Small law firm growth strategy for impact

Have you grown intentionally, or have you bounced along with the current of whichever clients and cases popped up? Regardless of your firm’s current stage, creating a thoughtful law firm growth strategy can help you regain control and a sense of deeper satisfaction in your work.

Signs that you need a strategy

Yes, strategic planning takes time and effort, but how much time are you spending:

  • Responding to leads that become dead ends?
  • Managing administrative tasks that should be automated?
  • Attending events and conferences that result in no fruitful connections?
  • Catching up on email or sitting in meetings that take away from your core work?
  • Posting on multiple social media channels and trying to see what sticks?

If you track your activities for the next week, how much wasted time would you find? With a strong law firm growth strategy, you will regain a lot of that time. A strategy will help you focus your administrative tasks, client prospect conversations and meetings toward a goal that will support growth.

Getting clear on your values and your niche

So, where to begin? For independent lawyers and small law firms, it all comes back to core values. You know why you left big law to start your own firm; you wanted to leave your mark and do things differently.

Ask yourself:

  • What sets me and my firm apart from other lawyers?
  • Which three to five core life values do I want to bring to my work?
  • How can I best serve clients in my practice area? What’s missing in the marketplace that I can provide to those clients?
  • Do I spend most of my time on work I enjoy and where I excel? If not, how can I refocus my practice area or service offerings?
  • Do I know people who can help me achieve my goals? If not, where can I connect with those people?

We often fall into work routines that lull us into an illusion of progress or productivity, but if don’t have clearly stated values, mission and vision, you could be losing out on opportunities for growth.

Building your reputation

In the midst of work routines, many of us go into heads-down mode. We move from one deadline to the next without pausing to assess our progress. During that time, you also lose out on opportunities to connect with new clients.

Your growth strategy should include avenues for increasing brand awareness for both you and your firm, such as:

  • Speaking opportunities at targeted events (law and general business)
  • Article placements that highlight your unique positioning in your practice area
  • Social media posts and videos that offer insight into the value you provide clients
  • Blog posts that offer helpful tips to clients and demonstrate your knowledge and experience
  • Marketing and advertising on sites like LinkedIn or Facebook
  • Client reviews and testimonials on your website and review sites

Depending on your practice area, some of the above strategies will work better than others. Choose two or three tactics and commit to spending dedicated time each week toward marketing and reputation management.

Hiring and collaborating wisely

All strategies become easier when you have a team to support your efforts. Importantly, that team doesn’t always need to be salaried staff.

Attorney at Work counsels:

“Remember, there are many ways to collaborate with other lawyers and entrepreneurs who share your passion for innovation and growth. By tapping into these communities and groups, you can build your sphere of influence and find a valuable support system. Cultivating relationships with friends, colleagues and mentors can provide you with the advice and motivation to succeed, making them invaluable resources.”

Consider what works best for you and your firm:

  • Hiring one or two administrative staffers
  • Partnering with another attorney through a formal agreement
  • Entering into short-term collaborations with other attorneys
  • Outsourcing certain functions, such as accounting/billing, admin work or marketing

How would it feel to offload just one aspect of your business? What could you do with that new-found time?

Creating structures that support focused, streamlined work

A big part of reclaiming valuable time involves creating supportive work schedules and structures. If you tend to squeeze work into evenings or regularly log 50+ hours when a deadline looms, it’s time to reorganize your workflow.

In this blog, we talk a lot about lawyer work-life balance, and for good reason. Many of the attorneys who office with us have chosen independent law in search of more autonomy and flexibility. Again, values have driven that decision for many of them.

Your growth strategy should include your personal values. Ask yourself what you want out of your life; not just your business.

Other independent attorneys have walked this path before you, as this article highlights. Consider questions like this one from an attorney who actively seeks out a better balance:

“My technique is to do daily affirmations where I ask myself, will my children remember and appreciate my increasing my bottom line by another 10%, or will they remember and enjoy the time I spent with them? When I ask myself that, the answer is obvious, allowing me to put the work away and focus on life.”

A shared office setting or coworking space can help you set regular office hours for focused work and client meetings. Investment in technology can also help you streamline processes and work fewer hours.

As you become more clear on your personal values, you can craft a strategy that supports growth in both your law firm and your personal life. You have the ability to build something profitable and sustainable, and the time invested in strategic planning can help you get there.

Ready to grow your law firm alongside likeminded independent attorneys. Reach out to learn more about our shared office options for lawyers in Denver and Las Vegas.