I come from a world where client service is as important as legal expertise. In fact, client service might be even more important than legal expertise because as Maya Angelou said, years from now people won’t remember what you said or did but they will remember how you made them feel. The reality is that [...]
Change is a reality of business. Client needs shift; legal expertise shifts due to retirements and new hires; legislation and case law create new opportunities and close down previous legal practises. Change is hard for most people, but particularly for lawyers. The lawyer personality doesn’t like change; it likes the expected, precedent and tradition. Lawyers [...]
Laterals can be a wonderful addition to a law firm. They can also be an incredibly expensive drain – financially, in terms of resources and with respect to morale. Here’s how to ensure your lateral hires can help rather than hurt your firm. It’s said that laterals have around a 70% chance of surviving in [...]
While Ronald Reagan wasn’t one of my favorite Presidents, he produced one of my favorite quotes about leadership: “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things." The decision-making process most firms seem to use for selection of [...]
Most firms are under-utilizing one of the most effective marketing tools of their future: their Associates. This results in increased pressure on the rest of the firm to build business and may potentially jeopardize a firm’s stability in the future. Law firms need Associates to step up and market, for everyone’s sake. To steal from [...]
I am primarily a business strategist, but I often help firms move into implementation on various projects. So, it’s not uncommon for me to write copy for law firm websites. I’m about to embark on just such a project now, and in preparation I’m doing some personal homework to remind myself about good (and bad) [...]
Most businesses – especially law firms – must market to some degree. And they do. They have a website. They print business cards. They make sure the logo is used on tombstone ads and sponsorship programs. Law firms do spend some money on marketing, and some of their lawyers even spend time on marketing – [...]
Too often, when a client or contact asks for sponsorship money, law firms simply ask where to sign. When a partner requests that the firm sponsor their child’s (school/sports team), it’s hard to say no. When a staff member requests that the firm support an event or charity they are involved in, it’s easier for [...]
Strong leadership is critical to successful firms, especially as so many firms experience the transition from retiring senior partners to the next generation. Gone are the days when a firm could rely on a handful of rainmakers to bring in enough work to keep everyone busy. When those senior partners leave, the door to that [...]
Years ago, when lawyer attrition started to reach alarming rates (which for some reason we are more complacent about now), Catalyst in the US conducted research to determine why so many female lawyers were leaving the profession. Not that only female lawyers were leaving; that was simply the focus of their research. They found that [...]