Practice Management

I received an email from a reader a few weeks ago that suggested to succeed at the solo or Third Wave practice of law, in any of its forms, relies first and foremost on the ability to multitask.  I have thought about it now for a while, and although I do not necessarily disagree that multitasking may or may not be a component of work in the solo or Third Wave practice of law, the ability to survive and thrive depends on the ability to MULTI-ASK.  Just lose the "T" in the middle of the word, and you will have it right.

Lawyers in the Third Wave practice of law are able to operate their practices in many different ways and on many different levels, depending on what is comfortable for each of them.  There are some that say that multitasking really does not exist and that what some people are really good at is changing from one matter to another without much downtime.  There are some that say that multitasking leads to overload disorder.

All of that might be or might not be true for any one individual, but the lone cause for which solo or Third Wave practices fail -- or at least do not flourish -- is the absolute inability for lawyers to MULTI-ASK.

This is the ability to constantly, consistently and routinely meet and greet people and groups that can refer you good quality clients in your chosen field of practice, and to continually ask them for the referrals.

It is really more than meeting someone once and asking for work.  It is the ability, with the help of low costs technology and systems, to repeatedly ask your prospects for business.  It only starts with an introduction or a chance meeting.  It ends with a moderate number of phone calls, visits, emails, faxes and mail.

It starts with your existing client base in some instances, and the ability to ask them, multiple times, in multiple settings, to refer you work.

In short, you have to MULTI-ASK.

If you are the type that just cannot multi-ask, or just cannot make yourself keep up with it, or you cannot seem to make it systematic, then whether or not your can multitask, or whether or not there is even such a thing, you are never going to reach your full potential in the private practice of law.