Navigating Growth and Challenges in Your Firm
My mother always said, “To truly serve someone, you must walk a mile in their shoes.” While I haven’t exactly trekked a mile in the shoes of the managing partners I advise, recent times have seen me making strides, albeit smaller ones, to embody the wisdom I’ve shared for years.
As Law Practice Edge grows, I find echoes of my past advice ringing in my ears, guiding me as I navigate the same growth challenges, I’ve counselled others on. Here are a few insights from my journey:
Embracing Systems and Processes
In the early stages of a firm, it’s all hands-on deck, with everyone pitching in in their unique way. This hustle, while necessary, often sidelines the need for structured processes and systems. My firsthand experience has reinforced a familiar sermon: success and scalability lie in laying down the systems and processes early. Change is inevitable, but starting from organized ground rather than chaos is a game-changer. It sets a firm on a path of sustainable growth, operational excellence, and resilience. It creates a positive ripple effect that touches every aspect of the business, from internal operations to client relationships, making it a fundamental principle for any firm’s success strategy.
Making Time for Your Team
The importance of valuing people isn’t new to me, but living it is another story. A recent moment of introspection came when my assistant sought time with me—a request I nearly declined due to my busy schedule. Thankfully, the very advice I’ve dispensed to others resonated with me in time. Making time isn’t just about managing schedules; it’s about recognizing the irreplaceable value of your team members.
For those leading within their firms, I highly recommend “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” by John Maxwell. Managing a team is challenging, especially in a bustling law firm, but showing your team they matter fosters a positive culture of respect, trust, and accountability.
Streamlining Work Across Multiple Managers
The challenge of managing assignments from multiple partners is real. Here, technology offers a solution. Tools like Monday.com have been invaluable in our firm, offering visibility into workloads, deadlines, and available bandwidth. Adopting such a platform can smooth out the workflow and prevent burnout, ensuring a balanced distribution of tasks.
Delivering Exceptional Client Service
At the heart of Law Practice Edge is our commitment to client-centric service. We strive to treat every client as our most important, balancing high expectations with realistic promises. As you find in your firms, the temptation to overpromise is a pitfall we navigate daily,aiming to deliver excellence without overextending our team or compromising our values.
As your firm grows, it’s important to continue to provide the same level of client service. Utilizing technology to manage employee bandwidth and focusing on communication, both internally and externally, will help you to maintain your brand, your relationships, and your sanity.
In closing, the journey from advising to applying these principles at Law Practice Edge has been enlightening. It’s one thing to guide others on managing growth, culture, and client relations; it’s another to walk that path yourself. This experience has not only enriched my understanding but has also deepened my commitment to embodying the core values we hold dear. As we continue to innovate and grow, we do so with a keen awareness of the shoes we fill and the paths we pave for both our team and our clients. We wish the same for you and your firm.
Suzette Welling, CLM, is the President of Law Practice Edge. You can reach her at suzette@lawpracticeedge.com.
