Commercial Awareness for Lawyers: English/Welsh

Covers the specific business skills required to be a lawyer, including file management, time management, project management and finance. Every lawyer needs to understand what it means to be a lawyer and how to win business, build profits and make money for the firm.

Key features:

• Written for students, trainees and new lawyers using a conversational style
• Discusses what it means to be a lawyer and how to win business, build profits and make money for the firm
• Covers the specific business skills required to be a lawyer, including file management, time management, project management and finance
• Examines the current legal market from the point of view of someone just starting his or her career
• Case studies illustrate points from the text
• Discusses the professional requirements for lawyers
• Compares corporate structures, including partnerships, limited legal partnerships and limited companies
• Considers the practical skills needed to start advising clients, including how to open files, write engagement letters, speak to clients and how to avoid complaints
• Covers how to set fees, record time and delegate work
• Looks at how to choose goals and CPD
• Discusses how to give financial advice, how to read financial statements and provides a basic guide to the common taxes
• Examines how law firms manage risks and how to manage intellectual property
• Appendices cover standards of conduct and service, goal setting and a sample Gantt chart