The Importance of Law Firm Coaching

We regularly discuss how much the practice of law has changed over recent years. These changes require adjustments for each of us and aren’t limited to new technology. Everything about the practice of law has changed, including the economics. Large and small law firms and practices must be managed differently today than in recent years. One victim of change is mentoring - learning from our senior partners. While their wisdom and experience are irreplaceable when fashioning legal arguments, reading a jury pool, and sizing up a witness, they are less helpful (or completely unavailable) when managing a firm.

So, what’s the answer? Getting help. We’re used to doing this in the other facets of our lives, so why not professionally? Having trouble with your golf swing? You ask a pro. Want to learn to play the piano? We get a teacher. We regularly seek help developing new skills, so why not transfer this to our practice?

Most mega-firms have coaches on staff for their attorneys. But you don’t have to be a mega-firm to have this advantage. We offer these same services.

They provide necessary mentoring for young lawyers, training in new skills for the older ones, and as a sounding board for all. Most are focused on marketing, but not all. Many firms have different coaches for different skills.

A coach provides training and insight but also serves as an accountability partner.

It’s easy to let the administrative functions necessary in our practice slide. Marketing efforts are usually the first thing to take the back burner when we get busy. The same goes for recruiting and hiring new attorneys or staff talent. Yet cutting time and effort from these important tasks merely creates greater headaches in the future. The same can be said for all those functions necessary for the firm’s operations outside of the rendering of professional services.

Using a consultant to help with these tasks is much cheaper than hiring someone with the skills and experience necessary to manage them effectively. And it is a lot cheaper than pulling professional production time offline to deal with them. We can do as much or as little as you’d like. We can teach you to fish, help you land them, or deliver them. We can take the reins or ride beside you in the wagon. The analogies are endless, as are the possibilities of how we can help you in your practice. Our engagement may include weekly or biweekly calls or Zoom meetings, project management, marketing, HR, workflow management, technology transitions, firm mergers, recruiting, or lateral hires, and 24/7 availability.

You name it, and we’ve done it, and we can do it for you.