List-making is as much a part of the holidays as mistletoe or mandarins. People everywhere are busy making lists of gifts, lists of New Year’s resolutions, and lists of who’s been naughty and who’s been nice…so why not also make a list of all things your firm needs to do to level up in 2022? After all, the past year has not been easy on small firms, and the only way to avoid a repeat is to plan for strategic change.
The Ultimate List of Law Firm Resolutions for Top-Tier Performance:
1. Clean the Slate
The holidays are chaotic, and amidst all the buzz it’s easy to lose track of open matters, stalled cases, and outstanding balances. Don’t let this disorganization follow you into the new year. Craft a plan that tidies all loose ends before cracking the champagne on December 31st. While this may seem unrealistic with all the extra time demands of the holidays, doing so only takes an afternoon and will mean you can hit the ground running when January arrives.
2. Prioritize Self-Care
No one does their best work when they’re washed up and wasted. While it is easy (and all too common) to let holiday stress leave you anything but refreshed, you do yourself no favors by forgetting to relax. Burnout doesn’t have to be a part of your Christmas routine, but can only be avoided with intentional action. As soon as you’ve crafted a plan to clear your slate, dedicate the rest of the season to self-care. While doing so may seem like time wasted, you can be sure the effort will pay off when you’re able to bring your best self to the office in the new year.
3. Level Up Your Time Management
The holidays are hectic, but herein lies an opportunity to level up your time management skills. Take the extra demand for organization as a lesson in investing your effort where it matters most. If you can effectively plan for the new year, carve out time to relax, and ensure all the gifts are under the tree before the 25th, then you can also better manage your time when you’re on the job. Use the Christmas momentum to ensure that, in 2022, you spend more time on billable tasks and less on administrative fluff.
4. Upgrade Your Toolkit
A carpenter can’t work with just a handsaw any more than an attorney can with just pen and paper. If you’re not using practice management software and other appropriate tech tools, you’re wasting your time. One of the best ways to turbocharge your firm is to let someone else do it for you. Hiring and Empowering’s 66-Day Law Firm Turnaround program provides law firm leaders and their teams with a plethora of tools for increased productivity and profitability, with guaranteed results in 10-weeks or less!
5. Give Your Clients Center Stage
All the organization in the world doesn’t mean much if you’re not caring for your clients. In this digital age, consumers expect to get what they want, when they want it…without compromise. Law firms can meet this cultural shift by taking a client-centered approach in their practice. This means top-tier communication, a seamless process, and consideration of the entire client journey. Offer this, and you won’t only see the referrals pour in, you’ll also find your present client interactions more pleasant and, thus, more motivating.
To learn more about setting your firm up for success in 2022, do not hesitate to book a call with me, Molly McGrath, Hiring & Empowering founder and best-selling author.
