Successfully Launching and Running Your Own Practice
August 2019
Successfully Launching and Running Your Own Practice: The Essential Guide 19th Annual Program!
(Formerly Hanging Your Shingle)
Sponsored by the Lawyers Professional Liability Committee and the Solo/Small Firm Section of the Colorado Bar Association
Program Description:
In August the kids are all heading back to school, but what about you?
Are you ready to hit the books and learn how to start and run your own firm? For the 19th year, this CBA/CLE program is here to help you “hang your shingle.”
This intensive course, packed with practical advice, tools, and information, will put you and your firm in a class of its own.
Did you just decide to go out on your own? Have you been building your firm for a few years? Have you been running a practice for years, but are looking to modernize? This program is for you! REGISTER TODAY.
After attending, past participants valued their experience—
“One of the most useful [Seminars] I have ever attended in my 24 years in law.”
“Practical accounting, marketing, and tech advice.”
“Thorough, comprehensive, and detailed approach.”
“The speakers weren’t just knowledgeable and engaging, but [they] also seemed genuinely interested in helping the program participants.”
“This is truly fantastic!”
“Exactly what I was looking for.”
Program Highlights:
GETTING STARTED
- Professionalism in Your Practice
- Day One on Your Own: Getting Started
- The Importance of Business Plans
- What Does a Bank Want to See Before It Loans Money or Extends a Line of Credit?
- Choice of Entity Options When Forming a Business:
- Accounting and Financial Controls Part I and Part II
- COLTAF Accounts
RUNNING YOUR BUSINESS: TECHNOLOGY AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
- Technology: Your Key Partner
- Cybersecurity and Cyberliability
- Successfully Marketing and Growing Your Firm
- The Importance of Social Media in Your Practice
- Ethics of Social Media
- Practical Applications of the Rules of Professional Conduct
- Colorado Lawyer Assistance Program (COLAP): What It Is and How It Can Help You
- From the Trenches: A Panel Presentation of Practical Advice and Traps to Avoid
SOCIAL MEDIA, CYBERSECURITY AND TAKING YOUR FIRST STEP
- Managing Your Malpractice Exposure
- Malpractice Insurance, Including Cyber Insurance
- The Resilient Attorney: Having the Confidence to Start and Run Your Firm
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR 2019 SPONSORS!
Sponsorship opportunities are still available! Please contact Melissa Higham at [email protected] for more information.
Agenda:
THURSDAY, AUGUST 8
GETTING STARTED
8:00 am
Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:25 am
Welcome and Introduction
Extended by David Little, Esq., and Gerald Pratt, Esq., Program Co-Chairs
8:30 – 9:10 am
Professionalism in Your Practice
Presented by Honorable John Leopold (ret.), JAMS, Denver, CO
9:10 – 9:15 am
The “New Law Firm” Checklist: How to Use It
Presented by Gerald Pratt, Esq., Law Office of Gerald D. Pratt, P.C., Greenwood Village, CO
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., Strategy4Success, Aurora, CO, and April McMurrey, Esq., Deputy Regulation Counsel, Colorado Supreme Court Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel, Denver, CO
10:40 – 10:50 am
Networking Break
10:50 – 11:40 am
The Importance of Business Plans
Presented by Qusair Mohamedbhai, Esq., Rathod | Mohamedbhai LLC, Denver, CO
11:40 – 11:55 am
What Does a Bank Want to See Before It Loans Money or Extends a Line of Credit?
Presented by John Patterson, Private Wealth Banking Manager, BOK Financial, Denver, CO
11:55 am – 1:00 pm
Lunch Break (On Your Own)
1:00 – 1:50 pm
Choice of Entity When Forming a Business:Options; Tax Considerations; Partnership and Operating Agreements
Presented by Teresa Casillas, Esq., Fortis Law Partners LLC, Denver, CO
1:50 – 2:40 pm
Accounting and Financial Controls Part I
- 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
Networking Break
2:50 – 3:40 pm
Accounting and Financial Controls Part II
- 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
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
4:30 pm
Adjourn to Networking Happy Hour
Sponsored by the CBA Solo-Small Firm Section
FRIDAY, AUGUST 9
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
9:20 – 10:10 am
Cybersecurity and the Law: How Cybersecurity and IT Compliance Apply to Legal Practice
- Why Cybersecurity Management is Increasingly Important
- Requirements and Regulations Regarding Cybersecurity
- How an ISMS Helps Manage Information Security Risk
- CRPC 1.1, 1.4, and 1.6, ABA MRPC 1.1, 1.4, 1.6, 5.1, and 5.3, and ABA Formal Opinion 477
Presented by Preston Bukaty, Esq., GRC Consultant, IT Governance, Ltd., Denver, CO
10:10 – 10:20 am
Networking Break
10:20 – 11:00 am
Successfully Marketing & Growing Your Firm
Presented by Vanessa Shaw, The Business Growth Academy, Scottsdale, AZ
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
12:00 – 1:20 pm
Networking Lunch (Box Lunch Included in Your Tuition)
Headshot Photos for Classroom Attendees
Sponsored by Roka Studios
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
2:10 – 3:00 pm
Practical Applications of the Rules of Professional Conduct
Presented by David Little, Esq., Montgomery Little & Soran, PC, Greenwood Village, CO
3:00 – 3:15 pm
Colorado Lawyer Assistance Program (COLAP): What It Is and How It Can Help You
Presented by Chip Glaze, JD, LMFT, Deputy Director, Colorado Lawyer Assistance Program (COLAP), Denver, CO
3:15 – 3:30 pm
Networking 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:
April D. Jones, Esq., Jones Law Firm, PC, Denver and Centennial, 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
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10
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 Troy Rackham, Esq., Spencer Fane LLP, Denver, CO
9:50 – 10:05 am
The Importance of Finding a Mentor and What CAMP Has to Offer
Presented by the Colorado Attorney Mentoring Program (CAMP), Denver, CO
10:05 – 10:15 am
Networking 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
11:05 – 11:15 am
A Word from the CBA Lawyer’s Professional Liability Committee
11:15 – 11:20 am
Implementing The “New Law Firm” Checklist
Presented by Gerald Pratt, Esq., Law Office of Gerald D. Pratt, P.C., Greenwood Village, CO
11:20 am – 12:20 pm
The Resilient Attorney: Having the Confidence to Start and Run Your Firm
Presented by Presented by the Honorable Gary M. Jackson, 2nd Judicial District, Denver, CO, and Edmond F. “Buddy” Noel, Jr., Esq. The Noel Law Office, LLC,Englewood, CO
With Assistance from Kimberle Jackson-Butler, Ed.D
12:20 pm
Adjourn
Registration Fees
| Non Member | $409.00 |
| CBA Member | $379.00 |
| CBA Solo Small Firm Section Member | $329.00 |
| Attorneys In Practice 5 Years or Less | $209.00 |
| New Lawyer Edge Partner | $189.50 |
| BASIC Pass Holder | $0.00 |
| 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
- All the Tools You Need to Open the Doors to Your New Firm
- An Emphasis on Cybersecurity, Electronic “Traps,” Ransomware and Social Media
- Hear from Attorneys Who Have Succeeded and are Thriving in Their Own Firms!