The E-Myth Attorney: Why Most Legal Practices Don't Work and What to Do About It [Hardcover]

Michael E. Gerber (Author), Robert Armstrong J.D. (Author), Sanford Fisch J.D. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2010

The complete guide to the business of running a successful legal practice

Many attorneys in small and mid-size practices are experts on the law, but may not have considered their practice as much from a business perspective.

Michael Gerber’s The E-Myth Attorney fills this void, giving you powerful advice on everything you need to run your practice as a successful business, allowing you to achieve your goals and grow your practice. Featuring Gerber's signature easy-to-understand, easy-to-implement style, The E-Myth Attorney features:

• A complete start-up guide you can use to get your practice off the ground quickly, as well as comprehensive action steps for maximizing the performance of an existing practice
• Industry specific advice from two recognized legal experts that have developed a highly successful legal practice using Gerber’s principles
• Gerber’s universal appeal as a recognized expert on small businesses who has coached, taught, and trained over 60,000 small businesses

The E-Myth Attorney is the last guide you'll ever need to make the difference in building or developing your successful legal practice.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Gerber's powerful insights have given thousands of entrepreneurs new control over their businesses. . . --Success magazine

Gerber loves to exhort people to develop powerful visions for their companies. --Fortune --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

From the Inside Flap

Running a successful legal practice is a juggling act. You need expertise in your area of the law to provide services to clients. You also need the know-how to run a small business. You've probably been well prepared by your education and experience for the technical ins and outs of legal practice. Yet what training has prepared you to run a business?

The E-Myth Attorney fills this knowledge gap, giving you a complete toolkit for either starting a successful practice from scratch or maximizing an existing practice's performance. Loaded with practical, powerful advice you can implement easily, this one-stop guide enables you to realize all the benefits that come with a thriving legal services business.

Combining the wisdom of renowned business development expert Michael E. Gerber and the legal expertise of attorneys Robert Armstrong and Sanford Fisch, The E-Myth Attorney equips you to:Liberate yourself from the predictable and often overwhelming tyranny of unprofitable, unproductive, and time-consuming routinesTransform yourself from a successful legal technician (attorney) into a successful legal-manager-entrepreneurRethink your practice, shifting from tactical thinking (working "in" your business) to strategic thinking (working "on" your business) Stop trading time for dollars Manage those processes through which people get things done, which becomes your ManagementSystem—for everything you do Implement innovative systems to produce consistent results as your practice growsTake the sanctity of time seriously, blocking time for entrepreneurial work and using a weekly planning toolCreate the story about your practice; this storybecomes the heart of your practice

Leading a legal practice can seem like a daunting task,with too few hours in the day, too many petty management issues, and problems attorneys at large firms don't seem to face. The E-Myth Attorney offers you a road map to create a legal business that's self-sufficient, growing, and highly profitable. Take your practice to levels you didn't think possible with this unique guide!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 178 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (June 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470503653
• ISBN-13: 978-0470503652
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #80,644 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Law > Law Practice > Office Administration
  • #5 in Books > Law > Law Practice > Law Office Education
  • #39 in Books > Law > One-L > Legal Profession

More About the Author

Michael E. Gerber is a true legend of entrepreneurship. Inc. Magazine
called him "the World's #1 Small Business Guru." He started over 40 years
ago addressing a significant need in the small business market: businesses
owned primarily by people with technical skills but few business skills, and
no place to go to get meaningful help. Over the years, Michael E. Gerber's
companies have helped tens of thousands of small business owner-clients
to successfully transform their businesses into world-class operations.

Mr. Gerber's latest books are The Most Successful Small Business in the
World, Awakening the Entrepreneur Within, The E-Myth Enterprise, The E-Myth
Mastery, The E-Myth Manager, along with co-authored E-Myth Vertical books
The E-Myth Attorney, The E-Myth Accountant, The E-Myth Optometrist, The
E-Myth Chiropractor, The E-Myth Financial Advisor and soon to be released
The E-Myth Landscape Contractor and The E-Myth Architect.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing, December 2, 2010

By 

Herb Hunter (Baghdad) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The E-Myth Attorney: Why Most Legal Practices Don't Work and What to Do About It (Kindle Edition)

The best part about this book was that it did not cost me anything. It was and maybe still is given away for free in .pdf format on the web site of an estate planning lawyers organization. As a few others pointed out, the book is too basic to be of any real use as well as generic to the point of resembling a cut & paste version of past E-Myth books. This one was whipped up just for attorneys. Problem is, again as someone pointed out, ethical considerations regarding client confidentiality make the 'family business' model problematic than for say, a vacuum cleaner repair shop.

The book is not unlike much of what passes for business/marketing books these days, usually offered first as a thin, hard cover book for almost twenty five bucks, the content is often more than a blog posting masquerading as a book. This is true here. Moreover, the text is not just written to the level of a child, but presented in something called "hypnotic prose." Hypnotic prose is a method of writing taught as part of an overall marketing approach to get you one step closer to going to the related web site and signing up for a product or service therein.

Any lawyer with a modicum of training or experience in trial advocacy should be able to smell a pitch like this a mile away, just like the closing argument of an opposing counsel. Many books about e-commerce and web marketing promote this tiresome fad, but if there's one thing lawyers hate is being talked to like a jury full of idiots! Continuing to read while knowing I was just being tossed an obvious sales pitch left me cold.

If you're still interested, have a look around on the web and grab a free copy. You shouldn't have to pay for brochure-ware.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The cost of this book is the best Return on investment you can make for your practice, June 10, 2010

By 

Michael Bonfrisco (Newtown PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The E-Myth Attorney: Why Most Legal Practices Don't Work and What to Do About It (Hardcover)

There are few self-help books targeted to the solo and small firm lawyer. E Myth Attorney is the answer to the need. I read "E-myth" about 6 years ago, it changed my practice. As a solo attorney, I remember thinking how great it would be if there was an E-myth book devoted just to lawyers. My prayer was answered. The book itself is set up to meet the needs of the busy lawyer. It's an engrossing read and each concise chapter deals with a separate topic. From the people you employ to the way you set fees - Its all covered.

Here is the important thing; it's co-authored by Robert Armstrong and Sandy Fisch. In my opinion these two law practice pioneers are the leading practice management and marketing thinkers in the nation. Learn from these great minds and you will be far ahead of your competition.

Mike B- Newtown PA

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read for Any Attorney Wanting to Move Forward!, June 6, 2010

By 

Kate Ivy "Author, Reader, Entrepreneur" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The E-Myth Attorney: Why Most Legal Practices Don't Work and What to Do About It (Hardcover)

If you've read any of the other E-Myth books, then you have an idea of Gerber's philosophy. But what makes this edition so interesting is that the authors have found a way to apply Gerber's "new-thinking" to an age-old practice. The legal field has always been one that's steeped in traditions - so much so that the concepts of business management and law firm marketing are often pushed aside to focus on the more technical aspects of practicing law.

But in The E-Myth Attorney, Gerber partners with legal entrepreneurs Robert Armstrong and Sanford M. Fisch to demonstrate how important these concepts truly are to the success of your firm.

Using clear examples and insightful storytelling, the authors show you the difference between "working on the business" and "working in the business", making a solid case for re-thinking the way you practice law.

Forget working more hours, taking more cases and billing more time - if you've ever thought you'd like your law practice to be "more" than what it is now, this is the book for you.