Legal Practice Lab

• Contact donna@cbalaw.org to register for Legal Practice Lab workshops.

Live Classes: January 25, 2012 February 8, 2012 February 22, 2012 March 14, 2012 March 28, 2012 April 11, 2012 Online Classes: February 1, 2012 February 15, 2012 February 29, 2012 March 21, 2012 April 4, 2012 April 18, 2012

What is the Legal Practice Lab? The Columbus Bar's Legal Practice Lab is designed to provide lawyers with the practical information and skills they need to establish and build a thriving law practice. This series goes beyond simply drawing conclusions about what makes a successful law practice; participants will walk through the "how to" of some of the hottest issues facing businesses today. How does it work? The Legal Practice Lab consists of six live sessions and six online sessions. Gain insights and information from face-to-face interaction with experts during the live classes, and obtain hands-on experience and share ideas with other attorneys during online sessions. Pay for the live session and attend the online session the next week for free! (Space in online sessions is limited). All participants will gain access to an exclusive Legal Practice Lab e-mail list where participants can share ideas, ask questions, and receive feedback from our experts throughout the year. Classes will have pre-course preparation assignments, and post-course homework to make the most of the live workshop time. What do I need in order to participate? Bring your laptop computer to the live sessions to follow along with the instructor and receive personal hands-on assistance for your law firm. Online sessions will be hosted via Google Hangouts, a feature of Google+. You will need a free Google account to participate. A microphone and webcam attached to your computer are helpful, but not necessary. We'll provide additional guidance on how to participate before the sessions. How much does it cost? CBA Members: $25 per class or all 6 live classes for $100 Non-Members: $35 per class or a package of 6 classes for $150

Topics and Speakers:

January 25, 2012
4:00-5:30pm at the Columbus Bar Association

Lawyers Going Google... Getting Your Practice Online
Picking a domain name, signing up for Google Apps, and using your professional e-mail address.
Presented by: Buckeye Interactive

Pre-course assignments: Research available domain names.

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February 1, 2012
5:00-6:00pm at Google+ Hangout

The Online Legal Community
The online legal community, things to read, watch, and listen to. Improving your own practice means finding great lawyers to follow and learn from. Many are available online and share their secrets free. We will learn to listen to podcasts, use Google Reader to follow blogs, and find the best online legal communities.

Pre-course assignments: Login and try finding blogs to read via Google Reader.

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February 8, 2012
4:00-5:30pm at the Columbus Bar Association

Wordpress 101
Setting up a WordPress website & blog for your law firm. Wordpress is an open source platform for developing your website. Buckeye Interactive will offer a hosting package to participants including domain registration, a year of hosting, additional telephone support, free advanced plugins and themes for Wordpress, and more valuable features.
Presented by: Buckeye Interactive

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February 15, 2012
5:00-6:00pm at Google+ Hangout

Writing a Blog Post
Sources of inspiration, types of posts, and becoming a member of the online community.

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February 22, 2012
4:00-5:30pm at the Columbus Bar Association

Web Analytics
Learn to use Google Analytics to track the performance of your website, what key indicators should you pay attention to, and how to create a continuous improvement cycle based on the analytics data.
Presented by: Gut Check Analytics

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February 29, 2012
5:00-6:00pm at Google+ Hangout

Web Analytics Checkup
Examine the analytics data, compare results, ideas for improvement.

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March 14, 2012
4:00-5:30pm at the Columbus Bar Association

Quickbooks for Lawyers
How to setup Quickbooks to manage legal accounting and trust accounting.
Presented by: Michelle Brooker, Rea & Associates

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March 21, 2012
5:00-6:00pm at Google+ Hangout

Tax Deductions for Lawyers

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March 28, 2012
4:00-5:30pm at the Columbus Bar Association

Tech Live
Computers, Printers, Scanners/Copiers, Telephone Services, cell phones and the State of the Art.
Presented by: Bryan M. Griffith, J.D.

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April 4, 2012
5:00-6:00pm at Google+ Hangout

The Lawyer's Telephone
Google Voice, VoIP, Professional Answering Services, and the mobile law office.

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April 11, 2012
4:00-5:30pm at the Columbus Bar Association

Going Paperless
Scanning, Scanners, and PDF basics for essential paperless.

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April 18, 2012
5:00-6:00pm at Google+ Hangout

Secure File Sharing for Lawyers
How to put your files online to access anywhere, anytime, and share with clients and others securely.
Special guest participant: Ernie Svenson, Esq. is known for his 'Ernie the Attorney' site (ernietheattorney.net), which was chosen by the ABA Journal as one of the top 100 law weblogs two years in a row. He believes that the practice of law is largely an "information processing business" and tries to help lawyers find more efficient ways to process their information. Toward that end he has started two other weblogs: pdfforlawyers.com and digitalworkflowcle.com. He's often asked to speak on topics related to practical use of technology by lawyers. He can be found on Twitter at @ernieattorney @pdflawyer @digitalworkflow.