It’s 2017, and many of us are already losing our battle to keep our resolutions. Often, New Year’s resolutions are about personal growth, and that’s great. It is hard to keep those resolutions when so many of them are not specific or concrete enough. For example, we say we’ll go to the gym more, lose some weight, be a better person, and think more positively. Unless your goals are specific, it can be hard to measure whether you have achieved any of these goals. But what about your law firm? The new year is also a good time to take stock and perform a checkup of your firm. Here is a check list with enough specificity to hopefully make it easier to stick to these resolutions:
- Trust Account – New rules were adopted in June of 2016. If you haven’t already, read the new rules. Then print out the three report forms that you will need to use from the State Bar’s website, www.ncbar.gov. There is a monthly reconciliation report, a quarterly reconciliation report, and a quarterly review report. Finally, vow to review the previous month’s trust records by the 15th of the following month.
- Insurance – Review your liability insurance, both your limits and deductible, and be sure you think they are sufficient, given the state of your practice in 2016. Review your business/property insurance policy as well to be sure it covers any new purchases or property. Finally, with the prevalence of Ransomware, consider obtaining a cyber security insurance policy. These days, it’s becoming more a matter of when you will be hacked, rather than if. Lawyers Mutual has these kind of policies and can explain what they cover and why you may need one.
- Cyber Security – Make an appointment to sit down with your IT professional and ask them some questions. How is my data being protected? Tell me about my firewall. Do I have two different ways to back up my data? How can I keep client information on my computer safer? Do I need two-step authentication or encryption on laptops and other mobile devices such as employee smart phones and tablets where client information can be accessed? What can I do to protect client information if one of those items is lost or stolen?
- Tax Planning – Once your CPA has a bit more time, make an appointment to talk about how your firm did last year, and whether you can do anything to save on taxes. Discuss whether there are any employee benefits (401K, Health Reimbursement Accounts, Health Savings Accounts, etc.) that can help your business save in taxes.
- Marketing Assessment – List all of the ways in which you market your business. Then figure out if any of those marketing tools is not paying off, and cut it. Finally, think about how you can expand into at least one new market and brainstorm the best ways to reach those folks.
- Plan to Save – This sounds like a vague goal, but it doesn’t have to be. Make an appointment with a financial advisor and figure out a new way to save, especially for retirement. Auto draft a certain amount monthly into a retirement account. If you are 50 years old, then you can step up savings into your 401(k) or other retirement accounts (yes, we only know this because we’re at that stage). Consult your CPA on how you can maximize your retirement savings while saving taxes at the same time.
- Appreciation – Meet with your employees and let them know how much you appreciated their hard work this past year. Start 2017 off on the right foot.