When asked, most firms would say that their #1 business goal is to get more work. The only way to get more work for the firm is to get it from existing clients, or to develop new client relationships. It’s well-documented that it’s far easier to get more work out of an existing client than [...]
Most law firms are contradictory when it comes to retreat philosophies. They want to ensure that a retreat isn’t a colossal waste of time and money; but they want everyone to have fun. They want to get substantial work done; but they want to focus on team building and the social aspect. They want attendees [...]
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 [...]