Practice Management

Many lawyers like to IM on a personal basis or with some friends and colleagues, but they fight it when it comes to using it professionally in their law practices, and especially with clients.  Everyone fears even great disruption.

Maybe they should not.

An article by Michael Hinman, republished in the Austin Business Journal, reported on one professor at Ohio State University that studied the IMing issue and concluded that people that use IMing are actually interrupted less often.  You can read the actual article by CLICKING HERE.

The finding essentially was one of speed, in that workers questioned stated they would have frequent but shorter conversations, which allowed them to better manage their time.  IM could be shut off to avoid interruptions when necessary, but otherwise people could get quick answers to questions instead of depending on longer interactions.

And, this would appear true when you stop and think about it.  Whether it is a co-worker or a client or a referral source, the interruptions do not end.  They do, however, take some other form time.  They take on a more time consuming form.  Even if it is an email, you still have to open it, you still have to read it (it is probably more formal and requires more explanation), and you have to respond in like fashion.  It is better than a phone call (or God help us, a fax), but it still take more time for is often a quick matter.