the law according to sgro

Welcome to the Sgrolaw blog.  Hello, my name is W. Randall Sgro I am a practicing attorney in Torrance California. The nice thing about being in private practice and in a a small firm, we are exposed to every aspect of the law. This post is going to be designed to talk about the issues of the law that interest me, and talk about the workings of the law and the operation of a small law practice.
One of the many challenges that faces every solo or small firm is the handling of cash flow. If you are a good lawyer, that does not always mean you are a good business man. I find the biggest challenge of the solo and small firm is cash flow. For whatever reason clients seem they don't have to pay our bills. I am not sure of any other business that makes it easy for clients to continue to get services they are not paying for.  In fact the code of ethics makes it difficult for attorneys to get rid of clients that are not paying. In most other business if a client is not paying for the services rendered you can stop doing work for that client, however as an attorney you do not have that as an  option to just stop working without putting yourself in harms way and could open yourself up to a suit for malpractice.
The one thing I have the biggest problem with is I want to help my clients, I understand that times are tough they are for all of us. This is were I get into trouble, I let the case go on to long without getting paid, and it becomes more difficult to get out of the matter. But I have learned you can't wait to long, you have to act quickly, not only to protect yourself but your client as well. If a client is not paying his or her bill in a timely manner, they get a substitution of attorney after two months of not making any payments. It is harsh and sometimes hard to do but necessary. We all have to remember that will the practice of law is a privilege it is still a business.
Well that is my thoughts for today. This blog will be dedicated to writing about all aspects of the law that I find to be interesting, I hope someone else will too.