from staff
Whether you’re from a big firm or a solo practitioner, today’s legal eagle needs to be knowledgeable when it comes to running a modern day law practice.
The Jacksonville Asian American Bar Association, the D.W. Perkins Bar Association and the Hispanic Bar Association have teamed up to sponsor the continuing law education seminar, “Law Office Management 2008: Are You Running Your Office or is Your Office Running You?” The seminar is Thursday 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. at Florida Coastal School of Law in Room 425.
“As with any business, lawyers need to manage and run their offices efficiently and effectively at a low cost,” said immigration attorney, Maria Aguila, president of the Jacksonville Asian American Bar Association and one of the CLE’s organizers.
A solo practitioner who went out on her own and opened a Riverside office a year ago, Aguila found she wore many hats and learned to strike the balance between practicing law, marketing, administration and managing.
“The business of running a practice is something they don’t teach you about in law school,” said Aguila. “Our goal is to help provide a forum to share knowledge and insights.”
Florida Coastal students may get a jump on that learning curve and attend the CLE for free.
The CLE is designed for new and experienced practitioners — from solo practitioners to large firms — who want to sharpen their knowledge about the many needs of running a modern law office including proper trust accounting, cutting-edge technology, human resources issues, alternatives to traditional offices spaces, the importance of having visual exhibits and learning better ways to run their practices. The CLE will close with a networking hour and lunch from 11:30 a.m.-noon.
A member of The Florida Bar’s Law Office Management Assistance Service (LOMAS) will discuss the seven business processes at work in your office and how to avoid common pitfalls.
“If your practice is not running efficiently, it may present more of a hardship instead of generating revenue. The expert from LOMAS presenting here in Jacksonville is an invaluable resource to all CLE attendees,” said Christopher Davis, president of the Perkins Bar.
Four CLE credits have been applied for; two will count as ethics credits. Registration may be done by mail or at the event. The cost is $50 and should be made payable to the Jacksonville Asian American Bar Association, c/o Maria Aguila, 3955 Riverside Ave., Suite 2F, Jacksonville, Fla. 32207.