When you go to heaven…
… will your practice look like this?
Actual office of a deceased lawyer. An attorney was appointed by the Court to protect the clients’ interests and close the office permanently.
If you are a solo practitioner and you don’t have a succession plan — an agreement with another lawyer, a letter of instructions to family, or some indication of how to take over your practice at a moment’s notice — you could be leaving behind a messy, even tragic, situation. Many lawyers don’t realize that if they die, the burden of closing their practice could fall on their family’s shoulders. For a clearer picture of what actually happens when a lawyer dies, read When You Go to Heaven, Will Your Practice Go to Hell? an article I wrote with Reid Trautz in the January 2009 issue of the ABA Law Practice Management Section’s Law Practice Today.
The entire office was in a state of total disarray.
If you are ready to take action to protect your clients and loved ones, contact your practice management advisor at your state Bar for assistance. South Carolina Bar members can contact me at pmap@scbar.org and visit the PMAP pages on Winding Down for more succession planning advice.