In most businesses, the senior-most individuals would be considered the most stable in terms of productivity. Their years of experience coupled with their management and marketing skills and reputation would normally add up to sustainable revenue. But this is not necessarily the case in a law practice. Most Partners do not intuitively have marketing skills, [...]
Law firm marketers have been fundamental to the establishment and management of many law firm practice groups and client teams in North American law firms. Critical to the success of these efforts has been the ability to help train team members in their respective roles. Toward the end of my time in-house, I conducted research [...]
My 22-year-old son tells me that the days of sexism and racism are gone, and for all I know that may well be the case for his generation, but it’s not for mine. I’m amazed at the constant examples of sexism and racism and other isms that I see regularly in my professional and personal [...]
Law firm Administrators are capable of doing so much more than most firms allow them to do. If you're able to move from giving them instructions to allowing them to really embrace their role, they can provide a far greater value to your firm. In my earlier years in-house with big law firms, I watched [...]
I’ve seen lawyers lose patience when they’ve asked a credible, professional design firm to do a task (design an ad or brochure) and the design firm commences with a questions process. “Can’t they just design the darn ad?!” I’ve been asked. It’s doubtful a lawyer would visit their doctor and expect to get an appropriate treatment [...]
We spend so much of our time, energy and money on attracting and keeping clients that the thought of firing one seems defeatist. But firing clients can be good for business. Here’s why. Bad clients waste out time. One of the annoying elements of a bad relationship is that it tends to take [...]
For some lawyers – especially those with 30+ years of practice under their belt - succession sounds like business speak for “force me out”. And as the senior lawyers in a firm usually wield power, either because they are rainmakers or sit on the executive, they can keep succession off of the agenda until their [...]
My friends and colleagues know me as someone who can get a tremendous amount done in a typical day, week, month or year. My secret is that I’m an efficiency nut. Over the years, I’ve developed a series of strategies that have helped me to remain as productive and organized as possible. I’ve shared these [...]
In 2016 I attended an event that allowed me to hear, for the first time in person, from business writer Tom Peters. My first impression was that he’s reached an age where he really doesn’t care about what people think of him – he just tells it like he sees it, which is refreshing. His [...]
If you were to go on a holiday, would you just jump in your car and start driving? Of course you wouldn’t. You’d determine your destination. You’d figure out the best time to go. You’d book accommodations and make travel arrangements. You’d consider the costs involved, and you’d pack according to the weather and your [...]