Recorded during The Florida Bar’s 2016 Annual Convention, this four hour course was presented by Rocket Matter and The Florida Bar Practice Resource Institute. This course is composed of 4 topics. The title and description is for each topic is provided below. This course has been approved by The Florida Bar Continuing Legal Education Department for 4 hours of General CLE credit and 2 hours of Technology CLE credit. Course Number: 2187.

How To Go Paperless. It’s Not As Hard As You Think (50 minutes)
Converting your firm to a paperless operation can seem like an overwhelming challenge. But it’s not as complicated as you think. You can start now. In this session you will learn about the essential systems, tools, and workflows of a paperless office, how to automate legal document creation, and how to optimize your use of practice management software in a paperless environment. We’ll share the story of a lawyer who took his firm paperless, the process the firm went through, and the protocols and conventions they established.

How to Run a Profitable Business: Key Numbers You Need to Know (50 minutes)
The old joke is that lawyers became lawyers to avoid doing any math. But the truth is that numbers tell you a lot about the health of your practice. It’s not enough to judge profitability based on whether there’s any money left in the account at the end of the month (or year). Larry Port has run Rocket Matter like a business keeping careful track of the numbers that drive decisions since its beginnings. Larry will show you how to use numbers to judge profitable practice areas, set pricing for your services (hint: it’s not by guessing about your colleague’s hourly rate), and chart a course for the future of your law firm.

Growing a Law Firm with Lean and Agile Practices (50 minutes)
Looking to grow revenue and decrease expenditures? In order for your law firm to start building a highly profitable, scalable business, you need to get a handle on your systems and processes. “Lean” techniques, originally pioneered by manufacturing companies and evolved in the software industry, offer a simple playbook that you can adopt today to reduce your errors, increase your profitability, and reduce uncertainty in your life. We’ll discuss Kanban boards, lean philosophies, and meeting rhythms and agendas to align your team and achieve your objectives.

Introduction to Practice Management Software (50 minutes)
Practice Management software makes running a law firm easier and more profitable. It improves efficiency, reduces operational error, increases lawyer mobility, and keeps the firm on the same page. In this introductory session, we will take a look at what practice management software is, how it works, and what it can do for you and your law firm.

Question and Answer Session (25 minutes)

Speakers
LARRY PORT, Rocket Matter founder and CEO, is a speaker and award winning writer at the crossroads of the legal profession, cutting edge technology, and law firm marketing. He frequently discusses design and efficiency, and quality techniques in the software industry that can be leveraged by lawyers and legal professionals. He was named to the 2012 Fastcase 50 honoring the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.

TIM BARAN is the content director for Rocket Matter and editor of the Legal Productivity blog. He enjoys using his experience as a law firm library director and CLE consultant to work with law firms to understand how they use efficiency and management techniques in the day-to-day practice of law. Tim is the author of A Lawyer’s Guide to Evernote and Working Remotely: A Telecommuters Guide to the Galaxy.

LEGALFUEL CLE PRESENTATIONS ARE INTENDED FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DO NOT REPLACE PROFESSIONAL JUDGMENT. STATEMENTS OF FACT AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE PRESENTERS INDIVIDUALLY AND, UNLESS EXPRESSLY STATED TO THE CONTRARY, ARE NOT THE OPINION OF THE FLORIDA BAR OR ITS COMMITTEES. THE FLORIDA BAR DOES NOT ENDORSE OR APPROVE, AND ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR, THE CONTENT, ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE INFORMATION PRESENTED. ANY FEEDBACK SHOULD BE PROVIDED TO THE EVENT ORGANIZER.