It’s Time to Create Your 2024 Personal Plan

Typically, lawyers work from 40 – 80 hours per week.  If they are able to bill out 2/3rds of that time, they are lucky (or organized).  But it could be better.  The difference between billed work and the rest of that time is often wasted or at least under-utilized time.  That’s because most lawyers don’t [...]

Three Ways to Run a Law Firm

I was recently asked how a law firm management philosophy relates to the strategic planning process.  It was a great question, because how we manage a firm (or plan to manage a firm) must either be aligned with firm culture, or set out to consciously adjust firm culture.  So how we plan sets the tone [...]

Is Remote Work a Thing Now?

(This article first appeared in SLAW, earlier this year) My son recently announced that the small law firm website design company he works for will be giving up their trendy office space in Vancouver’s Gas Town and permanently moving to a remote work environment.  He was ecstatic, as he LOVES working from home.  But my [...]

By |2021-12-03T17:09:30-05:00December 3rd, 2021|Business Management|0 Comments

Shaping Your Firm by its Future Inhabitants

In my last post, I talked about predicting our shifting client base.  Today I’m going to touch on the shifting demographics of our talent pool – lawyers and staff. I’ve been researching demographic shifts in the US for a client, and came up with some surprising statistics.  For example: For the next 20 years in [...]

What Associates Should Look for in a Law Firm (and vice versa)

Recruiters make a lot of money helping to place Associates in law firms.  It’s a great service, but their motivation places emphasis on movement in the marketplace rather than stability.  And movement follows because most Associates don’t really know what they’re looking for and how to assess if firms have those things.  And most law [...]

What Law Firms Should Be Focusing On in 2021

(This article first appeared in SLAW.  While it's no longer a "first of the year" piece, it still have value for those firms wondering if the pandemic will ever end, what business will look like on the other side, and whether they should be doing things differently now).  Despite hiccups on vaccine receipt and distribution, [...]

The Secret to Getting Things Done in a Law Firm

Law firms are getting better at planning.  This includes a strategic plan, and marketing plan, plans for practice groups, even plans for individual lawyers.  Firms can feel pretty sanctimonious about having taken the time (and money) to develop such plans.  But more often than not, by the end of the year the plan has been [...]

By |2021-03-20T16:22:30-04:00March 20th, 2021|Business Management, Firm Management|0 Comments

Harnessing the Power of Practice Groups

(This post first appeared in SLAW) Most firms have come to appreciate the value of practice groups in their management and marketing; but not everyone knows why they are more powerful than operating without them, which may result in their under-utilization.  In this post I’ll explain the evolution of practice groups, what they look like [...]

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