Lawyers are highly specialized
professionals, with a highly demanding profession, which requires continuous
updating. Universities train them to practice their profession impeccably, and
the system requires them to perform under a strict code of ethics. We can say
that lawyers live to meet the demands of their profession, and help their
clients prevent or resolve the situations they face, within this demanding
legal framework.
When we need a lawyer, most
often we are facing a complex situation, which could have very serious
consequences if it is not handled optimally. As in very few other professions,
the degree of trust that clients need to have in their lawyer is very large,
and at the same time fragile. The character of clients’ situations keeps them
under great stress, with special needs about service, such as a lot of agility,
precision and the need to regain their peace of mind.
So, to protect that
relationship, lawyers need to have a very well-oiled, productive and precise
machinery. When the lawyer practices under the parameters of ethics,
professionalism, and responds to the needs of his clients, his business will
grow exponentially.
A law office is a business,
which of course, includes all the complexities of any business, in addition to
those of the legal profession. There is a marked tendency among lawyers to
establish their independent practices. If the best lawyer in the world fails in
the management of his/her business, especially when she is going through the most
complex phase of any business, the accelerated growth, the confidence of her
clients suffers, and with it her business.
Business management is not among
the focuses of their academic training, so it is common for them to face
difficulties in managing the success and growth of their independent practices.
Countless opportunities for improvement in terms of productivity, efficiency,
profitability, and strategic direction then begin to emerge.
That is when the establishment
of management systems becomes enormously valuable, starting with a structured
administration, the full use of available tools and systems, the vision and
mission, the strategic objectives of the company, the conception and execution
of the strategy that will lead them to develop this vision, establish an
organization aligned with such strategy,
documented and optimized processes, and the implementation of management
measurement with key indicators, to ensure that the business moves in the
established direction.
How can the lawyer know when he
needs all this? Easy: from the beginning, or reality will sound all the alarms
clearly: when you feel that your practice is stagnant or even when growth
overwhelms you, when the complaints of your clients multiply, when you feel
enslaved by your business, or simply, when you feel that your practice could be
more profitable, but you do not find a way to achieve it.