Why a lawyer strengths assessment can help you create a more focused firm

Do you know your own strengths? As an independent lawyer, understanding the unique value you provide can help focus your firm strategy, and a lawyer strengths assessment provides a great place to start.

Start with What You Like

This week, take note of how you spend your time. Pay particular attention to:

  • Work that holds your attention and focus
  • Activities that you dread and put off
  • Moments when you feel confident in your ability to succeed and offer value
  • Interactions or activities that feel draining and out of alignment
  • Flashes of inspiration that you want to find time to explore

Independent lawyers must wear many hats beyond direct casework and client service. Marketing, accounting, business development, case management and more are must-dos for any business owner. However, understanding which pieces of the business you like and which ones you avoid will help you make some key decisions later.

Thomson Reuters conducted a survey recently in which they asked law firm associates to rank their preferences for non-billable work:

“…partners feel that they are spending too much time on non-billable work and, worse yet, are not enjoying it…”

Take a look at that list and see which categories resonate for you. Most lawyers want to spend more time building client relationships and they want to spend less time on technology tasks. A quick self assessment will help you begin to uncover these preferences for yourself.

Go Deeper with an Assessment Tool

If you want deeper insight into your personal strengths and opportunities for growth, seek out an assessment tool. Some popular tools include:

  • The DiSC Assessment
  • The Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument
  • The Big Five Personality Test
  • Clifton Strengths

For more options, take a look at this article from the U.S. Chamber and this one from My Leadership Strengths.

From a firm perspective, whether you work alone or have a team of attorneys and support staff, a SWOT analysis can also help you home in on your unique value proposition in the marketplace. SWOT stand for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

Tailor Your Offering

Once you better understand your personal and firm strengths, as well as any new opportunities and threats, you can focus your work to boost success. Ideally, you will begin spending more time on your preferred activities and tasks that lead to business growth.

While it’s useful to keep tabs on the competition, your law firm strategy will look different than your competitors because:

  • You have different personal strengths
  • Your firm’s value proposition offers something unique
  • You have identified opportunities and threats that others might have missed
  • You seek a work-life balance that reflects your personal values
  • Your client service model breaks the mold and doesn’t follow tradition

Lawyers’ training often pigeonholes them. Understanding your own strengths and preferences will help you build a law practice in alignment with who you are.

Outsource and Hire Strategically

Now, back to those tasks that you like to avoid. As a business owner, you can’t ignore them, so you need to decide which ones require your personal attention. For the rest, consider hiring support staff, additional attorneys or outsourcing.

Tasks you can outsource:

  • Marketing
  • Technology and IT services
  • Accounting and billing
  • Legal writing and research
  • Document review
  • Administrative staff

In addition, you can hire a freelance lawyer to alleviate some caseload or expand your offering. As Lawclerk notes:

“Working with freelance attorneys opens the door to many skilled and talented on-demand lawyers who can help you expand your service offerings and finish more legal work. By tapping into the expertise of others, you can offer more to your clients, take on additional work, and grow your practice.”

An added benefit, the writer adds, is an ability to charge flat-fee services rather than relying on billable hours.

We work with independent lawyers and small law firms in Denver and Las Vegas. We offer a variety of affordable and flexible real estate solutions that allow law firms to scale and grow at a sustainable pace. Reach out to learn more.