Successfully Launching and Running Your Own Practice: The Essential Guide - Webinar
For more than 20 years, the Hanging Your Shingle program has helped Colorado attorneys launch their own law practices. Whether you are dreaming of starting a firm or are looking for ways to improve your own practice, this three-day workshop will provide you with the proven business strategies and checklists you need to succeed. Don’t put it off for another year — now is the time to make your small firm a reality!
- Your Day One checklist
- Business plans: your key to success
- Accounting, banking, and insurance: how to find the best partners for your firm
If disability accommodations or special assistance are needed, please contact us at [email protected]. Requests must be made at least two weeks prior to the scheduled program.
The program will be submitted for CLE accreditation in Colorado. If you need to seek accreditation in another state, please review the process and requirements for that individual state. CBA-CLE staff can provide a Uniform Certificate of Attendance, and it is the attendee’s responsibility to complete the accreditation outside of Colorado.
The home study will be available approximately 2-3 weeks following the live program.
THANK YOU TO OUR 2021 SPONSORS!
ABA Retirement Funds
Discovery Genie
Eide Bailly LLP
JAMS
J.S. Held
LawBank
LawPay
MDD Forensic Accountants
The Colorado Bar Insurance Program
Thomson Reuters
Wednesday, July 21, 2021
Getting Started
8:30 am
Welcome and Introduction
Extended by Christopher B. Little, Esq., Montgomery Little & Soran, PC, and Gerald Pratt, Esq., Law Office of Gerald D. Pratt, P.C., Program Co-Chairs
8:40 – 9:15 am
Launching in a Sea of Change: What You Need to Know for the Next Five Years
Presented by Jeff Joseph, Esq., Joseph and Hall, P.C., and Kirby Joseph, Esq., Joseph and Hall, P.C. and Strategy4Success
9:15 – 10:40 am
Day One on Your Own: Getting Started
- Let the World Know You’re a Lawyer
- Open Your Office
- Office Equipment
- Open a Bank Account
- Open a Trust Account
- Join the Bar
- Get Business Cards
- Create Your Website
- Client Intake
- Scope and Objective of Representation, Unbundled Legal Services
- Fee Agreements and Engagement Letters
- Informed Consent
- File Setup, Review, Diligence
- Working with Legal and Non-Legal Support Staff
- Diaries, Calendars, Tickling, Backup
- Managing Your Time
- Bank Accounts and Ledger Systems
- Client Confidentiality
- Billing Discipline
- How to Run a Conflict Check
Presented by Kirby Joseph, Esq., Joseph and Hall, P.C., and Strategy4Success; and April McMurrey, Esq., Deputy Regulation Counsel, Colorado Supreme Court Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel
Submitted for 0.5 Ethics Credits
10:40 – 10:50 am
Stretch Break
10:50 – 11:40 am
The Importance of Business Plans
Presented by Arnulfo Hernandez, Esq. and Christine Hernandez, Esq., Hernandez and Associates, P.C.
11:40 – 11:55 am
Modern Law: How to Change Your Life in 15 Minutes
Presented by Erika Holmes, Esq., EL Holmes Legal Solutions, LLC
11:55 am – 1:00 pm
Lunch Break
1:00 – 1:50 pm
Accounting and Financial Controls Part I
- 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 an Employer and Employment Controls
- Setting Billing Rates and Billing
- Monitoring the Evolving Plan
Presented by Ronald Seigneur, CPA/ABV/CFF, ASA, CVA, CGMA, Seigneur Gustafson LLP, Lakewood, CO
1:50 – 2:40 pm
Accounting and Financial Controls Part II
- Trust vs. Operating: Account Reconciliations
- Billing and Maintaining Your Accounts Receivable
- Optimizing the Billing and Collection Cycle
- Accounts Payable: Recording, Keeping, Maintaining, and IRS Requirements
- Cash vs. Accrual Accounting Methods
- Monthly Reports: Billable Hours, Accounts Receivable, and Projections
- Understanding How to Read a Financial Statement
- Year-End Tasks and Responsibilities
Presented by Steve Libhart, Managing Member, Numbers Matter LLC, Denver, CO
2:40 – 2:50 pm
Break
2:50 – 3:40 pm
Choice of Entity When Forming a Business: Options; Tax Considerations; Partnership and Operating Agreements
Presented by Teresa Casillas, Esq., Law Office of Teresa M. Casillas LLC, Denver, CO
3:40 – 4:30 pm
COLTAF Accounts
Presented by Gregory Sapakoff, Esq., Deputy Regulation Counsel, Colorado Supreme Court Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel, Denver, CO
Submitted for 1 Ethics Credit
4:30 pm
Adjourn
Thursday, July 22, 2021
Running Your Business: Technology and Business Development
8:30 – 9:20 am
Technology: Your Key Partner
- What Will You Need, What Does It Cost, and ROI?
- Defining Your Needs in Relation to Your Skills, Budget, Practice, and Firm Size
- Planning for Today – A Look at the Technology Trends
- Key Hardware and Software for Managing a Successful Practice, Including When to Use Smartphones, Tablets, Hybrids, and Notebook Computers
- Is the Cloud Just for Rainy Days?
- Dealing with the Software Merry-Go-Round
- Selecting Case Management and Analysis, Timekeeping, and Billing Software
- CRPC 1.5: Ethical Issues When Billing
- CRPC 7.1 – 5: Establishing a Web Presence
- CRPC 7.1 – 7.5: Practicing Ethically in a Digital World
- Do’s and Don’ts of Dealing with Metadata: CBA Ethics Opinion 119
- Client and Firm Privacy: Cybersecurity
Presented by Phil Shuey, Esq., Phil J. Shuey, PC, Greenwood Village, CO
Submitted for 0.3 Ethics Credits
9:20 – 10:10 am
Modern Networking: What the Future Holds for the Post-Pandemic World
Before the pandemic, the thought of networking made most lawyers’ eyes roll. Now that we have entered a virtual world, lawyers just want to squeeze them shut and pretend it’s no longer necessary! This panel of practitioners and networking gurus will show that modern networking is possible ‒with a slight shift in mindset and a few new tools.
Presented by Joshua Fitch, Esq., Troxel Fitch, LLC; Laurie Gilberston, Esq., Legal Entrepreneurs for Justice; Erika Holmes, Esq., EL Holmes Legal Solutions, LLC; and Karen Masciulli, Esq., Director of Legal Talent, Office of the Colorado Attorney General
10:10 – 10:20 am
Stretch Break
10:20 – 11:00 am
Successfully Marketing & Growing Your Firm
Presented by Meranda Vieyra, NimbusMark
Not submitted for CLE Credit
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
The Importance of Social Media in Your Practice: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Blogs
Presented by Dustin Ruge, Southwest Regional Manager, Thomson Reuters, Scottsdale, AZ
Not submitted for CLE Credit
12:00 - 12:10 pm
Sponsor Remarks- A Word From Thomson Reuters
12:10 – 1:20 pm
Lunch Break
1:20 – 2:10 pm
Ethics of Social Media
- What Exactly IS Social Media?
- Confidentiality, Competency, and the Cloud
- Marketing Through Social Media
- Really Dumb Things Lawyers (and Judges) Do on Social Media
- Online Attorney Referral Services
Presented by Charles Luce, Esq., Moye White LLP, Denver, CO
Submitted for 1 Ethics Credit
2:10 – 3:00 pm
Practical Applications of the Rules of Professional Conduct
Presented by Christopher B. Little, Esq., Montgomery Little & Soran, PC, Greenwood Village, CO
Submitted for 1 Ethics Credit
3:00 – 3:15 pm
Colorado Lawyer Assistance Program (COLAP): What It Is and How It Can Help You
Presented by Amy Kingery, MBA, LCSW, LAC, Colorado Lawyer Assistance Program
3:15 – 3:30 pm
Stretch Break
3:30 – 5:00pm
From the Trenches: A Panel Presentation of Practical Advice and Traps to Avoid
- Solo vs. Small: Things to Consider
- How to Differentiate Your Law Firm
- Deciding Which Cases to Take
- Finances: Start-up Funds, Setting Your Rates, and Advertising
- Work-Life Integration: How Do You Do It?
Presented by Christina Brown, Esq., The Law Office of Christina Brown, LLC, Denver, CO; Erika A. Gebhardt, Esq., GEM Family Law, LLC, Denver, CO; David Ratner, Esq., Creative Law Network, LLC, Denver, CO; Jay M. Tiftickjian, Esq., Tiftickjian Law Firm, P.C. Denver, CO; Moderated by Danaé Woody, Esq., Woody Law LLC, Denver, CO
5:00pm
Adjourn
Friday, July 23
Using Your Resources, Avoiding Malpractice, And Taking Your First Step
9:00 – 9:50 am
Managing Your Malpractice Exposure
- Attorney/Client Relationship
- Identifying the Client
- Duties to Clients and Non-Clients
- Avoiding or Limiting Liability
- Malpractice Exposures
- Risk Management
Presented by John Palmeri, Esq., Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP, Denver, CO
Submitted for 1 Ethics Credit
9:50 – 10:05 am
The Importance of Finding a Mentor and What CAMP Has to Offer
Presented by Ryann Peyton, Esq., Colorado Attorney Mentoring Program (CAMP), Denver, CO
10:05 – 10:15 am
Stretch Break
10:15 – 11:05 am
Malpractice Insurance, Including Cyber Insurance A Very Unique Kind of Coverage
Presented by Sara Van Deusen, Esq., Wheeler Trigg O'Donnell LLP, Denver, CO
Submitted for 1 Ethics Credit
11:05 – 11:15 am
A Word from the CBA Lawyer’s Professional Liability Committee
Presented by Gerald Pratt, Esq., Law Office of Gerald D. Pratt, P.C., Greenwood Village, CO
11:15-11:25
Sponsor Remarks- A Word from JAMS
11:25 am – 12:25 pm
Professionalism In Your Practice
Presented by Honorable John Leopold (ret.), JAMS, Denver, CO
Submitted for 0.5 Ethics Credit
12:30 pm
Adjourn
Registration Fees
| Sponsor Staff | $779.00 |
| Non Member | $779.00 |
| CBA Member | $584.00 |
| CBA Solo Small Firm Section Member | $479.00 |
| Paralegal/Legal Support Staff | $292.00 |
| Active Military | $292.00 |
| Public Service/Government | $292.00 |
| New Lawyers Edge Pass Holder | $292.00 |
| Student Currently Enrolled in Law School | $0.00 |
| CLE Elite Pass Holder | $0.00 |
- General Credits: 18.00
- Ethics Credits: 6.80
- EDI Credits:
To join the CBA or add a Section to your membership click
Sponsor Information
- Communicating with clients about challenges and changed circumstances
- Setting boundaries with your clients
- Avoiding scope creep
- Top-of-mind technology and security concerns
- Ethics rules to keep in mind for each