Hanging Your Shingle
August 2010
Hanging Your Shingle
Program Highlights
This comprehensive program gives you a step-by-step guide for opening your own law firm:
- Keynote Presentation: Choosing to Go Solo
- Setting up Your Office
- Choice of Entity
- Practice Management
- Bookkeeping, Record Keeping and Billing
- Managing Your Malpractice Exposure
- Practical Application of the Rules of Professional Conduct
- Marketing and Business Development
- Developing a Business Plan
- From the Trenches: A Panel Presentation
And more tech this year than ever!
- Technology: Your First Partner
- Technology 2.0: New Opportunities
- Ethics of Technology
Program Description
Opening your own law firm can be the most rewarding and most challenging endeavor you'll encounter in your career. So why go it alone?
Our experienced faculty is made up of attorneys and professionals who have either been in your shoes or who have helped attorneys just like you. They will walk you through the process - from deciding to hang your shingle to actually doing it - with valuable ethics lessons and precautions all along the way.
This will be a popular program and attendance is limited. Register today!
Agenda
Thursday, August 19th
8:30 - 9:00 am
Registration
9:00 - 10:00 am
Keynote Presentation: Choosing to Go Solo
K. William Gibson, Esq.
Former Chair, ABA Law Practice Management Section
Clackamas, OR
10:00 - 10:15 am
Networking Break
10:15 - 11:15 am
Setting up Your Office
- Temporary and Contract Positions
- Office Sharing
- Home Offices
- Space, Staffing and Technological Considerations
- Use of Common Resources
- Financial and Lease Agreements
- Ethics Issues and Ethics Opinion No. 89
- Confidentiality and Client Considerations
- Avoiding the Involuntary Partner
Robert V. Aghazarian, Esq.
The Law Offices of Robert V. Aghazarian, PC
Denver, O
11:15 am - 12:15 pm
Choice of Entity
- Options and Alternatives
- Why It Matters
- Tax Considerations
- Advantages and Obligations
- CRCP 265 - Professional Service Companies
- CRCP 5.4 - Professional Independence of a Lawyer
- Partnership and Operating Agreements
Robert Keatinge, Esq.
Holland & Hart, LLP
Denver, CO
12:15 - 1:30 pm
Lunch and Q&A with K. William Gibson, Esq.
1:30 - 2:45 pm
Practice Management
- File Setup, Review, Diligence
- Fee Agreements and Engagement Letters
- Client Interviews
- Scope and Objective of Representation, Unbundled Tasks
- Informed Consent
- Working with Legal and Non-Legal Support Staff
- Diaries, Calendars, Tickling, Backup
- Managing Your Time
- Bank Accounts and Ledger Systems
- Alleviating Clients' Confidentiality Concerns
- Billing Discipline
Reba Nance, Director of Law Practice Management
Colorado Bar Association
Denver, CO
2:45 - 3:00 pm
Networking Break
3:00 - 4:15 pm
Bookkeeping, Record Keeping and Billing
- Maintaining Your Checking Accounts - Trust v. Office
- Keeping a Check and Client Ledger
- Understanding a Balance Sheet and Income Statement
- Reports You Will Need to Prepare
- Am I Making Money Yet?
- Optimizing the Billing and Collection Cycle
- Outsourcing with a Bookkeeper or Accountant
- Meeting Trust Account Requirements (Including COLTAF) and Recording Activity
- Credit Cards
- Keeping Track of Your Time
- Bills and Billing
- Account Reconciliation
Steve Libhart, Independent Accountant
Denver, CO
4:15 pm
Adjourn to Reception at the Warwick Hotel
Sponsored by CBA Solo/Small Firm Section
Friday, August 20th
8:30 am
Registration Open
9:00 - 10:15 am
Managing Your Malpractice Exposure
- Malpractice Insurance
- CRCP 1.7 - Recognizing and Avoiding Conflicts of Interest
- CRCP 1.5 - How to Accept or Reject a Client
- CRCP 1.2 - Scope of Engagement and Identifying the Client
- Ways to Limit Your Liability
- Ethically Networking
- Asking for Help - Don't Dabble
- CRCP 1.0 - Client Consent
- Rules 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 1.7 - 10, 1.16, 1.18, 7.1 - 5
David Graf, Esq.
Moeller Graf, PC
Englewood, CO
John M. Palmeri, Esq.
Gordon & Rees
Denver, CO
10:15 - 11:05 am
Practical Application of the Rules of Professional Conduct
David C. Little, Esq.
Montgomery, Little & Soran, PC
Greenwood Village, CO
11:05 - 11:20 am
Networking Break
11:20 am - 12:45 pm
Marketing and Business Development
- Identify Your Obstacles
- Clarity of Purpose
- Confidence in the Value You Offer
- Comfort with how You Sell
- Control the Process
Larry Kohn, Founder and President
Kohn Communications
Los Angeles, CA
12:45 - 1:45 pm
Lunch (Provided): CBA Resources
Reba Nance, Director of Law Practice Management
Colorado Bar Association
Denver, CO
1:45 - 3:00 pm
Developing a Business Plan
- Importance of Having a Plan
- Advantages of a Business Plan
- Advantages of Budgeting
- Financing the Start-Up Period
- Tax Considerations
- Evaluating Costs of Doing Business
- Death and Taxes
- Being and Employer and Employment Controls
- Setting Billing Rates and Billing
- Monitoring the Evolving Plan
Ron Seigneur, CPA/ABV/CFF, ASA
Seigneur Gustafson LLP
Lakewood, CO
3:00 - 4:30 pm
From the Trenches: A Panel Presentation
- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
- What We Wish We Had Known
- Separating the Good Advice from the Bad
- C.R.C.P. 3.4, 4.1 - 5
- Questions?
David Graf, Esq.
Moeller Graf PC
Englewood, CO
Marco Chayet, Esq., and Frank Danzo, Esq.
Chayet & Danzo, LLC
Denver, CO
Kelley Southerland, Esq.
Denver, CO
Moderator: David C. Little, Esq.
Montgomery, Little & Soran, PC
Greenwood Village, CO
4:30 pm
Adjourn
Saturday, August 21
9:00 - 10:00 am
Technology: Your First Partner
- What Will You Need and What Does It Cost?
- Defining Your Needs in Relation to Your Skills, Budget, Practice and Firm Size
- Key Hardware and Software for Managing a Successful Practice
- Case Management and Analysis, Timekeeping and Billing
- C.R.C.P. 1.5: Ethical Issues When Billing Your Clients
- E-Filing
- C.R.C.P. 7.1 - 5: Establishing a Web Presence
Phil Shuey, Esq.
Englewood, CO
10:00 - 10:15 am
Networking Break
10:15 - 11:15 am
Technology 2.0: New Opportunities
- Cloud Computing
- A Mobile Practice
- Social Media Applications for Communication and Collegiality
Tomasz Stasiuk, Esq.
The Stasiuk Firm PC
Colorado Springs, CO
Jeff Nitta
Legal-Workspace/BNC Systems
Denver, CO
11:15 - 12:15 pm
Ethics of Technology
Charles F. Luce, Jr., Esq.
Moye|White LLP
Denver, CO
12:15 pm
Adjourn
Faculty
Program Chair:
David C. Little, Esq.
Montgomery, Little & Soran, PC
Greenwood Village, CO
Robert V. Aghazarian, Esq.
The Law Offices of Robert V. Aghazarian, PC
Denver, CO
Marco D. Chayet, Esq.
Chayet & Danzo, LLC
Denver, CO
Frank J. Danzo, III, Esq.
Chayet & Danzo, LLC
Denver, CO
K. William Gibson, Esq.
Former Chair, ABA Law Practice Management Section
Clackamas, OR
David J. Graf, Esq.
Moeller Graf, PC
Englewood, CO
Robert R. Keatinge, Esq.
Holland & Hart, LLP
Denver, CO
Larry Kohn
Founder and President
Kohn Communications
Los Angeles, CA
Steve Libhart
Independent Accountant
Denver, CO
Charles F. Luce, Jr., Esq.
Moye|White, LLP
Denver, CO
Reba Nance
Director of Law Practice Management
Colorado Bar Association
Denver, CO
Jeff Nitta
Legal-Workspace/BNC Systems
Denver, CO
John M. Palmeri, Esq.
Gordon & Rees, LLP
Denver, CO
Ron Seigneur, CPA/ABV/CFF, ASA
Seigneur Gustafson LLP
Lakewood, CO
Phil Shuey, Esq.
Englewood, CO
Kelley Southerland, Esq.
Denver, CO
Tomasz M. Stasiuk, Esq.
The Stasiuk Firm PC
Colorado Springs, CO
Video Replays: September 22 - 24, 2010
Denver: CLE Classroom, 1900 Grant Street, Suite 300
Grand Junction: 1250 East Sherwood Drive
Colorado Springs: 421 South Tejon Street, Suite 100
Location Information
CLECI Large Classroom
1900 Grant Street, Suite 300
Denver, CO 80203
Get directions
1900 Grant Street, Suite 300
Denver, CO 80203
Registration Fees
| Non Member | $329.00 |
| CBA Member | $299.00 |
| Solo/Small Firm Sect | $269.00 |
| $249.00 |
- General Credits: 18.00
- Ethics Credits: 3.50
- EDI Credits:
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