Crash Into Me: Law Firm Owners Don't Have to Take Every Opportunity That Falls Into Their Laps

Probably far too often, law firm owners are controlled by their circumstances, rather than vice versa. 

 

Consider the following scenarios: 

 

-A lawyer waxes poetic about the success of your law firm, and their strong desire to work for you, which you take them up on – mostly because you’re flattered. 

 

-An attorney takes a case that is not strong, simply because there is an intake lull, and there does not seem to be any immediate harm in doing so. 

 

-A lawyer buys a new technology platform – without checking with any members of her team, on a whim, entirely based on the recommendation of another lawyer, and an introduction to a salesperson. 

 

Any of these seemingly innocuous decisions, could lead to a disastrous outcome.  That hire that you didn’t need turns sour – and now you have to fire someone; or, worse yet: there is an opportunity cost paid in not being able to hire a right-fit candidate, who shows up down the road.

Those cases you take that you’re not entirely sure about, or fail to do due diligence on, are the ones that haunt your practice, for years to come. 

 

Technology is only knowingly viable, when it is vetted. 

 

The recurring theme here is, since lots of attorneys manage with a shrug, some choices simply get made for them.  But, every road you go down, forecloses some other path.  A hire you make now ruins the possibility of a later (better) hire; a case you take now impedes your ability to add to your client volume, down the line; and, the technology you build out with becomes difficult to reconstruct or replace. 

 

Every business owner, including law firm owners, should act with intentionality, as every choice affects every other choice. 

 

So, be careful about what you decide, and how.  Every time. 

 

. . . 

 

If you’ve got some big decisions to make, let us know!  We can help you walk through them, in an effective way. 

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.