Learning to Plan

In Episode 2 of the Work that Works podcast, we learned how important it is to continue developing business acumen and leadership skills throughout your career.

As a partner in your career, the OBA has dedicated expert programming to helping you build your leadership and business skills.

Use this specially curated list of programs as a guide to help you map out your plan to grow and develop your aptitude for leadership and the business of law.

MODULE I. STARTING YOUR OWN FIRM RESOURCES

PROGRAM TITLE & ACCREDITATION	PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Set the Right Foundation for Your Business: From Values to Vision ACCREDITATION 0.25 Professionalism Hours; 1.25 Substantive Hours	Before you embark on opening your own practice, or renew your current business model, it is important to start at the most basic (and most often overlooked) level: identifying and understanding key factors about yourself.  The insights gained in this foundational session will inform all aspects of planning the essential building blocks of your business, including Articulating your 'why' Identifying your values Clarifying your vision Identifying your strengths and what fuels you Defining what success means to you Addressing fundamental considerations of being your own boss
Developing a Business Plan and Determining Your Business Structure ACCREDITATION 0.5 Professionalism Hours; 1 Substantive Hour	Now that you have determined your core values and have a keen sense of the direction of your business, set your vision in motion by preparing a business plan and business structure that best complements you. A business plan is an important reference tool to help you organize short term and long-term actionable goals. This program will help you work through: Your business plan What business structures are right for you Determining your fee structures  Determining your ideal client base
How Am I Supposed to Sell Myself? Primer on Business Development and Revenue Generation ACCREDITATION 0.25 Professionalism Hours; 1.75 Substantive Hours	Your foundation is set.  What is the best way to build your business? Today's legal market is extremely competitive.  It takes a lot of grit and resilience to be a successful business person, beyond just being an outstanding lawyer – which is table stakes.  This program will get you thinking about what challenges exist in the marketplace and how you will provide a unique solution.
Hiring Decisions for Your Firm: A Human Resources Guide for Interviewing and Making Employment Decisions ACCREDITATION 1 Professionalism Hour	This program will help you determine whether you to grow your practice by hiring new staff and help you determine the best way to do that. Get practical advice for staffing your firm and minimizing risk when outsourcing work.
Keys to Launching Your Own Practice ACCREDITATION 1h 30m Substantive Hours	Obtain a practical “how-to” approach to setting up essential building blocks of your own practice. Come away with a better understanding of LSO bookkeeping rules, contingency fees, LawPro coverages and more. You will walk away with an understanding of: An understanding of compliance rules An ability to do detailed risk analyses of how and when you can or should charge contingency fees Various LawPro coverages for your practice and how transaction levies work
Take Your Practice Where You Want to Go: From Marketing to Leadership ACCREDITATION 1h 30m Professionalism Hours	Unearth innovative ways to identify and reach your ideal client base.   Build a plan that is right for your practice.  This program will help you: Create a strategic marketing plan with leadership in mind Examine special considerations in business development for family lawyers and commercial litigators Develop essential components to building a successful litigation practice Balance your practice with business development Build credibility and reputation with an ongoing consistent process

PROGRAM TITLE & ACCREDITATION

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Set the Right Foundation for Your Business: From Values to Vision

ACCREDITATION

0.25 Professionalism Hours; 1.25 Substantive Hours

Before you embark on opening your own practice, or renew your current business model, it is important to start at the most basic (and most often overlooked) level: identifying and understanding key factors about yourself.  The insights gained in this foundational session will inform all aspects of planning the essential building blocks of your business, including

Articulating your 'why'
Identifying your values
Clarifying your vision
Identifying your strengths and what fuels you
Defining what success means to you
Addressing fundamental considerations of being your own boss

Developing a Business Plan and Determining Your Business Structure

ACCREDITATION

0.5 Professionalism Hours;
1 Substantive Hour

Now that you have determined your core values and have a keen sense of the direction of your business, set your vision in motion by preparing a business plan and business structure that best complements you.

A business plan is an important reference tool to help you organize short term and long-term actionable goals. This program will help you work through:

Your business plan
What business structures are right for you
Determining your fee structures 
Determining your ideal client base

How Am I Supposed to Sell Myself? Primer on Business Development and Revenue Generation

ACCREDITATION

0.25 Professionalism Hours; 1.75 Substantive Hours

Your foundation is set.  What is the best way to build your business? Today's legal market is extremely competitive.  It takes a lot of grit and resilience to be a successful business person, beyond just being an outstanding lawyer – which is table stakes.  This program will get you thinking about what challenges exist in the marketplace and how you will provide a unique solution. 

Hiring Decisions for Your Firm: A Human Resources Guide for Interviewing and Making Employment Decisions

ACCREDITATION

1 Professionalism Hour

This program will help you determine whether you to grow your practice by hiring new staff and help you determine the best way to do that. Get practical advice for staffing your firm and minimizing risk when outsourcing work.

Keys to Launching Your Own Practice

ACCREDITATION

1h 30m Substantive Hours

Obtain a practical “how-to” approach to setting up essential building blocks of your own practice. Come away with a better understanding of LSO bookkeeping rules, contingency fees, LawPro coverages and more. You will walk away with an understanding of:

An understanding of compliance rules
An ability to do detailed risk analyses of how and when you can or should charge contingency fees
Various LawPro coverages for your practice and how transaction levies work

Take Your Practice Where You Want to Go: From Marketing to Leadership

ACCREDITATION

1h 30m Professionalism Hours

Unearth innovative ways to identify and reach your ideal client base.   Build a plan that is right for your practice.  This program will help you:

Create a strategic marketing plan with leadership in mind
Examine special considerations in business development for family lawyers and commercial litigators
Develop essential components to building a successful litigation practice
Balance your practice with business development
Build credibility and reputation with an ongoing consistent process

MODULE II. Law Practice Management Skills

PROGRAM TITLE & ACCREDITATION	PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Cybersecurity: Best Practices for Protecting Your Law Firm or Legal Practice ACCREDITATION 1h 30m Professionalism Hours	Today’s legal practices store significant quantities of confidential information in electronic formats. Ensure that your law firm or legal practice is protected from cyber-risks with this essential program. Our expert faculty shares key advice and practical tools, such as: Making sense of the dangers Unraveling your professional obligations and potential liability Critical strategies for breach prevention, including standards, technology, and training Managing the unique challenges arising from mobile devices LAWPRO coverage
Open for Business: Keys to Starting a Law Firm ACCREDITATION 15m EDI; 1h 45m Professionalism	This is your guide for a practical approach to starting your own practice. Avoid common start-up pitfalls, gain a better understanding of various practice models, and obtain insights into what resources are available to help you reach your milestones.
20-20 Vision For Marketing Yourself in 2020 ACCREDITATION 1 Professionalism Hour; 1 Substantive Hour	How should you market your firm in 2020? What are the challenges and strategies to marketing firms through social media compared to conventional broadcast and print media? How can you leverage your website and social media to get your brand and message out? This session will explore how to market your law firm (and yourself) whether in a niche practice area or a multi-disciplinary law firm, while updating you on the latest Law Society rules around advertising and marketing.

PROGRAM TITLE & ACCREDITATION

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Cybersecurity: Best Practices for Protecting Your Law Firm or Legal Practice

ACCREDITATION

1h 30m Professionalism Hours

Today’s legal practices store significant quantities of confidential information in electronic formats. Ensure that your law firm or legal practice is protected from cyber-risks with this essential program. Our expert faculty shares key advice and practical tools, such as:

Making sense of the dangers
Unraveling your professional obligations and potential liability
Critical strategies for breach prevention, including standards, technology, and training
Managing the unique challenges arising from mobile devices
LAWPRO coverage

Open for Business: Keys to Starting a Law Firm

ACCREDITATION

15m EDI;

1h 45m Professionalism

This is your guide for a practical approach to starting your own practice. Avoid common start-up pitfalls, gain a better understanding of various practice models, and obtain insights into what resources are available to help you reach your milestones.

20-20 Vision For Marketing Yourself in 2020

ACCREDITATION

1 Professionalism Hour;
1 Substantive Hour

How should you market your firm in 2020? What are the challenges and strategies to marketing firms through social media compared to conventional broadcast and print media? How can you leverage your website and social media to get your brand and message out? This session will explore how to market your law firm (and yourself) whether in a niche practice area or a multi-disciplinary law firm, while updating you on the latest Law Society rules around advertising and marketing.

Module III. Sole, Small Firm, and General Practitioner Focus

PROGRAM TITLE & ACCREDITATION	PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The Business of Law: Financial Management for Sole, Small and Medium Firms ACCREDITATION 1.75 Professionalism Hours; 1.5 Substantive Hours	Enhancing your business focus will help you improve your practice of law.  Lawyers who have a firm grasp of financial management can better assess and reflect the value they provide to clients. After taking part in this program, you will be able to create a budget that helps you stay in the black, anticipate necessary costs and minimize unnecessary ones and focus on what costs will help you deliver greater value to your clients while improving your bottom line.
Lawyers on the Move: From Starting Up, Expanding to Moving ACCREDITATION 1 Professionalism Hour	This first installment of the OBA’s Sole, Small Firm and General Practice Section’s Fireside Chat Speaker Series, takes a deep dive into what it takes to:  transition to a mid-sized or large-sized firm  expand your practice areas  open your own law firm
Proactively Managing Your Files for a Law Society of Ontario Audit ACCREDITATION 1 Professionalism Hour	Gain the proactive and preventative tools you need to identify possible deficiencies in your practice. This program helps you with: File Management: Opening and Closing File Procedure File Storage: Procedure and Length of Time and File Destruction Financial Management: Fees and Billing; Controls for Accounts Payable and Receivable, Trust Accounts

PROGRAM TITLE & ACCREDITATION

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Business of Law: Financial Management for Sole, Small and Medium Firms

ACCREDITATION

1.75 Professionalism Hours; 1.5 Substantive Hours

Enhancing your business focus will help you improve your practice of law.  Lawyers who have a firm grasp of financial management can better assess and reflect the value they provide to clients. After taking part in this program, you will be able to create a budget that helps you stay in the black, anticipate necessary costs and minimize unnecessary ones and focus on what costs will help you deliver greater value to your clients while improving your bottom line.

Lawyers on the Move: From Starting Up, Expanding to Moving

ACCREDITATION

1 Professionalism Hour

This first installment of the OBA’s Sole, Small Firm and General Practice Section’s Fireside Chat Speaker Series, takes a deep dive into what it takes to:

 transition to a mid-sized or large-sized firm
 expand your practice areas
 open your own law firm

Proactively Managing Your Files for a Law Society of Ontario Audit

ACCREDITATION

1 Professionalism Hour

Gain the proactive and preventative tools you need to identify possible deficiencies in your practice. This program helps you with:

File Management: Opening and Closing File Procedure
File Storage: Procedure and Length of Time and File Destruction
Financial Management: Fees and Billing; Controls for Accounts Payable and Receivable, Trust Accounts

Module IV. Diversity and Inclusion

PROGRAM TITLE & ACCREDITATION	PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Uploading Diversity and Inclusion Responsibilities to Your Management Team ACCREDITATION 1 EDI Hour	You are a champion of diversity and you are doing your best to shift the mindset of colleagues in your workplace. How can you upload these responsibilities to your management team to implement changes top-down? Hear helpful advice on how to effectively share your ownership with the management team to improve staffing, mentorship, and development opportunities.
Real-World Strategies for Integrating Diversity and Inclusion into Your Firm or Legal Department ACCREDITATION 1 EDI Hour	Gain real-world insight into how organizations and firms across North America are building more diverse and inclusive legal workplace cultures by conducting internal inclusion audits, providing diversity and inclusion training, and hiring and retaining diverse talent. Learn hands-on tactics and expert strategies to ensure that your workplace is at the forefront of diversity and inclusion in the Canadian legal profession.
Persuasion, Negotiation, and Relationship Building: Techniques to Succeed in Law Today ACCREDITATION 2h 45m Professionalism Hours; 1h 45m Substantive Hours	This program has been specially designed to help you improve your persuasion techniques, build your emotional intelligence, develop client relationships, and improve your negotiation skills.
Diversity Comes in All Forms – Isms and Solutions ACCREDITATION 1 EDI Hour	Diversity is broad and multi-faceted. Join us as we examine the many aspects of how diversity intersects with the practice of law. Our speakers will outline both the barriers and their impact while also discussing the implications of recent case law on top issues in the legal workplace.
Strengthen Your Leadership Skills with Emotional Intelligence ACCREDITATION 1 Professionalism Hour	Before you can lead anyone anywhere, the first step is to determine the emotional state of your staff. This program gives you the practical know-how for engaging with your teams, and gauging the right tone and vision for your work environment.

Call Forward Series 2024-2025