When you’re too buried with work that you can’t see a way out, you need to think outside the box. The group I formed on LinkedIn, Small Practice U, will help you with that. There is a better way.
The biggest problem that many small law practices often face is how they view their practice. Most see it as a place to go to work, instead of a business that provides legal work. That then causes them to stay in the technical side of their practice instead of the strategic side of their practice. Until they start seeing the practice as a business instead of a place to go to work, they'll continue their struggles.
For the past 28 years, as the owner of J. Bergman Consulting, I have worked with small business owners of all types and sizes. That includes law practices. In general, I have found one common thread. Most of the owners spend most or all their time working IN the business instead of ON their business. It’s not until they reach the point of overwhelm that they realize that something must change.
In a small law practice this is the result of how the attorney sees his or her practice. When you’re just focused on the technical side of the practice you don’t see all the parts that make your practice run. If you’ve been successful to this point, you may have employees to manage, reviewing work that your employees do, new client acquisition, billing and collecting fees, etc. Suddenly you realize that managing your small law practice isn’t as easy as you thought. When you started you just wanted to practice law.
The group that I just started, Small Practice U, is designed to give attorneys a chance to share their trials and tribulations with each other. As the moderator, I will offer comments and advice as I feel it necessary. The intent of the group is to give small law practices a voice to be heard. If you’re a member of LinkedIn, I invite you to join and share. If you aren’t a member of LinkedIn, I advise you to join. It’s free and has a wealth of information for the small business owner.
