Raquel Gomes, Founder & CEO — Stafi.
Lawyers have a very specific and valuable skill set that they acquire from years of study and practice. However, their field also requires an abundance of administrative work that does not require their expertise. If not kept in check, that work can steal their attention and choke their effectiveness.
To improve their output, lawyers must manage administrative tasks in a way that does not prevent them from focusing on the work they were trained to do. The following three steps can serve as a guide for lawyers looking to lighten their load when it comes to managing calls and appointments, keeping clients up to date and overseeing other clerical duties, to name just a few of the admin tasks that must be accomplished. Taking action on these steps can help unclog your calendar and increase the time you have available to grow your business and expand your billable hours.
Step One: Assess your effectiveness.
Lawyers who want to improve their output must first assess it. Understanding how much time one spends on administrative duties is the first step to reducing the impact those duties have on overall performance. To become more efficient, lawyers must know what is stealing their time.
There are a growing number of digital tools that lawyers and other professionals can use for time tracking. These tools are designed to integrate with various apps to gather data on time spent making calls, drafting emails, onboarding new clients and following up with clients and other stakeholders as cases develop. Lawyers who take these steps to assess their work performance may discover they spend one to two hours a day on administrative tasks.
Once data is gathered, lawyers can have a better handle on the tasks that compromise their output. Relieving themselves of those tasks can free up significant time and focus to devote to client interaction and business development.
Step Two: Optimize your systems.
Law firms have a number of systems in place to manage functions such as marketing, onboarding and billing. These systems are designed to streamline processes. They standardize steps, assign responsibilities and keep the processes on a timeline.
Ideally, lawyers are marginally involved in these processes, if at all. However, sole practitioners or lawyers working at smaller firms may find themselves caught up in carrying out these tasks. If that is the case, lawyers should ensure that systems are optimized in a way that both reduces their involvement and maximizes their impact.
Using digital tools to automate components of these systems can help take lawyers out of the loop. Repetitive tasks such as appointment scheduling, email follow-ups, timekeeping and billing can be automated. Compliance management is another time-intensive task that can be automated by leveraging digital tools.
Streamlining communications processes is also important for optimizing systems. The explosive growth in online meetings triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic means that many more people are equipped to connect online. This empowers lawyers to hold virtual client meetings and forgo costly and time-consuming travel.
Advances in artificial intelligence have introduced a new generation of tools that lawyers can use to optimize their systems. AI-powered chatbots can guide new clients as they assess a firm’s services, as well as streamline the client intake process. AI can also speed up the discovery process for lawyers by sifting through documents to identify relevant data.
Step Three: Outsource intelligently.
Outsourcing tasks is another step that lawyers can take to increase their output. This can include shifting duties to paralegals, executive legal assistants, client intake specialists, marketing assistants or receptionists.
In cases where outsourcing will involve hiring new support, the first step is crafting a comprehensive job posting. The basic components of a solid job posting include the job title, responsibilities and required skills and qualifications. Ideally, your posting should include an engaging introduction, present the firm’s culture and values, and conclude with an encouraging invitation to apply.
Once a posting is complete, there are a number of online recruiting platforms where it can be shared. Lawyers should also consider sharing postings with their professional network and encourage colleagues to refer candidates.
Working with assistants is a step lawyers might also consider for outsourcing intelligently. This approach allows lawyers to access a larger talent pool than would be available if they were only considering local applicants. Legal staffing firms can provide trained and experienced personnel who have been vetted and selected to meet a lawyer’s unique needs. They also eliminate the overhead costs associated with bringing staff on-site.
Whether working with on-site or virtual assistants, lawyers should consider whether they want to take on a full-time or gig worker. Contract workers may provide higher levels of flexibility and scalability, while full-time employees will provide stability.
By following these steps, lawyers have the opportunity to regain their time and to focus on doing what they do beset—serving their clients and driving the growth of their business.
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