Books

"Growing Your Law Practice in Tough Times is an easy and valuable read. Ed Poll has a gift for taking his many years of consulting in the law practice management arena and translating his experience into plain English. He addresses topics cleanly with advice you can put into practice the very next day. You can read the book, even with copious note taking, in an afternoon and then prioritize your action items.

Along the way, Ed livens things up with some great quotes and personal anecdotes. The organization of the book is linear - Ed recommends that you develop goals, rethink your practice, create strategies, evaluate your target market, learn business development techniques, etc. He talks about technology, office space, staff, fee arrangements, time and billing (and course about collecting the monies you are owed).

This is not a scholarly treatise and you will not find yourself nodding off. Taking his own advice (for lawyers who want to be authors), he keeps things light and easy to digest. It is hard to imagine any lawyer who would not benefit from reading this book. This lawyer is certainly very glad she did. Although it did add to my to-do list . . . thanks Ed for a great legal resource!"

– Sharon Nelson, President, Sensei Enterprises, Fairfax VA USA

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"Growing Your Law Practice in Tough Times is Insightful, focused and addresses the challenges facing law firms in the current economic climate. This book is a must for law firms of all sizes. As firms struggle to stay alive, you might ask who has time to sit down and analyze a firm's goals and develop a strategy. Ed Poll makes that important task easier by asking the right questions and offering the right guidance that will lead you to the right answers for your firm.

Growing Your Law Practice in Tough Times helps focus on a plan for those challenges and concerns we face almost daily, but don't necessarily have the time to prioritize and strategize. Help your firm focus on these and other important goals and measures:

• What kind of practice do you want to be?
• Strategy: "whys" and "hows" of the planning process.
• Business Development techniques.
• Technology overhead.
• Staffing, pricing, collecting, and cash flow-- the measure of the health of your practice.

Ed closes with these wise words: "Good luck is the intersection of preparedness and opportunity." The book provides a step-by-step guide to refining the preparation and groundwork a firm should consider when developing its strategic plan. These steps pave the way for a firm to find and seize the opportunities that can lead to a successful practice."

– Lexis Hub Staff

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"No matter how you slice it, there is no substitute for wisdom and experience. . . .Ed Poll has demonstrated both in this eye-opening book about the essential elements of running a profitable law practice. . . .He provides practical wisdom along with simple ways to adopt and incorporate best practices for each. After explaining the pros and cons of every decision, he makes recommendations and provides useful guides disguised as key principles.... Buy the book so you too can access Ed's wisdom and experience. It's worth much more than the investment."

– Stewart L. Levine. Esq.
Founder, Resolutionworks
Author, Getting To Resolution;
The Book of Agreement and Collaboration 2.0

Chapter Listing:

1. Rethinking The Firm's Goals: What Kind of Practice Do You Want To Be?
2. Creating a Strategy For The Firm: Whys And Hows of The Planning Process
3. Learning About Your Target Market And Its Needs
4. Business Development Techniques
5. Office Space Options
6. Technology Overhead Issues
7. Staffing The Work: The Client Service Support Team
8. Pricing Your Services
9. It's Money Time: Billing And Collecting Your Fees
10. Cash Flow: The Barometer of Your Practice's Health
11. Conclusion