Top Shelf: How to Maximize Lawyer Staff in a Modern Law Firm

Broadly speaking, lawyers take on too much.  You know: at work, emotionally.  They’re probably also trying to carry too many grocery bags into the house at one time.  You know how it is. 

 

This, of course, leads to a whole host of problems, including that attorneys have higher incidences of alcohol and drug dependence, as well as depression, than does the general population.  Maybe you already knew that.  But, the fact is that this also has a direct effect on how much a lawyer can make. 

Hear me out: Because lawyers try to do everything, and to do everything perfectly, they’re also more prone than the general population to take on more work than they need to.  For example, they’re unwilling to delegate, including to paralegal and administrative staff, but also to other attorneys.  That means that lawyers end up being chief cook and bottlewasher, rather than focusing on the high-end work (strategy, client engagement), that they get paid the most for. 

 

That’s why developing processes, ie – workflows, in law firms, is so essential.  Because it can push all that other stuff down, and let lawyers be (exclusively) lawyers. 

 

So, if you want to run the most efficient law practice possible, and to accommodate as much billable work as you can – thus, making the most revenue – you will want to delegate (to staff) or automate (via technology) as much non-substantive (read: administrative) work as you can. 

 

You might be surprised by how much work your attorneys don’t have to do. 

 

. . . 

 

If you want to talk efficiency, we’ve got you.  Contact us today.

Through a unique partnership between the bar association and Jared Correia's Red Cave Law Firm Consulting, Vermont Bar Association members have access to experienced law practice management consultants at a special discounted rate.

To get started, visit Red Cave's Vermont Bar Association landing page, and start running your law practice like a business.