Effective law office management will allow your practice to run ethically and efficiently.  Best practices indicate that having a good office procedure manual helps everyone in the firm to follow the same policies and procedures and helps attorneys fulfill the ethical duties required by Rules 5.1 and 5.3 of the Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct.

Your office procedure manual should be reviewed at least annually and kept updated regularly. Whether your office procedure manual is kept in paper or electronic format, it must be kept under strict security protocols as it literally has everything you need to run your law firm.

Your Office Procedure Manual* should include:

IT Information

Log-in and password information – kept securely – for:

• • • Office computers
    • Mobile devices
    • Voicemail
    • Cloud storage
    • Billing systems
    • Calendaring system
    • Email (including server addresses and passwords)
    • Online banking
    • Vendors
    • Other websites the law office regularly uses

 

Data resources for conflicts of interest check

• • • Refine how to address if there is a conflict

 

Use of the office calendaring system

• • • Shared calendars
    • Statute of limitations and other filing deadlines

 

Email procedures

• • • Encryption requirements

 

Document processing

• • • Metadata removal procedures – especially when using templates/sample forms

 

Website and Advertising

• • • Review website
      • Be sure information is updated
      • Consider adding how you are serving your clients during COVID

 

Cybersecurity

• • • Incident Response Plan (IRP)
    • Training

 

Client Communication

How to generate a list of active client files, including client names, mailing and email addresses, phone numbers

Client Letters

• • • Engagement letter
    • Non-engagement letter
    • Fee contract
    • Update/status letter
    • Withdraw from representation letter
    • File closing letter

 

Information on client files

How open/active files are organized and kept

Document client files

• • • Use checklist to be sure procedures are followed
    • Include chronology of file from conflicts check to closing

 

Where closed files, if any, are stored

• • • If your firm has old, closed files, start the process of returning client files to reduce this backlog
    • See Office of Disciplinary Counsel Managing Client Files & Trust Accounts and Ohio Board of Professional Conduct Ethics Guide:  Client File Retention

 

Firm’s client file retention and destruction policy

• • • Consider returning the file to the client at the conclusion of representation

 

Financial Information

Where and how client ledgers are maintained

• • •  Properly maintain IOLTA records and ledgers, See Rule 1.15
    •  Include Fee Agreements, if any, with IOLTA records

 

Time and billing procedures and software

• • • Policy on Evergreen Retainer
    • How to handle late paying clients  See Hotline Questions – Fee Collection

 

Names and contact information for:

• • • Office personnel
    • Financial institutions
    • Accountants
    • Landlords
    • Vendors
    • Insurance agents/brokers

 

As always, if there are any questions about this or any other loss prevention topic, please contact us at OBLIC.  We’re here to help!

Gretchen Mote, Esq.
Director of Loss Prevention

Monica Waller, Esq.
Senior Loss Prevention Counsel

*See Ohio Ethics Guide: Succession Planning at P. 7