The Gazette 1994

48 / 432

GAZETTE
cheque and cheque stub or counterpart.
Install a house rule "no reference, no
cheque". Allow no cheques to be issued
in anticipation of payment or transfer
from another matter, "no money, no
cheque". Insist on the bank returning
your paid cheques, without charge.-
Don't allow chargeable expenditure to
be swallowed in the nominal ledger.
Don't post office cheques to client
account or vice versa; you'll either lose
money or be struck off the roll . . .
or both!
Index bills furnished by means of a
card-index or computer listing. Take
them out regularly and send
reminders. If you are not paid, get
nasty, . . . sue.
Preparing a budget is not as difficult
as it sounds. Once you start, it is easy
to keep up. This can be modelled
manually or on a computer using a
spreadsheet. Some computerised
accounts systems include this option
as an integrated part.
When you set budgets you have to
consider office costs in every area e.g.
salaries, phones, insurance, heating
etc. You will be shocked when you
realise the constant increase in these
costs as related to your income
whether recovered or charged. A
solicitor who obliges himself to set his
budgets for the year will be more
likely to charge his clients
realistically. For further details, see
Professional Management of a
Solicitors Practice Andrews & Purton
(Longman).
8. Delegation/Structure. Who
Does What?
Lawyers must delegate. This needs a
system. Decide who delegates what
and to whom, and stick to it. Don't
allow poaching or hoarding, for any
reason (it's surprising how many
clients survive despite the death of
their solicitors). If you delegate, keep
an eye on the work. Have meetings
about it; ensure that it gets done.
Track the work using a reporting
system that obliges the delegate to
report progress (or lack of it). This
requires a system to be put in place.
Whether it is a list on the back of an
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1994
envelope or a diary based computer
system, it is important that the rules of
delegation be followed carefully.
Delegation implies a structure or
profile for the legal firm. The legal
firm will benefit from a system
whereby the roles of every member of
the firm are spelled out. Prepare an
office manual. If you don't want to
write one from scratch, a sample
Office Manual is available in book or
computer disk from the Law Society
of England and Wales (Contact
Cillian MacDomhnaill, Practice .
Management Committee, Law
Society, Dublin).
9. Time Recording
Time recording is used as an internal
method of assessing better ways to do
work and can assist in preparing bills
for clients. It requires commitment to
implement it successfully.
A computer is not necessary for this
purpose but, if you wish to run such a
system profitably over a number of
members of staff, it is not feasible to
carry out time recording without a
computer system.
Manual time recording is available
from Safeguard or alternatively is
described in a publication known as
The Expense of Time (available from
the English Law Society). If you
take the trouble and time now to
install a time recording method you
will be in a position to benefit in the
future if time costing becomes
the norm.
10. Computers, "The Lies"
What about computers? Some firms
thought that they would cure all ills
and make pots of money by
computerising. No ills were cured,
new ills caused, offices in turmoil and
nobody made any money (except the
computer companies). The cause? . . .
solicitors know as little about
computers as computer companies
know about solicitors' offices.
A computer system will give you
word processing, access to precedents
quickly, the ability to list clients,
wills, deeds, closed files, accounts and
record time . . . provided it is handled
properly. The writer has heard more
nonsense talked about computers than
any other subject, particularly by
lawyers. Computers are not easy to
deal with (no matter what the
salesman says); they won't run your
office; they won't get you out of a
mess and they do break down, usually
at the wrong time.
But, if you want to introduce system
and method to your practice,
computers are the only real answer.
Computer suppliers to the legal
profession are set out in the
Technology Handbook of the Law
Society Technology Committee,
available (free) on request to
Veronica Donnelly at the Law
Society. •
•Frank Lanigan, Solicitor, is a
member of the Practice Management
Committee of the Law Society.
'Royal College of
f Surgeons in Ireland
ALEGACYORDONATION
in favour of
The Royal College of Surgeons
in Ireland
contributes to medical education and
training and important research.
Please think of us!
For further details contact:
The Registrar,
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland,
123 St. Stephen's Green,
Dublin 2.
Tel: (01) 4780200
Charity No. CHY 1277
English Agents: Agency work
undertaken for Irish solicitors in
both litigation and non-contentious
matters - including legal aid. Fearon
& Co., Solicitors, Westminster
House, 12 The Broadway, Woking,
Surrey GU21 5AU.
Tel:
Fax: .
24