Collecting Your Fee: Getting Paid from Intake to Invoice [Paperback]

Edward Poll (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 25, 2002

By following Ed Poll's recommendations, you can ensure that your collection process is controllable and more efficient, resulting in satisfied clients and a healthier bottom line.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Ed Poll has done it again. He's created a down-to-earth guide to collecting accounts receivable. If you read this book, you'll have a lot less trouble getting paid for your work." - Larry Bodine, Web and Marketing Consultant"

Product Details

• Paperback: 166 pages
• Publisher: American Bar Association (January 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590311531
• ISBN-13: 978-1590311530
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,216,140 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > Law > Law Practice > Office Administration
  • #44 in Books > Law > Law Practice > Legal Services

More About the Author

Ed Poll, J.D., M.B.A., CMC, is a nationally recognized coach, law firm management consultant, and author who has coached and consulted with lawyers and law firms in strategic planning, profitability analysis, and practice development for over 20 years.

Ed has practiced law on all sides of the table for 25 years -- as a corporate general counsel, government prosecutor, sole practitioner, partner, and law firm chief operating officer and been a consultant to small and large law firms for 20 years. He helps attorneys and law firms increase their profitability and peace of mind by...

· Bringing in new business
· Attracting higher quality cases and clients
· Delivering legal services more effectively and efficiently

Ed is a nationally-recognized legal management expert whose advice has helped thousands of lawyers create more rewarding legal practices, and directed hundreds of national, regional, and local law firms towards higher profitability.

A nationally-renowned instructor for law firms, bar associations and universities, Ed has taught:

· Creating New Business Enterprises in the Department of Entrepreneurship, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
· Business of Law Practice for the USC Law Center for Advanced Professional Education
· Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE,) formerly at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.

In 2010, Edward Poll received the first ever Lifetime Achievement Award given by the California State Bar's Law Practice Management and Technology (LPMT) Section. The award, which was named after him, was given due to his extraordinary level of service, enthusiasm, and vocal advocating for small firms and solo practitioners.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars If your clients don't pay their bills, this book has some helpful hints on collecting, April 18, 2011

By 

A. Nye "Al Nye The Lawyer Guy" (Portland, Maine USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Collecting Your Fee: Getting Paid from Intake to Invoice (Paperback)

In his preface, Mr. Poll reports that when he was asked to write this book he wondered what more he could write that hadn't been already discussed in his other work, The Attorney and Law Firm Guide to The Business of Law, 2nd Edition. After reading both books, I must confess that Collecting Your Fee offers little more than what was contained in the chapters on pricing, billing and collecting your fees contained in The Business of Law. If your budget allowed the purchase of only one of these books, The Business of Law is the clear choice.

Notwithstanding that disclaimer, if you are merely interested in sound guidance and some new ideas about getting paid your legal fees, this book fits the description. Mr. Poll's advice is practical and direct. He soundly advises that the best way to improve your billings is to create and maintain good client relationships.

In the first few paragraphs of Chapter One, Mr. Poll makes clear that this book is about "improving your relationship with each of your clients and setting the proper expectations with new clients." If your client is paying your bill on a timely basis each month, your relationship is working.

"If the client owes you a great deal of money and shows very little inclination to pay it, your relationship is clearly on the rocks."

The book takes you to the beginning of the relationship with the client and gives concrete examples of how to properly inform your client that that you expect to be paid. Mr. Poll's advice is that you should conduct the initial interview as if you will have a collection problem in the future - thus forcing yourself to become clear about what you expect from your client.

Next comes an excellent discussion of fee agreements and engagement letters - matters all too often overlooked by the busy practitioner. Mr. Polls includes a chapter on the importance of keeping accurate time records, establishing periodic billing, preparing detailed, dignified bills and using bills as marketing opportunities.

The final chapters of the book discuss collections, either in-house or using collection agencies or filing suit. Careful consideration must be given to whether it makes economic sense to spend more time and money to collect a past due bill or else simply cut your losses.

The Appendix contains various examples of New Client Intake Forms, Checklists, Sample Fee Agreements, Status Reports, Budgets, Sample Detailed Bills, Sample Collection Letters, and how software packages like Tabs III and PCLAW generate bills.

This slim book is geared toward solo and small firm lawyers - especially those just starting out. It would also be especially helpful to those lawyers suffering from a constant backlog of clients who never seem to pay their bills on time. Little original information is presented here; but if a review of the basics can lead to an improvement in prompt payment, the advice in this book should be welcome in any firm.