The 5 Things I Wish I Had Known My First Year of Practice Audrey J. Ehrhardt, JD Director, ElderCounsel Office Management October 8, 2014

Audrey J. Ehrhardt, JD Director, ElderCounsel Office Management Direct Telephone: Audrey joined ElderCounsel in 2013 and serves as Director of Office Management. As the Director of Office Management, Audrey wants to bring well-developed, efficient systems to every law office. "Successful law practices are busy places," she states. "I want to help attorneys unlock their ultimate practice potential with efficient, streamlined office management procedures that can increase the productivity and profitability of their law firms.“ Prior to joining ElderCounsel, Audrey was a practicing elder law attorney in Florida and the owner of The Ehrhardt Elder Law Offices, P.A. Audrey’s practice focused on estate planning, probate and trust administration, wealth preservation and asset protection strategies for seniors in need of long-term care options with eligibility for Medicaid and Veteran Affairs programs. One of Audrey’s practice goals was to create a dedicated environment where elders and their loved ones knew a team supported them when making important legal planning decisions. During her career she developed many successful office management procedures focused on both administrative efficiency and the cultivation of a referral based law practice. Audrey received her Bachelor of Arts from Florida State University in 2001 with a major in both Classical Archaeology and History. She received her Juris Doctor from the Florida State University College of Law where she was a member of the mock trial team and was admitted to the Florida Bar in She is an attorney accredited by the Veterans Administration and is a member of National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and the Academy of Florida Elder Law Attorneys. While practicing law, Audrey simultaneously owned a custom cake bakery. In 2012, she moved to Tallahassee with her husband, son and two dogs. 2

Presentation Overview 1.The Business Plan 2.Your Referral Network 3.Administrative Structure 4.Where to Find the Answers 5.The Most Important Thing to Clients

THE 5 THINGS I WISH I HAD KNOWN MY FIRST YEAR OF PRACTICE The Business Plan

Give Yourself Operational Support Explains your law practice –Helps you to understand what you are doing –Creates clarity on what you are not doing Operational Guide for your law practice including: o Short term objectives o Long-range projections and goals

Create Operational Structure Creates a structure for you to follow –Budget and finances –Administrative needs and support –Marketing Set a plan to reach (and exceed) each goal Baseline for practice growth evaluation

Business Plan Nuts and Bolts Executive Summary Practice Area Information or Industry Review Operational Plan Management Summary

Business Plan Nuts and Bolts Financial Plan and Cash Flow Analysis Marketing Plan and Analysis Timelines for Short Term and Long Range Goals Performance Markers of Success

“The single biggest challenge to any organization is the constant cloud of fear and doubt that swirls around the heads of the people involved. As a leader, your job is to hold fast to the big picture, to keep seeing in your mind’s eye, with crystal clarity, where it is you’re going - that place that right at this moment exists only in your mind’s eye. And to keep seeing that, even when nobody else does.” Audrey’s Suggested Reading

THE 5 THINGS I WISH I HAD KNOWN MY FIRST YEAR OF PRACTICE The Referral Network

Before You Start Building Determine your ideal client for your law practice  Who do you want to serve?  What are those clients’ needs?  Short term verses long range  Where do these clients originate?  Specific case features  Such as health, finances, family dynamics Design several “example clients” and work through each case

Identifying Community Professionals Identify the community professional types who serve the same ideal clients –Consider the Referral Network from the perspective of the elder law client Determine who you want to start a working relationship with

Connecting with Community Professionals Design a first interaction Have a one-on-one meeting Learn how you can help the community professional Follow a plan to stay in communication Build a relationship

THE 5 THINGS I WISH I HAD KNOWN MY FIRST YEAR OF PRACTICE Administrative Structure

Understand What You Do in Your Office The Type(s) of Elder Law You Practice Clients You Work With Cases You Take On (and those you don’t) How You Hire a Client –Engagement Agreements –Trust Accounts –Earning Fees

Understand What You Do in Your Office What Steps are Involved in Opening a Case Working on the case from start to finish Timelines Managing Client Expectations Correctly Closing a File

Moving Forward in Practice Growth Where do you need help right now? What parts of your caseload lack efficiency? What keeps you up at night? What will immediately increase profitability? Will an employee release this pressure?

THE 5 THINGS I WISH I HAD KNOWN MY FIRST YEAR OF PRACTICE Where to Find the Answers

Answering Tough Questions You don’t have to know everything Really, you don’t Start with reading the law Make sure you stay current in your field –With federal and state law, admin code, fair hearings, policy changes

Answering Tough Questions Know when to ask for help Find a mentor in your state and outside your state Build relationships with other lawyers who do not practice what you do Be able to hire other lawyers when working on a client’s case

THE 5 THINGS I WISH I HAD KNOWN MY FIRST YEAR OF PRACTICE The Most Important Thing to Clients

Communication “The number one complaint for 2011 was lack of communication. About 10 percent of all complaints in 2011, 197 to be precise, were that a lawyer was not adequately communicating or responding to requests for information about the client’s legal matter.” Oregon State Bar Bar Counsel Complaints About Oregon Lawyers: 2011 Trends from the OSB's Client Assistance Office By Scott Morrill

Communication Returning telephone calls Answering s Setting realistic case timelines Managing client expectations Prepare to handle client crises

Communication Establish boundaries –In letters, in telephone calls, in s Be prompt in meeting deadlines you set Follow your own follow through Be a leader at work

Thank You for Attending Today! Let me know if you have any questions. Audrey J. Ehrhardt, JD ElderCounsel Office Management Director Direct Telephone: LinkedIn: