Welcome to the 360 Legal Group newsletter for HSBC Bank Plc Professionals Specialists.

In this Issue

	New Year Resolutions
	Tax Funding
	2009 Seminar Programme
	New In House Sales Training for 2009

In Other News

NEW YEAR SEMINAR PROGRAMME

Here's a summary of the courses available in early 2009. To book please click here or telephone 01275 465540. For more information about each course please click on the course title.

Creating the Law Firm of the Future
20.01.09 AM Manch’r
22.01.09 AM Leeds

Day to Day Management of a Law Firm
20.01.09 PM Manch’r
22.01.09 PM Leeds

Marketing on a Shoestring (please call for info)
24.02.09 AM London
25.02.09 AM B’ham
26.02.09 AM Cardiff
03.03.09 PM Manch’r
05.03.09 AM Leeds

Selling Skills for Law Firms (please call for info)
24.02.09 PM London
25.02.09 PM B’ham
26.02.09 PM Cardiff
03.03.09 PM Manch’r
05.03.09 PM Leeds

24 Ways to Boost Staff Performance (please call for info)
31.03.09 AM London
01.04.09 AM B’ham
02.04.09 AM Cardiff
28.04.09 AM Manch’r
30.04.09 AM Leeds

Achieving World Class Client Service
31.03.09 PM London
01.04.09 PM B’ham
02.04.09 PM Cardiff
28.04.09 PM Manch’r
30.04.09 PM Leeds

Wills and Small Estates
Recently, a court case was necessary following the death of a young man who died intestate. The issue was not the division of assets but that his parents (who were jointly granted letters of administration) could not agree where he should be buried.

Many people think that where an estate is small, a will is a luxury, but this case shows that making a will makes sense just from the point of view of administrative convenience.

New Year Resolutions

Welcome to the first joint e newsletter for 2009. Now it wouldn’t be New Year without a few resolutions and for Law Firms this time of year offers a great opportunity to take stock of their businesses. Here is our checklist of priority resolutions for Law Firms for the New Year:

1. Review the Business Plan
If your customer doesn't have a business plan now is the perfect time for them to prepare one. If theirs has been neatly filed and is collecting dust they can take the opportunity to review and update it to reflect the fast changing external environment.

2. Get to Grips with Cash Flow
Insolvency is one of the biggest threats to Law Firms in the UK yet cash flow management is an area which many partners neglect. By understanding the numbers that are relevant to their business they can ensure that they are giving themselves every opportunity to grow and prosper. Topics to brush up on include: break-even point; profit margins (gross and net); cash flow forecasts; profit and loss; sales forecasts; creditor and debtor days.

3. Benchmark The Website
Websites offer a cost effective method to market the business. Your customers should make it a priority for 2009 to compare their website with at least 3 other firms. Identify 5 ways that they can improve their site.

4. Excellent Client Service Across the Business
Retaining or increasing revenue from clients will be a key focus for 2009. In many Law Firms the quality of client service fluctuates between departments or offices. Your customers could make it a goal for 2009 to achieve and maintain a reputation for excellence across the board. Introducing client satisfaction surveys or making better use of the information provided through existing survey process can help achieve this.

5. Identify a Business Book and Read It
My suggestion is ‘The End of Lawyers’ by Richard Susskind. Susskind argues that lawyers and the legal profession in their present shape face extinction – or are on the “brink of fundamental transformation”. It’s a bit of a doom and gloom tome but it asks important questions about what elements of a lawyer’s workload could be undertaken using different methods of working in the future.

6. Employee Performance
Studies show that typically only 12-20% of the UK work force is highly engaged. Motivation may have fallen as a result of restructuring, mergers or other change. Help your customers look for quick wins such as improving internal communication and longer term strategies such as an annual staff satisfaction survey.

We’re here to help so email using this link or call us on 01275 465540 if you would like us to help your customers to achieve their New Year’s Resolutions.

Viv Williams
MD, The 360 Legal Group

Tax Funding

There is frequently high demand for tax funding for law firms in January. If one of your customers is looking for assistance or are looking for a Broker email using this link.

2009 Seminar Programme

We hope that your customers have enjoyed our seminar series in 2008 and will strive to continue to provide cost effective CPD accredited seminars throughout 2009. Our programme for the second half of the year will be released soon and will once again appeal to Law Firms who are determined to flourish in these testing times.

We kick off the New Year with two new topics “Creating the Law Firm of the Future” and “Day to Day Management of a Law Firm”. Both of these seminars carry 3 hours SRA CPD.  

“Creating the Law Firm of the Future” will be led by Andrew Woolley, Senior Partner of Woolley and Co and Viv Williams, Managing Director of The 360 Legal Group. The Legal Services Act and the current financial climate are causing concern amongst Law Firms. Opportunities exist for Firms ready to embrace new ways of working. This seminar will give Law Firms some ideas to help them to create a successful future for their company. Please click here to read more about the content.

“Day to Day Management of a Law Firm” will give Managing Partners, Practice Managers and those involved in the day to day running of a Law Firm the opportunity to discuss issues that are currently threatening the very existence of Legal Practices in the UK today. We will be revisiting proven and established management practices and providing useful and helpful hints in respect of areas that are often neglected and not reviewed regularly. Please click here to read more.

Each seminar will run morning and afternoon respectively on the following dates:-
20 January, Manchester
22 January, Leeds

Interested? Please e-mail Louise using this link  for more details or to book or telephone 01275 465540.

New In House Sales Training for 2009

To thrive in the current financial climate it is more important than ever to involve the whole team in a Law Firm to bring in new business. Cross–selling is something that Law Firms encourage their staff to do all the time but how many of those Firms have ever equipped their staff with the knowledge and tools that will help them to be successful at this.

Having run our in-house sales course successfully with a number of Law Firms in 2008 we have pulled together the most relevant aspects of each of these to produce a one hour session that will really motivate the team to bring in more business.

To kick start the year this one hour session is being offered at £350 plus VAT and travel expenses to anyone who books with The 360 Legal Group during January. This session will take place either at the Law Firm's office or at a venue convenient to them. We will focus everyone on the role that they have in selling a Firm’s services, giving them a basic overview of the sales process and helping them to take ownership in the Firm’s success.

As with all of our courses, SRA CPD points will be attached to any in-house training that we run.

For further information or to book then please contact Louise on 01275 465540 or click here to email Louise.

The 360 Legal Group
The Clock Tower, Farleigh Court
Old Weston Road, Flax Bourton
Bristol, BS48 1UR
T 01275 465540 F 01275 462076
DX 48201 Nailsea
W www.360legalgroup.co.uk