LAW OFFICE MANAGEMENT Flashcards
Why do lawyers establish Law offices?
- Necessity
- Desire to be independent
- In compliance with RPC-rule 22
- Profitability
- To achieve dreams
- Realization of an ambition
Qualities of a lawyer who intend to establish law offices?
- Honesty & Integrity
- Hardwork & determination
- Confidentiality
- Organization and perseverance
- Commitment
For a lawyer to succeed, he must have?
- Hardwork
- Skills
- Goodluck
- Values
- Experience
- Dynamism and innovation
Types of law firm?
- Sole Practitionership
- Sole Proprietorship
- Associateship
- Partnership
What is Sole Practitionership?
This is a unit of practice involving a practitioner practicing alone, but he employs support staff such as; secretary, clerk, dispatch clerk, office assistant etc. to assist him.
Advantages of Sole Practitionership?
- Flexibility
- Quick decision making
- Enjoys profit alone
- Less stringent requirements
- He enjoys privacy & confidentiality
- No friction with other members
Disadvantages of sole practitonership?
- No room for expertise
- Slow work output
- Considers the brief alone
- Death extinguishes practice
- He bears the risk and losses alone
- Client satisfaction is usually low
- Problem of attracting client.
What is Sole Proprietorship?
This is a unit of practice involving a legal practitioner who establishes a law firm, works there and employs other legal practitioners to work in the firm.
He takes the decisions alone
The lawyers are fee earners & it is a basic contractual relationship
Advantages of Sole PROPRIETORSHIP?
- He is entitled to all his profits but has to pay salaries
- It allows for expertise
- Takes credit for success of the firm
- Can specialize in any area of his choice
- Enjoyment from home as he has no boss.
- There is division of labour between him and the other legal practitioners
- It creates employment
Disadvantages of sole proprietorship?
- Slow decision making
- Bears the risk alone
- Conflicting opinions may arise
- Problem attracting clients
- Low quality decisions(since it is made by the sole proprietor alone)
- Difficulty in raising capital
What is Associateship?
This is a unit of practice whereby two or more practitioners come together to contribute the capital to provide facilities required for a law firm.
They maintain individual practice but each remain a sole proprietor however.
Advantages of Associateship?
- Low capital needed
- Easier to set up
- There is room for expertise due to the presence of other associates
- Enhances a well furnished office
- Not professionally isolated
- No sharing of profits
Disadvantages of associateship?
- Client poaching
- Distrust of one another
- Conflict of interests
- Rivalry amongst associates
- Bears the risks and losses alone
What is partnership?
This is a unit of practice where two or more legal practitioners wishing to establish a law
firm contribute capital to form a partnership.
2-20
Advantages of partnership?
- Sharing of financial responsibility
- No professional isolation
- High quality decisions
- Sharing of profits and losses
- Room for specialization
- Easier to get clients because of professional competence of more people involved
- More time for relaxation
- Easier to raise capital to set up.
- Division of labour
- Possibility of having a well-equipped law firm
Disadvantages of Partnership?
- Joint Liability UNITED BANK OF KUWAIT v HAMMOND
- Fraudulent act of one partner may taint the reputation of other partners
- There may be mistrust among the partners which may hamper the success of the firm
- Slow decision making
- Double loyalty
Disadvantages of partnerships?
- Liability- UNITED BANK OF KUWAIT v HAMMOND
- Fraudulent act of one partner may taint the reputation of other partners
- There may be mistrust among the partners which may hamper the success of the firm
- Slow decision making
- Double loyalty
What is business plan?
• A business plan is a document containing information about a proposed firm, its goals and the financial projections for it
Contents of a business plan?
- Name(s) of the practitioner
- Name of the firm
- Business Address
- Business Start date
- Type of firm
- Goals of the firm
- Segmentation of the market
- Market competitors
- Capital requirement
- Borrowing requirement
- Security to be provided
- Use of funds
What are CLASSIFICATION AND ORGANIZATION OF LAW FIRMS?
- Small-1-4
- Medium-5-9
- Large-10 and above
Classification of Law firm?
SMALL- 1-4
MEDIUM- 5-9
LARGE- 10 and above fee earners
Criteria for classification of law firms?
CLANS
1. Clients
2. Location
3. Available Facilities
4. Number of lawyers
5. Status of lawyers in the firm
Types of Capital for establishing Law Office?
- Start Up Capital-This is for provision of facilities needed by the firm such as premises, furniture, vehicle,
office machinery, and equipment - Working Capital-This includes funds for recurrent expenditure-Utilities bills, staff salaries and wages
Sources of funds for a Law Firm?
- Personal funds
- Grants
- Loans/Overdraft from financial institutions
- Monies from relatives and friends