The importance of developing good habits in running your law firm cannot be understated.
For lawyers running a solo or boutique practice, your habits set the tone for how your firm will operate. That’s why it’s critical to develop habits that will promote growth and provide a foundation for long-term success. Richard Hugo-Hamman of LEAP Legal Software recently published an article on this topic that offers great insight on habits you can develop that will have the biggest impact on your practice.
We’ve highlighted a few of our favorites below and discuss how The Freelance Firm can help you implement them to build your own powerhouse practice.
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Be Efficient
The takeaways:
- Technology provides tremendous opportunities for you to create the most efficient and successful law firm in your area.
- Revenue is generated by lawyers – therefore, it makes sense for lawyers to be as productive as possible and to give them the tools to provide wonderful client service.
How we can help:
- With on-demand access to freelance support through our online Client Portal, you have the ability to outsource work quickly and easily. Our services are designed to make law firms more efficient by getting more of their work done at affordable rates, without hiring more staff.
- When you outsource work to us, you’ll have more time to focus on work that generates the most revenue for your practice, whether by increasing your billable hours, taking on more clients, more time for marketing, etc.
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They Enjoy Practicing Law
The takeaways:
- Lawyers must set aside time to organize their firm, manage firm affairs, meet regularly with staff/clients, and to work on developing their practice. Generally, if they don’t devote at least 20% of their time to this, the business will suffer.
How we can help:
- Using freelance support allows lawyers to free themselves of mundane, time-consuming tasks that eat up their day. Less time putting out fires means more time for organizing and building your practice.
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They Practice Areas of Law They Like and Focus on Them
The takeaways:
- Practicing areas of law that you don’t enjoy or that you’re unfamiliar with can cause major stress.
- Focus on areas that you enjoy and develop your practice around them.
How we can help:
- Our network of specialized freelance attorneys have wide-ranging experience that covers virtually every area of law. So if you have cases that you don’t enjoy working on, but they still generate revenue for your practice, you can hang onto them and outsource the work to us! Keep the money, get rid of the hassle and spend your time doing work you enjoy.
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They Dedicate Time to Building the Firm as a Business
The takeaways:
- In many small firms, the principal usually generates the highest fees and most revenue.
- They get more done by delegating work effectively and setting time aside to focus on developing their practice (20% or more of their time).
How we can help:
- We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again…lawyers can now delegate much of their workload to our freelance network so they can spend more time building their practice and creating a vision for long-term success.
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They are Early Adopters of Technology
The takeaways:
- Don’t be afraid of change.
- Leaders of successful firms are always looking for ways to provide better quality of service more efficiently and at a lower cost. It’s how they stay ahead of their competition.
How we can help:
- The legal industry is changing in many ways. Developments in legal technology, practice management software, legal research platforms and other areas are providing lawyers with powerful new tools to run their practice. We consider ourselves to be one of them.
- Make no mistake, your competitors are using these tools (including freelance support) to streamline costs and gain an edge over you! You must embrace change and take advantage of these tools for the benefit (and longevity) of your practice.
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They Become Experts in Customer Service
The takeaways:
- The bedrock of customer service is just one thing – communication! Modern technology now makes it easier than ever to keep in frequent contact with your clients.
- Referrals from happy existing clients comprise a law firm’s primary referral source!
How we can help:
- The reason that your emails and voicemails pile up each day is because you’re busy doing so many other things. Look, when it comes to certain clients, not every call needs to be answered. But the fact remains, client communication is one of the most important aspects of running a practice. Angry clients lead to bad reviews, complaints and less referrals.
- With our freelance services, your day isn’t so hectic. You have more time to look things over, make sure nothing falls through the cracks and, most importantly, time to call your clients before they call you! A proactive phone call to a client where you’re just checking up on them, or giving an update, truly goes a long way. You’ll develop a reputation for being a firm that’s focused on the happiness and well-being of their clients. These days, that’s a quality that will make you stand out.
If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to read the full article sign-up page and create your free account. In minutes you’ll have our network of freelance attorneys at your disposal. Clear off your desk and start focusing on your firm’s future today.
