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 [...]
I’m fighting cancer. I’ll be fine; I just have to go through hell to get there. I’ve kept this information quiet until now, but as my hair fell out the other day, the cat’s out of the bag anyway. And the executive coach in me has realized that there is an important lesson here that [...]
I often get asked “what kind of marketing should we do?” Or I’m asked to “just provide us with a bunch of great marketing ideas”. No time spent determining what the firm wants to look like in the future. No proper assessment of where they are today. No indication of what success would look like. [...]
Instead of business as usual this year, I invite you to consider managing your firm like it's a business instead of a law firm: through business goals and plans. Most law firms only have a general sense of what they want to accomplish this year as a business. Earn more revenues. Grow our client base. [...]
In this second segment of a two-part article, I focus on succession planning for practice groups and individual lawyers. In Part One (published here in October), I explained why proper succession planning is so important. I also touched on why senior partners might be reluctant to retire, and offered advice on how to overcome this [...]
Lawyers know when something isn’t working; and they can usually find a way to get business back on track. But everyone has weaknesses or blind spots. When things aren’t going the way you feel they should – despite your best efforts at improvement – it might be time to hire a coach. When I ask [...]