Ed Poll


Edward Poll is a nationally recognized strategic planner for lawyers and law firms and will teach a course about business strategies for lawyers at Solo Practice University®.

Ed Poll is the principal of LawBiz Management. He is a nationally recognized coach, law firm management consultant and author. He practiced law on all sides of the table for 25 years – as a corporate general counsel, government prosecutor, sole practitioner, partner and law firm chief operating officer .. and as a client. He also owned and operated several manufacturing businesses.

For the last 14 years, Ed Poll has been coaching and consulting lawyers and law firms in the areas of strategic planning, profitability analysis and practice development. He has been called as an expert law firm management witness by the State Bar of California Trial Court, appointed as a Trustee of law firms convicted of disciplinary violations. He currently facilitates Managing Partners Roundtable consisting of some of the largest law firms in the country, Executive Directors Roundtable, as well as Diversity Directors Roundtable.

He’s a nationally-renowned instructor for law firms, bar associations and universities. He has taught:

  • “Creating New Business Enterprises,” in the Department of Entrepreneurship, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
  • “Business of Law Practice” for the USC Law Center for Advanced Professional Education
  • Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE) formerly at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.

Ed has authored several books and audiotapes on running a profitable law practice:

  • Attorney & Law Firm Guide to The Business of Law: Planning and Operating for Survival and Growth, Second Edition
  • The Profitable Law Office Handbook: Attorney’s Guide to Successful Business Planning
  • Secrets of the Business of Law: Successful Practices for Increasing Your Profits!
  • Law Practice Management Review: The Audio Magazine for Busy Attorneys.
  • The Tool Kit for Buying or Selling a Law Practice.

Ed is a frequent contributor to legal and business publications including: The Complete Lawyer, Lawyers’ Weekly USA, California Lawyer, The Practical Lawyer, Law Office Economics & Management and California Law Business (supplement to the Los Angeles Daily Journal).

Ed’s activities and leadership positions include:

  • Member, Council, Law Practice Management Section, American Bar Association
  • Member, Advisory Board, Law Firm Accounting (Leader Publications, Inc)
  • Member, Editorial Board, Los Angeles Lawyer, Los Angeles County Bar Association
  • Co-recipient of the “Leader of the Year” award (1991) of the General Practice Section of the American Bar Association
  • Chairperson (1991-1997), Law Practice Management Section, Beverly Hills Bar Association
  • Member, Executive Committee (since 1992) and Vice Chair (1997), Law Office Management Section, Los Angeles County Bar Association
  • Chairperson (1989-1990) and adviser (1990-1997) to the Solo & Small Firm Section, State Bar of California (formerly General Practice Section)

Ed maintains the LawBiz® Management website and the LawBiz Blog.


Syllabus – LawBiz Management

Part I:  Creating the Business Plan

-Law is a Business

- Initial Check List

- The Planning Process

Part II: Setting Goals

– Identifying Personal Goals

– Identifying Law Firm Goals


Part III: Marketing Paradigms

-  Creating the Marketing Plan

-  A Solo and Small Firm Practitioner’s Marketing Renaissance

– It’s the Client, Stypid: How to Avoid Marketing Malpractice w/Key Clients


Part IV: Client Relations

-  Listening to Clients
-  Rules for Improving Your Client Relations

Part V: Financial Management

– Creating the Financial Plan

– Methods of Determining Revenue


Part VI

- Pricing Legal Services

– The Billing Process


Part VII

– Credit and Collections


Part VIII

- Banks and Loans

– Risk Management For Lawyers

– Financial Management

– Client Trust Accounting The Easy Way

– The Right Way to Hire

– Hire is Not a Four-Letter Word


Part IX

- A Checklist for Opening Your Law Firm