Market Areas > Practice Management > Alternative Billing

Implementation Strategies for Alternative Billing Success

Course Description:

Are there existing or potential clients that your firm may better retain, attract and serve by being willing to agree to alternative billing arrangements?

Today, law firms practice in a buyer’s market.  If your firm continues to ignore the competition of the marketplace when establishing billing rates and fees you’ll need to work harder to keep what you’re earning — unless you get on the fast track to change from hourly-based billing to a system that recognizes legal expertise and value.

Join CCM in this critical audio event to find out how implementing a fee program that demonstrates flexibility and imagination could win your firm a reputation for fairness, value and increase your client base.

In just 75 minutes, you and your colleagues will find out how and why changing your billing approach, will give you a strategic edge over the competition, and you’ll discover:

• What alternative billing methods are available and the pros and cons of each
• Strategies and tips for implementing an alternate billing method that makes sense for you and your clients
• Tools and techniques to evaluate the system you choose and make adjustments as you grow
• Strategies to help analyze your practice in order to select which clients and/or which practice areas are best for alternative billing arrangements

Featured Faculty:

Pamela H. Woldow, Principal, Altman Weil, Inc.

Pamela H. Woldow is a principal of Altman Weil, Inc. She works on areas of strategic and operational importance to both legal departments and law firms, focusing on improving the delivery of high-quality and cost-effective legal services, selecting and managing outside counsel, convergence programs, litigation management, and all aspects of the counsel-client relationship. Prior to joining Altman Weil, she was a partner and the National Practice Leader for Litigation Services for Smart and Associates, a national accounting and consulting firm. Her career has also included positions as Chief Counsel of the Pennsylvania Department of Insurance, Deputy General Counsel of Pennsylvania, and Associate General Counsel and Director of Risk Management and Litigation Management for a $2 billion public financial services corporation. Earlier, she handled complex commercial and environmental litigation with Duane Morris and Manko, Gold & Katcher.

Joel A. Rose, Certified Management Consultant and President of Joel A. Rose & Associates, Inc., management consultants to the legal profession.

The firm, national in scope, is headquartered in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Mr. Rose received a B.S. from New York University and an M.B.A. from the Wharton Graduate School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. He has extensive experience consulting with private law firms, corporate law departments and government agencies. Mr. Rose performs and directs consulting assignments in law firm management and organization, strategic and financial planning, lawyer compensation, the feasibility of mergers and acquisitions and marketing of legal services. He has extensive experience planning and conducting retreats and special expertise resolving problems among and between lawyers. He has been a lecturer for the American Bar Association, the American Lawyer Seminar on Law Firm Management and Leadership, the New York State Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, the Florida Bar Association, the Minnesota Bar Association, the Practice Law Institute, and many other state and local bar associations. He is a member of the advisory board of Law Office Economics and Management and the board of Law Department Management Advisors.

Michael A. Abel, Partner, Holland & Knight LLP

Michael A. Abel, Partner, Holland & Knight LLP Mike Abel is a partner in the litigation section at Holland & Knight in the firm's Jacksonville, Florida office. Specializing in complex commercial lawsuits and disputes, his trial practice includes providing counsel to clients in diverse businesses and industries. He has also been recognized as one of The Best Lawyers in America in the field of Transportation Law. In addition to his litigation practice, Mike is also responsible for leading and implementing Holland & Knight's alternative pricing initiative within the Firm's 500-plus lawyer Litigation Section. In this role, Mike has been directly involved in numerous litigation engagements and RFP's which involve innovative structuring of litigation engagements. Mike returned to private law practice after practicing as an in-house attorney for a significant part of his career, where he held various positions in the law department at rail carrier CSX Transportation, including general counsel - litigation. Mike is a graduate of the University of Virginia, and the University of Virginia School of Law.

We're so confident you'll get what you want out of this conference that we'll refund every penny if you're not completely satisfied. No questions asked! It's 100% risk-free!

Pricing:

Your CD recording includes the complete audio conference presentation, audience Q&A and presentation materials.

CLE:

CCM provides audio conference attendees with CLE credit processing services. To expedite CCM processing your CLE request, please complete and submit the evaluation form available from CCM at the conclusion of the audio conference. It will be necessary to enter the following information: name of each attorney requesting CLEs with full contact information, including e-mail address, bar number, and the state in which the attorney wants credits. Each attorney requesting credits must submit an evaluation.

Please be advised CCM audio conferences are subject to approval from each CLE issuing organization and approval is not guaranteed (state bar associations in Delaware, Indiana, Kansas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania do not grant CLE credits for audio conferences). The approval process takes approximately 6 - 8 weeks for most organizations but can take as long as 3 - 4 months. You will be notified via e-mail with the final status of your CLE application.

Any person applying for CLE credits must attend the audio conference from start to finish (attendance will be taken for compliance reasons). Requests for CLE credits must be received no later than two weeks following the conclusion of the audio conference or live conference. CLE credits are not available for CD recordings.

If you have any questions regarding CLE credits, contact Jill Adler at 631.368.2082 x 21 or jill.adler@meeting-matters.com.

Each CCM event presents a variety of information and is presented for each organization to develop its own approach and methodology.