UPDATE: This seminar occurred in the past, and the seminar materials are now available.
• LESA Library subscribers can already access course materials through the LESA Library.
• Alternatively you can purchase course materials a la carte (search grow your business).
• You can also view the list of upcoming seminars to discover live programs that are available now.
Have you heard about LESA’s upcoming program – The Business of Law?
Every law practice is a business. Whether you are just starting out on your own, building a partnership, or looking for tips and tricks to take your practice to the next level, this program will help you gain skills and knowledge to manage your business effectively.
As seminar chair and Law Society of Alberta Equity Obudsperson and Practice Advisor Jocelyn Frazer puts it, “Law school doesn’t teach people how to run a business, and so often the success of practice is impacted by the effectiveness of the business side of things.”
With this realization in mind, LESA, Frazer, and the seminar faculty, have put together this seminar to address the following topics:
- Accounting
- Business Plans
- Client Development & Marketing
- Ethics & Professionalism
- Finance & Cash Flow
- Office Set Up (organizing your business)
- Time Management
For Frazer, the goal of the seminar is to address “some of the key business elements that go into running an effective, efficient, profitable practice.”
Frazer emphasized that, rather than providing substantive legal updates, this program focuses on the technical and practical aspects of running a business, including:
- Working on and understanding your balance sheet
- Looking at the detailed aspects you can gain from your records
- Working with and motivating your staff
- Strategic approaches to building your practice and managing your clients.
All of the topics addressed in this seminar provide opportunities for practitioners to move their practice (as a business) to the next level.
Of all these opportunities, Frazer identified “business planning, the financial aspects of creating a business plan, understanding your financial records and reports, and structuring your business to maximize tax advantages” as probably being the most exciting topics of discussion and areas for growth.
Whichever of these topics you find most exciting, you’re bound to takeaway practical pointers to help you grow your business. We asked Frazer what the main takeaways from this seminar will be for participants. Here’s what she said:
They’ll be able to take away, at the very least, a couple of key takeaways or systems that can be implemented right away to make their practice more effective: whether it’s how to understand the balance sheet or a business plan, how you can take your finances to the next level, how you can better organize the resources that you are currently dedicating to your practice to get maximum output or return on investment, ways to implement systems to guard against risk or exposure, or making sure that your ethical obligations are met.”
As Frazer explains, “anybody who’s responsible for implementing the systems and operational strategies of a law firm will find this seminar useful.” Maybe you’re a sole practitioner, small firm lawyer, managing partner, or someone else who has input into operational decisions at your firm.
Whatever you’re role, we’re looking forward to seeing you at this seminar.
And by attending you’ll get a chance to hear from these incredible speakers, who are joining Frazer on the panel for this program:
Frank C. DeAngelis QC
Loreen Austin
David J. Bilinksy
Nancy M. Carruthers
Leanne S. Cherry
Sander van der Wissel
If you haven’t already registered, you can head to our website and save your seat in no time at all. Registration is open for Edmonton (April 8) or Calgary (April 9).
