Law Times

PAGE 12 FOCUS Hot tips for running small firms BY JUDY VAN RHIJN For Law Times K nowing the law does not mean knowing how to run a practice. Many lawyers, especially sole practitio- ners, are neglecting the fi nan- cial side of their businesses, with Exclusive bookkeeping and account main- tenance oversights that would make many non-professionals blush. But there are low-budget, cost-saving measures that can ease the administrative burden of the busy small fi rm lawyer. Donna Neff of Neff Law Of- fi ce Professional Corp. in Ottawa is a sole practitioner who was co- chairwoman of the 4th Annual Solo & Small Firm Conference and Expo which took place earlier this month. In her former careers she has been a teacher and a con- sultant in the hi-tech industry. "When I was starting up as a lawyer I was quite technology Premium Fold Back End Tab File Pocket Why does D&D use rivets on our file pockets? Rivets make the file pocket stronger; the pockets don't tear easily. D&D file pockets last longer, making them a great buy! literate but bookkeeping and ac- counting [were] not my back- ground. I had no staff so I tried to do it all, but you can't. You can't be a lawyer and a bookkeeper." Neff says it's essential for a solo practitioner to acquire proper bookkeeping software so they can handle trust accounts as well. "Some lawyers use Quicken and that's ludicrous." Th ere are also other accounting software pack- ages that don't meet the law soci- etys' minimum requirements. Neff started out using Solo Pro which morphed into PCLaw, a widespread choice in the legal profession. Neff says it's a robust package that does everything you need, but notes the training courses have became expensive and are now only off ered in To- ronto. "By the time you pay for a staff person to get there and stay in a hotel, you're looking at thousands of dollars." Neff has observed that many N Contains 30% recycled, 10% post consumer content. Our D&D file pockets are reddish-brown colour. Stronger tear-resistant Tyvek® material on gusset is superior in durability over traditional cloth. Eyelet reinforcement provides extra strength to tab and gusset. Reinforced end tab allows application of labels. Top tab in right-hand position. Notched tab allows easy retrieval. End tabs fold to store in archive box. To order please quote product code 28506-00 your LAW OFFICE PRODUCTIVITY source For more information contact your D&D Sales Representative, call our Customer Care Team or visit us online dyedurhambasics.ca • 1-888-393-3874 Untitled-6 1 5/12/09 2:31:37 PM C solos limp along trying to fi gure the software out by themselves because they don't have the budget to do the training, but she has found a better solution to the problem. She located a PCLaw Certifi ed Independent Consultant who, for an hour or two a week, sets up a cross-loop (a secure connection between two computers) and trains Neff 's bookkeeper. "It's been a god- send," says Neff . "It's inexpensive because you only pay for what she does. Th e staff er is not out of the offi ce at some training course that glosses over things. She saves up her questions each week and gets them answered." Colleen Cowan of Barrie is a certifi ed general accountant who spends most of her time helping law fi rms in this way. She calls May 25, 2009 • Law TiMes Donna Neff says it's essential to get bookkeeping software to handle trust accounts. this method of training "preven- tative maintenance." "You need a bookkeeper or accountant who is familiar with the legal industry and can spot the problems before they become problems. It is a logical thing to outsource. Many fi rms don't have the resources to engage a legal administrator and lawyers are so busy meeting the clients' all-con- suming needs that they let the fi - nancial side of the business fall to the back burner." She believes that if you buy PCLaw you should build training into the budget. "It is very user friendly but it is worthwhile to fi nd quicker ways of doing things." Another initiative that Neff has Martin's Ontario Criminal Practice, 2010 Edition Tried, Trusted and True introduced is the paperless offi ce. "Going paperless" was a big topic at the recent conference with the law society and LawPRO encour- aging small fi rms to go that way. Neff went paperless in 2006 and believes there are lots of benefi ts. "Th ere was an initial outlay to buy scanners and the Adobe Ac- robat software required to manip- ulate the scanned documents and allow the highlighting and sign- ing that you would do on paper documents. All my staff [has] the software and there are scanners on every desk where someone does a lot of scanning, as well as one large one in a central area. Every- one has two computer monitors because they need more space to work on documents, and moni- tors are so inexpensive now." To set off that initial outlay, Analysis and commentary from renowned authors you won't find elsewhere Martin's Ontario Criminal Practice offers the most current and authoritative explanation of the rules of practice in Ontario's criminal justice system. Part of the respected series of annual publications, Martin's Ontario Criminal Practice, 2010 Edition reflects the excellence of the Martin's brand. The latest edition includes: • Criminal Appeal Rules • Criminal Proceedings Rules of the Superior Court of Justice (annotated) • Rules of the Ontario Court of Justice in Criminal Proceedings (annotated) • (relevant sections and regulations, annotated) • regulations governing appeals under the Value added features: • expanded case law, current to March 15, 2009 • Ontario Review Board Rules of Procedure • an updated list of courts, agencies and ministries organized by region • concordance with cross-referencing to the former rules followed by the Administrative Guidelines of the Ontario Court of Appeal • forms on CD-ROM … and more ORDER your copy today Hardbound • Published July each year • 1,086 pp. Standing order $92 • P/C 06540140000 Current edition only $97 • P/C 0654010999 • ISSN 1188-9640 there are cost savings down the track. "When we close a fi le there is no paper stored," says Neff . "It is so much more effi - cient. We no longer spend eons searching for a document. We save on storage costs and on pa- per because we don't print." Neff says that the initiative al- lowed her to eliminate one staff position. "I tell prospective sole practitioners that the single big- gest expense is salaries. Th is can also make staff more eff ective and better value for money." Neff 's senior law clerk, a former lawyer who started a family, works 100 per cent from home. "She can do that because absolutely everything is scanned the minute it comes in the door. We have a naming system and we send documents around amongst the staff ." Cowan adds the warning For a 30-day, no-risk evaluation call: 1.800.263.2037 Canada Law Book is a Division of The Cartwright Group Ltd. Prices subject to change without notice, to applicable taxes and shipping & handling. www.lawtimesnews.com Martins Ontario 2010 (LT 1-3x4).indd 1 5/20/09 3:32:05 PM LT0525 that for tax purposes, some pa- per has to be kept, but with that limitation, it is an exciting and eff ective venture for a small fi rm to undertake. LT Edward L. Greenspan, Q.C. and ith annotations by W The Honourable Justice Marc Rosenberg Provincial Offences Act Provincial Offences Act N a G R ' E E F a L R i D I E o D n Y p & D m A a P d a P n R y O V E r D e W e a C n

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• Students In Good Shape
• The Dirty 30s
• Focus On Running Your Practice