Be Intentional: Begin with the End in Mind

A question lawyers seem to be asking more and more frequently is, "How can I sustain the success I've had in my law practice?" Law firms inevitably reach a point in their "life" when "the way we've always done it" isn't working. And, in some cases, it may just be pure, (I hesitate to say) dumb luck that the firm has stumbled into the success it has had. One day you look up and ask, "how did that happen?" The next question then inevitably is, 'how can I do it again?" There is never a better time than at the end of a year to step back and take a look at what you're doing as a person, lawyer and firm. Where are you? Are you in a different place than you were this time last year? If so, is it a better place - a place you intended to be at the beginning of last year? Were you actively deliberate in your decisions and actions or did you spend another year reacting? Did you envision what the end of this year would look like and use that vision to guide your decision-making throughout the year? If not, I challenge you to plan strategically for where you want to be at the end of 2006 and to act "intentionally" to be sure you get there. As a firm, look at these things:

1. Who are your best clients? Identify the characteristics that your "best" clients share and incorporate those as guides into accepting and firing clients next year.

2. What are your best practice areas? Where is your core expertise; which practice areas have been most profitable for the firm over the past five years; how can you strengthen and market your core expertise in the coming year?

3. Ask your clients what you're doing right and what needs improvement. Find out if there are other services the firm can provide to them. Don't do it by paper or telephone. Go to their office, take them to lunch or dinner and really listen to them. Then implement their suggestions.

4. Look at how you are staffing your most profitable matters and your least profitable matters and be intentional about how you staff your matters in 2006.

5. Review your firm's "model". Is it relationship-driven or "eat-what-you-kill"? How "partner-heavy" is the firm? Will it sustain the firm beyond your generation?

6. Look at your compensation system. What is the distance between the highest and lowest paid partner? Does it cultivate the characteristics of a true partnership or are you in essence sharing space with each other?

7. How well are you prepared for disaster? Would the death of a key partner deal a fatal blow to the firm? Could you survive a natural or man-made disaster that might put you "down" for a few days?

8. How effective is the management of your firm? Is its structure an impediment to effective decision-making and forward movement? Are partners spending too much time on administrative tasks? Is your administrator a "yes" person or does he or she add real value to the administration of the firm?

9. Look at areas of exposure to malpractice and ethics violations. What steps can be taken to reduce the possibility of malpractice?

10. Embrace technology that enables you to best serve your clients.

Have a good year.