How do you really know when your law practice employees are ready to take the next step in their career? Obviously, their behavior, team efforts and performance markers are indicators you can judge for yourself. But beyond work related achievements, are your team members dropping you subtle (or not so subtle) hints at work? How do you know? Are you tuned into what your employees are asking for or are you starting to pick up on these clues?
What about the state of your law practice? Let’s talk about your firm ecosystem and if it’s time to start promoting from within. Do you have room to expand roles and responsibilities within your practice or are there other challenges to be tackled as a team. Not all firms have multiple positions to use for internal promotions but this doesn’t mean that you cannot recognize employees who excel.
While everyone wants a promotion, not everyone is ready for it. Think your team is ready? Let’s look at the following characteristics to know if your employees are ready for that promotion.
1. They are always up for a test. This is the first sign that your employees are ready for a promotion. Do not promote workers who are stagnant in their work or who are never looking for a challenge. It is important that you recognize each of your employee’s strengths. If he or she meets a difficult project with great success and repeats it, this can show you that they are ready to move forward.
2. They are respectful but not afraid of you. It is crucial that your employees feel comfortable communicating with you and requesting what they want or need. Someone who is honest with you is going to be an unquantifiable benefit to your company. They should have tremendous communication skills that work well for your office, whether it be with you, other employees, or clients.
3. They do not crumble whenever they fall short and they are honest when they do not succeed. These are key characteristics of someone who is ready for a promotion. There will be times when your employees are unsuccessful, but it is not the failure that shows who they are, it is how they handle that failure that defines them. Someone who handles defeat with maturity is ready for the next step in their career.
4. They go the extra mile. There is a huge difference between getting the job done in a mediocre fashion and going above and beyond to get the job done. You want to promote someone who is making it clear that they care about your business. This means that they will do everything in their power to get the job done the right way.
If your employees are showing these characteristics, do not let them go unnoticed. They need to know that you value what they are bringing to the table. Consider giving them a promotion for their efforts, and keep encouraging them to seek new opportunities for growth and success. Need help getting started? Let us know! You can fill out a contact form so we can contact you!
Communication barriers are present every day, whether we acknowledge them or not. Communication has two steps. The first step is the sender transmitting information to the receiver. The second step is the receiver processing that information. A lot of noise happens between these two steps that can distort the true meaning of the conversation.
When communicating with your employees, it is extremely important that you break down these barriers in communication. You need to communicate with your employees in a way that will lead to a more efficient and well run practice with everyone working on the same goal of making your law practice the best. Need ideas? Here are our three best practice ideas for effective communication in your law practice:
These tips will bring the communication with your employees to the next level of professionalism and excellence. This will have a direct effect on the atmosphere in your office. Words are powerful, make sure you use yours to encourage and stimulate your employees to do their absolute best! Have questions? Contact us to ask them!
Most of us know that succession planning isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. If we know this, however, why is it so hard to complete?
I said complete not begin on purpose.
The reason why is most of us have an idea of what the end of our legal careers will look like – fewer hours, reduced workloads, a trusted attorney to turn your business over to, a compensation contract that recognizes your contribution and sacrifice to the law firm. Ultimately, we want to set up a structure for the legal brand we have created that will continue.
What we don’t have a realistic idea of, however, is what the actual succession plan we create will look like in our law practice. We don’t know the final form the contract will take. We don’t anticipate the hours of uncertainty we will spend deciding if it is the right contract for us to sign. We aren’t ready for the commitment to negotiation, debate and mediation to reach an agreement that works for all parties involved. We aren’t prepared for employee attrition and we haven’t positioned ourselves to keep those employees that are key to our firm running efficiently.
We especially aren’t ready for the fear; the fear of uncertainty, the fear of the future, the fear of being taken advantage of, the fear of losing the very thing we care so much about. While the fear initially may drive you, at the end of the day, unaddressed, it can prevent you from making the right decision for you and your firm.
This week, I was speaking at the National Association of Legal Administrators Conference in Denver on the role of your team members in succession planning. A working succession plan that meets the needs of all involved in the practice can successfully be created. If you’d like our practice42 sample agreement that I shared, just let me know and I will send it over to you. Now, will one succession plan work for everyone? Absolutely not, but it can provide a framework to work from to create our own.
Before you get started, though, I want you to honestly answer the following 5 questions on the why behind the reason you are thinking of succession planning. It could be as simple as you want to have a plan in place should something happen to you tonight. Answering these questions honestly will define your succession planning goals and allow you to create strategies to implement to get you there:
1. Is this succession planning or disability planning?
2. How committed are you to the process? What are the deal breakers? What is the real reason you are considering it?
3. What are you transitioning? Clients? Goodwill? Team? Brand? Marketing? Intellectual property?
4. What is your timetable from start through implementation?
5. Who do you need to help you in this process? Key employee? Accountant?
There is no wrong time to start succession planning. If you need help getting started just let us know!
Ever wonder how you’re supposed to stay on top of messages you receive on Facebook? Never fear! We have a social media solution for you.
Most of us think being constantly reminded we have a new email is distracting. Today, email is only one small part of your digital connectivity problems. If you have your business set up on Facebook, you can be interrupted at all times just like email which can add to your workday distraction. Complicate that problem by the fact Facebook actually provides a rating to your audience of how quickly you responded and, well, you really don’t want your response time to be less than optimal when you’re trying to get new clients.
I know you’re thinking – well that’s just great, there’s another thing I have to manage in my super busy day. Thanks practice42. I’m glad to add this to my plate, too.
Hold on, that’s actually not what we’re saying. Instead, we want to share a trick with you this Monday. It’s how to use the Response Assistant in the Facebook Message Settings in your favor in 6 simple steps.
Step 1
Log into your Facebook Business Account.
Step 2
Go to your Message Settings. Click Settings > Click Messaging on the Left Sidebar.
Step 3
On the right side of the page look at Response Assistant. Click the No button to turn it to Yes for each of the following 3 scenarios:
Facebook Response Assistant is going to give you an automatic message. You can, of course, use this one or use the following ones we recommend to our clients.
Step 4
Start by clicking Change.
To personalize the Stay responsive when you can’t get to your computer or phone message, this is what we share with our clients:
Hi Audrey, thanks for your message and for visiting our Facebook page. Please direct all inquiries or messages to my office at 850-933-5072 or email me at audrey@practice42.com. We do not accept clients over social media at this time.
Click Save.
Step 5
Start by clicking Change.
To personalize the Instant replies to anyone who messages your Page, this is what we share with our clients:
Thanks, Audrey, for messaging us and for visiting our Facebook page. Please direct all messages to my office at 850-933-5072 or email me at audrey@practice42.com. We do not accept clients over social media at this time.
Click Save.
Step 6
Start by clicking Change.
To personalize the Messenger Greeting (which is much shorter) this is what we share with our clients:
Hi Audrey! Thanks for reaching out. Please direct all messages to my office at 850-933-5072 or email me at audrey@practice42.com.
Click Save.
Put these solutions in place and you’ll be able to keep up with communication while also directing it to the right channels in your law practice. Let us know if you need help.
We’d love to tell you that 2017 is off to a slow and steady start but with all things in legal marketing in the digital arena that’s simply not the case.
Most of the changes and trends we are going to talk about with you started to take effect toward the end of 2016. We’ve been beta testing these strategies and trends with a number of our clients and are here to tell you that we have seen upswings in traffic, activity and rankings as a result.
We have drilled down on these concepts to reach our top five digital legal marketing trends of the year (so far!) to share with you. Let’s begin!
1. Google Reviews.
Reviews matter! The most recent research from the Pew Institute shared that 88% of all consumers trust an online review as much as a personal recommendation. 88% is a staggering number when we think about reviews and our law practice (and perhaps the idea that you don’t have as many as you could). While we could write an article on why reviews matter, we want to talk about the flip side. How much do you review businesses you support and use? Recently, have you been asked or prompted on your smartphone or tablet to write a review of your favorite store? It’s time to participate on Google and the review process. Our clients who are actively participating in the world of reviews are seeing an impact across all of their digital marketing efforts and it is filtering into raising their profiles. Is there a direct correlation? It may be too soon to tell but it is what we are observing and what we have observed over the last 90 days.
2. Google Maps.
Keep getting prompted to share a picture of a place where you are? Snap a picture? What about commenting on whether or not a business’s picture, hours of operation, or location is accurate? Welcome to the world of Google Maps! Just like reviewing your local community, we encourage you to get involved as a Google Map contributor. That’s step one. Step two is to ask just how visible is your business with Google Maps? Google Maps is working to become the number one way to find businesses. How do you get involved? All you have to do is sign up to contribute. Start by claiming your profile for your business. Next we want you to complete your profile (this means answering every question asked), for the biggest impact on your business.
3. Long Tail Meta Descriptions.
The truth is Meta Descriptions and Long Tail searches didn’t just come about at the end of last year. We just started to get the data and reports coming in on our end from our clients and now we can talk frankly about them with you. For the past few years, Google has searched by long tail search terms instead of just key words. We think Key Word Strategies are extremely important but they’re not the only thing to focus on. We would encourage you to rethink your Meta Descriptions on your website. Are they answering questions? Are they informative? Do they accurately portray the information you want them to? Have you updated them recently? What about quarterly? If you haven’t rethought your content, now’s the time. If you really want to know how your website looks on the internet, let us know and we will run you a complimentary report for you.
4. The lawyer vertical.
Sure, you understand there may be value to interacting with FindLaw, Lawyers.com and Avvo, but what about the small lawyer search engines no one has heard of. Chances are that not only have you not heard of them but, even if you had, you wouldn’t want to spend time updating or claiming your profile. Avoid them at your peril! These small search engines that comprise the lawyer verticals are searched first by search engines looking to find answers for your potential clients. If you really want to know what the lawyer vertical thinks of you, let us know and we will run you a complimentary report for you.
5. Website security.
It’s official. Or at least it’s being reported now. Google is dropping websites (note – kicking you out of your hard won Page 1 Rankings) that do not have security parameters in place. If you do not have your website SSL certificate in place, you simply can’t wait any longer. One of the biggest challenges we see is that while you do purchase it, your website host or provider never activates it on your website. Keep in mind, it’s not enough to have the certificate, it has to actually be put into action and working on your website.
Overwhelmed? Overjoyed? Just need some custom answers? That’s what we are here for. Don’t forget, at the end of the day, you hold the keys to your own success.
If you need a little help starting your journey to greatness, let us know, we’d love to talk about it. Contact us on our website, and we will set up a complimentary 30 minute brainstorming session.
Ever feel like you just can’t focus at work? That you’re just too distracted to get anything done? We know the feeling.
It seems like we always have something other than what we are doing on our minds. This is a problem, considering most of the work we do as attorneys (and the teams who support them) involves complex and critical thinking. Can you do your best when you’re distracted? Probably not. Can you work as quickly and efficiently when you’re otherwise occupied? Absolutely not.
What can we do though? Even on our most focused day, distractions are limitless. You know the real reason why you’re working on nights and the weekends – because you can actually get things done! When was the last time you worked a 20 hour weekend and thought to yourself, I got more work done this weekend than the last two months combined! I should work every weekend. Last weekend, right?
You really shouldn’t work straight through your nights or weekends though. You need those weekends (and nights filled with real sleep) to replenish yourself. In order to cure and avoid distractions during the workday, however, we have to better understand why we are distracted in the first place.
1. Technology is a blessing and a curse. Most of us cannot go more than 1 hour without our smartphones, laptops, or tablets (or all three) and this poses a very real problem for us. We must be able to step away from our technological devices and be okay with it. We must be able to focus on the present moment without technology. As scary as it sounds, you’re going to need to learn to leave your tech in another room, turn on your do-not-disturb features and give yourself time to get things done.
2. Always seeking perfection. Perfection will kill you and your practice. Being the best we can possibly be is an excellent goal to have every single day, but we cannot let our mistakes become a distraction that interferes with this positive goal. Do not let perfection distract you from efficient process and getting work done.
3. Comparing ourselves to others. Comparison is the thief of all joy, and puts our minds on something that we are not. It is natural to compare ourselves to other people and their work, but by doing this we put our center of focus on someone other than ourselves. This is a distraction that will lead to failure instead of progress. Avoid a comparison mindset and, instead, when you find a colleague you respect, create a relationship where you can mentor and learn from each other.
Every single day our worlds become more and more distracting, taking us further away from the things that we truly want to improve: ourselves and our work. In order to change this, try to step away from technology, seek excellence while learning from your mistakes, and compare yourself to no one other than you to achieve your best possible work.
Don’t forget, at the end of the day, you hold the keys to your own success. If you need a little help starting your journey to greatness, let us know, we’d love to talk about it. Contact us, and we will set up a complimentary 30 minute brainstorming session.
We love all things that encompass productivity, efficiency, profitability and are built to help you find time in your schedule to get things done! With the end of 2016 quickly approaching, we compiled our top twelve productivity tips and tools for the year in one place just for you.
Happy reading!
Productivity Tip 1 – Computer inspiration!
You’re computer dashboard and browsing experience will never be the same again. Be greeted by name and set your goals for the day so you get more done. This is to say nothing of the beautiful imagery on Momentum. Take a look at www.momentumdash.com.
Productivity Tip 2 – Your third grade teacher at your fingertips!
Remember when people cared about grammar? Get the help you need every day direct from your computer. Check out Grammarly at www.grammarly.com.
Productivity Tip 3 – Shower paper!
That’s right, never forget to record the milk on your grocery list while washing your hair again! You can write notes to yourself in the shower now. Check out Aquanotes, the waterproof paper, at www.myaquanotes.com.
Productivity Tip 4 – Is this thing connected?
Know when your internet connection is going haywire and when it isn’t. Check out SpeedTest at www.speedtest.net.
Productivity Tip 5 – Easily share your screen!
Want to take just a quick minute to share your screen without creating a webinar or chat or anything else that’s complicated? Check out ScreenLeap at www.screenleap.com and start sharing easily.
Productivity Tip 6 – Tired of cyber stalking?
You don’t have to be constantly tagged and followed and tracked when you use your browser. Check out Disconnect at www.disconnect.me for a more private, faster user experience.
Productivity Tip 7 – Never lose an address!
When you incorporate the power of LinkedIn’s database with Evernote’s contacts, the two will automatically sync up whenever your contacts update their information. Be in the know with minimal effort and check out www.evernote.com.
Productivity Tip 8 – Set appointments from your email with the click of a button!
Ready to stop asking when someone wants to set an appointment and just give them choices to pick from? Want to stop having to open your calendar separately to do it? Check out MinMax for email and get started at www.minmax.com. FYI, this is just one of the great features.
Productivity Tip 9 – Handwritten cards are still a must!
But they don’t really have to be handwritten by hand! Check out Bond (www.bond.co) and Felt (www.feltapp.com), our two favorites for handwritten notes. The former is a bit more corporate and the latter actually has a template of what you can send to your mom.
Productivity Tip 10 – Hate interruptions?
Yeah, we do too. At least the ones that come from your computer and tech can be managed. Check out StayFocusd at www.stayfocusd.com and take back hours of your day.
Productivity Tip 11 – Work when it suits you…
Curious about what on earth that means? Research shows you might just work better when you’re in the right mood. Check out Moodnotes at www.moodnotesapp.com to learn more about how to capture your feelings along with your productivity so you can achieve better results.
Productivity Tip 12 – Find (and bill) your time!
How often do we forget to record the time we put into our work? The reasons why are endless but, often, it’s simply because we don’t have a great way to do it. Check out the amazingly easy Toggl at www.toggl.com.
Remember, at the end of the day, you hold the keys to your own success. If you need a little help starting your journey to greatness, let us know – we’d love to talk about it. Contact us, and we will set up a complimentary 30 minute brainstorming session.
When it comes to your engagement agreement in your law practice you’ve probably thought of just about everything. From billing practices and administrative expenses to office practices and describing your services, you have it all. When it comes to hacking, cybercrimes and security breaches, however, have you addressed them in full detail too?
At any time any of our firms could be attacked. Each of us could suffer significant losses to data, client files, and confidential information despite our best efforts and preparedness. Now is the time to think about how you manage client information, the security practices you follow daily, and what your message on your security practices is to your clients and professional relationships. There is no sign of cyber crimes decreasing in the near future and to best protect your firm, you need to consider adding a clause in your fee or engagement agreement related to security.
What should be included in your engagement agreement? Check out our five best practice ideas below.
1. Clarify, in writing, nothing is 100% secure.
It’s true. Even though you want to be able to promise absolute privacy and security, none of us can. Let your clients know you will do the best you can to maintain security, including, but not limited to, adhering to industry-standards for your business, installing security updates and utilizing the software you need to protect your practice.
2. Share your office policy and procedures.
Let your clients know each of your employees is trained on how to recognize cyber threats and that all of you are working as a team to best protect their information. Mention your email, attachment, and digital transactional policies, although you do not need to go into great detail. (Quick practice management pointer here: make sure you do have a training program for your employees on cyber security).
3. Accepting the assumption of risk.
There is a risk involved in any digital transactions and in working with any business today. Your client assumes this risk by working with you. Now is the time to get him or her to affirmatively decide to move forward.
4. Identify what your client can do to limit the risk.
During a hack, information may go out to a third party from you without your knowledge. Communication is key here. Let your clients know your standard communication policies and ask for their help. If they see something from you that raises suspicion, ask them to notify you immediately over the phone or in person.
5. Hold Harmless Clauses.
If it is allowed in your state under the bar rules, this is the time to consider including a hold harmless provision relating to threats, breaches, loss of privacy, and loss of financial information. This can include instances where personal and financial client information is stolen. Be sure to read your malpractice or cyber terrorism insurance policies as well because, by policy standards, these clauses may be required for them to be in force.
Curious about what this clause looks like? Need an example? Just contact us to let us know and we’ll be happy to share sample language with you.
When it comes to cyber security, there is a tremendous emphasis on protecting your clients’ confidential and financial information. You need to invest in security measures that keep your clients safe when you, or anyone in your law firm, operates at all on the internet. This includes, but isn’t limited to, cloud software, cloud storage, hosting, your website, social media, email, your server, your network, and the list goes on and on.
What this emphasis doesn’t address, however, is the question of who is protecting you and your firm?
In truth, addressing these cyber security concerns will be a step in the right direction to protect you and your firm but it is not enough. There are additional steps you can take to protect your firm from threat, harm, and loss that not only includes data but financial theft as well. Consider these five best practice ideas when it comes to protecting you and your firm from cyber security threats:
1. Improve your engagement agreement.
Identify the contractual terms of your relationship with your clients including the parameters of your responsibility for security breaches, hacks, and loss of confidential information. If your state bar rules allow it, consider a hold harmless and indemnification provision against loss to the client.
2. Read your state bar rules.
Has your state implemented any rules related to cyber security, data control, and practices you must have in your office? Has your state business office? Do you know? Knowing now how to protect your firm and what is required of you before there is a problem is extremely important.
3. Determine what your malpractice insurance covers.
When it comes to these issues, how does your malpractice insurance company protect you? Does it protect you? Does it require you to take certain steps in your engagement agreement or have certain policies in your practice before it will protect you? If you don’t know, read your policy. If your policy is unclear, schedule a meeting with your provider right now.
4. Additional insurance policies.
There are business liability, cyber security, and cyber terrorism policies out there to protect your business. Depending on the limits of your malpractice policy, now may be the time to invest in one. Determine where gaps in your coverage are and then determine what you need to best protect your law firm.
5. Terms and conditions that govern you.
Most of us don’t read the terms and conditions governing our relationships. If we did, we probably wouldn’t agree to do or use anything anymore. When it comes to third party relationships, however, you need to know what your responsibilities are and how to be prepared for them. Be sure to read them, know where you assume liability in your practice, and what to do in the event of hack or security breach.
It may sound like a strange question but most law firms we talk to present themselves as being “paperless.” Note the quotations. The alleged stance of your paperlessness is on purpose because what we find upon further inspection – 4 times out of 5 – is you really are not truly paperless.
The concept of the “paperless office” as we find most of our clients describe it is deceptive. What do we mean by this statement? Let us explain. In most instances, the firms we talk to have a policy of electronically storing historic documents, client files and records. If we are describing you, well done, you have a good record keeping policy. For the purposes of this conversation, however, a strong document scanning policy does not mean you’re truly paperless.
We know. We hate to give good people bad news but we need to break it to you that scanning documents does not mean you are paperless. It means in the event of a natural disaster you will probably be able to still provide a legible copy of your clients’ documents to them. Does it mean you’re paperless? No.
Offended? Curious? Want to prove you really are paperless?
Let’s take our practice42 quiz.
Step One: Close your eyes (We realize this is hard sense you’re reading an email. Instead, get yourself in a space where you can focus).
Step Two: Put your smart phone in your left hand.
Step Three: Imagine you have just received a call your office has burned to the ground. No one is injured, insurance will recoup your property loss and more but for the next 90 days you will have access to nothing from your firm other than what you can access from your smart phone.
Step Four: Stop and think before your answer – can you run your law practice? What about from your tablet? From your laptop?
Step Five: If you answered yes (!) that business will continue as usual then you are paperless. If you cringed in fear or saw the gaps in the delivery of your law firm process, we have some work to do. Make a list of those gaps for us to discuss.
Being paperless is a constant commitment and for most businesses, a significant transition. Are we paperless? At work, yes. Our journey was started by our founder, Audrey Ehrhardt, JD, CBC, who wanted to be able to work from anywhere with just what she carried in a large purse. Did it take time to build our business ecosystem this way? Absolutely. Was it hard to get there? You bet. Was it worth it? Completely.
If you’d like to make going paperless a goal for 2017 and try it out in your practice, we invite you to join us for our Practical Technology webinar discussion on Tuesday, December 6th, at 4 pm (ET). This webinar is being offered to you – at no charge – as part of our Premier Practice Institute’s Practical Tech program. During this meeting, Audrey will personally share with you our blueprint for going paperless and share with you the tools you can use to make it happen in your firm.
