TIME
Registration: 10:45 a.m.
Seminar: 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
COST
$100 - ECBA Members (Judges & Attorneys) and their Paraprofessional Staff
$130 - Non-members
NOTE: All lunches are $10 in addition to the rates.
This course has been approved for 1 Hour Substantive and 1 Hour Ethics CLE credit
SPEAKER
Ellen Freedman, CLM, has been serving as the Law Practice Management Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Bar Association since 1999. In that capacity she assists PBA’s members with management issues and decisions on the business side of their practice; including areas like technology, financial management and profitability, human resources, marketing, risk management, setting up a practice, closing a practice, and much more.
Ellen is founder and President of Freedman Consulting, Inc., which was founded in 1998. Her consultancy assists PA law firms with a wide range of issues and projects on the business side of the practice. Her assignments concentrate in strategic planning, retreat facilitation, management audits and best practices, and change implementation.
Ellen holds the designation of Certified Legal Manager through the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA), the credentialing body for the CLM degree. Of the 11,000+ members of the ALA, approximately 360 are certified legal managers. Ellen was one of the first 20 in the nation to have achieved this designation. She holds a Certification in Computer Programming from Maxwell Institute, and a Certification in Web Site Design and a B.A. from Temple University.
Ellen was inducted as a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management in October, 2020. Membership in the College is by invitation only. Eligible nominees include those who have made significant contributions to the field of law practice management for over ten years. Since its establishment over twenty years ago, nearly 300 practitioners from 5 different countries have become Fellows of the College.
Ellen managed inside law firms for twenty years. Most of that time was spent in a mid- size (35+ attorney) firm environment. Prior to that, Ellen managed in a variety of multi-corporate environments. She was a member of the Association of Legal Administrators for over 20 years, and founded the Independence Chapter. She is a frequent author and speaker on law firm management issues on a national level.
SEMINAR
What does retirement mean to you? Work until you drop? (And leave the “clean-up” to others?) Scale back and work just a little? Do you want to salvage sweat equity by selling? Do you want to transition your practice to the next generation? Or will you just turn off the lights and close the door on your last day?
A majority of law firms and solos are neglecting this essential aspect of strategic planning. Failure to actively plan for succession can negatively impact associate retention. Many firms will face future implosion if they do not begin planning right now. Solos who fail to plan for their succession eventually find themselves with no easy exit plan from active practice; facing the myriad challenging details of closing down the office.
This course will cover the essential steps and best practices to properly create your strategic plan.
Lawyers have an ethical duty to take steps to protect their clients in the event of sudden disability or death. This is particularly critical for solo attorneys. The problems encountered by judges, bar executives and officers, disciplinary board members, and colleagues at the bar have become overwhelming, due mostly to the aging of bar members who have not planned as required. As a result, increasing pressure is being applied by insurers, the bench, and the disciplinary board to enforce compliance. The currently sidelined proposed Rule of Professional Conduct 1.20 would change a lawyer’s obligations in this area from what one “should” do, to what one “must” do.
This course discusses general emergency planning procedures, and then focuses exclusively on how to preplan to continue to run your office while you are sick, injured or disabled, or how to run your practice as part of the administration of your estate. Buyout, emergency coverage and succession planning for partners is also discussed. This course explains your obligations and provides specific details about what you need to do, and how to do it. Attendees will be provided with practical information and forms which can be put to immediate use at the firm to make compliance easier.
Reservations due to the ECBA office by Thursday, August 7, 2025.
Cancellation Policy for ECBA Events/Seminars: Cancellations received on or before the last reservation deadline will be fully refunded. Cancellations received after the deadline or non-attendance will not be refunded. If you register for an event without payment in advance and don’t attend, it will be necessary for the ECBA to send you an invoice for the event.
