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Michelle Lawless: Relief Through Technology. How Family Law Clients Benefit from Tech-Savvy Firms. | The 1958 LAWYER Podcast

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Family law is rife with emotion. Michelle Lawless kept that in mind when she built her solo family law practice, after a 19-year tenure at a successful Chicago family law firm. Balancing kindness with efficient processes, Michelle explains how technology, which is usually on the wrong side of the ‘good for mental health’ equation, actually makes difficult family matters easier to emotionally handle. It’s just a bonus that it keeps her solo venture moving full speed.

Key moments:

  • Attorney assisted mediation and collaborative law (05:16)
  • Crafting a kind and effective intake process for family law clients (21:42)
  • “The Daley Center is a daily education!”: Building experience in family law (28:26)
  • What Michelle Lawless wants to see changed in the legal profession (39:37)

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MEMORABLE QUOTES

“[Mediation has] been a growing trend…. Clients want an alternative to litigation… Litigation is emotionally difficult. It can be protracted and inefficient [and] incredibly expensive.”

“Clients have told me how difficult it was to almost get up the courage to walk into a divorce lawyer’s office for a console. Because, physically, it was a manifestation that their marriage was over, and that that was a really difficult step to take…. [Because of this] I was kind of thinking about, ‘are there ways to do Virtual Counsel,’ and then boom COVID hit.”

“I’m using online forms to capture information that you need in every divorce case but you don’t want to keep asking people for, like the names and the ages of their kids and the birth dates….Making things easier on clients was something that I was really looking to do.”

“I always prided myself on providing personalized service, and being there for clients, listening to them. Getting back to them quickly, as quickly as I can…. As a solo I think that’s even more critical because it’s me. I mean, the business is me. So, I need to provide almost… I look at it like a better client experience. Because I am the client experience. A hundred percent.”

CONNECT WITH MICHELLE LAWLESS

Michelle has spent her entire 20-year career assisting high-net-worth individuals and their spouses by protecting and preserving their assets during divorce. After spending 19 years with one of the most prominent family law firms in the country, she opened her own law practice in 2020, where she is able to take her in-depth training and experience with executive compensation packages, valuations of closely-held businesses, and other complex, hard-to-value assets and income streams to her own practice.

She is a graduate of the American Bar Association’s Advanced Trial Advocacy Institute focusing exclusively on business valuations and has also been named one of the 10 Best Attorneys in Illinois for Outstanding Client Service by the American Institute of Family Law Attorney (2017-2019). Michelle is a past recipient of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin’s “40 Under 40” award and holds certifications in Collaborative Law and mediation.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellealawless/

Michelle’s Firm: www.malfamilylaw.com

CONTINUE EXPLORING

Have comments, questions, or concerns? Contact us at [email protected]

“The 1958 Lawyer and his 1938 Dollar” still defines the business of law…
It’s time for a change.

If you’re a lawyer, you’re familiar with the ABA article “The 1958 Lawyer and his 1938 Dollar” which gives our podcast its title, and its inspiration. That article was the start of the billable hour for law firms…And the last major change to the business of law, 70+ years ago now. Well, it’s past time for another change.

This podcast is all about bucking the status quo of the business of law. Your hosts Ron Bockstahler and Kirsten Mayfield run Amata Law Office Suites, providing law firms an alternative to the traditional fixed-cost business model that places unwanted stress on attorneys to work long hours that often-times lead to burn out, broken relationships and in many cases substance abuse. Each week they’ll discuss alternatives to the 12 hours days, endless rotation of clerks and paralegals, and the expensive offices leased to impress clients who rarely show up in person anymore. They’ll interview successful lawyers who are doing law differently, and finding a work-life balance while still running a successful firm.

Do you want to find a better way to run your law firm? It’s time for the next big change in the business of law, and you’ll get it here on The 1958 Lawyer.

More episodes of The 1958 Lawyer podcast

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Secure Potential Clients Today – Save Money & Time Down the Line

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Secure Potential Clients Today – Save Money & Time Down the Line

This is part two in our series “Being Remote: Lessons to Take Back to the Office.” You can read part one here.

Business phone technology is an overlooked area of any attorney’s business. Most assume that by having a phone number, they are set. Like all areas of business, however, there is a better way, and attorneys who have this “better way” setup are not only functioning in a way that maintains the appearance their physical office is open right now, but they have also avoided the disruption to their business, client intake, and handling of potential customers that many others scrambled to fix during the first few weeks of shelter-in-place.

The “better way” business phone setup for attorneys is simple. You have:

  1. A professional appearance

    A live receptionist who answers your main line, knows you, know your business, and understands client intake

  2. Control over your schedule

    Either via screened calls, so you can choose who you want to speak to, or via the ability to redirect calls automatically to your partner when you’re in meetings, working without disruption, or on-the-go

  3. The ability to answer and make business calls from anywhere

    A crucial, and often missing aspect to the “traditional” law firm’s phone setup

You may be thinking, “I have one and two right now with my personal receptionist” or “my phone technology checks off items two and three.” And to be fair, that is a great start! But only attorneys who had all three of these services were able to keep focus on running their firms this past month, instead of scrambling to fix things.

These are the same attorneys who go on long vacations or travel overseas and don’t worry about interruption to their business. Attorneys who stay at home semi-regularly, with their client or opposing counsel never knowing they just dropped their kids off at school. These attorneys simply have it better, because they have more flexibility and control over their life and law firm. All from a simple business phone setup.

The business phone is your lifeline for adding potential clients to your pipeline.

In the digital age, the average person is more desperate for human connection. When a client is calling an attorney, that feeling is amplified. They want to hear a real person on the other end of the phone, and they want to feel both heard and supported by them. A professional law firm receptionist is invaluable for making these connections. They are also an expensive commodity for the modern firm.

As an attorney, however, you have a lot to do. You’re juggling work and life, and being on call for each client just isn’t possible. Unlike a doctor however, you can’t make rounds, and your clients aren’t in a room waiting patiently. Having a receptionist fielding your calls will satisfy your client’s needs for being attended too, while also allowing you to be in control of your schedule.

Additionally, the proper phone software can allow you to make changes to your call handling on the fly. If you need to adjust and redirect your calls to a partner you can do so on the backend. Or if you’d like a more personal touch you can send a quick email to your live receptionist and let them know how you’d prefer your calls handled.

This one simple measure ensures you continue adding clients into your pipeline without sacrificing anything.

The ability to take calls anywhere

This is the secret ingredient many attorneys phones are missing. Having control of your schedule, and having a live receptionist are nice, but they are both only at the top of their game if you can also make and take calls from anywhere. The technology exists for attorneys to go out and grab their coffee and lunch and breath of fresh air, and also still take the call from that opposing counsel or judge they have been waiting for. Amata’s own 3CX technology allows making and taking calls from your business phone line. And you’re not sacrificing you physical office device to do so. The number will ring to all devices, and you simply choose where to pick up from, cellphone of office phone.

When you’re in complete control of the calls you take and don’t take, you can also be in control of where you’re sitting walking and being, with no one else knowing anything different. Making an important call from the Chicago Riverwalk has never been easier than it is now.

By having a professional receptionist you have not only great client intake and by having control of your schedule you increase your billable hours (because being interrupted decreases your billable income more than you may realize). And you keep your firming running at the level you’re used to even during these strange times.

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Being Remote: Lessons to Take Back to the Office

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At the Office

If you have a physical office space, being remote may feel like a temporary burden. You’re either:

  • making the office set-up you have work, and hoping this will be over soon, or
  • you’ve signed up for a couple of telework services that you can cancel as soon as you’re back to ‘normal’

This can be more than just an aberration in your firm’s history, though. Many attorneys are hoping measures like RON (which Gov. Pritzker is permitting in Illinois while the gubernatorial disaster proclamation is in place) and video conferencing for uncontested motions stay in effect long after the pandemic has passed. In the same context, measures put in place to manage your firm remotely can be brought back to the office to benefit your firm’s efficiency and bottom-line.

There is a lot to talk about, so we’re splitting it up into three parts, each a blog filled with lessons we’ve learned and that our clients have learned, and that are worth taking back to the office. This week, we are discussing technology that feels practically necessary when working remotely: practice management software and the cloud.

Practice management software & the cloud

Law firms who aren’t on the cloud are scrambling to set up VPNs and put their employees on secure networks at their homes. Law firm partners are struggling to share files and manage their employees remotely (and the employees are having a hard time co-editing docs). Practice management software and cloud drives can help firms overcome these momentary hurdles, but many attorneys find they are also just a great addition to a firm in general.

We grouped these two services because they go hand-in-hand. You won’t attend a single practice management software demo without the salesperson covering document management and the cloud drives they can integrate with. It’s not a surprise; much of the casework you and your team is working on revolves around documents! Similarly, the benefits of these two pieces of tech intertwine.

How these technologies help your firm work remotely now, and will benefit your firm in the future.

Fewer emails. More answers.

What was the status of that case? Who sent the document you are group editing last? Outlook used to hold the answers. Now your inbox is flooded with pandemic related email updates, webinar invites, and your neatly defined folders have been muddled. Not to mention spending fifteen minutes searching Outlook wasn’t the best solution in the first place.

With a practice management software, you don’t need to depend on Outlook to know who is working on what, to find the status of any given case, or to see a version of any given file. Additionally, if you’re group editing a document with your team, and want to work on the most recent addition, then you simply need to pop into your cloud drive and open the file – no guess work. (For many cloud drives, including Office 365, you can even edit a document collaboratively). By removing your dependence on emails, you’ll have less of a chance of missing important updates or accidentally sending the wrong version of a file. Plus, less time is spent digging through your inbox. And we all know time is money.

Benefits summary: Saves you time, keeps you organized, and gives you the answers you want when you want them.

Better team management.

With a practice management software, comes two items called ‘tasks’ and ‘workflows.’ Workflows are simply a series of tasks that you put in order and can assign to specific staff members. When a client comes through, you place them in the appropriate workflow, and a robot assigns your staff tasks for the casework as the case progresses.

We’re not saying you can drop the ball and let your staff do as they please, but we are saying that the documents will be assigned to the right staff member, at the right stage, with little oversight and managing necessary on your end. And when you spend less time managing your team, you spend more time on the billable hour (or with your family).

Benefits summary: Once again, frees up your time and provides better organization; this time not just for you but for your whole team, which means you’re improving the efficiency of your entire firm.

The convenience of working from anywhere.

This is the most widely touted benefit of both practice management software and the cloud. It’s also the most ignored! For firms who have a physical office, this isn’t a selling point. They don’t want to work from anywhere, they have their office for that. Firms who say “we don’t need to work from anywhere” are missing a huge part of the picture: decreasing the overhead costs of physical space.

Let’s say your firm has two attorneys, a paralegal, and a law clerk. That’s space for four people that you pay for each month. It you shift your firm’s thinking, and have yourself, your partner, your law clerk, and your paralegal, working from home part-time, and rotating days in and out of the office, then you can cut office costs in half while maintaining all the benefits for being a brick-and-mortar firm. It’s a simple solution to decreasing overhead costs for your firm; and if you pass the cost savings onto your clients, you’ll find yourself a strong competitor due to your decreased rates.

Additionally, by cutting out the commute to work on some days (and Illinois commutes are no joke) you’ll each earn more time in your week.

Benefits summary: More money kept in the bank each month. More personal time for both you and your staff. And potentially greater mental health due to having more free time in your day and a healthier financial state for your business.

The main concept is that these two tech items bring (the ever elusive) efficiency to your firm.

It’s easier to know what is going on with casework and to find the information you need. You spend less time being shifting through disorganization, and less time on tiny tasks like following up on casework, assigning tasks to staff members, or trying to find the latest version of a document someone sent you. If there are any pieces of tech you are looking to adopt to increase your remote office functionality, these should be the top two on your list. They are easily applicable to traditional and private office setups — though if you decide to move to a partial remote office setup for your firm, you can see even more of a payback in money saved.

If you’re intrigued, but don’t know where to start, we have some ideas:

  • Ask other attorneys what practice management software they use.
  • Contact us! We have the wealth of knowledge from 700+ Amata member attorneys at our fingertips and have experience with both types of tech. If we don’t already know a good solution for you, we can put you in contact with an attorney who does. Reach us at [email protected], or give us a call at 888-497-9957.
  • If you use a cloud drive already, reach out to some practice management companies and ask if they integrate with your cloud drive. Then you’ll be able to set up demos with ones that fit into your existing infrastructure.

Why we’re writing this series: Private law office members at Amata have reached out over the past month and told us how using the remote services we offer has changed the way they will operate their firms in the future. We’re not exclusively a virtual office for lawyers, but this is remote office technology we’ve had for a while that many legal office space users didn’t have an immediate need to use until COVID-19. The out-pour of client support has been incredible, and many have explained that this is tech they will continue to use. We’re building this series of blogs based on their emails, and the conversations we’ve had because of them. To every Amata member, we just want to say: thank you.

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How to Keep Your Firm Running During a Crisis (And How Amata is Doing the Same)

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Tablet on Couch: VPN Access

“Flatten the Curve.” This is not a Flat-Earther motto, but a worldwide goal to minimize the coronavirus by hindering the spread of the infection. Social distancing is key, but as of March 26th, there is still no federal mandate to shelter-in-place, and as Chicago found out just this week, warming weather causes many to disregard these executive orders (which in turn caused Mayor Lori Lightfoot to close down the parks).

All these factors pile up against our race to flatten the curve, and work against our goal to contain the spread. Meaning we could be experiencing these Shelter-In-Place orders for longer than anyone would truly like.

This makes it all the more important for law firms to innovate, adapt, and keep business running even from their homes, and we have a few tips to help.

Pick up the phone and give people a call

Friendliness. A new person to talk to. A reassuring voice. There are many reasons why this is our top tip. We are doing it ourselves: Amata staff members have been calling clients daily checking in on how they are doing, assuring them their firms are in good hands at Amata and asking if they need any help or training on our office services.

As a lawyer, calling existing clients and letting them know you’re still doing everything possible to work on their case (even though the courts are closed) can be a great way to keep the client relationship connection strong, and give not only reassurance, but great customer service during a trying time. The not so obvious tip is to also call your staff, peers, mentors, and people in your network regularly as well; more often than you normally would. The idea is to make up for lost time around the watercooler (so to speak). Better yet, schedule video conferences and invite a handful of people! There is no reason for social time, networking, and business to grind to a halt, and video conferences can reestablish a normalcy in performing all those tasks while we observe the current Shelter-in-Place order.

Commit to new technology

Now may not seem to be the right time to spend more money. But if your firm is having a hard time working (or even at a standstill) due to a lack of flexible infrastructure, then you may need to reassess that instinct. What happens if you experience Shelter-in-Place for a month? Or for two months? Or more –  as this opinion piece from the New York Times suggests is necessary for the orders to be effective?

Your firm has to keep running during this time because you still have business to get done, and that may mean taking new steps and adopting new tech. Find good options, and become prepared for the future. You may be surprised what great new things can be achieved when one is forced to innovate.

We’re a shining example of this tip at work: while Amata has been providing flexible law office services for nearly two decades, over the past two weeks we launched additional services to help our clients. Our 3CX Web & Video Conferencing is now included, free-of-charge, for all clients currently using our 3CX phone services and for everyone who signs up for a phone only, virtual law office, or private office during this time. This service was added due to the COVID-19 crisis and all our services are better now because of it.

Stay secure while working from home

This final tip comes in two-steps — the first is courtesy of the Amata Law Office Suites preferred technology services provider, Bridgepoint Technologies:

If you and your staff are new to working remotely from home, make sure your setup has a router along with a recommended firewall and that the computer being used has recent updates and virus protection. If you are connecting directly to your business network, only do so through a secure channel such as a VPN or secure remote software. Before doing so, make sure that your wireless network at home has a complicated password with a name that will not personally identify your home. I.e.: Don’t name it: “Smiths House”.

Read more about the importance of Network Security.

Part two of this step is to check that all employees and staff members have the equipment they need to successfully work from home. At Amata Law Office Suites we just recently started ordering headsets to make conferencing and calling easier now that many of us are using our computers instead of phones to communicate — having a sturdy Bluetooth headset has been invaluable for our staff during video conferences.

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Cybersecurity and the Importance of Data Privacy

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Cybersecurity and the Importance of Data Privacy

Cybersecurity — especially data privacy — is one of the biggest problems facing businesses today. These security problems are compounded because every segment of every industry is affected differently, and each is subject to the risk factors peculiar to that segment. Grouping similar data together based on chosen parameters allows businesses to assess the privacy needs of each data segment they are holding. For example, the protections for public data don’t have to be as stringent as the protections for private data.

Protecting the privacy of the data with which they are entrusted is a universal business goal.

Get started by answering the following questions:

  • What types of data does your business have (e.g., credit card information, health information, criminal history, biometrics)?
  • Which departments have access to that data?
  • Who are your data service providers and what are their credentials?
  • Which personnel can access the data?
  • What steps has your company taken to protect the data (e.g., encryption, back-up, internal controls)?

Federal and International Regulations

The United States has no federal law protecting data privacy. A number of states, however, are responding: at least 31 states have already established laws regulating the secure destruction or disposal of personal information. At least 12 states — Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas and Utah — have imposed broader data security requirements. Other states, including New York, are considering legislation. Illinois has nine items pending legislation so far this year.

California is a pioneer on the data privacy front. The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, which goes into effect on January 1, 2020, is similar to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Companies that do business in California will be affected by this legislation.

At least some of the activity at the state level is in response to the European Union’s enactment of the GDPR. Any company doing business in a nation that has adopted the GDPR must comply with its consumer protections regarding data privacy. The GDPR covers many types of data, including the following:

  • Personally identifiable data (e.g., names, addresses, date of births, Social Security numbers)
  • Web-based data (e.g., user location, IP address, cookies, and RFID tags)
  • Health (HIPAA) and genetic data
  • Biometric data
  • Racial or ethnic data

The bottom line is that U.S. businesses operating in multiple jurisdictions must consider these categories, as well as any other categories pertinent to their industry, as they segment the data they are holding. Understanding the data they hold is essential to instituting the right level of privacy safeguards.

Three Steps to Securing Your Data

  1. Understanding your data

  2. Knowing the relevant laws and regulations your business must comply with

  3. Staying alert for any indications of a breach

The sad truth is that many data breaches go on for quite a while before they are discovered. The time lapse between hack and discovery allows hackers to continue accessing vulnerable data. That makes constant monitoring an important aspect of any data security program. Watching for the signs of a breach — such as an unanticipated spike in bandwidth usage — can indicate a problem.

By following these three steps, businesses can be sure they are doing their best to protect the data they and their data service providers hold.

Learn more about cybersecurity for law firms with Above the Law’s two part series: Part One | Part Two

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Copyright ©

Lawyers Without Paper: Global IP Law and the Importance of the Cloud

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Lawyers Without Paper by Richard Card

By Richard Gurak, Founding Partner Advitam IP, LLC

An intellectual property practice knows no geographic or political boundaries. My own practice, Advitam IP, LLC, has a network of top law firms in over 120 countries to call upon, and who call upon us.

While many concepts related to trademarks, patents, or copyrights might be similar everywhere, there are political issues, procedural issues, bureaucratic issues, customs issues, and more that must be accounted for. To maintain these networks and to stay current with changes in practice and law in nations all over the world, my partner, Michele, and I, attend world-wide conferences year-round. IP law has its own world – a big world that is often evolving faster than most local practices will ever experience – and we find these conferences are the most effective way to stay up to date.

We have found ourselves embracing all the 21st century has to offer to operate our law firm seamlessly, no matter where we find ourselves each week. By embracing software and cloud technologies, we are now 99% paper free. (Imagine that – lawyers without paper! Can it be?) This embrace of technology has done double duty. Not only are we able to attend international conferences while addressing our practice’s daily needs but being paperless has also minimized our need for office space, which allows us to reduce costs, so our clients pay less no matter how large our firm grows.

We recognize that while traditional values of hard work, diligence, commitment to clients’ needs and goals, and service to community are imperatives in the practice of law, so, too, is the need to stay on the forefront of change in the practice and delivery of legal services in the rapidly advancing technological world.

Our clients are often at the forefront of this technological world. They need us to provide custom solutions, and to be a trusted partner and advisor to protect their intellectual property assets. And they expect us to be able to respond quickly and knowledgeably. We strive to continue to fulfill their expectations.

 

Richard Gurak

Four years after their prior firm, Welsh & Katz, merged with a larger firm, Richard and his partner Michele Katz decided to satisfy their entrepreneurial aspiration. Combining their 40+ years of international intellectual property experience they formed Advitam IP, LLC.

“Advitam” is a Latin word meaning “for life,” akin to the word “tenure.” Richard and Michele say that the name was chosen to exemplify the best traditional practices of law but blended with modern technologies to benefit their clients.

Advitam IP now has 8 eight attorneys assisting firm clients and an overall support team of fifteen. The firm is still growing. They love what they do, and they love helping clients. For life.

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The Modern Law Firm: How Small Firms Compete Better Than Ever

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The Modern Law Firm: How Small Firms Compete Better Than Ever

From Kirsten Mayfield, Director of First Impressions for Amata Law Office Suites

Technology is the crux of our modern civilization, so it is not surprising that it has also become the crux of the modern law firm. The American Bar Association updated their rules to include reference to all ‘electronic communications’, and thirty-one states have adopted the duty of technology competence into their laws, with Illinois’ being effective as of January 1, 2016. Illinois is also transitioning to an E-filing system for their courts, though the launch date was pushed back to July at the beginning of the year.

For some this is a frightening change. Technology changes at a rapid pace, and if your schedule is already busy, the idea of having to keep up with the latest tech in order to both run your law practice and keep yourself safe from malpractice cases can be daunting.

But technology is the small law firm’s biggest champion and advocate.

Take Clio, for instance. Clio is a top-rated management software built to decrease the time spent on administrative tasks. Billing and documents are both managed in Clio, and the software integrates with Quickbooks and Outlook Calendar. It also allows an easy platform for timekeeping both in your office and on the go through their mobile app.

A huge firm may have systems in place which automate and manage these tasks efficiently, but a small law firm doesn’t unless they use software like Clio, and even a large one can benefit from the tool. Admin tasks do not get billed to a client, and they are time consuming, so the more help a firm gets, the more time they can spend on billing current clients and generating new ones.

Which brings us to a second mode of technology, your marketing. While generating new leads hasn’t changed in some key ways – having a referral network built up with other lawyers, for instance – mostly it is a completely different game than it was a year ago, much less ten. Plus the area is saturated in choices and upkeep. Where’s the upside to all these problems that technology is creating? Your audience.

You can outsource all your marketing, do it yourself, or pick a method in-between, but because of technological growth, your area of potential clientele extends as far as your license to practice. And we mean that quite literally. Our lawyers will be called from out of state and sometimes out of country, and these potential clients are turned down for the simple reason that no one in the firm is legally able to practice law in that area. This was not a common problem for two person law firms before the age of the internet.

The fact is, because of technology smaller firms now find themselves able to compete with large firms, and this is a major shift in the world of law. The choices may be overwhelming, but once you find the tech that works for you, you will find yourself able to spend more time practicing the law and less time as an accountant or marketer.

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Protect Your Law Firm from Scammers

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Protect Your Law Firm From Scammers

In the technological day and age we live in, it’s important for Chicago attorneys to understand that while they advise clients who have experienced fraud, their own Chicago law firm is equally at risk for being targeted by scammers.

New and often times highly-sophisticated scams are popping up every day, and as the scammers get smarter, so must we.

In order to help safeguard your law firm in Chicago, we’ve compiled a list of three refined scams that were specifically targeted toward attorneys and their practices and how to overcome these situations should your firm encounter them.

1. Online Traffic Monitoring

Just last year, Amata Law Office Suites sought to update and renew our logo through the Patent and Trademark office. During the process, we received invoices that appeared to be genuine from the Patent and Trademark office. These invoices even included the trademark we were renewing, putting the finishing touch on the initial appearance of legitimacy.

Had it not been for a series of checks and balances within our accounting department, Amata Law Office Suites would’ve lost over $5,000 to this scam.

How does a scam like this happen? Online traffic monitoring.

How can you prevent your Chicago law firm from falling prey?

Checks and balances

Maintain a dual check system to verify whether or not invoices have already been paid.

Read the fine print

The fine print on our fraudulent invoice noted that they were not affiliated with the publication of the official International Patent Application registration and was not a registration by a government entity.

Validate your invoice

It’s always better to be safe than sorry. If you are ever unsure about the validity of an invoice, pick up the phone and call – not the number on the check, but rather the number located on the legitimate website.

2. Hacking Into Your Chicago Law Firm’s Computers

A British Columbia law firm recently lost six figures to a scammer, and their experience is a learning lesson for other attorneys. The law firm’s computers had been hacked, and when one of the attorneys went on vacation, the scammers took advantage of the open window.

The scammers sent an email from the vacationing attorney’s account requesting emergency funds be transferred to one of their client’s bank accounts. While the assistant tried to perform due diligence in calling the attorney, the hackers’ sophisticated means of fraud allowed them to block the assistant’s calls, and they then followed up with another email explaining that they couldn’t talk at the moment.

How can you protect your law firm in Chicago from a situation like this?

Put into place strict protocols

Protect yourself, your firm, and your staff by putting in place strict protocols that define when something like the scenario above should be allowed such as stating that it is only permissible with a phone call from the attorney.

Educate your staff

Ensure your entire Chicago law firm is up-to-date on the latest scams. While this can be difficult to keep up with, it’s important to regularly discuss things your firm can become a victim of.

Invest in computer security

As a Chicago attorney, you likely understand the vast importance of protecting your firm’s records. Follow this list of 5 things you can do to enhance the cyber security for your practice.

3. IOLTA (Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts) Check Fraud

While check fraud isn’t a new concept, it’s still one that is vastly used today. Depending on your clientele, your law firm in Chicago has the potential to fall prey to check fraud in relation to your IOLTA account.

Typically, the scammers will regenerate fraudulent checks using the bank information, routing number, and account number from your legitimate check and cash them quickly to ensure your monthly accounting processes don’t detect the fraud before they’ve secured the funds.

How can Chicago lawyers circumvent IOLTA check fraud?

Talk to your bank

Many banks have secure checking programs that offer you the opportunity to upload copies of your written checks. The bank will then verify every presented check before disbursing funds to ensure your law firm’s financial security.

While scammers are becoming a regular part of everyday business dealings, it’s important that Chicago attorneys take preventative measures, both inside their practice and out, to avoid the financial heartaches that come with falling prey to attorney fraud.

Looking for a law office space that offers a great community of Chicago lawyers? See why attorneys in Chicago are choosing coworking spaces. Ready to make the switch? Contact Amata Law Office Suites today!

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5 DIY Website Improvements to Increase Revenue

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Do It Yourself

The landscape of technology is constantly changing. To keep your brand top-of-mind, your website might be changing too! Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you have to hire a developer to totally overhaul your existing site. These simple DIY website improvements will keep your website looking sharp, fresh, and effective.

Hyperlinks

Use distinct hyperlinks. Utilize visual cues to help readers know where to click and what they’re going to get on the new page. Underline your hyperlink and change the color. This will draw the reader’s attention and encourage them to spend more time on your site. The more detailed the link titles, the more informed the reader will be.

Page Speed

Improve your page speed. No one likes waiting for a website page to load. Today, people want immediate satisfaction, especially online. They expect it! With internet access literally in the palm of users’ hands, potential clients can visit your website wherever and whenever. Don’t lose business due to a slow web page! Thanks to Google’s free tool, you can get information on your page speed and take the right steps to improve it.

Get Them Moving

Include calls to action. It might sound simple, but label calls to action with action words. For example, instead of “sign up for our newsletter,” you could say, “Sign up now!” Here are some other action oriented words and phrases you can incorporate; get started, share it, see more features.

Bullet Points Are Better

Bullet points make things better. In the spirit of providing immediate satisfaction, bullet points help your readers get the information they need as efficiently as possible. Not to mention, it’s aesthetically pleasing. Feel free to think outside of the box. You don’t have to stick to the traditional circle bullet point. Find an icon that matches your unique brand!

Go Mobile

Go mobile or go home. As mentioned, technology is growing by leaps and bounds. Part of that growth includes websites being mobile friendly. Is your homepage layout just as visually pleasing on mobile as it is on a desktop? Do your hyperlinks work on the mobile site? These are all worth investigating and checking. Unsure about the mobility of your website? This site can help.

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Cybersecurity for Attorneys

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Cyber security firewall interface protection concept. Businesswoman protecting herself from cyber attacks. Personal data security and banking

Today, cybersecurity is a large problem for small to midsize businesses- particularly law firms. Securing IT speaker, David Myers, presented to Amata members Cybersecurity for Law Practice. Although, it may be easy to over look cybersecurity threats, it is important to know the 5 Myths, Threats, and Things you can do for your law practice.

5 Myths

  • I’m Not a Target: No matter what size your business is never doubt that your business is immune because your data may be valuable.
  • I’ve Got Antivirus: I’m Good: An Antivirus alone is not enough- you need a layered defense form which includes an antivirus, antimalware, spam filtering, gateway antivirus, backup solution, and etc.
  • External Hackers are my Primary Hackers: Incorrect, your hackers can be anywhere including the office you work in.
  • Cybersecurity is an IT Issue: Incorrect, this is a business issue that can not be pushed off to the IT person.
  • I’m a Lawyer: You have to think of yourself as a business owner serving your clients. You possess valuable information and hold information making you likely to be a target.

5 Threats

  • Ransomware: A piece of malware that locks your data until you pay a ransom. Then your data will be unlocked; however, it is not guaranteed you will get your data back.
  • Phishing: A fraudulent practice to obtain personal information. Internet of Things Threats: The “other” technology that may seem small but a group of malicious hackers can use that to attack you without knowing.
  • Your Users: Be sure your users understand the risk when storing information or accessing information.
  • Regulatory Pains: As the government regulates cybersecurity, more policy and fine increase compliance will increase as well.

5 Things you can do

  • Know you Data/ Regulatory User: Understand the data that you are holding and what regulations apply to you.
  • Encrypt your Data: This is easy and FREE on modern operating systems. This essentially “scrambles” your data so others who get ahold of your information may not understand the encryption.
  • Cyber Liability Insurance: A new type of insurance policy, so be sure to do research and not by the first one you see!
  • Prepare and Practice your Incidence Response Plan: Using your data to practice a drill if incident 1, 2, 3… happened what plan of execution would be in place.

Now that you have learned the 5 myths, threats, and things you can do, you are now prepared to run your law practice with confidence. If you missed the presentation by David Myers be sure to watch the recording below.

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