Practice Management

I have been speaking on the phone lately to a few attorneys who simply do not like the place they are in, they want to change by going out on their own or moving their practices home, but they just have this inability to launch.

I understand this because even in my own life I have often been pushed to the wall emotionally or financially before forcing myself to make the BIG decision.  And, I know how frightening it can be to make a decision given all of the uncertainty there is in any endeavor.  It takes a leap of faith that everything will work out reasonably well and you will survive.  Except for talking and sharing and thinking through the process with you, I know not what to do to comfort you better.

Although I am guilty of jumping only when the flames have reach the window and I feel like I have no choice, I have learned that this is not necessarily the best of moves.  It leaves you unplanned and often times lacking in sufficient motivation.  It works against you.  There is just something in most of us that prevents us from launching when we absolutely do not have to do so -- even though we might.  It does not help that there are so many naysayers out there that discount our plans and think of us as uninformed and silly in our conclusions.

But, where there is not much of anything I can do to make you feel better about your goals, dreams and objectives, other than share my experiences, there is one major flaw I see in most strategies that might make what the naysayers say become reality.

Forget office design, your wish list of equipment and software and your plans to float in cyberspace.  If you have broadband, a computer and a Skype you make this work as long as first you have a plan to obtain a few quality paying clients.  That is the first and overarching requirement of moving home or starting your own practice.  You might not know for certain if your plan will work (and from time to time the plan might need to be modified), but you had better deal with this issue before all others.  I do not care if you have to sit on a wood box next to a crate in order to work, if you cannot solicit a handful of the right clients each month in short order, you are going to fail miserably.

And, in planning this you have to take into account that you might be sitting on a wood box next to a crate, which means if you are downshifting to a home office that you cannot continue to run the type of practice where you cater to everyone in your practice area.  If you are starting out it means that you do not have the time or resources to solicit every type of client and problem out there.  You need to focus and narrow your reach as much as you are able.  What is your selling point?  What are the people, groups, organizations and functions that will allow you to reach those people?  I know it is tempting to spread your net wide, and it is a little scary to limit your possibilities, but you need to be able to cost effectively recruit and handle a select few number of clients or cases, and you need to be able to market to them with the limited time that your have.

Let me the be the first to tell you, in case you do not already know. Life is a damn crap shoot.  The practice of law is not much different. You are going to take chances when you decide to launch, but you can improve your chances if you will narrow your focus and then go looking for that ideal client.  You will also stand a better chance of finding a sufficient number of that right client.  This planning is crucial.  And, you want to roll the dice at a time when you have a chance to play a little longer, and not so late in the game that you are forced to roll a 7 or else.

Every time my good fortunes have waned I can tell you it is because I have taken my eye off the game and have failed to adhere to my narrow focus as intently as I should.  I have allowed myself to be distracted.  Also, because I have been distracted, I have not kept up my marketing efforts.