Practice Management

I have given a great deal of thought as to why attorneys often ache over the thought of going out on their own.  Sure money and building a practice has a lot to do with it.  But, the main reason, or related reason, is that they do not want to do grunt work.

They do not really wish to lord over other people.  They just want to hire a grunt to do the work they do not want to do, and being on your own means that they are both the chief cook and the bottle washer.

Lawyers see themselves as doing conceptual work and throwing around ideas.  They do not see themselves working efficiently at the grunt work.

I think there are some things to keep in mind.  Technology in recent years has made this grunt work so much more easy to accomplish and more pleasurable.  Email, faxes, online filing of documents, telephonic hearings, paperless offices, and online mail, just to name a few, will make you grunt less.

There has developed, thanks to the web, both virtual assistants that can help you with these chores for a fee, and tech makes it easier for you to communicate with any staff you do hire while you or they are way from the office.

Most importantly, it is important to understand that every job or practice area offers challenges, that will require you to take proactive measures in adapting your work style and your attitude.  You will need to adjust your mindset so that you do not think these grunt tasks are beneath you.

You know, the problem with grunt work, is that attorneys see it too often as boring work.  That is the mindset issue.  It might not be the most exciting work, but you have got to keep you mind on the goal or the end result.  For example, if you cannot finalize a settlement, or put money in your pocket, until your client signs the release, that task might be grunt work.  But, your task is not really to run down the signature.  Your task is to finalize the case and get the settlement check.

So, be happy in your work.