Relatively large or well-funded law firms likely have a host of practice management technology and expertise on hand to help them grow and manage their business. But for small law firms and solo practitioners, these tools can often be well outside their price range.

The Florida Bar is looking to change that. The bar recently announced the launch of LegalFuel, a website that includes educational resources and a document library to help attorneys start their law firms and to aid small law firms in more adeptly managing business demands.

Michelle Suskauer, president of the Florida bar and criminal defense attorney at Dimond Kaplan & Rothstein, said the impetus to launch LegalFuel was to cater to the needs of most of the bar's members.

“About 76 percent of our membership are in law firms of 10 attorneys or fewer… and what LegalFuel does is connect our members with tools to help them fuel their law practice to make sure they are increasing their profitability, productivity and efficiency,” Suskauer said.

Moreover, she noted that LegalFuel was also launched to give bar members a centralized online place where they can quickly access business expertise. “It gets frustrating when you have to click 15 different times online to get this information, especially when you are short on time.”

LegalFuel offers a host of educational resources organized under five categories: Start a Law Firm, Manage Your Practice, Marketing, Finance and Technology. The content, which is presented either as written articles, videos or podcasts, covers a wide variety of topics, including how to properly procure and vet legal technology, how to hire staff and rent an office, and suggestions for marketing strategies.

In addition, LegalFuel's document library includes a number of financial, marketing, personal hiring, and client communication document templates. There is also a bar members-only forum deemed “The Discussion Room” where members can interact directly with one another.

LegalFuel is itself an evolution of two earlier practice management websites the Florida Bar maintained, Law Office Management Assistance Service (LOMAS), and the Practice Resource Institute, both of which are now defunct.

Suskauer noted that unlike LOMAS and PRI, LegalFuel will provide ongoing and up-to-date content that will also be interactive. Indeed, LegalFuel will even host a monthly “Speakers Series,” with a new video out each month that covers business or tech topics and qualifies for CLE credit.

To be sure, with the launch of LegalFuel, the Florida bar not only hopes to make its members better business experts, but also make sure they are aware of advancements in the practice of law.

“We try to touch on every aspect of technology you could use in your law firm, including recommending software, and explaining how to keep your data safe with cybersecurity best practices,” Suskauer said.

The Florida bar's launch of LegalFuel is just the latest example of state bar associations looking to enable their attorneys to become better legal businesses managers. Over 30 bar associations have dedicated practice management resources they offer their membership. Some, like the Illinois state bar's online practice management center Practice HQ, even provide attorneys free technology resources as well.