This document outlines elements of a 2016 business plan for attorneys, including infrastructure, marketing, and client services. It recommends including information about firm structure and governance, legal services offered, personnel, and financial management. For marketing, it suggests developing a plan based on opportunities and competition in the current market. The document provides tips for finding time to focus on business aspects while practicing law, such as implementing written policies and monitoring staff.

1. “2016 Business Plan
for Attorneys”
PRESENTED BY:
THOMAS J. FOLEY, ESQ. AND GARY PORT, ESQ.

2. SELECTED ELEMENTS OF A BUSINESS PLAN
 ELEMENT 1: WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU DO

3. ELEMENT 2 OF YOUR
BUSINESS PLAN
 INFASTRUCTURE
 Structure and Governance of your firm, if applicable
 Legal Services Offered
 Administrative Management Plan
 Personnel
 Accounting
 Software Systems
 Location and Security
 Insurance Portfolio
 Financial management/review

4. ELEMENT 3 OF YOUR
BUSINESS PLAN
 BUSINESS OF LAW
 Marketing Plan & Strategy
 Acquiring Clients
 Competition
 Website
 Client Service

5. WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU DO

6. YOUR LAW FIRM’S LEGAL IDENTITY
 LEGAL ORGANIZATION-LLP., LLC, etc.
 FIRM DESCRIPTION: The Jones law firm provides
criminal defense legal services to individuals
charged….
 MISSION STATEMENT: At the Jones law firm, we
believe that……

7. MISSION/VISION STATEMENT
IS THERE WHERE YOU WANTED TO BE
THREE YEARS AGO?
WHERE DO YOU WANT TO BE IN THREE
YEARS
IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO MAKE
CHANGES AND ADAPT

8. ELEMENT 2: INFASTRUCTURE

9.  ALL GOOD BUSINESSES MUST HAVE A CLEAR STRUTURE
 INFASTRUCTURE
 Structure and Governance of your firm, if applicable
 Legal Services Offered
 Administrative Management Plan
 Personnel
 Accounting
 Software Systems
 Location and Security
 Insurance Portfolio

10. OFFICE STRUCTURE
 The Jones law firm shall be structured as follows:
 Jones-lead attorney
 Associate
 Per diem
 Attorney/colleague association-coverage
 Write out the job responsibilities
 Goal for 2016-more or less staff

11. Financial/management
review of your firm
 FINANCIAL REVIEW-LAST TWO TO THREE YEARS
 FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS-IF MAINTAIN STATUS
QUO
 REVENUES BY MONTH FOR THREE YEARS
 BALANCE SHEET
 CASH FLOW STATEMENT

12. Balance being a Business person
with the practice of law

13. BUSINESS OF LAW
 Marketing Plan & Strategy
 Acquiring Clients
 Competition
 Website
 Client Service

14. WHAT IS MY BUSINESS MODEL
 STARTS WITH AN ANALYSIS OF YOUR CURRENT
MARKET
 What is the current business environment?
 Opportunities
 Threats
 Competition
 POSSIBILITY OF OTHER MARKETS

15. HOW TO FIND TIME TO BE A
BUSINESS PERSON AS A LAWYER
 GET A HANDLE ON YOUR PRACTICE!
 TAKES TIME, EFFORT AND PLANNING
 NEED TO HAVE WRITTEN POLICIES AND
PROCEDURES IN PLACE
 NEED TO SPEND TIME EDUCATING STAFF,
MEETING WITH STAFF AND MONITORING
STAFF

16. CASE SELECTION
 Case screening process-written initial intake
 Mechanism for immediate response
 Educating client-prepare client. You may not
make every court appearance!
 Fire the difficult client

17. MANAGING STAFF
 ASSIGNMENT OF TASKS AND TRACKING
 How to utilize staff
 Everything you do (almost) can be templated. Need
to live by this philosophy and plan.
 Training staff is key
 How to monitor progress-Case management
software/spreadsheet

18. MARKETING
 HOW DO YOU MARKET YOURSELF?
 WHAT ARE YOUR SPECIFIC CAPABILITIES
 PERSONAL NETWORKING
 I will do three networking events per week.
 MARKETING-CONTENT
 I will post weekly video blogs;
 I will draft weekly blog content;
 newsletters;
 All new contacts will be tracked

19. Great Web Resources
 http://apps.americanbar.org/lpm/lpt/articles/fi
n07071.shtml
 http://www.nycbar.org/small-law-firm-
center/slf-resources/764-writing-a-business-
plan