A Dynamic Firm Starts with Team Dynamic
One of my mantras for growing a law practice is that every successful firm and every successful lawyer are part of a team—and that team includes your staff. They are your client service partners.
Lawyers come and go in an increasingly mobile legal profession, but staff, and especially senior staff members, serve as the foundation on which a firm builds for the future. They can, for example, provide excellent advice in identifying cost savings in technology and other overhead areas and play a role in client service teams that make the practice more efficient and more effective. The result can be increased revenue from happier clients, decreased costs of operation, and a firm better able to deal with today’s problems and tomorrow’s opportunities.
The key is having and maintaining the right team dynamic. The team dynamic is a powerful weapon in serving existing clients and marketing the practice to potential new ones. The spirit of inclusiveness is critical here. By this I mean that no firm or lawyer should ever think of staff in terms of “them” as opposed to “we, the lawyers.” Inclusiveness will produce better results for all, increasing productivity and therefore the profitability of the firm.
Clients ultimately get their understanding of a firm by the way in which everyone in a firm interacts. A successful law office requires a team working together to create quality service and work product for the benefit of clients, even if we are talking about just one solo practitioner and one assistant.
You will achieve benefits by making sure that clients are personally introduced to the staff members who will be working on their matters. It is a lot easier to sell the “we” than it is to sell the “I.” When you acknowledge your team’s contributions to the client, you are bolstering not just your staff’s morale but also your client’s confidence in your firm’s ability to properly do the job that your firm was hired to do.
Learn how a legal coach can help get you and your law firm on the right track! Contact us today at 310-827-5415.
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