Mark Bassingthwaighte, Risk Manager

2 min read

How to Avoid the Small Firm Tail Coverage Trap

Mark Bassingthwaighte, Risk Manager: Sep 16, 2020 12:00:00 AM

Just as with small businesses in every sector, small law firms have widely varying outcomes in terms of business longevity. Over the years, I’ve...

3 min read

Ten Ways to Have a More Constructive Conversation with Your Clients

Mark Bassingthwaighte, Risk Manager: Sep 2, 2020 12:00:00 AM

In the context of a conversation between an attorney and a client, effective communication occurs when both the attorney and the client feel they...

19 min read

ALPS In Brief — Episode 50: Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures

Mark Bassingthwaighte, Risk Manager: Aug 20, 2020 12:00:00 AM

Over the 3 years following this global recession spurred by COVID-19, we’ll see a spike in bankruptcies, business dealings gone south, divorces, and...

4 min read

Why Failing to Provide Mandatory Security Awareness Training is a Huge Misstep

Mark Bassingthwaighte, Risk Manager: Aug 19, 2020 12:00:00 AM

I will admit that, at times and with topics such as cyber security, I can come across as overbearing to some and as a fearmonger to others. Speaking...

8 min read

ALPS In Brief — Episode 49: Would You Send All Your Money to a Scammer? Maybe You Just Did.

Mark Bassingthwaighte, Risk Manager: Aug 6, 2020 12:00:00 AM

A lawyer was waiting on a fax with all the information she needed to complete a wire transfer. Fax received, money sent. What she didn’t know? Her...

2 min read

Why Lawyer Mediators and Criminal Defense Attorneys Should Consider Purchasing Malpractice Insurance

Mark Bassingthwaighte, Risk Manager: Aug 5, 2020 12:00:00 AM

More than a few lawyers who exclusively practice in the mediation or criminal defense space believe that purchasing malpractice insurance is a waste...

18 min read

ALPS In Brief — Episode 48: Is This My Life Now?

Mark Bassingthwaighte, Risk Manager: Jul 23, 2020 12:00:00 AM

Lawyers become lawyers to help people. To right wrongs, to champion for justice. While law school prepares you substantively for the legal issues...

3 min read

How to Avoid Problems with Third Party Payors

Mark Bassingthwaighte, Risk Manager: Jul 15, 2020 12:00:00 AM

A lawyer called me wanting to discuss third-party payors because his representation of his client had just ended, and he didn’t know what to do with...

3 min read

Why You Should Prioritize Taking Care of Yourself

Mark Bassingthwaighte, Risk Manager: Jul 1, 2020 12:00:00 AM

The best risk management advice I will ever have to offer is simply this: Never minimize the importance of taking care of yourself. I know it sounds...

19 min read

ALPS In Brief — Episode 47: Guard Your Data Like Gold and Other Practical Tips from a Hacker

Mark Bassingthwaighte, Risk Manager: Jun 25, 2020 12:00:00 AM

3 min read

How To Start Drafting an Electronic Document Retention Policy

Mark Bassingthwaighte, Risk Manager: Jun 17, 2020 12:00:00 AM

I suspect more than a few law firms, particularly in the solo/small firm space, have yet to take the necessary time to draft and write up a...

3 min read

A Tale of Two Calls – Insuring Past and Future Exposures

Mark Bassingthwaighte, Risk Manager: Jun 10, 2020 12:00:00 AM

Two calls that I recently took almost back to back really surprised me. The first came from an attorney who was retiring in another month or so. He...