Here are the class materials for Elon University School of Law’s Law Firm Management class:
Adjunct Faculty Contact Information:
Damon Duncan’s Contact Information
Miscellaneous Documents:
2014 Law Firm Management Syllabus
Mastering the Informational Interview
Class Schedule & Reading Assignments
Day #1 – Monday, January 6, 2014
Reading Assignment:
Skim Chapters 1 and 8 of the North Carolina Small Law Office Resource Manual (Law Firm Organization & Risk Management)
|
Time |
Topic |
Speaker |
| 5:30 – 5:40 PM | Introductions / Expectations | Damon Duncan, Duncan Law, LLP |
| 5:40 – 6:00 PM | General Practice v. Niche | Afi Johnson-Parris |
| 6:00 – 7:00 PM | Ethical Pitfalls for New Lawyers | Camille Stell & Troy Crawford, NC Lawyers Mutual |
| 7:00 – 7:10 PM | Break | N/A |
| 7:10 – 8:00 PM | Choosing the Right Business Entity | Keith Wood, Carruthers & Roth, P.A. |
| 8:00 – 8:30 PM | Business Basics | Matt Logan, Matt Logan, Inc. |
| 8:30 – 8:40 PM | Break | N/A |
| 8:40 – 9:15 PM | Finding the Right Location for Your Office | Damon Duncan |
| 9:15 – 9:30 PM | Discussion of Final Project | Damon Duncan |
Day #2 – Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Reading Assignment:
Chapter 9, Financial Peace for Business: Bulletproof Principles for Money, Debt, and Funding Your Future; EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey
Skim Chapter 3 of the North Carolina Small Law Office Resource Manual (Finances)
|
Time |
Topic |
Speaker |
| 5:30 – 6:15 PM | The Basics of Client Trust Accounts | Peter Bolac, NC State Bar |
| 6:15 – 7:00 PM | How to Get Hired (and Fired) by Law Firms & Legal Organizations | Brian Pearce, Nexsen Pruet |
| 7:00 – 7:10 PM | Break | N/A |
| 7:10 – 8:00 PM | Budgeting & Planning for Success | Damon Duncan |
| 8:00 – 8:50 PM | Young Lawyer Panel Discussion | New Lawyer Panel: Steve Russell (Turning Point Litigation), Stephen Shaw (Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, LLP), Abigail Peoples (Connors Morgan, PLLC) |
| 8:50 – 9:00 PM | Break | N/A |
| 9:00 – 9:30 PM | Project Group Work | N/A |
Day #3 – Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Reading Assignment:
Chapter 2, The 10,000-Hour Rule; Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell
Skim Chapters 9 of the North Carolina Small Law Office Resource Manual (Client Development)
|
Time |
Topic |
Speaker |
| 5:30 – 6:30 PM | 15 Tips for Navigating Your Legal Career | Lee Rosen, Rosen Law Firm & Erik Mazzone, NCBA Center for Practice Management |
| 6:30 – 7:30 PM | Lessons from Those Who Have Reached the Mountain Top | Janet Ward Black (Ward Black Law), Vance Barron (Barron & Barry, LLP), Locke Clifford (Clifford Clendenin & O’Hale, LLP) |
| 7:30– 7:40 PM | Break | N/A |
| 7:40 – 8:30 PM | Marketing Your Law Practice | Gyi Tsakalakis, AttorneySync |
| 8:30 – 8:40 PM | Break | N/A |
| 8:40 – 9:30 PM | Practical Marketing for a New Attorney | Damon Duncan |
Day #4 – Thursday, January 9, 2014
Everyone is required to attend the final class period. During this time, there will be a maximum of 11 final presentations. Each presentation should last for about 20 minutes.
You may choose to work alone or you may work with one other student for your final presentation. Each presentation will have five basic elements:
- Business Plan (and from a Lendor’s Perspective)
- First Year Budget (and another perspective)
- Marketing Plan
- Business Development (Networking & Referral) Plan
- One Page Informational Interview Summary
One Page Informational Interview Summary – Each student must interview an attorney practicing in a firm or practice area similar to where they want to practice. The goal of this interview is to get a first hand perspective of what it takes to be a successful attorney. Each student should write a one page, singe spaced, summary of his or her interview. The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the information gained from this informational interview.
Other Helpful Presentations & Documents (Added as Discovered):
Do People Really Use the Internet to Find Lawyers?
