Change is coming and law firms need to be prepared, writes thought partner and executive coach Stuart J. Barnett.
(Opinion) --
We would rather be ruined than changed,
We would rather die in our dread
Than climb the cross of the moment
And let our illusions die.
Disruption is the word de jour, and law firms are not immune.
There is talk of new non-pyramid structures, more fixed price agreements, shifting away from billable hours, the rise of general counsel and in-house teams, the encroachment of the big accountancy firms, artificial intelligence, out-sourcing, and the list goes on.
NewLaw is all the talk, and yet traditionally the legal profession is conservative and adapts to change glacially. That said, change is coming and no matter what your view is on the state of the profession and just how impacted the practice of law will be, the key is being prepared for disruption.
Five tips to make sure you are ready for disruption:
So seek regular feedback from clients. Feedback is really just information the client already has or believes about you; it already exists. It’s only new to you. And it’s information that can be highly valuable if used to improve your service.
Sure, sometimes clients may simply want better quality work for a lower cost – isn’t that what we all want from a service? So have that difficult conversation about cost and quality. This is where innovation and flexibility start.
Building relationships takes time. It has to be made a priority. The best way to achieve this is to make it part of your daily/weekly routine. It’s very easy to neglect relationships when you are really busy and then start trying to make amends when things are slow.
If you are naturally good at networking and building relationship, that’s great; if not, then you have to find a way that works for your personality. Play to your strengths, work around your weaknesses.
Two key aspects of building relationships are:
Being the smartest lawyer in the room can be a hindrance – unfortunately (or fortunately depending upon where you sit in the smartness stakes) being very smart doesn’t of itself make you open to change. This is where emotional intelligence and self-awareness comes into play. It’s time to refocus on personal development.
Think about engaging an executive coach to help you brush up on those influencing and leadership skills – soft skills essential to a successful career regardless of the business model.
Senior partners too often overlook the use of executive coaches as remedial or for less experienced staff. But improvement doesn’t cease with seniority (or at least, it shouldn’t), so take the plunge and get objective support to discover ways to fine tune.
So shake it up a little, try some new things on the business development front, start small, step outside the traditional, mix it up. And be prepared for not everything you try to work.
By Stuart J. Barnett, thought partner and executive coach.
We would rather be ruined than changed,
We would rather die in our dread
Than climb the cross of the moment
And let our illusions die.
- W. H. Auden - The Age of Anxiety (1948)
Disruption is the word de jour, and law firms are not immune.
There is talk of new non-pyramid structures, more fixed price agreements, shifting away from billable hours, the rise of general counsel and in-house teams, the encroachment of the big accountancy firms, artificial intelligence, out-sourcing, and the list goes on.
NewLaw is all the talk, and yet traditionally the legal profession is conservative and adapts to change glacially. That said, change is coming and no matter what your view is on the state of the profession and just how impacted the practice of law will be, the key is being prepared for disruption.
Five tips to make sure you are ready for disruption:
- Break the busyness-cycle
- Get better acquainted with clients
So seek regular feedback from clients. Feedback is really just information the client already has or believes about you; it already exists. It’s only new to you. And it’s information that can be highly valuable if used to improve your service.
Sure, sometimes clients may simply want better quality work for a lower cost – isn’t that what we all want from a service? So have that difficult conversation about cost and quality. This is where innovation and flexibility start.
- Focus on building business relationships
Building relationships takes time. It has to be made a priority. The best way to achieve this is to make it part of your daily/weekly routine. It’s very easy to neglect relationships when you are really busy and then start trying to make amends when things are slow.
If you are naturally good at networking and building relationship, that’s great; if not, then you have to find a way that works for your personality. Play to your strengths, work around your weaknesses.
Two key aspects of building relationships are:
- be genuinely interested – nothing quite builds a relationship than genuine interest. Be curious, ask good questions that enable the other person to amplify; which means
- listen more – being caught in problem solving mode can mean being too quick to try and add value. Really active listening, requires being present in the moment, and being completely focused on the client and understanding their needs from their perspective.
- be strategic about who you want to build business relationships with, making sure you align your practice focus and personal brand/online presence. Identify who can introduced you, and what networking events to attend.
- get right down into what sort of conversations you are going to have, what your body language is saying, what you hope to achieve from the conversation, how you want to come across, and what you can do for the other person.
- Indulge in a little self-disruption
Being the smartest lawyer in the room can be a hindrance – unfortunately (or fortunately depending upon where you sit in the smartness stakes) being very smart doesn’t of itself make you open to change. This is where emotional intelligence and self-awareness comes into play. It’s time to refocus on personal development.
Think about engaging an executive coach to help you brush up on those influencing and leadership skills – soft skills essential to a successful career regardless of the business model.
Senior partners too often overlook the use of executive coaches as remedial or for less experienced staff. But improvement doesn’t cease with seniority (or at least, it shouldn’t), so take the plunge and get objective support to discover ways to fine tune.
- Be willing to fail
So shake it up a little, try some new things on the business development front, start small, step outside the traditional, mix it up. And be prepared for not everything you try to work.
By Stuart J. Barnett, thought partner and executive coach.