By Ruby L. Powers
Lawyers as Managers of People and Time
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s lawyers who are also business owners, we are taught to have strong mindsets, often forgetting that managing a business comes with corresponding leadership roles. These roles require that we are proficient not only as leaders but also as managers. One tool that every good manager should have in You must evaluate his or her toolkit is the conyour strengths and cept and regulated practice of Time Management. As I weaknesses as a have been the sole managing manager, both partner of my firm for over a personally and decade, I have endured a number of tried and true experiprofessionally .” ences. As I reflect back on my law school experience, I realize that law school does not teach us about law practice management
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and being an all-around successful attorney. There are many aspects of running a successful law practice that one learns from experience while managing a firm. This being said, I was inspired to author a book on law practice management to help attorneys navigate through the complexities of managing their own firm. In this article, I will coach you on how to be a good lawyer as a manager, while managing your time effectively. Lawyer as a Manager Your firm’s office structure could be top notch, you could have the best staff and a great reputation—but these assets will not be sustainable if your managerial skills are not up to par. You must evaluate your strengths and weaknesses as a manager, both personally and professionally. Below are some of the elements that every lawyer manager should understand and know how to do. A. Not Everyone Can Be a Good Manager Often we make the mistake of choosing our managers based mostly on their experience, seniority, or technical skills. As the employer, your job is to assess your manager candidates to assure their qualifications will work well with both the firm and the rest of the staff. It is important for the individual to be prepared, groomed, and trained for management to ensure success in the position. A manager that is not involved with and has little to no communication with the staff will not have a good impact in your overall office environment. It is important for your staff to feel as though they can communicate efficiently and readily with their upline to ensure honesty and a prosperous firm. B. Know Your Team We all hear the saying “teamwork makes the dream work,” and that is exceptionally true for a prosperous law firm. I personally find personality tests are a great start to getting to know your team. There are a series of different assessments, such as the Profile XT assessment, the MyersBriggs Type Indicator, and others, which
