AND THE LAWYER SAYS - WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?

When I was a kid, my dad always used to say when I was having trouble figuring something out or what wasn’t working, “you can never see the needle in your own eye”. Of course when I was 8 I had no idea what he was talking about. Why would someone want to see the needle in their own eye, and how did the needle get there in the first place?

Of course I eventually figured out what he was talking about. Through the course of career, and in fact my life, that saying would come to mind when things seemed okay but I still knew there was something not quite right.

My 40 year career in the legal field developed over the years from legal secretary (it seems we don’t have those anymore) to paralegal, law firm administrator and now independent law firm administrator and author.

In my day to day work with law firms, I have used the experience and the skills developed to help law firms be more productive, efficient, and as a result - profitable. Some lawyers believe that when something in the firm isn’t working the way it should, the answer is to hire additional staff, pay more money for more experienced staff, or, buy something - anything - that will fix the problem.

The reality is that what your law firm really needs is a business assessment. A business assessment is an analytical tool that helps businesses to understand their needs and get recommendations for business solutions.

With my experience, I can take an objective look at your law business and help you determine where your business is today, what will help you get to where you want to be tomorrow, what obstacles are standing in your way and the specific actions that we need to take to address all of these issues.

Every law firm is a business - the business is practicing law. Your business is not your law practice. But for the “business” of practicing law to be successful, the “business” needs to be fully operational with goals and procedures designed to help the firm move forward and achieve its goals. This involves policy development, strategic planning, legal project management and financial analysis and planning for the firm.

I show lawyers how to focus on the changing requirements and the demands of the legal profession, some of which are forced on law firms by the economy and client demands. I will then help you implement the necessary measures to position your firm for growth. Growth does not have to mean the growth of your firm as number of staff members. Many attorneys want their firms to be solo or small firms. The growth I am talking about is growth of your revenues, not a result of working harder and putting in more hours, but structuring your business to be time-efficient and cost-effective.

My law business assessment consists of 2 full days of working with you and your staff. Every part of your practice is an open book - from finances to billing, case management, legal project management, HR - every conceivable aspect of your business. After those 2 days of full disclosure, I will provide you with an analysis of your business and what policies and procedures your firm needs to implement to increase productivity and profitability.

I help attorneys with “managing the business of practicing law”. My best seller, “From Lawyer to Law Firm - How to Manage a Successful Law Business” was written as a reference book. My clients’ successes are my successes. Please review my website for client testimonials and other information at www.fromlawyertolawfirm.com. You can email me at liz.managementconsultant@gmail.com or call me at 813-340-9569.

I will help you find the needle in your own eye!