The legal profession is in crisis and respect for lawyers seems everywhere in decline This is largely due to how lawyers bill their clients and lawyers'' denial that improper billing practices are causing the destruction of the profession. Fair Deal for All Clients is dedicated to improving the image of lawyers by educating the public about how lawyers bill clients and by convincing lawyers that their billing practices are harming the profession. This book gives concrete suggestions on making clients more knowledgeable about billing practices, teaching lawyers to recognize improper billing practices, and having bar associations provide ethical guidelines to ensure that billing statements are honest. Every client and potential client should read this book to learn how to negotiate fair retainer agreements to protect themselves from unreasonable billing. Every lawyer and law student should read this book so that they can contribute to preserving the legal profession through proper hourly billing practices. "Fair Deal has numerous practical suggestions for attorneys determined to bill fairly and to be paid for their work. Indeed, the book''s target audience is not limited to lawyers but also includes clients, law students, and the general public." -- Richard S. Amador, California Lawyer "Gerry Phillips has provided the legal profession a comprehensive and much needed ethical perspective for twenty-first century practitioners. The moral obligations of the legal profession are clearly articulated in a forthright manner that will inspire those coming into the profession and reignite a sense of purpose for those who have established themselves as members of the legal community. This is a book that should be on every legal professional''s bookshelf!" -- Aine Donovan, Director of the Ethics Institute at Dartmouth College "Gerald Phillips has done the legal profession a great service by digging deep into that most troubling of day-to-day issues: billing clients. His book [...] is a must read for all who practice law, and especially for those responsible for teaching how to bill, whether in law schools or firms. He teaches how to both protect oneself as well as how to be fair to clients. His many years of experience and intense, long-term interest in this subject has enabled him to collect in one place all you could ever want to know about this troubling and crucially important subject." -- Abraham D. Sofaer, Stanford University (USDJ, SDNY, 1979-85) "Gerry Phillips aptly discusses the crime of bill padding that runs rampant in our industry. Our future, as ''holders of the public trust'' means we need to do something about it...now! ...[This ] book provides us with a fascinating look inside what is happening behind the scenes, and the ugly story that is improper client billing by attorneys. He also gives us a good sit-down, talking-to, about why it has to stop." -- Mary Culbert, Loyola Law School Los Angeles "...Fair Deal for All Clients: How to Rekindle Pride in the Legal Profession addresses an extremely important issue in the modern practice of law. The billing practices of lawyers have important implications relating to client relationships, integrity of the profession, ethical conduct, and a host of related issues. The many topics covered in this book are good guidelines for lawyers at all stages in their careers and in all kinds of law-related employment situations. I applaud Gerald Phillips for undertaking this timely and very helpful description of the many considerations involved in legal billing practices." -- Deanell Reece Tacha, Duane & Kelly Roberts Dean, Pepperdine University School of Law "In this important and timely book, Mr. Phillips provides a wealth of highly practical suggestions to help attorneys bill their clients in a fair and ethical manner. The book is much more than a useful roadmap for billing procedures, however, for it explains how unethical billing has eroded respect for the bar and it admonishes attorneys to bill their clients in a manner that will honor the integrity of the legal profession." -- William G. Ross, professor of law at Samford University and author of The Honest Hour: The Ethics of Time-Based Billing by Attorneys. "Gerry Phillips takes on and exposes the inherent conflicts in much of attorney billing methods. He offers/presents alternatives to financing legal services that better align both client and attorney interests -- individual, financial, and moral. An important study for an important profession under scrutiny and stress." -- Maureen Weston, professor of law, Pepperdine School of Law

A Sales and Marketing book backed by thirty years of professional experience, bring out your potential inner superstar! This is an owner's manual to unlock your full potential, not just in Sales, but in all aspects of life, because life is about promoting yourself! Even when trying to win over your significant other, you are using sales tactics. This book will help you in all aspects of life, both personal and professional, to motivate you to never give up. Do not let others define you. Everyone is unique and special, let the world know what makes you unique through my techniques.

Author Dan Driscoll's passion has always been business with a focus on sales, which-in his opinion-determines success or failure in business. But when sales becomes your life, it can sometimes shift from an enjoyable living to one filled with anxiety and pressure. The Sales Burnout Survival Guide is designed to help you feel good about selling again. So much of life is work, and very few people understand what makes work rewarding. Dan has taken wisdom he has gained in the last twenty years of his sales experience and condensed it into an easy-to-ready manual. Sales knowledge is essential in all professions in today's ever-changing world, but it can be fun and rewarding as well. Dan can teach you the skills you need for sales in this new social environment. This guide to building a successful and positive career in sales demonstrates how gaining a few simple, learnable skills can protect your income and transform your work life.

The Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides an up-to-date resource for information on legal ethics. Federal, state and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in solving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions and much more. In this volume, black-letter Rules of Professional Conduct are followed by numbered Comments that explain each Rule's purpose and provide suggestions for its practical application. The Rules will help you identify proper conduct in a variety of given situations, review those instances where discretionary action is possible, and define the nature of the relationship between you and your clients, colleagues and the courts.

A detailed guide to self-employment for software and web developers—from identifying your target market, through to managing your time, finances, and client behavior About This Book Discover how to make money with software development skills. Learn how to develop a marketing and sales strategy and develop profitable pricing strategies for your software services and products Gain insights through real case studies and insights provided from industry experts Who This Book Is For Going the self employed route in software development offers many opportunities to develop awareness and skills to enhance your career. Whether you are a student currently studying software development or a veteran software developer already in the industry, Going IT Alone provides you with insights you need to avoid the pitfalls of self employment and to succeed with software projects that are profitable and sustainable. What You Will Learn Identify and understand your target market. Propose the value of what your service or product offers. Build a business model that identifies key entities required to make your software business work. Develop marketing a marketing strategy that targets the right customer segments and produces the sales you need to be profitable. Analyze information to make better decisions and understand your business performance. Understand people through observation and use this to your advantage in project management and negotiation. Improve accuracy of estimates for time and costs of your software projects. Understand the relationship between code and the business strategy. Identify software features from a business perspective, allowing you to prioritise must have features from those that are less important to your profitability. Avoid the trap of increasing software development time and costs from features that provide no benefit or sales increase. In Detail No matter whether you are a student or an industry veteran, self employment adds a new dimension of opportunities to “learn and earn”, whether it be on a full-time or part-time basis. Develop the business acumen and understanding of the link between software patterns and business strategy that you need to become a successful and profitable independent software developer. Discover how to apply your software development skills to entrepreneurship. Decide whether you just want to earn or aspire to build the next Facebook. Supported by real world case studies and input from industry experts, the book looks at the business topics you need to understand to become an independent software developer. From the initial steps of identifying how you can make a profit with your software development skills, through to making your first sale and managing your projects, you will learn how to manage each of the major steps involved in becoming a self employed software developer – whether you decide to go freelance, take up contracting or develop your own product. Written specifically for software and web developers, the book identifies how business issues have a direct impact on code patterns used in software projects. Learn how to build your code to support your business model and with safety features to protect against potential threats that may emerge from the changing business environment. Style and approach This book is a detailed guide to self employment for software and web developers , covering major topics from identifying your target market and business model, through to managing your time, finances and client behavior.