{"id":129,"date":"2017-11-02T21:10:17","date_gmt":"2017-11-02T21:10:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rm73v2idht.onrocket.site\/?p=129"},"modified":"2022-11-22T18:49:30","modified_gmt":"2022-11-22T18:49:30","slug":"smart-risk-management-for-law-firms-be-prepared-not-just-for-boy-scouts-anymore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/?p=129","title":{"rendered":"Smart Risk Management for Law Firms: Be Prepared \u2013 not just for boy scouts anymore"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Businessman-using-mobile-phone-outside-courthouse.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-130 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Businessman-using-mobile-phone-outside-courthouse-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Businessman using mobile phone outside courthouse\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Businessman-using-mobile-phone-outside-courthouse-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Businessman-using-mobile-phone-outside-courthouse-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Businessman-using-mobile-phone-outside-courthouse-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Businessman-using-mobile-phone-outside-courthouse-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Businessman-using-mobile-phone-outside-courthouse.jpg 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>I don\u2019t know any attorneys that want to get sued by their client.\u00a0 However, not all law firms are taking the proper steps to prevent this situation from happening.\u00a0 In order to protect both your firm AND your client, you should employ multiple risk management techniques.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is risk management?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Risk management is a set of policies and procedures that a law firm should have in place to reduce or eliminate risk issues. \u00a0Not only will you be protecting yourself and your clients, but you should receive a credit from your lawyers professional liability insurance carrier for employing these techniques.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How should risk management be taught?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Frequently, firms hold seminars for their employees to review office procedures and information specific to the firm.\u00a0 Outside training can also be implemented in the form of webinars or guest speakers.<\/p>\n<p>Your staff may interact with your clients as much or more than you do.\u00a0 Don\u2019t forget to train everyone!\u00a0 According to the latest Verizon security report, 51% of data breaches are caused by the people within a company.\u00a0 Make sure that they are familiar with your policies and procedures that you have in place.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Business-team-in-the-offic.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-132 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Business-team-in-the-offic-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Business team in the office\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Business-team-in-the-offic-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Business-team-in-the-offic-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Business-team-in-the-offic-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Business-team-in-the-offic.jpg 957w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Important risk management policies for law firms #1 \u2013 Take the right cases<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A common cause of malpractice is taking a case that your law firm is not qualified for or does not have the resources to handle.\u00a0 You have to look past the dollar signs of a case and ask yourself, \u201cIs this the best case for me and the firm?\u201d\u00a0 Create a policy that helps you walk through the details of a case to ensure that you are well-versed in the area of law it concerns as well as having the resources that it may require.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Important risk management policies for law firms #2 \u2013Dealing with Departing Attorneys<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-135 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Redundant-Businesswoman-Leaving-Office-With-Box-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Redundant Businesswoman Leaving Office With Box\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Redundant-Businesswoman-Leaving-Office-With-Box-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Redundant-Businesswoman-Leaving-Office-With-Box-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Redundant-Businesswoman-Leaving-Office-With-Box-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Redundant-Businesswoman-Leaving-Office-With-Box.jpg 851w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If an attorney is departing your firm, make sure that an exit interview is conducted and that the proper steps are taken to remove them from your firm.\u00a0 Make sure that you are aware of all cases that he\/she was working on and any open issues.\u00a0 Create a policy that outlines the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What are the important questions to ask in the exit interview for my firm?<\/li>\n<li>Who should be assigned any work that is not completed?<\/li>\n<li>What materials can the departing attorney take if they are allowed to take clients with them?<\/li>\n<li>How can they be removed from your letterhead?<\/li>\n<li>How can their access to your computer system be eliminated?<\/li>\n<li>How does your firm contact your professional liability insurance carrier to let them know the date of attorney departure?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Important risk management policies for law firms #3 \u2013 Hiring a New Attorney<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When you hire a new attorney, make sure that they go through your complete hiring process.\u00a0 Make sure that they are everything that they claim to be.\u00a0 Create a policy that outlines the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ensure the new attorney is proficient in your firm\u2019s areas of practice.<\/li>\n<li>Why are they leaving their current firm? Was there a performance issue, were they a product of downsizing or are they looking for more opportunity?<\/li>\n<li>Complete a conflict of interest check with the new attorney and all of the firm\u2019s existing clients. The last thing that you want to do is to bring on a new lawyer and find out a few months later that they have a conflict with one of your biggest clients!<\/li>\n<li>Make sure that they are comfortable with your firm\u2019s risk management procedures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Important risk management policies for law firms #4 \u2013 Dealing with Unhappy Clients<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Clients are the lifeblood of any business.\u00a0 An unhappy client can lead to bad reviews online, refuse to pay their bill, sue you for malpractice and many other things that can negatively impact your business.<\/p>\n<p>One telltale sign that a client is unhappy is if they ask for a complete copy of their file after services have been rendered.\u00a0 Another is if they tell you that they are unhappy with you or with the result of their case.<\/p>\n<p>If you notice signs that your client seems to be dissatisfied, sit down and have a conversation with them to try to resolve the issue.\u00a0 Sometimes, it is just a matter of explaining a legal process that they may not be familiar with.\u00a0 Once they know why you chose to handle a situation in a certain way, it tends to alleviate their fears.<\/p>\n<p>A common source of client dissatisfaction is lack of communication from the attorney to the client.\u00a0 This can be solved by the attorney and the client setting up a communication timetable and sticking with it.\u00a0 If you, as the attorney cannot meet the timetable during the representation, have your assistant or paralegal contact the client with an update.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Confused-businessman-with-a-calculator.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-133\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Confused-businessman-with-a-calculator-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Confused businessman with a calculator\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Confused-businessman-with-a-calculator-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Confused-businessman-with-a-calculator-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Confused-businessman-with-a-calculator-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Confused-businessman-with-a-calculator.jpg 957w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>Another source of client unhappiness may stem from billing issues.\u00a0 You are much better off to bill frequently instead of sending one large bill at the end of a case.\u00a0 Smaller bills with detail help explain to the client what you did and act as an update to the case.\u00a0 If you wait and send one \u201cfinal bill\u201d a client may forget how much work you performed and feel the bill is unreasonable.\u00a0 Additionally, sending incremental invoices will help you get paid quicker.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Important risk management policies for law firms #5 \u2013 Docket Systems are CRITICAL<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/agenda.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-134 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/agenda-300x220.jpg\" alt=\"Agenda\" width=\"300\" height=\"220\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/agenda-300x220.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/agenda-768x563.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/agenda-409x300.jpg 409w, https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/agenda.jpg 874w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>If you look at claims that arise against lawyers, one of the most common alleged mistakes is a blown statute.\u00a0 This is a result from your calendaring system not being used on a regular basis or not being used correctly.\u00a0 Generally, LPL insurance carriers require that a firm have at least two docket systems with one of them being computerized.\u00a0 Back up of this system should be on a daily basis.\u00a0 Create a policy for your firm that details what type of docket systems your firm will use, how often they should be updated, how often they should be backed up, and who in the firm is responsible for maintaining the systems.<\/p>\n<p>For more information on risk management or help creating\/implementing these policies and procedures in your law firm, contact Donald Ivol at INtegrity First Corporation today!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I don\u2019t know any attorneys that want to get sued by their client.\u00a0 However, not all law firms are taking the proper steps to prevent this situation from happening.\u00a0 In order to protect both your firm AND your client, you &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/?p=129\">Continue reading <span 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