who works in the office two days a week, meeting new clients and participating in all document signing appointments. That allows my office to accept more appointments and gives me an entire day to work on client files, since I am no longer doing the signings. More importantly, when I am out of town, we are still making money because the attorney is meeting new clients while I am gone.
In March, I promoted my government assistant paralegal to “manager” and hired another full-time paralegal. The manager now supervises two government assistance paralegals, is the first-line review authority for all of their work, and prepares the first draft of any VA or Medicaid appeals. This automatically shifted my role into reviewing, not doing, and dramatically reduced my time working on files.

To accommodate the workflow, I hired additional team members. Yes, overhead expenses have definitely increased. However, I never add a staff person unless the addition either makes the firm more money or creates more free time for me, or both. When it does that, it is an investment, not an expense.

What do you want more of – time or money? What kind of changes to your structure are you willing to make to achieve what you want?

To maximize productivity, we all need to take a vacation to rejuvenate. Don’t skip it, just plan for it. If you want to learn more about how Lawyers With Purpose can help you grown your practice and your revenue, join our Having The Time To Have It All webinar on Thursday, July 23rd at 2 EST. Register now and reserve your spot today!

Victoria L. Collier, Veteran of the United States Air Force, 1989-1995 and United States Army Reserves, 2001-2004. Victoria is a Certified Elder Law Attorney through the National Elder Law Foundation, Author of 47 Secret Veterans Benefits for Seniors, Author of Paying for Long Term Care: Financial Help for Wartime Veterans: The VA Aid & Attendance Benefit, Founder of The Elder & Disability Law Firm of Victoria L. Collier, PC, Co-Founder of Lawyers With Purpose, Co-Founder of Veterans Advocate Group of America.

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3 Time Concepts To Break Through Your Time Constraints

July 13, 2015

by David Zumpano with No Comment Coaching & Implementation Estate Planning Drafting Software Systems & Processes Team Building

Many lawyers I coach complain they don't have enough time to get everything done. Interestingly, I remind them the most successful people in the world have the same amount of time in a day as they do. How do they do it? I've been practicing law for 20 years and the last 17 as a solo practitioner. I've grown my practice from me and a secretary to a firm with over 20 employees, including five lawyers. I can honestly say that's not for everybody. I never expected it; it’s where I ended up. I will share the time-saving strategies I utilized to grow my practice. Join me in a one-hour webinar:

Thursday, July 23^rd at 2:00 EST for our “Having the Time to Have it All – Three Time Strategies to Have a Practice with Purpose and Profit”

======== > REGISTER NOW HERE

You don't have to have a large practice to succeed, but you do need to get control of your time so you have enough of it to satisfy all the needs of your practice and your personal life. Most lawyers I work with are being pulled in so many directions based on different marketing schemes of the individual organizations that recruit them. Many attorneys belong to multiple organizations, including one for estate planning, one for Medicaid, one for VA, one for special needs planning, one for asset protection, and yet another for tax planning. And then wonder why they don’t have time to keep up with it all. Don't get me wrong, each organization has value, but the challenge I've always found is there is always a lack of time to get it done.

Should you attend? If you are struggling with a work-life balance, struggling with how to run a law "business," or feel you do not have enough time in your day to get all the work done, then this webinar will be a great use of your time. Click here to register for this special webinar.

In one hour, I will share with you the three key time strategies to have the time necessary to provide estate planning, elder law, asset protection, Medicaid, VA Benefits, special needs and tax planning all in the same time you have now. I look forward to sharing with you.

======== > REGISTER NOW HERE

Hope you don’t miss,

David J. Zumpano, CPA, Esq., Practicing Attorney, just like you & Founder of Estate Planning Law Center & Lawyers with Purpose LLC

P.S. For the first time ever, I will be showing non-members the exact technology platforms and systems that I use to manage and streamline my practice. Implementing what I’m going to teach you will not only save you a tremendous amount of time, but will finally help you lay a strong practice management foundation to take your business to the next level. Plus, YOUR STAFF WILL LOVE IT. Have them join you on the line!

======== > REGISTER NOW HERE

Do You Have The “Time” To Be An Entrepreneurial Lawyer?

July 8, 2015

by David Zumpano with No Comment Estate Planning Drafting Software Legal Marketing

A great question. Many lawyers fail to see themselves as entrepreneurs. The truth is, solo and small practitioners are entrepreneurs, but most are not operating like one. So how should entrepreneurial lawyers think? As a successful entrepreneurial lawyer, I have learned the Key Essential element to thrive is managing our time.

When you think of the most successful people: the United States, they get it all done in the same time we have; but they are using their time differently. Most attorneys I have worked with over the last 15 years struggle with having enough time to get it all done.

That's why on Thursday, July 23^rd at 2:00 EST, I will share real time effective strategies that have lead to my success. It's called, “Having the Time to Have it All – Three Time Strategies to Get a Practice with Purpose and Profit”.

In this one-hour webinar I will share the time strategies I utilize in my practice that grew it twenty-fold over the last seventeen years. I will also help eliminate misconceptions of time that hold you back from having the practice you're capable of having and keeps you working late night after night, day after day.

And, *for the first time ever,* I will be revealing to non-members the exact platforms and technology systems I personally use to manage my law firm, free up my time, and serve clients in a more efficient and streamlined way.

Without a doubt, what you’ll learn on July 23^rd is the “secret sauce” of my practice success. With a few clicks of a button each morning, I can see what everyone in the office is working on, what’s outstanding, and what matters to handle in what order to meet my projected revenue goals for the month. No more micromanaging and no more chasing my own tail each day.

JOIN US on the line and let me show you what tools I’m using and how I’m making them work in my firm.

Should you attend? If you are struggling with work-life balance, struggling with how to run a law "business," or feel you do not have enough time in your day to get all the work done, then this webinar will be a great use of your time. If you are struggling with how to hire the best people and have inconsistent marketing and cash flow, this webinar is for you! What is the opportunity? Simply stated, the opportunity is for those attorneys who want to provide estate planning, asset protection, Medicaid, veteran's benefits, special needs, and tax planning to clients who need these services to protect what they've worked a lifetime to earn and to preserve the dignity they deserve.

What's required to implement the information will share? To become an entrepreneurial attorney you must have a strong work ethic, really enjoy what you do and be passionate about helping people. You must also be a lifetime learner and really value relationships. That’s it! These are the essential elements that you’ll need to have on your calendar. I will show you how you can and still get your work done.

Click HERE to register for this time saving webinar. Even if you only utilize ONE of the three time breakthrough strategies, it will move you forward toward your quest to have the time to have it all. I look forward to sharing.

See you there,

David J. Zumpano, CPA, Esq., Practicing Attorney, just like you &, Founder of Estate Planning Law Center, & Lawyers with Purpose LLC

Congratulations To Jackie Bedard, LWP Member Of The Month

July 6, 2015

by Lawyers With Purpose with No Comment Estate Planning Drafting Software Systems & Processes

What is the greatest success you've had since joining LWP?

Building a great team that's committed to our goals.

What is your favorite LWP tool?

Moving to the cloud-based Actionstep system last year has made it so much easier to work from home and/or check in on things when I'm traveling. I can even log in during an RMS meeting if I want to check a particular client's status if the advisor asks.

How has being part of LWP impacted your team and your practice?

The LWP tools allow us to operate efficiently and in an organized manner. Our clients and referral sources regularly compliment us on our organization and thoroughness.

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Meet Me In St. Louis?

April 6, 2015

by Lawyers With Purpose with No Comment Coaching & Implementation Systems & Processes Team Building

As a Lawyers with Purpose member law firm, I both dread and look forward to each Tri-Annual Practice Enhancement Retreat. What I dread: the time out of the office and the cost of travel for my entire team of nine. What I look forward to: time out of the office, working “on” my business instead of “in” my business, WITH my team.

Prior to LWP, I personally would attend practice development seminars and get all excited and ready to make a huge difference in my practice, only to return to the office and not have the support of the staff. Now, we go together, get excited together and return to implement the plans together. At each retreat we review our prior quarter’s goals, assess our accomplishments and set new goals. Because of each retreat, our law firm and team are stronger than ever.

As an owner of Lawyers with Purpose, I always look forward to the Tri-Annual Practice Enhancement Retreat. Why? Because I see our members thriving and hear from them that each retreat has been better than the last. I am confident that the retreat in June will exceed expectations!

I am especially excited about the focus sessions that really introduce us to new opportunities of practice (Adding Insurance Services to your Law Practice), ways to dig deep, not wide, to enhance our law firm efficiency and increase revenues (Managing the Business of Law), and the WHY day where my entire team can explore what value they bring to the firm, to our clients and to themselves by defining the core values from which they naturally operate. Quite honestly, there are so many excellent focus sessions it will be difficult to decide which one to attend.

You will see what I mean when you review this exciting schedule. Gather your team and join us in St. Louis! You will be glad you did and your business will prosper.

To reserve your spot now, click here and register today! You can still qualify for our Early Bird Prize Drawing if you register before April 15th! You don't want to miss this event, register and grab your seat now.

Victoria L. Collier, Veteran of the United States Air Force, 1989-1995 and United States Army Reserves, 2001-2004. Victoria is a Certified Elder Law Attorney through the National Elder Law Foundation, Author of 47 Secret Veterans Benefits for Seniors, Author of Paying for Long Term Care: Financial Help for Wartime Veterans: The VA Aid & Attendance Benefit, Founder of The Elder & Disability Law Firm of Victoria L. Collier, PC, Co-Founder of Lawyers for Wartime Veterans, Co-Founder of Veterans Advocate Group of America.

Does Lack Of Time Inhibit You From Helping More People?

February 23, 2015

by David Zumpano with No Comment Coaching & Implementation Systems & Processes

Many successful lawyers I have worked with over the last 15 years have a common theme: they are passionate about what they do. That doesn't mean they always do it efficiently or effectively, but they never give up and are absolutely determined to help people. The biggest challenges for most, however is having enough time in their day. Time to get the work done, time to market, time for their family, time to manage their team time to do what they enjoy most, etc., etc., etc.

That's why I invite you to a one hour interactive webinar on Thursday March 12^th at 4PM EST and then again at 7 PM EST entitled “Having the Time to Have it All – Three Time Strategies to Have a Practice with Purpose and Profit”. I will show you three tried and tested time strategies to get a practice that allows you to help more people and be profitable at it.

In this one hour webinar, you will learn how all entrepreneurs (including billionaires) have the same amount of time in the day as you and I, and how they use it differently.

How to effectively utilize your time to enroll your team to help as many people as you choose and profit from it too,

To work effectively with your team,

How to balance your work life and your personal life to ensure you are able to create the maximum amount of value in both,

How to have sufficient time to market consistently which will ensure consistent cash flow and free up the time you're currently spending chasing dollars.

I have been able to create a law practice that serves thousands of clients who thank me everyday and refer their friends. Interestingly, as my practice grew, the time required for me to be in it actually decreased by utilizing these strategies.

It will give you the confidence and path to create a law practice that provides estate planning, elder law, asset protection, Medicaid, veteran's benefits, special needs, and tax planning in a way that helps your clients and your community!

Most importantly, you will be able to ensure your clients are able to maintain their dignity as they age and protect the assets they have worked their whole life for.

If you have a great work ethic, you're passionate about helping people, you're approachable and treasure good relationships, CLICK HERE NOW TO REGISTER for this one hour webinar to gain the time to help more people. These time concepts will be essential to help you break through your time restrictions to help more people and create more value! I look forward to you joining me.

If you're a Lawyers With Purpose member, you already have access to these strategies! Just log into the members site and it's all at your finger tips!

In your corner,

David J. Zumpano, CPA, Esq.

Practicing Attorney, just like you &

Founder of Estate Planning Law Center & Lawyers with Purpose LLC