Paperless Law Firms, Is It Possible? The Go Green Advocacy and LPO

Mother Earth is in danger of ruin and a strong campaign to save it from destruction has reached all four corners of the world. Every industry is trying its best to keep up with the global demands of concerned environmentalists and the Legal Industry is one with their endeavor of keeping the earth a suitable place for our children.

Law Practice Optimization or Legal Practice Optimization (LPO) as others refer to it is one of the responses of the legal industry to the heightened demands of the world to reduce the use of paper in offices. In the United States alone, approximately 100,000 sheets of paper every year is utilized by a single lawyer for research and documentation. This is equivalent to 12 forty foot trees cut in a year, or enough paper that could wrap the entire US Supreme Court Building sixty six times over. If this can be reduced then a lot of trees can be spared. If all law offices can go paperless and adopt LPO systems then the dream for a cleaner and better world for our children can very much become a reality.

The task of going paperless is quite unrealistic for now since it is inevitable for lawyers to submit case files, petitions, responses, pleas, memorandum, letters and billing statements to their clients, other attorneys, as well as to the Court. However, the challenge to reduce the use of paper in the work place is not an illusion but a reality. It has been practiced by a few law firms and helping save the earth is just one of the benefits they are reaping from LPO systems.

One of the common problems of law firms is efficient legal office management. Although paralegals are hired to assist lawyers with their daily tasks, it is still a common site in traditional law offices to see piles of folders and scattered papers on the floor and paralegals that are going round in circles in search for a particular folder case. At times, the task of finding a specific case required at a specific time becomes so frustrating it even leads to unnecessary conflicts and heated arguments amongst legal personnel which is a very unhealthy practice in the workplace.

Legal Practice Optimization provides an end to all of these office hassles. It is the best legal assistant any lawyer can dream of and is a solution offered by software developers to legal industries so they can work more efficiently inside their offices. It introduces modern technology to traditional offices and assists them in getting rid of unwanted clutters and useless paper files that only gets in the way of efficient productivity. Instead of the traditional paper and file system which is traditionally used in legal offices; it offers paralegals and lawyers a file and click system which will allow them to view the necessary information they need within seconds.

Law Practice Optimization compliant legal case management software allows its users to achieve desire results fast and efficiently with just a few clicks of a mouse. If you need to generate a letter then there are hundreds of letter templates stored in the system which will make letter writing a very easy task to accomplish. If you need to check the billing statements of a particular client then a simple click on the client's profile will reveal the remaining bills he needs to settle. Anything that you will need to accomplish your goal for the day will be provided to you fast and conveniently. Thus no more wasted time and effort just to go on and search for missing files and records.

Another positive benefit of Law Practice Optimization in the work place is the ability to receive your daily mails, reminders, and even court notifications electronically. It gives an assurance to lawyers that they will never miss an important appointment, court proceeding, petitions and responses because they will receive notifications wherever they will be. Even if you are not inside the office you can still easily monitor the work progress of your legal personnel.

In addition to these benefits, LPO provides smooth client-lawyer relationship since lawyers can now quickly and efficiently respond to the queries of their clients through electronic correspondences. Law Practice Optimization can see to it that important mails will easily be noticed by the lawyer and conveniently addressed through a simple user interface embedded in the designed software.

Law Practice Optimization may be relatively new for some but it is the most effective tool any lawyer can dream of. It will free you from additional pressure brought by forgotten deadlines and appointments. It will free you from stress brought by paper clutters inside the office. It will free you from concerns because of undelivered bill statements to clients. It will make your office work more convenient while providing you better online exposure and marketing that will guarantee increased revenue in the future.

Law Firm Internet Marketing - The Holy Grail

In the early centuries, the crusaders sought after one treasure. Finding the Lord's cup would be the secret to their success. With attorneys, there is one true treasure that will build your business, and that treasure is more clients. If you seek new clients, you should try law firm internet marketing - the Holy Grail.

There is a myth among many law firms that referrals are all that are needed to build the business.

The story can be told in various ways but the gist is always the same.

I have had my practice since before you started school. All that I need in new business comes from referrals from satisfied clients. Those referrals are free advertising.

Everyone agrees that referrals are a good source for new clients, but they should not be the only advertising that you do. Certainly, referrals should not be an excuse to exclude other strategies for growing a practice.

Referrals are not free advertising. While many attorneys think that a referral is incidental to his practice, this is not always true. The false thinking goes along the following lines: If I represent the client, when his friends or family will be referred to me in the future when they need an attorney.

Alternately, the thinking goes along this line: My other lawyer friends know about my competency or like me so they will refer clients to me. This is not an effective referral network.

Referrals come through building relationships. As with all relationships, this one takes nurturing. There is a cost to nurture a relationship. The cost may be money or it may be time, but to get the best referrals, an attorney must make the investment.

By depending only on referrals, your do not target your best clients. Face it; the people you represent are not attorneys. Without a thorough knowledge of law, they do not know about all your specialties. In addition, your other attorney friends, may only have a general idea of your fields, so they also cannot as effectively target the correct clients for you. In addition, if they are in a closely related law field, they are already taking the best clients for their own firm.

Lastly, there is only a low volume of clients that will be generated through referrals. Even the most extensive network cannot compare to the effect of a good marketing campaign.

Today, some of the most effective marketing in all fields, including law is being done online. By finding an internet-marketing guru, your firm can increase your flow of new clients almost immediately. This will result in a higher profit margin for both you and your partners.

Referrals cannot be the only place your firm looks for new clients. If internet marketing of your firm is not acceptable to you, then you need to find another effective source or finding new clients. Marketing will still cost money or time. However, the fee that you pay a marketer will have a high rate of return. It will most assuredly be higher than your referral network.

To market effectively, you need to know what strategy works in your market. Keep track of both the investment as well as the rate of return. For each new client that contacts your office, ask the question, "How did you hear about us?"

The Ultimate Guide to Surgeries

Variety Of Methods To Control Birth In different countries, various methods in controlling the growth of the population have been used due to its increase in the recent years that was recorded. Because there a lot of different kinds of methods available to control birth, a family can choose which specific type to use based on what their preference is. Controlling Hormones In birth control, the hormonal method is one of the methods used that is available and offered that alters the hormones regulated in the body and the fertility it leads for a woman. Commonly available and used hormonal methods are the pills, patches, injections of medicines and the use of a ring inserted into the vagina of a woman. Preventing the eggs to be produced is how this method works making it reliable and efficient to use. Every month during menstruation, the pain felt caused the muscle spasms and cramps as well as the heavy flow can be relieved when using this method by which this is actually an additional feature.
The Best Advice on Surgeries I've found
A particular method wherein a specific device is inserted into the vagina contain this specific hormone known as Mirena. Intrauterine devices are quite pricey but they can definitely last for a longer period of time reaching to about five years. Despite the high costs to pay, there are greater chances that you will get the effect you want since the chances reach to about ninety nine percent. The cost to pay for this device is actually cheaper since you will be using this kind of method for already five to ten years as compared to the others that it will cost a lot when the expenses are totaled. For whatever acts of play or sexual activity is engaged by both partners, they will certainly enjoy it since these Intrauterine devices will not be a hindrance to that activity by which this is a great feature. These intrauterine devices, based on studies, can be utilized while the mother is breastfeeding her child.
Where To Start with Complications and More
Aside from the high cost of these hormonal methods and the possibility of Mirena complications, another disadvantage of this is that the tablets should taken at the same time of the day every day. When you happen to miss a pill, this will immediately mean that the method was ineffective. Diseases that are transmitted sexually will not be prevented from passing to the woman unlike those other methods used that has a certain form of barrier when using this particular method. The other risk that this can give is that there may be some form of drug to drug interaction if taken with any other drugs. Because of this, couples should visit first licensed professional specializing in gynecology to know what drugs may bring such effect to the method. Presence of Barrier As A Method The use of this next method that serves as a barrier is known to have less effectiveness as compared to the method that hormones are controlled, wherein the possibility of Mirena complications will occur, is the most popularly used method by the younger generation. This particular method of controlling birth has devices that are under it which include condoms that are used by the males and diaphragms, cervical caps and sponges used by the females.

Debt Settlement Attorney As Part of a Law Firm

One thing you must understand is how a debt settlement attorney and his law firm will help you. The first thing to be aware of is that the purpose of they attorneys is to help you get out of debt as quickly as possible. The attorney's goal is to reduce your debt as much as possible as well as to reduce the interest rate so that you are able to climb out of your hole.

The unfortunate thing about this process is that you need to let your debt default in order for the creditors to be willing to negotiate with your attorney. The creditors want you to continue to pay only the minimum payment so that you pay all the interest, and that's where they make a ton of money. This is where the length of your debt just seems to add up to 30 years or more. So your attorney needs you to actually stop paying so that he is free to make an agreement with the lender and reduce your debt amount and interest rate.

Please be aware that this will hurt your credit score, but in the end it's worth it because you're going to be debt free. It may not make a difference anyways if your credit score has already been compromised. Your credit score will recover after a while, and it will recover even faster once you're out of debt, which is the ultimate goal. So don't be afraid to start this process now simply because your credit score may drop a bit.

When you stop your payments and your attorney is in the process of working out an agreement, your goal is to save up as much money as possible. This is going to help tremendously when an agreement has been reached and you're able to pay off a large portion of your debt right away. You will also be able to have some money to live off of.

The nasty collection calls will also stop once you hire a debt settlement attorney. If the calls don't stop, your attorney likely has the legal right to make them stop. Once you do stop your monthly payments and default on your bills, your creditors do have the right to take you to court, and your attorney will be able to help if that happens. It's very unlikely that they will because it is very costly and there's no guarantee that they'll get their money, even if they win. It's still nice to know that someone has your back.

Hopefully now you have a better understanding of what a debt settlement attorney can do for you, and I wish you best of luck as you try to become debt free!

Background Checks

Every time a big bust takes place by the police, the neighbors always appear on the news, claiming that they had no idea their neighbor, their buddy, could have done such a thing. Recently, when three young women from Ohio were found in a nearby house after having been abducted ten years before, the neighbor who helped rescue them was quoted as saying that he had known the perpetrator for years and had barbecues with him and had no idea he was capable of such a terrible act. Hindsight is 20/20, as they say, but obtaining the criminal records of a person before entrusting them with your valuables, children, or pet care to certain people is a good idea.

Naturally, you won't want to seek criminal records on a person on a whim; you won't use them to spy on your neighbors or harass people. But you will want to check out anyone who can affect your family or your job who you think might be suspicious. It's always a good idea to check the background of a prospective nanny or day care center, and you may also want to check out any online significant others before sending them any money.

A simpler form of finding free criminal records where you need them is in the case of registered sex offenders. By checking the sex offender list in your town, you can see who lives in your neighborhood who has been convicted of a sex crime, what that crime was, and how long ago that was. This way you can avoid allowing your kids over for trick-or-treating and teach them not to go in that person's house, assuming the charge was appropriate for that kind of action.

You can find free criminal records in a lot of different places on the Web, and often, they're instantaneous. They're not always perfectly accurate, so be wary of where you're going, but criminal histories are a matter of public record and it is your right to access them when you need to, and often you can get them for free. When your safety is on the line, it's worth checking out.

Law Firm Billing Software

Are you a law firm looking to maximize your returns on the hours you spend on every client? Are you tired of keeping tabs on how many hours you spend on researching, preparing and arguing a case? Well don't be. With law firm billing software you can now not just keep a tab of the time spent on a case, but also bill the client for that easily. No complications and no manual calculations!

Irrespective of the size of your law firm, you can now use law firm billing software and enjoy some robust features during the client billing process. Always considered critical processes, time and billing are some of the two most important activities in a company. Tracking time as well as expenses and managing them properly is not just a critical issue, but it reflects on your law firm's professionalism and internal management techniques, not to mention the reputation. When you use billing software made especially keeping in mind the requirements and expectations of law firms, the product is not just functional, but also customizable and flexible.

There are several top-of-the-line law billing software's that are available with automatic timers as well as capability to manually enter time on an hourly as well as project by project basis. Using cutting edge technology, these software's also offer all law and attorney firms an ideal Internet based billing software solution that is easy to use and easy to maintain. In fact, the company will handle all your hardware, software, as well as maintenance related issues offsite with the help of experienced professionals. Of course, in order to use the law firm billing software, you must have access to either online or wi-fi connection.

Why a law firm billing software
Law firm billing software is the perfect solution for lawyers, attorneys and other professionals in the field of law. There are several top-end legal time billing software solutions and they are being consistently used by several legal professionals. Here's a look at some of the salient features of a law firm billing software:

1. Voice codes for entering data as well as regularly used descriptions
2. More than one timer so that you can manage more than one client/process
3. Especial feature of conflict management that allows you to search for a related field
4. Ability to manage 3rd party accounts with ease and efficiency
5. The activities in the software are coded based on UTMBS or Uniform Task-Based Management System
6. Used Legal Electronic Data Exchange Standard for LEDES 98 for creating invoices

Other Attractive Features
1. Get more value for your time as you track time more accurately
2. Generate a quicker cash flow as you can bill your clients more quickly
3. Reduce the number of bill disputes you may have had with your clients
4. You can leverage the software to show off you professionalism as well as your financial muscles
5. Accept credit card payments and get paid faster than ever
6. Keep track of the time spent even offline
7. Since it's easy to use, anyone can use it easily
8. And lastly, the software is secure and uses 128bit SSL encryption to safe guard all information

Law Firms Go Fishing

"Give a man to fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime." -- Lao TZU

BTI Consulting Group, a leader in legal industry research, recently released the results of a study that showed that despite deep budget cuts at large law firms, "business development is one of the few marketing areas where law firm executives are more willing to increase spending." Of the firms interviewed, including firms of all sizes, "[n]early 70 percent said they planned to provide more marketing coaching to lawyers." BTI's Benchmarking Law Firm Marketing and Business Development Strategies, 2009. It seems that even in a tough economy these firms are taking the old adage, "teach a man to fish..." very seriously.

But teaching your attorneys to fish for new business is not just about making them more capable of taking care of themselves; it's about maximizing the ability of the firm to generate business. No matter how great the few rainmakers at a firm are at generating business for the rest to feed on, the "two rainmaker business plan" will forever limit the growth of a firm by the talents, time, energy and health of those few rainmakers. This is not anything new. Most firms in this situation know it is a problem, but what are they doing about it?

To the rainmakers that built the firm, business development is second nature. Yes it takes time, but it's something so obvious and inherent to them that many just assume others should inherently know how to do it. They assume that the lack of business development is from a lack of motivated rather than know how. The associates are told they need to "network," to go to some association meetings, etc. but they are given very little direction on how to be effective in doing so. (i.e. how to determine the associations they should be joining; what they should do once they join; how they should go about getting noticed, etc.) Perhaps it is less a lack a motivation, and more a lack of knowledge and understanding of how to be effective. It's like Mozart expecting others to just sit down and play the piano because that's what he did. He looked at the piano and just knew how to play. But just because others can't do what Mozart did, does not mean that they can't be taught to play.

While coaching will not make someone the Mozart of rainmaking, it can make them pretty good at it, which can be enough to make a significant contribution to the firm as a whole. Apparently a good percentage of law firms realize this, given the increased dollars they are devoting to business development coaching. Is it a lack of motivation, or do they need to be taught how to fish? Either way, the right kind of coaching can provide the solution.

Choosing a Target Market For Law Firm Marketing

Choosing a target market for your law firm marketing will be determine by two factors and such factors include; The attractiveness of the market and your ability to serve that market as its legal representative. Market attractiveness aspect of lawyer advertising is determined by three main factors which include; size of the market, the cost of serving the market, the growth rate and how sensitive the market can be. Not all markets can be viable enough to be selected when these factors are used as the main criteria. It is therefore necessary for a law firm to make a list of the attractive things visible in all the markets discovered, such features must include their characteristic problems, their sizes as well as their prospects of survival in the wider market. This will help you fashion out how well they can be legally represented and accommodated in your own schedule.

Your ability to serve the market of your choice is another factor to be considered for your lawyer advertising techniques. Not all the segments of the market which you have found will be fit for you to handle, therefore it might become complicated if not problematic if an organization prefer a legal representative in an area which you have moderate or no experience at all. Therefore, you need to check their legal status and their future needs before you make further law firm marketing techniques as per such organization. You can refer an organization that your can't handle to another law firm or attorney.

You need to note that choosing a target audience has its own advantages. It increases a positive law firm marketing result. Focusing your law firm marketing tools towards the satisfaction of a smaller unit of the audience will help you address the common needs of such audience and give you're the strength to pursue such goals. It will also decrease your marketing costs in the sense that with a selected number of people or organization, you will not have to spend much money pursuing them, therefore you will be in charge of your marketing strategies and the number of finances spent on executing such marketing strategies.

With a selective target audience, you will lower your mailing costs and at the same time know where and how you will advertise. It is an excellent way to decide and project your career to the right places.

ADHD Treatment

ADHD treament can take on a range of types and methods. Sometimes, a patient can get by on just a few new breathing techniques or yoga practices. Other times, counseling or group therapy can do the trick. But sometimes, it because necessary for a person to revert to taking a prescription medication of some kind. The impairment associated with ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) warrants treatment. A clinical guideline clearly states that treatment should begin when a teacher, parent or patient at school detects impairment, work, while driving or during other activities.

Most of the treatments are the same in both children and adults. Two classes of drugs, stimulants and non-stimulants, are prescribed for treating ADHD. Stimulants are considered a first-line medication, which has a higher response rate. This is followed by second-line stimulants that have a lower response rate and lower effect size.

A number of scientific studies have demonstrated that the medications currently prescribed for ADHD work very well; however, on an experimental level, CBT or cognitive behavioral therapy is also being considered and will hopefully yield similar results. CBT is considered the therapy of choice for those ADHD patients who cannot tolerate chemical medications or other medications failed to produce results. However, since ADHD is considered a lifelong disorder, research hasn't yet reached a point where it can predict the necessary duration treatment needed to treat a patient.

Since treating an ADHD patient is always tricky for a clinician, the treatment is generally started after gaining a patient's confidence as to why treatment is necessary and what benefits will come from it.

Guerrilla Marketing For Law Firms

What is guerrilla marketing for law firms in particular? Now that you mention it, the term "guerrilla marketing" is used by many people. What does that term mean anyway? The father of this approach is Jay Conrad Levinson who wrote the original book on the subject in 1983. His books have sold in the tens of millions of copies, are now all over the globe in 37 languages and the approach is taught in many MBA programs worldwide. Much like the brand "Xerox" that became a generic name for making copies of something at one time, Jay's brand name became a generic term for inexpensive strategies that get maximum results. There is no reason guerrilla marketing for law firms can't work for you.

What does Jay say this approach is about? "The essence of guerrilla marketing is a blend of common sense, realistic expectations and dedication to a plan. It is hardly a miracle worker, but when done properly, does seem to work miracles for those with patience, aggressiveness and willingness to constantly learn." In one of Jay's many books he says "If you begin to use a low-cost but power-packed arsenal of marketing weapons, you can out market your competition before your competitors outsmart you."

To be successful in guerrilla marketing for law firms you need to create the correct mind set as well as keep you mind open, see yourself as in the "law business" as well as know what strategies/tactics will work for your personality in your practice areas. You also will need to make a plan and work the plan consistently, persistently and be well targeted over time. You can do this since it is much easier than what it took to become an attorney is my thinking and experience. Naturally the key issues are having the "right knowledge" and "implementation" of that right knowledge in guerrilla marketing for law firms.

Marketing knowledge is everywhere of course - articles, books, tapes, CDs, and seminars. The key thing here is the "right knowledge" in guerrilla marketing for law firms. Beyond that and even more important is the "implementation" part once you know the right knowledge. Coaching is all about implementation of the right knowledge, having a plan and working the plan.

Tinnitus- Basic Treatment and Therapy

Tinnitus is a disorder that affects millions of individuals all around the world. Commonly people suffering from tinnitus, also known as ringing ears, find it hard to concentrate and lead a normal life. The reason for this is that in some cases the ringing of the ears is so loud that people suffering from tinnitus often develop some sort of sleeping disturbance, most commonly insomnia.

In some cases tinnitus can be cured naturally without the need of any specific treatment, but for others treatment is the only way of ever curing it. Nowadays there are many effective treatments available that are successful for certain cases, but may not work for others, it all depends on the nature of the tinnitus.

Shown below is a list of some of the more commonly used tinnitus treatments used.

Tinnitus retraining therapy

Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) is a treatment commonly known as, habituation therapy, whereby a patient uses a combination of tinnitus retraining and sound enrichment techniques to reduce the perception of the noises caused by the tinnitus. This method might take some time to master but because there is no official 100 percent effective way of treating tinnitus, many patients are whiling to give this method a try.

Cognitive Therapy

Cognitive therapy is different approach to tinnitus treatment. Basically what's pretended is a change in the way the patients reacts to the tinnitus rather than trying to cure it. The therapy requires that the patient together with the doctor identify the negative impact of tinnitus.

Masking

Masking is a method utilized not to cure tinnitus but rather control its effects. A devise commonly resembling a hearing aid, that is designed to produce low-level sound, is introduced into the ear to eliminate the perception of noise.

Hearing Aids

Some patients with severe tinnitus may in some cases benefit from the use of a hearing aid. By using such a device, the sounds of speech are brought above background tinnitus noise, making it easier for the person to hear other people. Hearing aids could also be used as a means of introducing white noise for blocking chronic tinnitus when sleeping.

Medicines and vitamins

There are some vitamins and a wide range of medicines that can help cure tinnitus. Some of Vitamins include Niacin, Lecithin, Zinc and Magnesium. Medicines that could prove effective include Anti-Depressants, Tranquilizers, and Muscle Relaxants, Alprazolam (Xanax), Klonopin, Anti-Convulsants, Intravenous Lidocaine and Anti-Histamine. Before starting a treatment using any sort of pharmaceutical drugs it is always imperative that a specialized doctor be consulted first.

Biofeedback

Biofeedback is a therapy utilized to teach patients how to relax their muscles and automatic body functions. The main idea is to help people manage stress, which can worsen tinnitus, by changing the way the body responds to it. People using this method have reported that this method if done correctly can drastically decrease tinnitus noise.

Many other forms of treatment are available but because tinnitus can radically vary from person to person only an otolaryngologists can help decide which solution is best suited for each case.