Ideas for running a modern firm
Practical writing on practice management, billing, client experience, hiring, and legal technology.
The Complete Guide to Running a Small Firm on A1 CMS
A guided tour of every part of A1 CMS and how the pieces fit together, from intake and matters to billing, trust, growth, and the client experience.
Getting Your Client Ready for Examinations for Discovery
A step by step routine for the meeting before discovery, built to teach your client to listen, pause, and answer only what is actually being asked.
How to Make Time Tracking a Habit Your Team Actually Keeps
Contemporaneous time capture is a behaviour, not a feature. Here is how to build routines that survive a busy litigation week without nagging your team.
Running a One on One Your Staff Actually Look Forward To
A recurring one on one that belongs to your staff, not your status report, surfaces the real problems long before they turn into a resignation letter.
Asking for Reviews Without Crossing the Line
A plain answer to the questions Canadian lawyers actually ask about soliciting reviews, framed around law society marketing rules and client confidentiality.
How Long Does a Civil Lawsuit Really Take
Clients want one number, and there is no honest single answer. Here is how to break a civil claim into real phases and set expectations you can keep.
The Job Post Is Your First Impression
Most law firm job posts scare off the very people they claim to want. Honesty about the actual work beats a wall of requirements every time.
Preparing a Client for Cross Examination When Nerves Run High
Your client freezes, guesses, or fights back on the stand. Here is how to build composure for cross examination without ever coaching the evidence.
Billing a Contingency File Without Guesswork
A practical way to track time and disbursements on a no-win-no-fee matter so the fee statement is clean, compliant, and defensible when settlement lands.
Negotiating Salary as a Junior Lawyer
Junior lawyers often accept the first number offered. Knowing when and how to negotiate, even at the start of your career, can make a real difference.
The Intake Call That Builds Trust in Ten Minutes
An intake coordinator walks us through the exact phrasing that makes a caller feel understood, long before anyone says a word about the retainer.
Realization Versus Collection, and Why the Gap Costs You
A legal bookkeeper explains why billed is not collected, where firms quietly lose money between the two numbers, and how a small practice closes the gap.
Talking to Clients About Costs Before They Get the Bill
A composite client story about the early honest conversation on costs exposure and cost awards that changes decisions and builds trust before the bill lands.