My friend, Dan Pinnington (director of practicePRO), article Legal malpractice risks change in tough times (But the best risk management strategies don’t) was recently made available to a wider audience and is worth reading. Dan provides sage advice and even though he is in Canada and this was originally aimed at Canadian lawyers, it applies to those of us here in the U.S.A.  While I disagree with his position that you shouldn’t sue for fees(sometimes you just have to do it) I do agree that in these tough times, you really need to focus on getting as much cash up front as possible (if you accept credit cards this can be easier).