Books
Ed Poll has written several highly-regarded books and audiotapes on running a profitable law practice. He is the author of:
Growing Your Law Practice in Tough Times
By Edward Poll
(6"x9", aprox 150 pages, soft cover, Published by LawBiz® Management, Co., 2010)
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Following the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and facing a sea change in clients' demands and expectations, law firms must respond and adapt quickly and effectively. Law firms must choose the kind of law practice they will be; the marketing and business development tactics they will use; the overhead that is critical to their functioning; how to price, bill and collect for services; and how to manage the cash flow cycle. Success lies in identifying and capturing the right kinds of clients, providing the services those clients need in ways that add value, and ensuring prompt payment and the ability to grow profits. This book, based on the experiences of the author and his clients over 20 years of coaching and consulting, provides the keys to successfully thriving in the new era.
"No matter how you slice it, there is no substitute for wisdom and experience. . . .Ed Poll has demonstrated both in this eyeopening 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
This is a special, pre-release price. Growing Your Law Practice in Tough Times is at the printer and will ship on release.
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Growing Your Law Practice in Tough Times
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$99.00 regular price $120
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Law Firm Fees & Compensation: Value & Growth Dynamics
By Edward Poll
(5.5"x8.5", aprox 150 pages, soft cover, Published by LawBiz® Management, Co., 2008)
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Every law firm is a business, and every business has three common elements: Get the work; do the work; and get paid. This publication shows you how these issues intersect and guides you through an integrated approach to growing your practice and your profits—while simultaneously adding value to your billings and services. The vital concepts in realizing new value include:
- Engagement agreement essentials for lawyer and client
- Easy-to-understand pricing methods that convey meaning to clients
- Collection strategies that secure prompt payments
- Compensation policies that serve the firm's best interests
"There is a reason Ed Poll has enjoyed longstanding success as a coach and consultant to lawyers--because he is the real deal. His Law Firm Fees & Compensation gives detailed information on how to incorporate value billing concepts in a practical and ethical manner, while giving clients certainty and transparency. And don't let the title fool you—the book works equally well for solos."
-- Carolyn Elefant, Author of Solo by Choice: How to Be the Lawyer You Always Wanted to Be
"Ed Poll's new report is a must-read for all lawyers. It covers everything from alternatives to the billable hour and clients' perceptions of value, to associate compensation, fee-splitting, collections, and trust accounts—all in one easy-to-read volume. This report is right in line with Poll's emphasis on the business aspects of practicing law and is a comprehensive reference that lawyers are sure to return to again and again."
-- Allison C. Shields, Esq., LegalEase Consulting
In his new book, Law Firm Fees & Compensation: Value & Growth Dynamics, Edward Poll is determined to force lawyers to act like the business owners and operators they are. In the most practical terms, this means that "Failure to communicate often means failure to get paid." This book outlines the ways this warning translates into law firm management, both internally and with clients.
-- Michael Brychel, Senior Legal Auditor at Stuart Maue.
Click here to read the full review.
"We hear plenty of talk about the demise of the billable hour, but little substantive discussion about what method ought to replace it. Sure, there's mention of alternatives like flat fee billing, hybrids and "value billing," you don't always find much "there there." Plus, many non-lawyer advocates of value billing fail to account for our professional obligation to ensure that our fees are reasonable. That's one reason why I've always been a fan of Ed Poll - he's actually familiar with the code of professional responsibility and when he gives advice on fees, you can be confident that it will pass muster. He's also big on substance, and his recent book (which I previewed), Law Firm Fees and Compensation, offers a detailed discussion on setting fees using a variety of methodologies. Poll also discusses retainer agreements, trust accounts and collecting fees. In short, he fully discusses the only two questions that matter when it comes to fees: How much should I charge, and how do I get paid? While the book does include some material suitable for larger firms, at least 85 percent of it is relevant to solo and small firm practitioners - and offers information that I've not seen elsewhere in such detail. In short, it's a recommended read."
-- Carolyn Elefant, MyShingle.com
 Click here for the Table of Contents
Click here for the Foreword Written by, Bruce MacEwen, founder of AdamSmithEsq.com
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Law Firm Fees & Compensation: Value & Growth Dynamics: A LawBiz® Management Special Report
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$47.00 each
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Law Firm Fees & Compensation: Value & Growth Dynamics: A LawBiz® Management Special Report (PDF)
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$47.00 each
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Disaster Preparedness & Recovery Planning for Law Firms
By Edward Poll
(5.5"x8.5", aprox 150 pages, soft cover, Published by LawBiz® Management, Co., 2007)
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It isn't a question of if your firm will face a disaster but when it will. How will you and your people respond? Disaster planning is one of the most specialized, most overlooked, and most vital business planning endeavors. The goal is to develop a recovery strategy to get your firm up and running again and thus ensure its survival. This volume gives you the critical steps, including:
- The essentials of a comprehensive recovery plan
- How to create a team to plan the firm's response
- Where legal ethics and disaster planning intersect
- Must-dos to safeguard and support your people
"This publication provides excellent guidance on how to develop plans to prepare for and respond to all types of catastrophes, whether acts of God or of man, and whether local or national in scope. Such planning can be critical to the ability to survive following such events. I highly recommend it for attorneys and law firms as a basic document on how to be prepared to respond to and recover from disasters."
-- Michael Hirsch, Former FEMA Deputy General Counsel
"Although my firm is identified in these pages as a real-world example of a law firm with an effective recovery plan, Ed deserves much of the credit for the plan you'll read about. In my view, Ed is the primary architect for my colleagues' and my firm's disaster recovery plans and he was, is, and remains a driving force behind our plans. For that, we are deeply indebted."
-- Tom Edwards, Executive Director of Munger, Tolles & Olson
Click here for the Table of Contents
 Click here to read a review of this book from the King County Bar Association
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Disaster Preparedness & Recovery Planning for Law Firms: A LawBiz® Management Special Report
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$67.00 each
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Disaster Preparedness & Recovery Planning for Law Firms: A LawBiz® Management Special Report (PDF)
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$79.00 each
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The Successful Lawyer – Banker Relationship
By Edward Poll
(7"x10", 60 pages, soft cover, ISBN 0-9654948-6-2, Published by LawBiz® Management, Co., 2006)
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"Law firms today are moving toward operating in a more businesslike fashion, rather than just as a group of professionals—and those that are truly businesslike will recognize that a key to responsible management is establishing a strong banking relationship. Importantly, banks are looking for profitable new niches so law firms and banks are natural allies in today's competitive world.
... When you have the right relationship, a good banker will be creative in helping you become aware of opportunities to grow your business in ways you didn't know existed. The practical steps that Ed Poll provides in this little volume cover everything from how to choose a bank that's right for you, to how to improve your credit score and how to negotiate the best commercial loan to meet your needs. ....
This LawBiz® Special Report is a must-read if you want to take your law firm to a higher plateau."
-- Howard Putnam, Former CEO of Southwest Airlines and Braniff Airlines
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The Successful Lawyer – Banker Relationship: A LawBiz® Management Special Report
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$29.00 each
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The Successful Lawyer – Banker Relationship: A LawBiz® Management Special Report - PDF
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$29.00 each
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More Secrets of The Business of Law®
By Edward Poll
(7"x10", 199 pages, soft cover, ISBN 0-9654948-6-1, Published by LawBiz® Management, Co., 2006)
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In this follow-up companion volume to Ed Poll's highly praised first Secrets collection, you'll learn how to be even more efficient, more effective and more profitable in your practice. You'll get topflight tips for how to:
- Collaborate with clients
- Succeed in collecting your fees
- Open your own law office
- Maximize the return on your technology investment
- Make the most of outsourcing services
- Exceed your clients' expectations
- Fine-tune disaster and recovery planning
- Build a Weblog strategy
- Raise your rates
- And a whole lot more
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"You don't see many stories about legal firms making change work! Help is on the way. Ed Poll's book is a must read for any leader who wants to win at the great game of business!"
- Terry Paulson, PhD, columnist, business speaker, and author of They Shoot Managers Don't' They?
Click here to read the forward
Click here for the Table of Contents
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More Secrets of The Business of Law®
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$49.95 each
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More Secrets of The Business of Law® PDF
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$57.00 each
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Business Competency for Lawyers: A Lawbiz® Management Special Report
By Edward Poll
(5.5"x8.5", 60 pages, soft cover, ISBN 978-0-9654948-5-4, Published by LawBiz® Management, Co., 2006)
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This is an easy thirty-minute read for any busy lawyer on the go. You'll learn Ed's A to Z basics for managing and running a successful law business without getting into too many nitty-gritty details, numbers, and long examples.
From managing your cash flow and collections process to weighing the ROI of your technology purchases, this 60-page Special Report will give you the essentials on how to make more profitable decisions concerning every part of your law business. You'll also see the hidden costs hurting your bottom line (for example, did you know that you waste $80,000 of billable time every year on email?). Case studies bring the valuable information in this book to life, making it a fun, fast read that will change your business overnight.
You'll learn how to:
Follow the 5 Steps of Law Business Planning
Rate the profitability and performance of your practice
Manage your cash flow more effectively
Shorten your billing cycle
Get clients to pay more - and on time
Change your billing method so that clients don't get sticker shock when they read their bill
Raise fees without any clients complaining
Understand the impact each client has on your business
Effectively balance your client portfolio so you never get stuck for cash when a heavy hitter leaves
"I think this book is a must read for any attorney who wants to achieve personal financial success in the practice of law. Many lawyers who are highly capable attorneys are not equipped to be financially successful but this book is a significant tool to change that. The book provides a foundation for further study of the business competencies a successful lawyer needs."
-- RW, Minnesota
Click here for the Table of Contents
Click here to read the forward
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Business Competency for Lawyers
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$29.00 each
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Business Competency for Lawyers PDF File
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$37.00 each
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Selling Your Law Practice:
The Profitable Exit Strategy
By Edward Poll
(7x9", 412 pages soft cover, ISBN: 0-9654948-4-5, Published by LawBiz® Management Co., 2005)
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Get Top Dollar for Your Law Practice
You will discover how to:
- Determine the value of your practice
- Set your sale price
- Evaluate and describe your practice's unique characteristics
- Negotiate the sale more effectively
- Anticipate transition issues
- Review state's Rules of Professional Conduct for selling a practice
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The CD contains the sample contracts, forms, and financial worksheets from the book in Word and Excel so that the reader/user can reproduce and modify them for your personal circumstances. You don't have to recreate or re-type them. The Excel spreadsheets contain the arithmetic formulae built in where appropriate.
Read some reviews.
Click here for the Table of Contents
Click here for more information.
Also check out Ed's virtual seminar, "Selling a Law Practice: Getting Your Highest Value".
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Selling Your Law Practice: The Profitable Exit Strategy
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$489.00 each
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Collecting Your Fee
Getting Paid, From Intake to Invoice
By Edward Poll
(6x9", 143 pages + with CD of forms soft cover, ISBN: 1-59031-153-1, Published by American Bar Association, 2003)
CD contains forms for intake, engagement letters, status report, budget, sample bills and collection letters, accounts receivable aging reports and more)
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"Ed Poll has done it again. He's created a down-to-earth guide for lawyer to collect their unpaid bills. The book is full of practical advice such as, "if you don't create a collection policy, your clients will create one for you."
The book offers lots of good advice on engagement letters, detailed bills, fee agreements and intake forms. Plus it's loaded with useful forms.
If you read this book, you'll have a lot less trouble getting paid for your work."
-- Larry Bodine, Web and Marketing Consultant
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Collecting Your Fee, Getting Paid, From Intake to Invoice
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$79.95 each
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Attorney & Law Firm Guide to The Business of Law
Planning and Operating for Survival and Growth, Second Edition
By Edward Poll
(6x9", 642 pages + diskette of forms soft cover, ISBN: 1-57073-991-9, Published by The American Bar Association, 2003)
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Do you want to:
- Be more successful by design than by accident?
- Be more profitable?
- Attract more clients?
- Have your clients pay on time?
- Have greater control of your practice?
- Have greater peace of mind?
If your answer is yes to any one of these questions, you must read this book. Ed Poll had simplified the mystical process of operating a law practice so anyone can be more effective with his/her clients and become more profitable.
This expanded edition adds 27 new chapters on marketing, personnel issues, technology, time management, clients' trust accounting, opening a new office, and changing from one practice to another. As the author says in his Preface to the Second Edition, "when we lawyers act in a more business-like manner, we tend to be more effective in the delivery of our services." The many ready-to-use forms and charts are available on a disk in .pdf format.
Take the first step in achieving a more successful practice - order today to get your own copy of the expanded Second Edition of Attorney and Law Firm Guide to The Business of Law® today!
"The Business of Law (2nd. ed., 2003) might be the most practical and informative book I have read in 10 years, honestly."
-- Atty, Dallas, TX
"I have ... assigned many of your articles and excerpts from your book to my students in Law Office Management. You are indeed the master."
-- JB (Aug 05)
Your Guide to Biz of Law Book is like a Bible for my practice.
-- G. Gordillo
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Attorney & Law Firm Guide to The Business of Law, Second Edition
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$119.95 each
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Secrets of The Business of Law®:
Successful Practices for Increasing Your Profits!
By Edward Poll
(7"x10", 168 pages, soft cover, ISBN 0-9654948-3-7, Published by LawBiz® Management, Co., 1998)
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Secrets of The Business of Law®: Successful Practices for Increasing Your Profits! Provides attorneys and law firms specific and practical suggestions for being more effective and making more money in the process. This new book is organized in five parts (Planning for success, Client Relations, Financial Management, Law Office Technology, and Office & Management Issues) to help lawyers learn how to:
- Improve client relations
- Keep clients
- Raise revenue and lower overhead
- Prepare for success by using a business plan
- and much, much more!
Click here for the Secrets of Business Law Table of Contents
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Secrets of The Business of Law®
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$49.95 each
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Secrets of The Business of Law® PDF File
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$29.95 each
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The Profitable Law Office Handbook
Attorney's Guide to Successful Business Planning
By Edward Poll
(8.5"x11", 73 pages, soft cover w/spiral binding, ISBN 0-9654948-1-0, Published by LawBiz® Management, Co., 1996)
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A best-selling, practical guide that enables attorneys to finally take control of their financial futures.
The Profitable Law Office Handbook is loaded with charts and forms, and it presents a clear outline for: understanding the business planning process, identifying personal and law firm goals, creating a marketing plan, and creating a cash flow statement. An optional Windows95-compatible disk with forms and schedules in Excel, QuattroPro, and WordPerfect 5.1 formats.
Click here for The Profitable Law Office Handbook Table of Contents
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Just the book with no disk
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$29.95 each
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With optional disk
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$44.95 each
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