Ed Poll J.D., M.B.A., CMC is a noted member of the National Speakers Association and regularly presents keynote speeches and seminars for law firm retreats, conferences, individual clients, bar associations and other organizations. Edward Poll advises law firms and their leaders on practice management, business development, and financial matters. He is a nationally-recognized practical guide to profit. His advice has benefited national, regional, and local law firms. Ed is unique in that he has long-term experience in both law and business
( CEO and COO of several manufacturing businesses).

   Ed's practical wisdom comes from his twenty-five years of experience as a law firm chief operating officer, corporate general counsel, government prosecutor, sole practitioner and partner, and 16 years as coach and consultant to the legal profession. Regardless of your audience, Ed speaks your language.

Talks are presented in the context of current business trends and increasing competition.

   Ed spells out his top 15 tips to improve client service and exceed client expectations in the ever-changing business world. Each tip is a specific point of practical, usable information that lawyers can act upon immediately. Presentations often conclude with Ed's Seven Golden Insights, putting his advice into perspective. The following topics can be covered:

·        How to increase revenue with tools to become more profitable

·        How to increase your client base

·        How to manage client perceptions, expectations and needs

·        How to increase client referrals and reduce complaints

·        How to communicate more effectively

·        How to get bills paid on time and in full

Ed has written several books and audiotapes on running a profitable law practice:

·        Attorney & Law Firm Guide to The Business of Law: Planning and Operating for Survival and Growth, Second Edition

·        The Profitable Law Office Handbook: Attorney's Guide to Successful Business Planning

·        Secrets of the Business of Law^®: Successful Practices for Increasing Your Profits!

·        More Secrets of the Business of Law^®

·        Law Practice Management Review: The Audio Magazine for Busy Attorneys

·        Selling Your Law Practice: The Profitable Exit Strategy

·        The Tool Kit for Buying or Selling a Law Practice

Speeches and Training:

1) "Managing Client Expectations: Becoming More Effective and Profitable"
   Stop waking up in the middle of the night thinking about your law firm and start controlling your practice and increasing your revenue tenfold. Ed covers the marketing and collections challenges law firms face in a troubled economy. Attendees will learn about opportunities for growth in "family" work that exists between commodity work and bet-the-company cases. He identifies where lawyers can fail in their profession, and how to succeed.

2) "Getting Paid: Collecting Fees from Difficult Clients"
   As in every business there are customers or clients who do not pay their bills with the same promptness as they wish to be served. The national average age of lawyers' accounts receivable exceeds four months. Happy clients pay their bills and Ed demonstrates techniques that keep clients happier with the service performed. Ed's presentation will shorten the fee payment cycle and will result in more new business in the process.

3) "Operating and Profiting from Your Law Practice"
   Jump-starting a struggling practice is fraught with challenges that can be overcome. There are subtle traps and snares waiting for firms and lawyers who have not heard Ed Poll's presentation on operating and profiting from a law practice. This seminar examines the important issues on the way to professional practice success and offers practical, nuts-and-bolts advice for successful and profitable law firm practice.

4) "Disaster Recovery – Planning for Business Continuity"

   The real issue is not what type of disaster will occur, but rather what will the firm do to overcome the disaster to survive ... and then thrive. In this interactive session, Ed will discuss how to plan, what to plan for and what the benefits of such planning will be. Ed will describe steps we can take to, in many cases, use the preparation process to enable our firms to improve our current operations, even before a disaster strikes. In this presentation you will learn what to do before and after a disaster, from the all-important people issues to records retention and recovery to financial and facility concerns.

   Ed distills approaches from his Executive Directors' Roundtable created as a result of the 9-11 disasters in New York and Washington, D.C. These law firms developed approaches to assure the continuity of their firms in the face of future disasters in order to serve their people: staff, clients, and vendors.

5) Law Firm Retreats:

   Law firm retreats and conferences are unique times for partners to confront tough issues, change the firm's direction, focus on a strategic plan, and/or develop a consensus. A successfully custom-designed retreat can achieve more than you hoped to get done in an entire month. Ed Poll's practical, broad years of experience on all sides of the table can help you make the most impact out of your event. Leave the planning and facilitation up to LawBiz^® Management, so that you can focus on the issues being addressed at your event:

·        Logistical planning

·        Agenda and event design

·        Speak/present at the retreat

·        Conduct break out sessions

·        Work with the firm Retreat Committee to set the retreat agenda

·        Meet with selected firm members to determine what is appealing/important to them

·        Work with firm sub-committees to create "white papers" for their presentation at the Retreat

·        Facilitate the presentation of the white papers by the sub-committees

·        Act as an expert resource for the general discussion

·        Debrief with Retreat Committee after the retreat

·        Follow-on coaching with selected firm members after the retreat