Category: Professional
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Estate Planning Tips for Commitment Without Marriage
Advice columnist Ann Landers once observed that “love is friendship that has caught fire.” If that’s true, there are thousands of ways for that blaze to unfold. For many Americans, such devotion and passion do not need to be neatly formalized as marriage. In fact, our cultural norms are shifting, and quickly. Consider the following:…
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Business Retirement Planning: It’s a Team Effort!
You’re a family or small business founder or owner. You’re beginning to consider retiring from your business—or you’d just like to reduce the amount of time you’re spending with your business. Perhaps you’d like to travel or play more golf or spend more time with your family. Whatever your reason, if this is you, then…
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Do It Now: Name a Guardian for Your Minor Child(ren)
I know it’s hard. Thinking about someone else raising your children can stop you in your tracks. It feels crushing and too horrific to consider. But you must. If you don’t, a stranger will determine who raises your children if something happens to you – your children’s guardian could be a relative you despise or…
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Non-Lawyer Legal Professionals Aren’t All The Same
A great way to grow your practice while keeping costs low is by utilizing non-lawyer legal professionals. There are many tasks typically performed by attorneys that can be done by other staff. Of course, only attorneys may give legal advice and represent individuals in court. Because of this, many small firms and solo practitioners assume…
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3 Reasons You Want to Avoid Probate
When you pass away, your family may need to visit a probate court in order to claim their inheritance. This can happen if you own property (like a house, car, bank account, investment account, or other asset) in only your name. Although having a will is a good basic form of planning, a will does…
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Client Communication Best Practices
By Alice Shikina As a mediator, people come to me when their avenues of communication have completely broken down and they can no longer express ideas and be heard by the other side. Before you get to a place of impasse, you may want to revisit some common-sense ground rules during conflicts in your own…
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Staying On The Right Side Of The Legal Advice Line
As a paralegal, it’s not unusual for me to find myself in a tricky situation with clients of the attorney. What often happens is the client asks me directly for legal advice or shares information about a case that I know requires immediate legal advice. If you have any non-lawyer staff in your practice, this…
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Best Practices to Get Your Clients Talking
Tips: – Do not look at a client’s questionnaire until you have established rapport and trust. – Take notes on a yellow pad, not a computer. – Have tissues and water in reach of the clients. – Plants make people feel calmer – green your office! – Never ask “WHY” – it puts people on…
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Business Succession Planning In The Internet Age
This article first appeared on Forbes. Many business owners build their businesses hoping that they will continue to generate income for their heirs after they pass away. However, businesses often die or lose significant value when the owner dies. When strategizing how to make sure your business continues to thrive, it is important to know…
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AAC Speaker Videos Available to All AAC Members
It is our goal for the Attorney Action Club to become a valuable part of your professional life. We started this group to help you and grow your network and business. Every month our meetings have interesting and thought-provoking speakers. To help showcase our speakers, we have incorporated their talks on the AAC website. As…