Category : Management
Onboarding an Intern for Your Law Firm: Dos and Don’ts
Dec 6, 2018One particular advantage of running your own law firm: You’ll never have a shortage of eager law school students offering to help out as legal interns. When you do it thoughtfully and correctly, onboarding an intern for your law firm is a win-win situation. You get access to fairly cheap labor for those menial tasks […]
Common Sources of Attorney Frustration
Nov 16, 2018In almost every job or career—even the ones we love—there is usually some aspect of the job that we would rather not deal with, something that frustrates or annoys us. The same holds true with lawyers, even those who have their own firms. Fortunately, we can often find creative ways to mitigate those issues somewhat. […]
5 Things We’d Love to See Law Schools Start Teaching ASAP
Oct 20, 2018“Boy, they sure didn’t teach me this in law school.” How often do we hear these words from the mouths of rookie lawyers? Like so many other professions, the difference between law school and the “real world” is almost like being on two different planets. Most law schools train their focus so heavily on the […]
How to Learn Amazing Lessons from Your Unhappy Clients
Oct 7, 2018“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” –Bill Gates No one I know of particularly enjoys getting complaints. We much prefer the kudos—the pats on the back from clients who tell us we’re the best. But here’s the reality: We learn much more from our complaining clients than our satisfied ones—and for […]
Time Management 101 for Law Firm Owners
Sep 27, 2018In running your law firm, do you feel like you’re burning the candle at both ends? Do you feel like the harder you work, the less you get done? You’re not alone—a lot of overworked attorneys share your plight. But the fact that this problem is common doesn’t mean it’s right. Much of your stress […]
Getting “Buy In” From Your Family to Build the Law Firm of Your Dreams
Sep 6, 2018Life is not a solo act. It’s a huge collaboration, and we all need to assemble around us the people who care about us and support us in times of strife. –Tim Gunn No man is an island unto himself. –John Donne You can’t conduct business in a vacuum, and you won’t achieve […]
It’s Crazy That Lawyers Brag About How Hard They Work
Aug 22, 2018When you run into a colleague at a conference or networking event, how does the chit-chat generally go? Typically, it follows this basic pattern: “How are you doing?” “Super busy. You?” “Busy.” It’s not a myth. As the Chicago Tribune notes, the median work week for a lawyer is 50 hours, but over 40 percent […]
Building a Law Firm? Don’t Forget to Take Good Care of Your Vendors
Jul 26, 2018No man is an island, entire of itself. —John Donne As an entrepreneurial lawyer, the success you achieve in your law firm (or conversely, your failure) depends largely on the choices you make. However, no one achieves success alone. Without support of outside vendors, reliably supplying services and materials, a firm won’t survive—simple as […]
Why the Physical Environment at Your Law Firm Matters
Jul 23, 2018A desk, a phone, a computer, a door, restroom access, filing cabinets. When you’re starting out as a lawyer-entrepreneur with a limited budget, you may be satisfied renting any office space with these basic items, regardless of the physical environment. But is your office welcoming, or dingy and claustrophobic? (Images come to mind of Jimmy […]
Does Working Harder Make You More Productive as a Law Firm Owner?
Jun 21, 2018We only have so much energy for our work, for our relationships, for ourselves. A smart person understands this and guards it carefully. —Ryan Holiday If your law firm isn’t yet producing the profits you want, your natural impulse might be to work harder—put some more “muscle” into it, so to speak. But does […]
Working “In” Your Law Firm vs. Working “On” It
Jun 14, 2018It’s remarkable how changing one small word can deeply change the meaning of a sentence or phrase. In this case, the difference between the smallest of words—“in” and “on”—can make the difference between success or failure for almost any small business, including law firms. Many entrepreneurial lawyers get buried in the busy-ness of the day-to-day […]
4 Things They Don’t Teach in Law School—But Should
May 10, 2018A question for you lawyers: How many of you felt like law school didn’t properly prepare you for actually being an attorney? (Hands up everywhere.) Law school is great for teaching us the principles of law in a theoretical environment (not to mention fulfilling a requirement for passing the Bar)—but as with so many professions, […]
