Steady The Ship Going into Year-End - A Few Last Words Regarding A/R

Happy Holidays! As we all prepare to begin the somewhat frantic job of getting things done by the end of December, we all have our to-do list and only have a certain number of days to accomplish what's on that list. Fortunately, one thing that many of us have learned over the years is how to prioritize. At the top of the to-do list for many law firms is collecting accounts receivable to meet or exceed budget by December 31. With limited time to complete this task, it's important that we focus on certain items over which we have control.

Here are a few tips to help your firm achieve its year-end collection goals:

• Take the time to meet with those attorneys who may need assistance to determine what help they need getting their accounts collected (I'm sure you know who they are). Don't just drop in -- schedule a meeting in advance (not to last longer than 30 minutes) to go over their A/R and find out how you can give them some hands-on help.
• Put together a list of clients that are expected to pay by year-end and the exact date of when payments are anticipated. Ensure each attorney receives a regular progress report and alert them if the commitment date has passed without receiving payment so they can make appropriate follow-up contact as December 31 approaches.
• Provide the attorneys a checklist of items that will help ensure payments are made, such as: verifying clients have copies of all outstanding invoices, determining if client offices will be closed the last week of December (to ensure payments have been processed before closing), providing the attorneys routing instructions if payment is to be sent by wire, or an overnight express mail account number for quick delivery, etc.
• Just as important, regularly take the time to walk the halls and check in with the attorneys on their progress during the last few weeks. Your visits will remind them of what they have to do.

Best wishes to you and your firm from everyone at Client Connection for an enjoyable holiday season and a prosperous 2015. We look forward to sharing our monthly tips with you again starting in February 2015. Please visit our web-site at http://www.clientci.com.