Some months are good, some are great, and some are, well, a bit sh*t. So we don’t invest in growing our team. Instead, we cover the good months by eating into the hours we would normally carve out for friends, family or just ourselves. We sacrifice our own lifestyle for the growth of our law firm.
In this state, it’s difficult to see the wood for the trees, and even more difficult to consider rolling somebody new into the fold. Things just get done faster when you do them yourself, right?
When it comes to hiring staff, law firm owners tend to feel a little wary, and for good reason. Growing your team can be risky. If it doesn’t go well, it can mean added stress and responsibility for you.
But as your business scales, you need a strong network of people that can be relied on to help manage the extra work, so that growth doesn’t come at the expense of your lifestyle.
As part of my new Savvy Lawyers video series, I sat down with my long-time customer, Emma Heuston – The Remote Expert.
Emma runs a successful virtual law firm with an online legal solution at the heart of operations. She specialises in helping female entrepreneurs launch and grow their online business by providing accessible pathways to critical legal documentation, and her firm has grown by 170% in the past 12 months.
She’s achieved that while only taking on the work that brings her joy, and planning her week in a way that suits her life, with time carved out for getting creative and focusing on her brand and marketing.
Emma may have done really well, but she hasn’t done it alone.
Recognising that she needed to invest in help to grow her firm while also supporting her lifestyle, Emma added a lawyer to her team of three, including her husband and a bookkeeper – her first hire.
She’s grown her network of lawyers, outsourcing work to non-competing, boutique firms from as far away as New Zealand, to deliver an exceptional experience to her clients and maintain growth.
Taking on new employees takes a lot of courage, and too many law firm owners put off growing their team out of fear. Yes, it takes time and resources to invest in a new employee, but as Emma has discovered, hire the right person and you’ll get that investment back in bucket loads.
I spent a lot of time hiring employees, outsourcing work and managing referral partners in my time as a law firm and business owner. I know what works, and I’ve put together my top tips for hiring someone, with batteries included, so they can hit the ground running.
Hire for cultural fit.
Things are just easier when your employee truly ‘gets’ your purpose. Think about it, if you’re handing your client over to deal with someone else who’s representing your law firm, you want them to deliver a client experience worthy of your brand. Inherent values are hard to teach, and notoriously difficult to change. When it comes to bringing on board a new hire, taking the time to find someone who shares similar values to you and those of your firm will make delivering your ideal client experience infinitely easier.
Be flexible.
Remote, casual, flexible hours… being flexible with your working arrangements can open up so many more opportunities to hire. Gone are the days when employees expect to sit in an office from 9am-5pm Monday to Friday. Open your law firm up to progressive and inclusive working arrangements, and you’ll open yourself up to a significantly larger pool of talent.
For Emma, this means having a casual, remote-based lawyer on hand who works her own hours, and delivers exceptional results.
Invest in the best.
When it comes to talent, you get what you pay for. Many law firm owners try to keep costs low by hiring students and paralegals, which can work out just fine. But in Emma’s experience, their focus wasn’t necessarily on the team. It wasn’t until Emma hired a lawyer that she realised just how much weight she was carrying on her shoulders, and her investment paid off in bucket loads.
Outsource, with prudence. Recognising when to invest in upskilling yourself, and when something is best left to the expert is a talent in itself, and one of the greatest lessons I preach. You could be a brilliant legal document writer for example, but that doesn’t make you a good copywriter. More often than not, it’s more effective to outsource certain parts of your operations to those who can be effective.
When it comes to referring work to other lawyers in your network, keep it tight. Emma manages this well by selecting boutique law firms operating in a specific niche outside of her specialty area. The risk of referring work to a larger firm, is that your client may be swallowed up by the diversity of work they can get done all in the one place. Keep your referral network tight so your clients keep coming back to you.
Protect your lifestyle.
Far too many law firm owners end up a slave to their success. Adding to your team shouldn’t just be about increasing productivity and revenue, but about being ruthlessly protective of the lifestyle you crave. For Emma, that means 2-3 days of calls, and Friday afternoons spent getting creative on Canva and exploring her marketing strategy.
Setting expectations with your new employees early, providing effective briefs and ensuring they have the knowledge and skill they need to complete the tasks you need from them can pay off massively in the long run.
Growth may not be the steady journey it’s fantasised to be, but hiring a team to protect your lifestyle needn’t be the worrisome stressor it often becomes. If you’re ready to grow your law firm and live the life you crave, sign up to my Savvy Lawyers Facebook group. now for tips and ideas on growing and scaling a modern, successful, seven figure law firm.
