Around half of new U.S. businesses will fail within five years of opening, according to Gallup. Unfortunately, law firms aren’t immune to the same problems that sink other types of businesses.
If you’re in the early stages of building your firm, knowing how to navigate common pitfalls can make the difference between a sustainable and a doomed practice.
When thinking about the long-term chances of your success, you should first recognize that several circumstances out of your control. That includes pandemics, economic slowdowns, and many other factors.
The only way you can survive as a new law firm is to recognize what you can control, like your flexibility, networking efforts, and efficiency. Then, you must take steps to ensure those factors are working for you, not against you.
You can maximize your chances of success by following these tried-and-true tips.
The demands of your market will provide your firm the best opportunities for success. If your market is inundated with attorneys who spend boatloads of cash advertising for motorcycle accident cases, then you might be better off looking for case types those firms aren’t targeting, such as dog bites, Social Security Disability cases, or nursing home cases involving arbitration.
Don’t adopt the mindset that you’ll only take a specific type of case. When starting a legal practice, you’ll want to be as open minded as possible, and that includes taking cases that you might not have envisioned when you were in law school or coming up with a firm name and logo.
Once you notice a pattern of certain types of inquiries or you find success with a certain type of case, leverage that success to look for more of those case types. For example, if you successfully represent a client in a strongly contested divorce, you might find that you can use that success to generate more leads through word-of-mouth marketing or through case stories on your website.
Networking can make or break a new law firm. Referring out cases to other firms can generate profit for your firm with virtually no effort on your part. If you encounter a case that would drain your firm’s resources, recognize the opportunity to refer it to another firm that’s better equipped to represent that client.
What’s the best way to network? Go to functions hosted by your state’s bar association. Attend legal conferences. Introduce yourself to as many of your peers as possible, and let them know that you’re interested in giving and receiving referrals.
Operational oversights can quickly sink a law firm. You want to be sure that your practice runs efficiently and effectively. This means being highly organized, keeping track of all your leads and ongoing cases, and staying in contact with your clients as their cases progress.
One of the best tools at your disposal is a practice management software, which is what we offer here at backdocket. The right management system can keep all your firm’s documents in a central online location. It can help you and your staff communicate more effectively. It can even automate tasks that would otherwise take up your valuable time.
Backdocket is built specifically for small- to mid-size firms, and we customize our software to fit the way you work instead of forcing you to conform to a different way of running your firm.
If you’re interested in finding a practice management software to keep your new law firm on track, then let us give you a free demonstration of backdocket. Contact our team anytime to schedule a time to talk.
You likely already know your law firm’s overall mission. Perhaps you seek to help people stand up to insurance companies after injuries that weren’t their fault, to make your clients’ lives easier in family disputes, or to make the world a better, safer place through environmental regulation.
Think of your law firm’s mission as your destination. To reach that destination, you’ll need to be guided by a road map, which comes in the form of your core values.
Establishing your firm’s values will ensure you stay on course to accomplish your mission. Not only do your values help you and your teammates stay true to your firm’s purpose, they will also let current and future clients know what type of firm they’re working with.
If you haven’t already established your firm’s values, that’s okay. It’s never too late to start this important process. Here are a few suggestions to help you find what drives your firm to accomplish its purpose.
Consider what first prompted you to go into the legal profession. Maybe you wanted to stand up for people who were being taken advantage of by large corporations. Maybe you wanted to make sure that every person is given fair treatment under the law. If your initial motivations are still driving how you work today, then you’ve identified some of your core values.
Nearly every business strives to turn a profit, and most law firms are no exception. However, your hopes of making money likely have boundaries. Once you identify those principles that money can’t touch, then you’ll also find some of your most important core values.
Sometimes the best way to find your firm’s core values is through an open, heartfelt conversation with your team members. By collaborating with coworkers, you can identify those principles that guide your decisions and theirs when dealing with clients.
As we mentioned above, your law firm’s mission is the overall objective you’d like to accomplish. Identify the best practices you’ve found helpful in achieving your goals. Transparency, integrity, respect, accountability—get in touch with the qualities that help you deliver the best service possible to your clients and your community and then center your core values on those attributes.
Once you’ve identified your law firm’s core values, make them central to your practice. Post them in your office and on your website. Make sure that your firm’s employees, both new and current, know what they are and why they should matter to everyone who works at your firm. Anytime you face difficult decisions, return to your core principles as your guide.
At backdocket, we also believe that values can help businesses make the best decisions possible. We strive to make the firms we work with more organized, efficient, and profitable. We’re here to serve our customers and improve the way they work. If you’re a small- to mid-size law firm looking for a practice management software to grow your practice, we want to show you how backdocket can improve your processes. Contact us today to schedule a free backdocket demonstration.
In 2020, the phrase “time management” took on a new meaning, especially for people working at law firms. With so many law offices working partially or fully remote during the COVID-19 pandemic, figuring out how to effectively and efficiently work from home presented unique challenges.
In 2021, some of these challenges remain. But many law firm employees are also re-adjusting to life back in the office—or striking a new balance that involves a combination of remote and in-person workdays.
Whatever your firm’s situation is, you likely already appreciate the value of managing your time as effectively as possible. And that brings us to the five essential tips that will help you do just that in the new year.
Take time the before your workday begins to map out your schedule. You can do this during the morning hours, the night before, or even on the Sunday night preceding your workweek.
Ask yourself what will make your day (or week) the most successful. Write down the most important tasks that you’ll be tackling and allocate enough time to accomplish them. You can then start filling in the gaps between these must-haves with less pressing tasks.
This process can be enlightening. You’ll get an idea of what’s required of you versus how much time you can actually devote to each item on your schedule.
One of the most powerful ways to prioritize your tasks is using what’s known as the 4 D Method of time management. The 4 Ds are:
Delete: Review your schedule to identify anything that isn’t necessary. This typically includes meetings or emails that are largely insignificant. Keep in mind that this principle also means pre-emptively saying no to requests that don’t help you accomplish tasks or lead to any fruitful rewards for you or your firm.
Delegate: Not everyone is privileged with the ability to delegate tasks to other teammates. However, for team members with many responsibilities and the ability to give work to others, delegation can save time and increase productivity.
Defer: Not every item on your schedule needs your immediate attention. If more pressing matters take priority, push back other tasks to a later time when your schedule is more accommodating.
WARNING: Be careful not to make a habit of frequently deferring tasks that are important, even if they don’t seem urgent. Understanding the difference between urgent and important tasks can be a revelation for those obsessed with time management. For more information, reference the Eisenhower Matrix, a time management technique developed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Do: These tasks are usually both time-sensitive and important to your firm or role within a firm. For example, if you have a client with an upcoming court date, you must prioritize your responsibilities in relation to that task.
If your job requires wearing many different hats, you could benefit greatly by batching similar tasks. For example, if you have several clients that you need to touch base with in your upcoming week, you could set aside a single day or a chunk of your day to contact all those clients.
This will save you from constantly jumping from one task to a completely unrelated one (also known as context switching). By batching similar tasks, you’ll be able to focus more deeply and avoid feeling scattered throughout your day.
Once you’ve identified which tasks matter most, you can schedule your day to tackle those things early in your day when you’re at your freshest. You can utilize the 4 Ds and the batching techniques mentioned above to help you plan what these tasks are for you.
If any of your work requires intense focus or creativity, it should be placed first on your schedule. Reserve more reactive or perfunctory tasks (such as returning phone calls or emails) for later in your day.
Play isn’t just for kids. It’s incredibly important for everyone to have time away from work doing things they love. Whether your version of play involves reading a great book, exercising, spending time with your kids, or all of the above, don’t neglect your leisure time in the hopes of being more productive.
Research shows that taking time away from work to enjoy more playful activities makes people happier, more productive, and more creative. So, if you bristle at the thought of not working all your waking hours, remember that actively planning playtime is an investment that will make your workday more productive, engaging, and sustainable.
Backdocket is a practice management system that improves your law firm’s processes. Our software lets each of your team members customize a dashboard to have a clearer picture of what they need to do to help your firm thrive.
Backdocket also allows firms to automate certain tasks like records requests to free up valuable time that can be devoted to more pressing matters. And by improving communication between team members and centralizing important legal documents, your team will also find more time to prioritize things that matter most.
If you’d like to learn more about how backdocket can improve your firm’s processes and better manage your time, contact us today to schedule a free demonstration.
When you get your intake right, you empower your law firm to thrive. Get it wrong, and no amount of hard work and exceptional service will be enough to bring in new clients.
Not only is your law firm’s intake process the first impression you’ll make, it’s also the most efficient way to ensure your team is getting the types of cases you want.
At backdocket, we’ve worked with many law firms to improve their intake processes, and we know what works and what doesn’t. Let us put our knowledge to work for you.
Download your FREE GUIDE to law firm intake by entering your email below. We’ll then send you your free copy.
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If you want to learn more about improving your law firm’s intake with backdocket, contact us today to schedule a free demonstration of our practice management software.
Attorneys are typically well-versed in the ethical obligations they have toward clients.
But whether they’re running online marketing campaigns or simply moving toward more digital platforms to run their firms, some firms might wonder how those best practices apply in the digital world.
All the ethics attorneys are taught in law school and legal conferences still apply online (and in the cloud), but there are a few additional considerations for the digital age.
Attorneys should always consider the rules of their state’s bar association when choosing what to say on their website.
If you’re part of a law firm that is regularly adding new content to the site, it’s worth taking the time to speak with your writers to make sure they know what they can and can’t say.
It’s also a good practice to have any content that is added to your site reviewed by someone at your firm who knows the law. For example, if a member of your marketing department writes a blog article for your website, you could ask an attorney at your firm to review it before posting.
The review process will ensure that the content is both accurate and in-keeping with the best practices set forth by your state’s bar association.
Here are a few tips that you can keep in mind when adding content to your law firm’s website:
Your state’s bar association rules will necessitate further refinement of the language you use. For example, many states require attorneys not to use language like “expert,” “specialist,” or anything that indicates your firm is the “best law firm” in the state.
Attorneys should also keep in mind the privacy and security of sensitive legal documents written, stored, or shared digitally.
This is true whether you’re simply typing up legal documents with Microsoft Word or relying on practice management systems to improve your firm’s internal processes.
We’ve talked about anti-virus protection software for law firms before, but it bears repeating. The last thing a firm wants is for their clients’ information to fall into the wrong hands.
If you haven’t invested in malware protection, do yourself a favor and find the right software for your firm.
At backdocket, we know how important it is for law firms to deliver their clients the best legal services possible. We designed a practice management software for small- to mid-size law firms that improves communication, streamlines workflows, and automates routine processes.
We’re all about helping law firms work smarter, not harder. If you’ve considered a practice management software but don’t know where to begin, let us give you a free demonstration of backdocket’s capabilities.
Contact us today to find out how our practice management software can grow your firm.
The legal field is incredibly competitive. For small- to mid-size law firms, building a sustainable practice is no easy feat.
However, it’s completely doable if you do good work for your clients, build a solid reputation in your community, and avoid a few common pitfalls.
But how do you identify the potential mistakes that often lead to the collapse of law firms?
At backdocket, we’ve worked with many firms who have overcome common obstacles to thrive in their markets.
To help you in your journey to becoming a thriving legal practice, here are some of the common reasons why law firms fail—so you’ll know what to avoid.
Talent and hard work matter in the legal field, but they aren’t enough to make a practice thrive. If no one within a firm is in charge of invoicing, collecting payments, or identifying and eliminating unnecessary overhead, a practice can easily find itself in the red.
Organization also matters when cultivating prospects and bringing in new clients. If you don’t have a system to grow your clientele through consistent outreach, you could be missing out on valuable opportunities for your practice.
For some attorneys, especially new ones or those branching out to start their own practice, taking any case that comes along can seem like their only option. However, once you notice a pattern of case types that consistently bring in revenue, narrow your focus to capitalize on the momentum.
A lack of focus can also cause you to stray from your firm’s bottom line. Without direction, you could spend too much time and energy on projects that yield no profit and serve only to eat up your firm’s resources.
A legal practice doesn’t need to focus solely on profits, but firms who don’t prioritize generating enough revenue to meet their overhead are putting themselves at risk of collapsing.
When an attorney starts a new practice, they need to be mindful of opportunities presented by their market. For newer law firms, flexibility is essential. If you’ve noticed several inquiries from people in your region about case types you don’t currently handle, it’s worth asking yourself if you can accommodate the demand from your market.
Don’t paint yourself into a corner by refusing to consider cases outside your comfort zone. Keep an open mind and be sensitive to the needs of the people who reach out to you for help, even if those inquiries weren’t what you’d expected or hoped for.
Speaking of markets, it’s important for law firms to choose theirs wisely. If you’re in a position where you can be selective, take time to see how competitive a market is before you focus your efforts there.
Of course, your location within a market matters, too. A central, easily seen location can give a law firm a distinct advantage. Think of your office’s business sign as an advertisement. How many people will naturally see your office every day? How visible are you to the people in your market?
If your office is conveniently and centrally located, you’ll stand a much better chance of growing your firm than you would otherwise.
Firms without an identity struggle to consistently bring in new cases. Regardless of the case types you handle, firms should still consider who they are and what their mission is so they can articulate that to potential clients.
Taking the time to focus on building a distinct brand helps solve some of the problems listed above. It can provide a firm direction and help it carve out a place in its market. If a law firm has a marketing budget, it can help spread the message and build awareness of the firm’s brand.
It’s important for firms to understand the value of its services. Billing clients too much can price a firm out of its market, while billing too low can lead to a lack of adequate revenue.
Firms can rely on internal and external research to determine how much to bill for their services. You can evaluate what other firms are charging for comparable services. You should also evaluate your own team’s time spent on a case and compare it against the amount of money earned from the case to determine if it’s time to raise your rates.
In some instances, a firm’s growth can be its own obstacle—if it’s not managed properly. If handling more cases leads to an overburdened staff, the quality of a firm’s services can decline and eventually sink it.
We’ve talked about managing growth in law firms before, and it often includes bringing on new team members. In some cases, firms can create new positions for team members with skill sets that help manage their processes.
We know the challenges facing small- to mid-size law firms. We created backdocket to help them meet these challenges and grow their businesses.
Our practice management software helps firms with intake, communication, automated tasks, and organization.
Let us give you a free demonstration of how backdocket can grow your firm today.
Attorneys are often privy to some of the most private details of their clients’ lives.
The relationship an attorney has with their client is extremely important and sensitive, hence the legal protections they must have to ensure the confidentiality of their conversations.
Just as the Hippocratic Oath is a guiding principle for doctors, attorney-client privilege is paramount in the legal field.
So, it makes sense that attorneys should prioritize the security of sensitive information regarding clients.
The security of that information is even more important in our current digital age.
If you use any type of software to enter or store sensitive client information (and who doesn’t these days?), then anti-virus protection is one of the most important tools you can use to protect it.
First, you need to protect your client’s information against hackers who could potentially take that information and use it against you or your client.
If you think this sounds far-fetched, think again.
In May 2020, Variety reported that the law firm Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks was hacked in a ransomware attack.
This type of attack involves hackers locking down access to computers and important files until they’re paid an exorbitant fee.
The firm’s clients at the time of the hack included Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Nicki Minaj, Christina Aguilera, and Mariah Carey.
In this case, the hackers themselves claimed to be in possession of contracts, nondisclosure agreements, phone numbers, and email addresses of the firm’s clients, putting enormous pressure on the firm to pay up.
Let’s assume that you aren’t representing pop stars or A-list celebrities.
Ransomware attacks still happen to everyday people and businesses, and a law firm’s unprotected computer system is a sitting duck for hackers.
Even if your client’s information isn’t stolen, the functionality of your software could still be compromised by a computer virus.
This could create a litany of problems, including blocked access to vital information or corrupted files and hard drives.
The takeaway is clear: you need to install and maintain anti-virus protection on any and all computer hardware your firm uses.
That’s true for systems dedicated to everything from document processing software to practice management systems and more.
We suggest looking for anti-virus software that checks the following boxes:
Most anti-virus protection software is available with a free trial. Take advantage of that trial to make sure it meets your needs.
Stick with reputable providers who offer stellar customer service.
You might need to invest some time and energy into researching your options, but it’s well worth it.
The work you put into finding the right anti-virus protection will give you peace of mind and, most importantly, a secure digital environment for your clients’ information.
At backdocket, we know how important your client’s information is for your firm.
If you’re in the market for a practice management software built to make your life easier and grow your law firm, we want to give you a free demonstration.
Contact us today to start the conversation.
A rapidly growing law firm is the goal of countless attorneys, but it comes with its own set of challenges.
Poorly manage your firm’s growth, and you risk undoing all the hard work that landed you where you are today. But get it right, and you’ll be positioned to thrive.
How do you accommodate more clients and heavier workloads?
Though there are several approaches, we’ll cover some of the most tried-and-true methods below.
If your law firm is growing rapidly, then you’ve been doing something right.
The chances are good that you offer clients great results and exceptional service, and they are rewarding you with favorable reviews and recommending you to others.
It’s important that you identify what is fueling your growth, so you can be sure you maintain the same standards moving forward.
This isn’t as simple as it sounds. The more cases your firm accepts, the more challenging it will be for your team to make sure each client gets the same high level of service. The next few steps will help you stay on the right track.
As your firm becomes busier, it’s essential to make sure team members aren’t overextended.
Though an occasional white-knuckle week or a few late nights at the office are part of the job description in the legal field, consistently working long hours will inevitably lead to poor performance.
Distribute workloads as best as possible. Make sure team members have time to take vacations and get away from work.
Once the workload is so heavy that this is no longer a possibility, it’s time to expand your team.
When your firm is growing and financially capable of bringing on new team members, you can begin looking for qualified candidates. However, be strategic about the positions you create.
In some cases, you might need more attorneys. In others, you might need paralegals or a receptionist. But it’s often the case that a firm would benefit most from a position that doesn’t currently exist.
For example, an operations manager might alleviate some of the burden your other team members are facing. (We’ve also written about considerations for hiring an operations manager for your law firm to give you a clearer picture of what that role entails).
Think outside the box and take a close look at what type of team member would help your firm manage its current rate of growth.
Just because you’re growing, that doesn’t mean you should stop looking for ways to improve your services. It’s possible you’re growing despite some of your firm’s limitations.
For example, let’s say your firm is bringing in twice the cases it did the year prior. You’ve doubled your caseload without one single dollar spent on marketing.
You could easily assume that you don’t need an advertising budget because you’re doing so well. That reasoning fails to account for all the ways you could target a specific case type through your marketing, for example.
Don’t stop looking for ways to improve your operations. A growing law firm should constantly look to optimize its processes.
With the added strain of bigger caseloads, staying organized is key. One of the best ways to make your firm more efficient and capable of handling more work is through practice management systems.
The right practice management software can streamline workloads, dramatically improve communication, and automate processes that currently eat away your free time. Take the time to explore your options to find the right software for your firm.
At backdocket, we created a practice management system that facilitates the way small- to mid-size law firms work. Our software can make a significant impact on your processes right out of the box.
If you’d like a free demonstration, simply contact us today to learn more about how backdocket can help you grow your firm.
What does success look like for law firms? Though firms might have a wide range of goals, the right metrics will help them determine whether they’re on course to meet those goals or they need to make adjustments.
Key performance indicators (KPIs) give firms a roadmap to success. Determining which KPIs are important and relevant for your law firm might seem like a challenge, but we’ve created a helpful guide to setting KPIs to guide your firm. Simply enter your email address to download our FREE guide to KPIs for law firms.
You might already know just how powerful a tool a practice management platform can be for a law firm.
The right software can transform your firm’s operations by streamlining communications, automating processes, and centralizing information. When used properly, it can make your team’s jobs easier and your files more organized.
Though practice management systems can improve your firm’s workflow dramatically, they’re most helpful when they’re customized to meet your specific needs.
Customization takes the value of your practice management system to the next level. By fitting your software to meet your needs, you can:
Without customization, you could find that the most helpful features of your system go underutilized, which is the exact opposite of what you’d hoped for.
The best way to learn about your software’s capacity to be customized is to speak with your practice management system representative.
Though many management platforms can be tweaked to fit your needs, it’s worth researching customization features before you purchase a platform for your law firm.
Not all practice management platforms are fully customizable. That creates a real problem for firms who need a system that is ready to deliver results right out of the box.
This is one of the reasons we created backdocket; we designed it specifically to meets the needs of small- to mid-size law firms who need a system to accommodate the way they work.
Our system isn’t just customizable by our clients from within the software; our development team proactively builds and customizes backdocket to perform tasks that you request. And we’re always looking for feedback from firms on what features and functions that aren’t currently part of our platform.
Through collaboration with our clients, we’ve developed a constantly evolving system that improves communication among team members and automates essential case management tasks.
If you’re currently working with a system that isn’t helping you improve the efficiency of your firm, backdocket might be the solution. We make sure our software meets your firm on your terms, and our thorough onboarding process ensures that your team will be ready to improve your firm’s operations from the first day of using backdocket.
At backdocket, we believe that our system truly meets the needs of growing firms, and we want the chance to prove it. Don’t settle for a platform that forces you into its mold. Contact our team today to schedule a free demonstration of our practice management software.
