Attorney Journals, Orange County, Volume 199

At Bentley & More LLP, we provide aggressive legal representation to consumers and employees across California. Our attorneys are fierce litigators with decades of experience advocating for our clients. While we are effective in resolving many kinds of conflicts outside of litigation, we have a proven track record of fearlessness in taking matters to trial and beyond.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

6 Seventeen Ways Law Firms Add Value to their Client Relationships

by Eric Dewey

8 A Strategic Approach to Legal Business Development

by Jay Harrington

10 Nineteen Steps to Building a Regional or National Law Practice

by Trey Ryder

ATTORNEY OF THE MONTH 16 Daniel Kim, The Law Offices of Daniel Kim, Orange County Constantly Evolving by Dan Baldwin

22 Four Client Intake Best Practices for Law Firms by Aaron George

by Brian Tracy

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Printed in the USA

by Susan Duncan

Legal marketers talk a lot about value. We talk about providing value, being of value, and adding value. It’s a solid concept. A correct concept. A simple concept.

Value is anything you do that makes your client’s life happier, easier, better informed or more profitable.

But few firms have a thoughtful, repeatable process that they use to build loyalty and reliance on their client relationships. If your competitive advantage is built on providing value (and whose isn’t?), here are 17 strategies to integrate into your client relationship management process.

Secondments and Reverse Secondments

Business and legal departments often find themselves faced with a temporary shortage of help. Law firms can often provide exceptional value to their clients (and themselves) by placing staff or attorneys in the client’s business on a temporary basis. Secondments are the temporary assignment of staff or lawyers to work in a client’s business.

Reverse secondments are similar but place the client’s executives at the law firm. Both strategies provide an exceptional experience for the individuals being placed. The practice adds ongoing value because the placed executive learns new systems, processes, understands the culture and business imperatives better and often expands the relationship within the firm.

 Training and Instructional Guides

Law firms that provide ongoing CLE, training programs and instructional guides provide value by shifting the task of providing this from the client to the law firm. The training can be done by webinar, onsite at the client’s offices or in written form. Some firms provide training videos on a client extranet ensuring the client gets the exclusive benefit of the customdesigned training program. Consider adding mechanisms to report attendance, viewing time or other metrics to help the client manage the training of their employees.

17 Ways Law Firms Can Add Value to their Client Relationships

by Eric Dewey

Competitive Intelligence

Law firms often have access to resources and information that their clients do not. Additionally, law firms can draw on the experience of their lawyers gained through years of working with similar, even competitor, companies. Identify the key competitors of your client and do research on them to understand their strategic direction and their competitive advantages. Monitor the media for updates about the competitors and provide regular updates to your clients on their activities, legal issues and changes in financial position.

Analysis and Research

Custom analysis or research can provide significant and unique value to a client. One firm I worked with undertook an analysis of all the wage and hour decisions in all the courts in the client’s footprint along with an analysis of the judge’s historical decisions. This gave the client an exceptional tool to evaluate each jurisdiction and make better venue decisions. Research can also set the firm up as an authority on a topic. Certain aspects of a study may be made available to the public while the more significant findings kept for the exclusive benefit of the firm’s best clients.

Process Improvement and Management

There’s no question that clients are focused on gaining efficiencies in every aspect of their business. This is no less the case in their management of litigation and the handling of their legal issues. Checklists, guides and tracking systems can help improve the effectiveness of a department and the efficiency of the work.



Plans and Planning Sessions

A thoughtful plan provides exceptional value. Plans demonstrate to clients a commitment to accomplish the client’s goals in a timely and predictable manner. Many law firms and lawyers meet annually or quarterly to look at the upcoming

year or quarter and help clients plan for the anticipated work. Plans come in many varieties and can be done for training, legal work, expenses, and many other purposes.



Transparency and Accessibility

The trusted relationship a law firm has with its client takes time to develop. Evidence that a trusted relationship has developed can be found in the ways the law firm has made their services transparent to the client or given the client extraordinary access to the firm. This could be in the form of access to the firm’s software or technology, access to staff or transparency in billing, processes used or research undertaken.

 Recruiting and On-Boarding

Finding the right fit for a position can be a challenge. In the legal area, outside counsel can be particularly helpful by finding and introducing potential candidates, assisting in writing job descriptions, vetting candidates, assisting in orientations or on-boarding of the new hire.

 Issues Spotting

Businesses are constantly on the lookout for issues that could present challenges or opportunities for the business. Issue spotting is the process of monitoring industry news and trends to identify emerging issues and opportunities that could affect a client’s business.

Technology and Software Tools

There is an endless number of ways in which technology can be used to add value for a client. Some firms set up extranets and house war rooms on them to store the documents, giving easy access to the matter records.



Connections and Introductions

Your connections can be a resource to your clients. Faced with challenges and opportunities, the people you know can help your clients achieve their objectives. Make sure you know all of the people that you know and your partners know and proactively make introductions to your clients. Enabling your clients to expand their network of connections and tap new resources adds significant value to the relationship.

Products and Promotion

Businesses are always on the lookout for ways to market their company. You could be an avenue for them that they hadn’t considered. Whether it is using your client’s products or services, developing a co-promotion or simply promoting your client’s business, aligning their sales and marketing goals with your own can be a win-win situation for both of you.

 Develop Insights

Sure. You should get paid for your legal insights. But some insights can be given in order to add value to the client relationship. Once you know the issues your client is most concerned with, you can develop insights into the issue, helping your clients to get a better view of what the future holds for them.

 Investigative Services

Law firms are well positioned to provide a host of investigative services for their clients, from screening job applicants, merger candidates or even competitors’ activities.

 Anonymity

Sometimes companies need a way to interact in the marketplace without their competitors or customers knowing who is behind the request or inquiry. Law firms are uniquely positioned to provide a wall to shield the company’s name. Whether it is receiving resumes for top executives, conducting research or requesting public records, law firms can provide the anonymity that clients need to accomplish their goals.

 Content Curation

Who can read everything they need to read on every subject that they need to monitor? No one. So curating content on topics of high interest to your clients is a way to make their jobs easier and their loyalty to you more secure. Collect articles and news reports on a client’s top interests, their competitors, suppliers and vendors, and other information that they don’t have time to collect for themselves. Boil the information down to the most salient points and deliver an executive summary of the information.

 Support Community Initiatives

Your business clients have charitable and community causes that they feel strongly about. Align a portion of your community involvement and charitable giving to ensure your client’s community objectives are also fulfilled.

Clients appreciate the thoughtfulness and effort when you add real value to the relationship. That effort will not only build loyalty, but it can integrate you into their business. n

Eric Dewey, MBA is principal of Group Dewey Consulting and has more than 25 years training and coaching hundreds of lawyers and other professionals in practice and business development. He is the former chief marketing officer of several large law firms and has extensive experience in financial services, commercial real estate and management consulting. His clients range from the nation’s largest law firms to midsize law firms, specialty boutique firms, and solo practitioners.

Many of us treat legal business development the same way we do bathing suit season—we work hard at it when we need to. When spring break approaches we hit the gym, and when October rolls around we start raiding our kids’ Halloween candy. When we’re slow at work, we ramp up our business development efforts, and tamp things down when business picks up. Legal business development becomes a roller coaster; a cycle of ups and downs that creates stress and uncertainty.

There’s a better way to approach legal business development, and it involves consistency of effort over the long term. If you’re consistent with business development as a lawyer, you’ll have a steady pipeline of new business opportunities. You can be more discerning about the work you take on. You won’t feel pressured to take on clients that don’t fit your practice. You won’t have to ignore your gut instinct that an engagement could lead to trouble because you need the revenue. You’ll have more success at the work you do pitch because you’ll come across as confident and measured, rather than desperate. Sounds good, right? Here’s how to do it.

Understand What You Need, So You Can Understand What You Need to Do

The problem with a sporadic approach to business development is that lawyers often overreact and overcorrect when times get slow. They engage in a bluster of business development activity that brings in work—often more work than they can handle. So, they stop all business development activity to focus on the work they have. Then... you guessed it. The cycle repeats.

A lawyer who finds himself riding this up-and-down cycle typically lacks an understanding of what sustained level of business development activity is required to keep his plate full, and the plates of others full, as appropriate, on a consistent basis. Here’s what he should do instead:

1. Start by understanding his ideal client. It’s far easier to sell if you know who you’re selling to.

2. Then define his sales process. What is his buyer’s journey? What process is required to move a prospect to a paying client? If he meets a prospect at a networking

A Strategic Approach to Legal Business Development

by Jay Harrington

event, what’s next? Is there a free initial consultation, followed up by a proposal?

3. Once he’s defined his process, he must understand conversion. In other words, how many prospects take him up on his offer for a free consultation? Of those who participate in a free consultation, how many request a proposal? Of those who request a proposal, how many are converted into clients? Sure, every client’s journey is different, but if you pay attention to conversion, patterns will emerge. And when it comes to crafting a sustained business development strategy over time, it’s important to map your actions to the best data available. Otherwise you’ll just flail about.

4. Now that he has some data (even if it’s not perfect— and in this process we’re shooting for “better” not “perfect,” at least at the start), he can dig into it. Let’s say that once he’s analyzed the data, he finds that 50% of the prospects he meets agree to initial consultations, 40% of those he meets request a proposal, and 20% of those who request a proposal become paying clients. That means that, for every 100 prospects he meets, 4 become paying clients. He should then analyze how many new clients come in via other means each year, such as by referral or directly through his firm’s website.

5. Once he has this data at his disposal, he must de termine another metric, which is the value of each client. How much money, on average, will each new client spend? For the sake of keeping the math easy (I’m a JD not an MBA!), let’s say each new client accounts for $5,000 in revenue.

6. Finally, he must determine the amount of revenue he wants (or needs) to generate from new business. To keep the easy-math theme going, let’s assume that number is $250,000.

Once a lawyer has done this diligence, he can work backwards and craft a legal business development action plan that will get him to his goal. In this case, we’ll use the following assumptions:

•

New Business Revenue Goal: $250,000

• Number of referral and direct new clients annually: 25

• Revenue from referral and direct new clients annually: $125,000

This means that there is $125,000 gap that the lawyer needs to fill through new business development to get to his goal. He needs 25 new clients to reach his objective. As we know from the data above, only 4 out of 100 prospects become paying clients. Accordingly, he needs to meet 625 prospects to convert 25 into new clients. Assuming he works 50 weeks out of the year, he needs to meet 12.5 new people, on average, per week. That breaks down further to meeting 2.5 new prospects, on average, per day.

Armed with this understanding, the lawyer can then put in place a daily practice to get himself, and his personal brand, in front of the right amount of people so that he can meet his goal. Instead of haphazardly reaching out to large numbers of people at sporadic points in time, he can strategically touch base with small numbers of people daily.

He knows the numbers, so now he can create a plan. And if he’s smart, he’ll take a few simple steps to compound his success. He’ll take a hard look at his sales process and make incremental changes that lead to big improvements, and better conversion, over time. He’ll create valuable content and distribute it via social media—he can’t be in more than

one place at the same time, but his content can scale. Instead of focusing only on developing new business, he’ll look for opportunities to increase revenue from existing clients.

Legal business development is a numbers game. You need to be out there, active, and engaged. You can’t just pop up periodically on someone’s radar screen and expect them to engage with you when they haven’t heard from you in six months. It’s the steady consistency, not the episodic intensity, of legal business development effort that matters.

As author and marketing expert Seth Godin once said, “The thing is, incremental daily progress (negative or positive) is what actually causes transformation. A figurative drip, drip, drip. Showing up, every single day, gaining in strength, organizing for the long haul, building connection, laying track this subtle but difficult work is how culture changes.” It’s how legal practices change, too.

Want to eliminate the topsy turvy uncertainty of legal business development? Adopt a more strategic approach. n

Jay Harrington is an attorney, executive coach, author, and legal marketing consultant. He is the owner of Harrington Communications an agency which helps lawyers and law firms build stronger brands and bigger books of business. His new book, The Essential Associate: Step Up, Stand Out, and Rise to the Top as a Young Lawyer, launched on April 3rd, and is available for purchase at www.TheEssentialAssociate.com.

Ma ny lawyers are expanding their practices beyond state boundaries, building a regional or national practice. In some cases, they provide narrowly focused services; in others, they offer broad-based skills with the hopes of attracting a handful of the best cases in the country. If your practice area is suited to going beyond your state boundaries, here are four reasons to consider a regional or national practice:

Reason #1: You have more opportunities to attract the types of cases you want. When you draw clients from 50 states, you have a much greater selection than when you limit your field to your home state. If every state has three really good cases, you can compete for the three in your own state—or you can compete for your share of 150 from across the U.S.

Reason #2: You have many more opportunities for media publicity. Gaining publicity outside your state is often easier than getting attention in your own state. This is because nearly every business wants to be featured in your local newspapers. But when you pursue articles in regional and national publications, you often find yourself competing with fewer businesses and fewer lawyers.

Most businesses and lawyers get customers from within a few-mile radius, so they don’t need attention beyond their local boundaries. Plus, businesses often assume that gaining national publicity would be much harder than gaining local attention. But, in fact, when you go beyond your state’s boundaries, you have access to hundreds of additional publications at the state, regional and national levels, all of which could be suitable targets for your publicity effort.

Reason #3: The “mystery of distance” results in your being perceived as the authority in your field because you’re from out of town. You have probably heard of this marketing principle, but you may not have used it as part of your marketing strategy. The mystery of distance says: The farther you go to get a product or service, the better and more valuable it is. Here’s an example:

You can buy a pair of binoculars at your local sporting goods store. Or you can buy them online from a company in

19 Steps to Building a Regional or National Law Practice

by Trey Ryder

Switzerland. Which pair is better? Obviously, the binoculars from Switzerland.

There’s no logical reason to believe that something that comes from far away is better than something that comes from down the street. Still, subconsciously, we think it is.

Reason #4: You can live wherever you want. Many lawyers don’t need to meet their clients face to face. If you can service clients by phone, fax, mail and email, then you don’t need to work with them in person. And if you go to trial in their state—or if you need to meet with them—you can always travel. Technology has changed how we market and deliver services.

Here Are 19 Steps To Building a Respected Regional or National Practice

STEP 1 Identify the niche you want to fill and the services you want to market. When clients hear your name, you want them to associate you with a specific type of legal services. For example, John Wilbanks is a personal injury attorney. Karen Ambrose is a tax lawyer. Mark O’Connor is a corporate lawyer. Consider whether any lawyer in your market area immediately springs to mind when you mention your area of law. If so, that lawyer owns a very strong position. If no lawyer comes to mind, an effective marketing program will help you build the perception that you are the leader in that practice area.

STEP 2 Identify the type of clients you want to attract. You must know where to aim if you expect to hit your target. List the types of people or companies you want to attract that are ready, willing and able to hire your services. Identify your prospective clients by who they are and what they have. For individuals, consider things such as gender, age, marital and family status, education, occupation, income and home ownership. For companies, consider things such as industry, gross sales, number of employees, level of risk or whatever makes a client attractive to you.

STEP 3 Identify how you and your services differ from those of your competitors. Positive differences are your competitive advantages. Negative differences are your competitive disadvantages. Identify both so you’ll know your strengths and weaknesses. Evaluate your qualifications, background and experience. Evaluate how you serve clients. Evaluate the environment in which you serve clients. Look at your strengths and weaknesses from your prospects’ point of view because prospects evaluate you based on what is important to them. Every time you talk with prospects, make sure you emphasize your competitive advantages, so prospects appreciate how you differ from other lawyers.

STEP 4 Identify ways you can add value to your services so prospects eagerly choose you over all other lawyers. What can you add to your services to make them more attractive than they are now—and more attractive than services offered by competitors? If you were in your prospect’s shoes, what could your lawyer provide that would cause you to choose him or her over every other attorney? Review how you currently provide legal services. Then ask yourself how you could provide services more efficiently, more effectively, more completely, or faster—with your client benefiting from less risk and more value. Then, in addition to what you listed in step 3, the ways you add value to your services now become more competitive advantages.

STEP 5 Compile and keep on computer a comprehensive mailing list. Your most important business asset is your mailing list. It’s your own personal area of influence. It should include your current clients, past clients, prospective clients, referral sources and prospective referral sources. Whether your list contains 20 names—or 2,000 names—these people are the core around which you build a prosperous firm. As you attract an ongoing flow of new inquiries, keep all of the names and addresses on your mailing list. The critical element in your marketing program is your ability to add new names of prospective clients to your mailing list. You want to attract names at whatever rate will bring you the number of new clients you want. How long you leave names on your mailing list will depend on how long your prospects need to make their decision and at what point, if any, the list becomes unmanageable.

STEP 6 Make sure prospects and clients can reach you easily and without hassle. As distance increases, prospects often grow concerned about their ability to contact you. To reassure them, explain the many ways you invite contact from clients, like these: Direct line, email, cell phone, pager, fax, mail, courier, as well as intake and contact forms on your website.

STEP 7 Compile your information and advice into your own unique educational message, built on this proven fivepart framework:

• Part #1: Identify and explain your prospect’s problem. People won’t pay for a solution until they understand their problem. The bigger the problem—and the greater the risk of allowing it to persist—the more they will pay to solve it.

• Part #2: Prove the problem exists. Prospects know you earn your living from solving problems. Skeptical prospects may think you are overstating the depth of the problem. You can overcome this sometimes-hidden suspicion by taking time to prove the problem exists and to prove that it is serious enough to warrant your client hiring your services to solve it.

•

Part #3: Identify and explain one or more solutions. Prospects want a clear understanding of what you recommend to solve their problem.

• Part #4: Prove the solution works. Prospects may be skeptical as to whether your recommended solution will actually do what you claim. You can expect a higher level of skepticism if the solution you recommend is perceived by your prospects to be expensive.

•

Part #5: Build yourself into the solution. You don’t want prospects to agree they have a problem but then hire another lawyer to solve it. You must do everything possible to make sure that your prospects conclude you are best equipped to provide the solution.

Your marketing message is the same as your educational message. You build your message on a foundation of information that explains your prospect’s problem and the solutions you can provide. Then you support your message with proof documents that further add credibility to everything you say. Proof documents include your photo and biography, article reprints, schedule of services and fees, and references. Testimonials and letters of recommendation help a great deal, but some jurisdictions do not allow their use. Check your rules of professional conduct before using comments from clients.

In this way, you create a powerful, persuasive message. The result is that your message is much more compelling and credible than messages used by other lawyers.

STEP 8 Educate your audience with written information and advice. Write your marketing message in a form that you can send to anyone who calls your office. Then, by offering to send copies without charge, you attract calls from genuine prospects. When prospects call, they give you their names and addresses (or email addresses). Then you

add these prospective clients to your in-house mailing list. Important Note: The longer your materials, the better. The longer you keep your prospect’s attention—and the more facts you provide—the more likely your prospect is to hire your services. Fortunately, prospects will read long materials, provided they are well written and relevant to their problem. The fact kit I used for 15 years varied from 40 to 50 pages in length. And many lawyers told me they read every word. I have now included all this information on my website and in the article packet I send by email.

STEP 9 Define the geographical area from which you want to draw clients. Geographics identify individual prospects by where they live, where they work, and where you can find the prospective clients you want. Geographics identify companies by where they are based, where they have facilities and where they do business.

STEP 10 Compile a media list of the newspapers, magazines, newsletters and broadcast outlets you want to receive your news releases and query letters. You should choose national media outlets, as well as regional and local publications in states where you hope to serve clients. You can usually find current media lists online and at the library reference desk.

STEP 11 Launch an aggressive publicity campaign by sending news releases, feature articles and query letters to media outlets on your list. If you send articles 4 or 5 times each year, you could have an ongoing flow of articles appearing in various parts of the country.

STEP 12 Contact high-profile publications and interview shows on an individual and exclusive basis to gain the highest level of nationwide publicity. Offer to write ongoing columns for publications and appear as a periodic guest on interview shows. You might offer to host your own legal, news-talk or interview show.

STEP 13 Compile a list of trade associations that serve the prospects you want to attract. Keep these trade groups on your mailing list. Offer to present seminars that are sponsored or co-sponsored by these trade associations, in hopes they will mail seminar invitations to all their members.

STEP 14 Compile a list of referral sources and potential referral sources in the states you serve. Send them your packet of information so they understand what you do. Invite their referrals and offer referral fees, if appropriate. Keep referral sources and potential referral sources on your mailing list.

STEP 15 Compile a list of past clients. Send them a letter announcing your regional or national practice and a copy of your information packet. Most people have friends and colleagues in other states. Keep past clients on your mailing list and invite them to refer family members, friends and colleagues.

STEP 16 In all of your marketing materials, make sure you tell prospects the geographical area from which you accept clients. If you don’t mention the area you serve, prospects could easily conclude that you limit your services to your city or county.

STEP 17 Establish a website. The easiest way to reach prospects in different states is to establish a website. This puts your materials at everyone’s fingertips 24 hours a day. Generally, the more information you provide, the more likely you are to win a new client. So be generous with the information you post. Also, make sure you spell out the cities, counties and states from which you accept clients because this helps improve your search engine rankings when prospects look for a lawyer in their local area.

STEP 18 Market your seminars and speaking engagements nationwide. Make sure everyone on your mailing list knows you offer seminars. While they might not be the contact person, they can make your seminar known to the right people, who may get in touch with you. This is the most common way I receive invitations to speak to lawyers. Also, thanks to technology, now you can offer seminars over the telephone, by video conferencing, and over the internet.

STEP 19 If you collect email addresses from people on your mailing list, send an email alert or briefing every week. The more often you stay in touch with everyone on your mailing list, the newer clients and referrals you’ll attract. After your publicity starts to appear, you’ll get inquiries from prospective clients and increase referrals. Trade and professional associations will invite you to speak. And, one by one, you’ll start getting clients from throughout the geographical area you wish to serve. Soon, you’ll have a profitable, prestigious nationwide practice. n

Trey Ryder specializes in Education-Based Marketing for Lawyers. He designs dignified marketing programs for lawyers and law firms in the United States, Canada and other English-speaking countries. Trey works from his offices in Payson, Arizona and Juneau, Alaska. To read more of Trey’s articles, visit the Lawyer Marketing Advisor at www.treyryder.com.

We litigate elder abuse claims in both civil and probate court. We focus on three main areas: nursing home neglect and wrongful death; financial elder abuse cases; and will and trust litigation cases—including inheritance disputes. Our breadth and depth of litigation experience—combined with specialized subject-matter knowledge in elder law—gives us a competitive edge and a unique perspective that translates into excellent results for our clients.

Partners: Joel Bryant, Rob Dieringer, and Jessica Wilson

ATTORNEY OF THE MONTH 2022

© Christopher TODD Studios

“I try my very best to treat the client as family and give them the same advice I would give to my own mother or sister.”

Constantly Evolving

Personal Injury Law Services

by Dan Baldwin

Change is inevitable. Some attorneys and some firms fight it. Others go along with the flow of events. And some firms embrace change and grow into it, establishing a better future. The Law Offices of Daniel Kim is one of those firms. For example, they have more than doubled their size since 2020, despite the challenges presented by the Covid Pandemic.

The firm’s primary practice areas are auto accident cases, including car, motorcycle, truck, pedestrian, bicycle, and rideshare. Additionally, the firm covers serious personal injury matters like spinal injuries, traumatic head injuries, and wrongful death. Kim is the founder and Managing Partner of the firm.

A case from his early years demonstrates the commitment of Kim and his expanding team to being a client-centric firm.

Jason, a husband of 15 years and father of four minor children, worked as a mechanic during the day and as a driver at night. He worked very long hours to make sure his family was well-fed, housed, and enjoyed the basics of a good life. One night as he stopped at a red light, the driver of a large Ford F-350 traveling at nearly 50 miles an hour rear-ended his vehicle. This truck accident caused serious injuries that changed Jason’s life forever. He required multiple back surgeries throughout his recovery. He could no longer work as a mechanic or drive to bring in extra money from his second job. As the sole breadwinner of his family, Jason

became depressed, as he felt he was unable to protect and provide for his family. Jason and his family came close to being homeless and they had to move into their relative’s home just to stay afloat.

As part of handling the case, Kim partnered with a videography company that produced a day-in-the-life video of Jason and his family. In this project, Kim grew close to Jason, his wife, four children, brother, sister, uncle, friends, and the former mechanic co-workers. Kim says this case taught him that the injured client is only the start of the ripple effect in such situations. Auto accidents truly affect every family member, and the ripple effect travels much further than most people imagine. After a serious accident, relationships can become strained, and oftentimes divorce can occur when the spouse no longer feels like the same person. Kim expressed, “Because of my experience in representing Jason as one of my first clients, my outlook in representing injured clients from automobile accidents thereafter became so much more meaningful and sensitive to the entire family. I try my very best to treat the client as family and give them the same advice I would give to my own mother or sister.”

Kim credits that growth in size and service to a willingness to evolve and implement changes that will benefit not only the firm, but the personal injury clients they serve, as well.

He attributes the firm’s success to constantly improving operations in every sense. They work to avoid the trap of complacency which could hinder their success. Kim says, “I don’t have that mindset at all. The moment I think that I’m on top of the hill, I stop to realize how easy it is to fall back. Therefore, I have the mentality that we’re always climbing up the hill. We’re always trying to find a way to get better. And we do.”

The Law Offices of Daniel Kim has added more than 50 new employees, including certified paralegals, case managers, investigators, and personal injury attorneys. The firm has also hired a full-time Human Resources manager and has implemented software solutions to make sure the entire team has a forum to monitor progress on cases, communicate effectively throughout the organization, and to constantly evolve client services to a higher level.

The firm has many Korean- and Spanish-speaking clients. As an additional service and incentive to prospective clients, many members of the team are fluent in Spanish and Korean. The firm is able to offer direct communication with and for injured victims throughout their personal injury cases. Kim says, “The legal system, especially the paperwork involved, is complex enough for attorneys. Imagine the impact on people and families who are not fluent in English or even remotely familiar with the system. One of those changes we made was done to simplify that complexity for people in that position.”

Feedback for Moving Forward

One of the innovations Kim has implemented is a system of collecting feedback from all employees about the challenges and opportunities found in their daily tasks. Ideas, criticisms, and comments are encouraged across the board. The program has resulted in new improvements and initiatives that have enhanced overall business operations, interactions with clients, and the success rate of the firm. “You never know just where a great idea will come from, so everyone’s feedback is welcomed and evaluated equally,” Kim says.

Those ideas automatically find their way into means of providing better service. Clients have responded well. For example, one satisfied client wrote, “Daniel Kim is a hardworking attorney who helped my family and I get settled for over $60,000. It took some time, but I am very thankful for him. We no longer need to worry about the medical bills or a totaled car. Glad that he’s provided safety for my family.”

Kim places a high value on gathering input from all levels of the organization. Talking only leadership to

leadership can lead to a macro view of the operation and can miss potentially harmful challenges or potentially great opportunities that could get lost in the details of daily business.

“I listen with the same interest to someone who is a newcomer as I do to someone who has worked here for years. We then evaluate and address those concerns or issues, and then we implement them accordingly. As a result, the firm gets better, and the clients get better service.”

Clients agree on the firm’s level of personal and professional service. Another satisfied client wrote: “Daniel and his team were absolutely amazing. His staff was attentive to my case, knowledgeable and courteous. I was in a car accident at the end of last year and the first thing I thought of when it happened was ‘how am I going to fix this’ and ‘what do I do?’ Daniel’s staff took the time to go over every step with me and they were able to get me the financial support I needed. I would highly recommend this firm to anyone with personal injuries resulting from a car accident.”

The Pandemic Proved to Be a Blessing

The Covid Pandemic that hit businesses, their employees, and suppliers ultimately proved to be a blessing for the firm. They were able to continue operations at full capacity throughout the lockdowns. For a while, much of the work was done remotely for the safety and peace of mind of their employees. However, their clientele continued to grow and there was no break in service.

The uncertainty, lockdowns, and the volatility of changing rules significantly and negatively affected many businesses. However, the impact on individual persons and families suffering from traumatic accidents or injuries during this period magnified the effects. During the last two years, some people have been through more challenges than many people could possibly understand. Kim says, “Sticking by clients, understanding where they’re coming from, and understanding their situation has been and is essential to the success of their cases. The multiple of the stress has gone up exponentially. Being involved in an auto accident, trying to pull the pieces together with their family, all while dealing with major medical issues, life can become an extreme challenge. We have to be up to helping them meet those challenges.”

Pandemic challenges seemed to be ongoing, but sometimes yield unexpected benefits. One was the streamlining of operations that resulted in using computerization, online services, Skype and Zoom connections, and the expanded use of e-mail and telephone communications.

Because automobile accident victims often lack the ability or resources for personal transportation, the firm was pretty well set up to make that transition because of their previous levels of service in that area. For example, the firm’s commitment to fast and efficient client contact led them to access software that allows clients to conveniently see new developments in their case. This secured portal also gives clients the ability to constantly communicate with their respective legal team. “In steps like these, we are able to take technology and combine it with direct and personal client service,” Kim says.

In a way, that was a real “silver lining” not only for the firm, but for their clients, Kim said. “We see the pandemic as a blessing in disguise. It forced us to re-evaluate every function with two goals in mind—how do we better serve our clients and how do we do it more efficiently.”

A Personal Evolution

Kim says that, like his firm, he as a person and as an attorney has also evolved. One of the big changes in the firm includes the transition from micro-management to a macro-management style.

Kim says the matters that would have fazed him at one time are no longer the challenges they once seemed to be. “When you’ve gone through a lot of ups and downs, you realize that with time there’s going to be a solution. Even if at the moment things seem problematic, there will be a solution. If I don’t come up with it, one of my team inevitably will. I don’t have to have my hands in every single aspect of the firm’s operations.”

A big part of that change is Kim’s dedication to finding, hiring, and motivating the top people for each position in the organization.

The firm’s growth includes the evolution of its workplace culture. Kim says they employ compassionate, high caliber individuals who enjoy what they do. They have become more selective during the hiring process. In doing so, they have helped build a positive and collaborative work environment filled with professionals who are passionate about personal injury law and the services they provide to each client. Kim says, “If you don’t evolve, and properly find high caliber people you can delegate work to, and trust that they can potentially do a better job, then it becomes a problem. I think having

©

Christopher TODD Studios

Member of the American Bar Association.

people who have a desire to grow within this company is one of the biggest reasons why the firm has prospered. Because now, it’s evolved to where there are very, very smart people who constantly give great suggestions knowing they will be able to run with ideas.”

Continuing to Streamline and Focus on Growth

Daniel Kim is an accomplished attorney, but he is also a businessman with a substantial organization to manage. As a businessman, he continually looks toward the future. The “two hats” he wears as attorney and owner are not incompatible. Improvements in technology, infrastructure, staffing, training, and management techniques convert directly into providing better legal services for people and families in need.

“It’s not such a bad thing to be able to look at it from a business perspective, because you really look at the nittygritty. And I’m constantly selling a service here, and a big part of the service is peace of mind for our clients. Our charge is making sure every one of our clients is properly represented, so they can focus on recovery and not have to worry about their insurance claim.” Kim says, “That’s our job, and the better we perform that job, the better we serve our clients.”

Kim has big plans for the evolution of his business. First is the goal of increasing the staff by an additional 30-40 percent within the next five years. Expansion into other states is also in the cards, as Kim is already licensed in Texas.

“Change is going to happen regardless of what people do or don’t do. In our case, we not only accept that fact, but we intend to stake out a position on the leading edge of that change,” Kim stated. n

Contact Daniel Kim

The Law Offices of Daniel Kim

611 Anton Boulevard, Suite 1000 Costa Mesa, CA 92626 (800) 719-9779

www.usaccidentlawyer.com

EXPERIENCE

» EDUCATION

• Chapman University School of Law, J.D.—2010-2013

• University of Maryland, B.S., cum laude—2004-2007

» HONORS & AWARDS

• The National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 (2022)

• AV Preeminent Rating—Martindale Hubbell (2022)

• Platinum (Highest) Client Champion Award—Martindale Hubbell (2022)

• Million Dollar Advocates Forum—Lifetime Member

• Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum—Lifetime Member

• Perfect 10.0 ‘Superb’ Rating—Avvo (2022)

• Clients’ Choice Award—Avvo (2014-2022)

• Nation’s Top One Percent—National Association of Distinguished Counsel (NADC) (2022)

• Best Attorneys of America—Selected Member (2022)

• Top 10 Personal Injury Attorney Under Age 40—American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys (2022)

• A+ Rating—Better Business Bureau (2022)

• Top 10 Attorneys in CA for Personal Injury Law—Attorney and Practice Magazine (2022)

• Lawyers of Distinction—Selected Member (2022)

• Best Personal Injury Lawyer—Three Best Rated (2016-2022)

• Elite Lawyers of America—Selected Member (2022)

• Lead Counsel Rated (2022)

• Top 10 Personal Injury Attorney in CA—National Academy of PI Attorneys (NAOPIA) (2022)

• Top 25 Attorney in CA—Motor Vehicle Trial Lawyers Association (2022)

• Top 10 Attorney in CA—Trucking Trial Lawyers Association (2022)

• Army Commendation Medal—JAG Corps US Army (2010)

» PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

• Orange County Trial Lawyers Association (OCTLA)—Member

• Orange County Korean American Bar Association (OCKABA)—Former Board of Director (2015)

• Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA)—Member

Daniel Kim and wife Mina Kim.

© The Law Offices of Daniel Kim

At many law firms, client intake is a disjointed process of back and forth calls and emails, and manual paperwork. The process can be arduous for both clients and staff. Worst of all, poor organization can expose law firms to liability when mistakes are made and result in lost business when things slip through the cracks. The better job you do at managing your intake process, the more efficiently your law firm will operate, and the more business you will close. Read on for our list of four client intake best practices to help get your law firm on track for success.

Your website is a major part of your law firm brand. It’s like an online storefront where your potential clients can browse around, learn more about your services, and contact you if they’re interested.

Having a website for your law firm is mandatory these days. But, a lot of attorneys make the mistake of trying to use their website for client intake, when it’s really meant for marketing.

Sure, it seems like a great idea to have a comprehensive intake form on your website that will just collect all the information you need to assess a legal matter without you ever having to talk to anyone.

But in reality, doing it this way just creates a barrier between you and a client who is interested in your services.

Why using your website for intake is a problem

Purchasing legal services is a big decision, and it requires a lot of trust. Before you have established this trust, expecting someone to fill out a comprehensive intake form and provide their sensitive information is probably asking too much.

The primary goal of web marketing is twofold:

1. Generate interest in your services

2. Create an easy transition to the next step of the sales process

For most law firms, the next step in the sales process is an initial phone call or a consultation, which provides a perfect opportunity to build enough trust to seal the deal. You should make the process of getting to this step as easy as possible on your prospective clients.

4

Client Intake Best Practices for Law Firms

by Aaron George

Here are three tips in mind to maximize conversions on your website and make the transition to the next step of the sales cycle as seamless as possible:

1. Display your phone number prominently on every page and encourage people to call

2. Use a virtual receptionist service so someone is always available to pick up the phone

3. For people who wish to inquire online, include a simple contact form on every page with just basic fields: name, phone, email, and message

Treat your website like a marketing tool, and save client intake for later in the funnel, once you’ve had an opportunity to build rapport and establish trust.

2Automate follow-ups with drip emails.

One of the biggest mistakes law firms make during the intake process is failing to follow up enough.

Just because someone didn’t book an appointment right away or didn’t sign their retainer yet does not mean they are a lost cause. But if you never check in and follow up with them, they will be far less likely to move forward.

In sales, persistence pays. Law firms are no different. The more you check in and follow up with potential clients, the more they will trust you and the more likely they will be to hire you. It’s that simple.

How to follow up automatically with drip emails

The biggest challenge with following up is simply having a good system in place to manage all the potential clients and keep track of the communications. Without a system, it’s virtually impossible to know who to follow up with and when.

Fortunately, you can automate much of the process by using drip marketing. Drip marketing is basically just a process for sending an automated sequence of emails at predefined time intervals.

It eliminates the hassle of having to remember to follow up and saves time because you don’t have to manually type out and send emails to each person. Everything just runs in the background.

Use your website as a marketing tool, not an intake tool.

For example, Lexicata has an email campaign feature which allows you to initiate a drip email sequence with a single click. Not only that, but we also offer the ability to trigger automated reminder emails for consultations, pending intake forms, and unsigned fee agreements.

Both of these features together will ensure that you are following up with your prospects frequently during intake and not letting any business slip through the cracks due to poor organization and lack of communication.

Use online questionnaires to streamline data entry.

Legal work requires collecting a lot of information, which is a big reason why having a good client intake process is so important.

Many law firms utilize intake forms to help create a structured system for collecting the necessary data. This is smart because it helps prevent important information from being overlooked, which can be costly.

However, there are also quite a few downsides to using paper or PDF intake forms. These things may impede your workflow, result in inefficiencies, or cause errors in your data.

Here are a few of the biggest issues and challenges that can arise:

• Data collected in the forms has to be re-typed into a database or case management system later, which wastes a lot of time and can result in data transcription errors

• Illegible handwriting can cause errors or confusion

• There is no ability to require important fields to be filled out

• There is no ability to validate the formatting of information (e.g. you can’t guarantee that an email address or date will be in the proper format)

• Paper and ink costs can be high from having to print out every single form

• Scanning and uploading paper forms into a document management system takes up a lot of valuable time

How online questionnaires streamline the process

Fortunately, using online questionnaires makes the process of collecting and entering data much easier for both law firms and their clients. Here are some of the key advantages that online forms can provide over paper or PDFs:

• No duplicate data entry—the fields on the form can be mapped directly to a database or contact management system

• No printing, scanning, faxing, etc.—forms can be filled out online, even from a mobile device

• Organized, clean data—no issues with poor handwriting, plus you can have required fields for the most important info and validate the formatting of your inputs

• Data in a usable format—the data can be mapped to fields and inserted into documents automatically or exported into a spreadsheet for reporting purposes

Offer e-signatures to speed up retention times and improve conversion rates.

These days, most legal work is done remotely. Less and less time is spent interfacing with clients in person.

Instead, law firms rely heavily on email, scanning, and faxing to send documents back and forth with their clients. But these processes can be quite cumbersome and inefficient for both parties.

Downloading, printing, signing, scanning, uploading, and emailing is a lot of steps just to sign a fee agreement. Yet, you can’t legally establish an attorney-client relationship without one, so it’s a critical step.

This is why getting a fee agreement signed can be one of the biggest bottlenecks in the intake process.

How e-signatures will save time and boost conversion rates

Compared to the cumbersome back-and-forth process for signing paper documents, e-signing is a breeze.

You can simply click a link in an email and draw or type in a digital signature in a matter of seconds. The document can be sent back to the other party with a click of a button, and everyone automatically receives an executed copy of the agreement once it has been signed by all parties.

No one has to deal with downloading, uploading, printing, faxing, or scanning, saving time and eliminating hassle. It also helps cut down on wasted paper, saves money on printing costs, and make life immensely easier for everyone.

Most importantly, the amount of time required to get an agreement signed will be reduced significantly. This helps increase your conversion rate and saves you from the hassle of having to continually follow up about pending agreements.

Summary

Although it’s often overlooked, the client intake process is one of the most important parts of a law firm’s operations.

Client intake is how you convert a prospect into a paying client, and how you capture all of the important information you need in order to do your job. A poor process can result in wasted time, costly mistakes, and lost business.

Essentially, client intake is really just the legal sales process, and by improving your client intake process you can increase the efficiency and profitability of your practice.

If you’re looking to grow your law practice, these four client intake best practices are the best place to start. n

Aaron George is a technology entrepreneur with a background in law, having attended Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. Currently he is co-founder and President at Lexicata, the legal industry’s leading CRM and client intake software. At Lexicata he focuses on product design, content marketing, and business operations. Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronwgeorge/

Solving challenges with the right combination of expertise.

Ankura

Ankura

How to Become a Motivational Leader at Your Firm

by Brian Tracy

Aleader should not only guide others to ensure great professional success, but also to inspire, influence, and most importantly, motivate their employees. Here is a guide by Brian Tracy on how to become a motivational leader at your firm:

The Leader as Role Model

It’s been said, “Leadership is not what you do, but who you are.” This, however, is only partially true. Leadership is very much who you are, but it cannot be divorced from what you do. Who you are represents the inner person, and what you do represents the outer person. Each is dependent on the other for maximum effectiveness.

The starting point of motivational leadership is to begin seeing yourself as a role model, as an example to others. One key characteristic of leaders is that they set high standards of accountability for themselves and for their behaviors. They assume that others are watching them and setting their own standards according to what they see.

Leadership Power

In business, there are several kinds of power. Two of these are position power and ascribed power:

Position power is the power that comes with a job title or position in any organization. If you become a manager in a company, you automatically have certain powers and privileges that go along with your rank. You can order people about and make certain decisions. You can be a leader whether or not anyone likes you.

Ascribed power is the power you gain because of the kind of person you are. In every organization, there are people who are inordinately influential and looked up to by others, even though their positions may not be high up on the organizational chart. These are the men and women who are genuine leaders because of the quality of the people they have become, because of their characters and their personalities.

Over the years, we have been led to believe that leaders are those who stride boldly about, exude power and confidence,

give orders and make decisions for others to carry out. However, that is old school thinking. The leader of today is the one who asks questions, listens carefully, plans diligently and then builds consensus among all those who are necessary for achieving the goals. The leader does not try to do it by him or herself. The leader gets things done by helping others to do them.

Motivational Leading

This brings us to five of the qualities of motivational leaders. These are qualities that you already have to a certain degree and that you can develop further to stand out from the people around you in a very short period of time.

 Vision

This is the one single quality that, more than anything, separates leaders from followers. Leaders have vision. Followers do not. Leaders have the ability to stand back and see the big picture. Followers are caught up in day-to-day activities. Leaders have developed the ability to fix their eyes on the horizon and see greater possibilities. Followers are those whose eyes are fixed on the ground in front of them and who are so busy that they seldom look at themselves and their activities in a larger context.

The most motivational vision you can have for yourself and others is to “Be the best!” Many people don’t yet realize that excellent performance in serving other people is an absolute, basic essential for survival in the economy of the future. Many individuals and companies still adhere to the idea that as long as they are no worse than anyone else, they can remain in business. That is prehistoric thinking. We are now in the age of excellence. Customers assume that they will get excellent quality, and if they don’t, they will go to your competitors so fast, people’s heads will spin.

 Integrity

This is perhaps the single most respected quality of leaders. Integrity is complete, unflinching honesty with regard to

everything that you say and do. Integrity underlies all the other qualities. Your measure of integrity is determined by how honest you are in the critical areas of your life.

Integrity means this: When someone asks you at the end of the day, “Did you do your very best?” you can look him in the eye and say, “Yes!” Integrity means this: When someone asks you if you could have done it better, you can honestly say, “No, I did everything I possibly could.”

Integrity means that you, as a leader, admit your shortcomings. It means that you work to develop your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses. Integrity means that you tell the truth and you live the truth in everything you do and in all your relationships. Integrity means that you deal straightforwardly with people and situations and that you do not compromise what you believe to be true.

 Courage

This is the chief distinguishing characteristic of the true leader. It is almost always visible in the leader’s words and actions. It is absolutely indispensable to success, happiness and the ability to motivate other people to be the best they can be.

In a way, it is easy to develop a big vision for yourself and for the person you want to be. It is easy to commit yourself to living with complete integrity. But it requires incredible courage to follow through on your vision and on your commitments. You see, as soon as you set a high goal or standard for yourself, you will run into all kinds of difficulties and setbacks. You will be surrounded by temptations to compromise your values and your vision. You will feel an almost irresistible urge to “get along by going along.” Your desire to earn the respect and cooperation of others can easily lead to the abandonment of your principles, and here is where courage comes in.

 Realism

Realism is a form of intellectual honesty. The realist insists upon seeing the world as it really is, not as he wishes it were. This objectivity, this refusal to engage in self-delusion, is a mark of the true leader.

Those who exhibit the quality of realism do not trust luck, hope for miracles, pray for exceptions to basic business principles, expect rewards without working or hope that problems will go away by themselves. These all are examples of self-delusion, of living in a fantasyland.

The motivational leader insists on seeing things exactly as they are and encourages others to look at life the same way. As a motivational leader, you get the facts, whatever they are. You deal with people honestly and tell them exactly what

you perceive to be the truth. This doesn’t mean that you will always be right, but you will always be expressing the truth in the best way you know how.

 Responsibility

This is perhaps the hardest quality to develop. The acceptance of responsibility means that, as Harry Truman said, “The buck stops here.”

The game of life is very competitive. Sometimes, great success and great failure are separated by a very small distance. In watching the play-offs in basketball, baseball and football, we see that the winner can be decided by a single point, and that single point can rest on a single action, or inaction, on the part of a single team member at a critical part of the game.

Life is very much like competitive sports. Very small things that you do, or don’t do, can either give you the edge that leads to victory or take away your edge at the critical moment. This principle is especially true with regard to accepting responsibility for yourself and for everything that happens to you.

Motivate Yourself First

You become a motivational leader by motivating yourself. And you motivate yourself by striving toward excellence, by committing yourself to becoming everything you are capable of becoming. You motivate yourself by throwing your whole heart into doing your job in an excellent fashion. You motivate yourself and others by continually looking for ways to help others to improve their lives and achieve their goals. You become a motivational leader by becoming the kind of person others want to get behind and support in every way.

Your main job is to take complete control of your personal evolution and become a leader in every area of your life. You could ask for nothing more, and you should settle for nothing less.

Leadership presence is also an important quality in a leader. Check out our free webcast on how to build personal influence in your organization. n

Brian Tracy is the Chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International, a company specializing in the training and development of individuals and organizations. One of the top business speakers and authorities in the world today, he has consulted for more than 1,000 companies and addressed more than 5,000,000 people in 5,000 talks and seminars throughout the United States and more than 60 countries worldwide. He has written 65 books and produced more than 500 audio and video learning programs on management, motivation, and personal success.

Alot of lawyers are extremely challenged about operating in crisis mode and ending many days feeling they were not productive because they were side-tracked into unanticipated interactions, tasks and requests. Being organized and able to prioritize is something some people seem naturally to do better than others, but actually are skills that can be learned and practiced. You can learn good time management habits to determine the difference between urgent and important.

Begin with the End in Mind

Write a personal vision statement. Before plowing into how to better manage your time and priorities, take a step back and think about your vision and goals for yourself, including your professional and personal life. Where do you want to be in 15 years? Ten years? Five years? What will your practice look like? What management responsibilities will you have? How much time will you devote to your career? Your firm? Your family? Your friends? Your community/causes? Yourself? Write down your goals in a statement for each of these milestone years. Keep these in front of you and refer to them often.

Manage Your Email

If you are like most professionals, you likely spend around three hours a day processing emails. First, set up a folder structure for your email, e.g., each client, one for prospects and business development, one for personal, one for bar or professional associations, one for firm committees or management, one for general firm announcements. Second, be sure to flag any emails you don’t want to receive as spam and ask your assistant to unsubscribe you from any lists you are on. Third, if possible, turn off your email notification for several hours a day and don’t respond to every email when it comes in. If you have alerted your assistant to key emails to help you watch for, she can contact you about these. Fourth, send fewer and clearer emails yourself, only to those who need to receive it, with a clear subject line and clear action request. Remember that for every email you send, you may receive three in return!

Make This the Year You Take Control of Your Time!

by Susan Duncan

Ask Your Assistant to Help You

Despite the change in roles and responsibilities of many lawyers’ assistants (no longer doing traditional legal secretarial tasks), a good assistant can play a critical role in helping you get and stay organized, anticipate and prepare for both planned meetings and projects as well as the unexpected, and help with a number of other time-saving tasks. The first step is to sit down with your assistant and ask him/her what her experience is with organization and time management and see whether he/she has observed specific areas where he/she could help you. Consider having him/her help you in the following ways:

• Meet for 15 minutes at the beginning of every day or end of the day to make a to-do list of the meetings, tasks and must dos for that day. Even doing this once a week on a Friday or Monday is a useful discipline.

• Alert him/her to clients or others that may call or email and flag those for you; let her know what merits an interruption and what doesn’t.

• Look ahead to meetings where she can be sure the conference room is reserved, refreshments ordered.

• If meeting with a client or prospect you haven’t seen in a while, ask her to print out a LinkedIn profile of the person and/or take a quick look at the client web site for any company news of importance.

• Make sure he/she knows how to navigate LinkedIn and reminds you to update your profile; he/she can also send out links to articles you’ve written and remind you to send an invitation to connect to all new contacts, etc.

• Ask for help with your email review and management (see above.) With enough knowledge of your clients and priorities, he/she can help put emails into folders for you to review by client, management committee, etc.

Keep a Daily To-Do List and Prioritize It

At the beginning of every day, write a list of the things you need to get done that day. This will include preparation for

meetings, attending meetings, calls with clients, working on client projects with deadlines, business development and management tasks, as well as personal tasks. Place an A or B beside each task to indicate those that must be completed on that day versus those that can carry over to tomorrow. And if there are tasks you absolutely dread on your list, get in 15 or 30 minutes early and do those first thing in your day when you are freshest.

Block Time in Your Calendar for Longer and Important Tasks

Begin blocking time into your calendar for chunks of time when you know you’ll have to review or draft documents. Without scheduling this time in, you will inevitably find your days filled with other unscheduled interactions and pushing this work to the evenings or causing a delay in the workflow chain which then impacts others. Also important is the discipline of discerning urgent tasks from important tasks.

Allow as Much as 50% For “Unplanned” Events, Crises or Interactions

Unless you are in a solo practice, you will inevitably have unscheduled interactions with colleagues in the firm, receive unscheduled phone calls and need to attend to some sudden deadlines. Add a few one-hour blocks into your daily schedule to allow time for these unanticipated requests and conversations, especially if you serve in a management role.

Concentrate on Each Task

Learn to close your door, go to a conference room, turn off your email notifier and ask your assistant to hold calls to get work done that you have blocked time out for. Sometimes, this is the work that gets done an hour before the average day begins or in the evenings or on the weekends, since that is when you are less likely to be barraged with emails, phone calls and colleagues stopping by.

Track and Evaluate How You Are Spending Time

Most law firms still require lawyers to record their billable time, and some are good about providing ample non-billable categories in order to track and in some cases reward time spent on non-billable but important firm activities. Many lawyers don’t record their non-billable time accurately as they don’t believe it is valued and, in some cases, believe firm management looks down on them for tracking their nonbillable time. It is important for you to be able to evaluate how you are spending your time now in order to improve your time management. Create a daily log and monitor your time for two weeks. You then can take a close look at what is taking more time than it should or than you’d like, where you can

delegate, where you can be more focused and efficient, where you can say “no” more often.

Be Flexible but Establish Boundaries for Work-Life Balance

It is nearly impossible in today’s 24/7 business world to completely turn off the work clock at a particular hour or for full weekends. Clients and colleagues know you have access to email around the clock and given how competitive it is for law firms to attract and retain clients these days, lawyers feel pressure to be hyper-responsive and always available. You need to be clear on when you will not be available because you choose to turn your attention to family or other personal priorities and activities. Most colleagues and clients will respect this as long as they know you will still get their work done, which might include having others on the team to back you up and share the load. This is in part a question of managing expectations and also finding the right balance for yourself. For example, many lawyers I know with young families might leave the office at 5 but when kids are in bed or doing homework, return to do an hour or two of email follow-up.

Learn to Say “No”

Look at the occasions where you say no to someone as opportunities to both help you meet your own goals but also for others. In many firms, partners become reliant on and may trust only one or two people to work with a client, take care of a management issue or be assigned an ongoing task or role. When asked to do something that you don’t have time for or isn’t a priority or doesn’t interest you, identify whether there is someone else for whom this could be a good development or leadership opportunity. Learn to be selfish and strategic with your time but not without trying to find a good “back-up” option for the person asking. There obviously are times when you need to be a good “firm citizen,” partner or colleague and help others out, but often, we don’t have the courage to say no and offer a good alternative which the person asking won’t think to do unless you raise it yourself.

Save Some Time for You!

Between client, firm and your family obligations, it is easy to forgo time for yourself. Whether it is a day off, an exercise regime, meditation, time with a friend, participating in a hobby or cause you are passionate about, take time to recharge your batteries. n

Susan Duncan works on the business, strategy and management side of the legal profession at RainMaking Oasis and has been doing so since 1980. Along with a high level of energy and enthusiasm, Susan brings deep knowledge of the legal industry and a passion for what she does to her clients and consulting engagements. To learn more, visit: http://www. RainMakingOasis.com.

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