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Atticus Law Firm and Attorney Coaching Workshops

Author: Abbie Guerrero

Home / Articles posted by Abbie Guerrero
Posted on March 21, 2023
Public Resources

Memorization is a great skill for a lawyer, but when it comes to time tracking, memorization is a thing of the past. Time tracking is a key element in how you run your law firm. By billing accurately, you are paying yourself for great work, not overcharging your clients or undercharging your services. Accurate time tracking also improves billing productivity. If your billable hour law practice has plateaued, then changes are needed to increase your firm’s revenue. If you don't know where to start with the billable hour or if you are looking for new ideas to maximize the billable hour, then learn how to improve this type of billing structure. What is the billable hour? "*The idea of a lawyer recording time was first conceived by attorney Reginald Heber Smith in 1914. Smith ran a legal aid society and wanted to track hours to ensure legal services were being provided efficiently. Although lawyers first began recording time in 1914, the billable hour was not a common billing method until years later. For most of the twentieth century, lawyers “eyeballed” their bills, essentially determining fees based on the assigned value of services and not on the amount of time it took to produce the...

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Posted on March 13, 2023
Public Resources

Balancing a demanding career and investing in your kids can be extremely tough. Life can feel like a never-ending balancing act - meeting the needs of your clients, attending sports events for your children, celebrating birthdays, and filling up the calendar. It can feel like you are drowning every single day. Here are some things you can do to control the balance and create harmony in your life. Give Yourself Grace - As a working parent, you may want to master everything that you are doing. This may not be physically, mentally, or emotionally possible, especially all at once. And that's okay. The important thing to realize is that you are doing the best you can. Learn when to say "no" and set boundaries so you can prioritize the things that are important to you. Focus on Self-Care - Self-care isn't buying expensive items or going on a luxurious vacation. It can be reading a book quietly, doing yoga, meditating, working out, a walk, or finding balance (whatever that means to you) in your life. Block 10-15 minutes a day to take time for yourself, quietly, if possible. In order for you to emotionally provide for your family and those around you, it's important that...

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Posted on March 6, 2023
Public Resources

A strategy for staffing and hiring is critical to law firm growth. The process can be daunting. However, having a plan in place will positively affect your practice’s profitability and team morale. A hiring strategy will cultivate growth, maximize profitability, and keep your team happy. Selecting a great candidate is more than the experience and education you see on their resume. How do you know if the new candidate will work well with your existing team? Using tools like the DISC profile will help you align communication and workstyle preferences to the role, responsibilities, your expectations, and your team. Consider current hiring trends - what are your colleagues and competitors offering new employees? If you find a great candidate, you want your open position to be the role and law firm they’re seeking. Candidate Strengths and Work Style Preferences "Behavioral-style test instruments identify key aspects of a candidate's personality in order to determine their suitability for the job in question. As a predictor of performance, these tests are far more reliable than interviews alone." We recommend using the DISC Assessment in the hiring process to help align the role and responsibilities to the communication and work style preferences. You can read more about the DISC Assessment here: https://atticusadvantage.com/disc-assessment/ Hiring Trends A critical element...

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Posted on January 18, 2023
Public Resources

One of the biggest challenges in the legal industry is attracting and hiring great talent. With the industry being extremely competitive (*with more than one million active lawyers in the U.S.) and economic changes shifting the way we think about building a high performance team, it's important to adjust the way we view employees and staff. Sometimes higher salaries and bonuses are just not enough. "Time spent on hiring is a time well spent." Hiring and attracting talent is a necessary investment and can change the trajectory of long-term employees. So, how do you attract the right employees, keep the employees that you value, and still maintain a competitive edge? We have provided four tips that can assist with this process: creating a positive work culture, promoting work-life balance, using technology, and providing growth opportunities. Creating a Positive Work Culture Creating a positive work culture starts with who you hire. Focus on "A" players who enjoy what they do and cultivate a high standard within your law firm. Hire staff members that believe in the same values as you do. A positive work culture also includes offering a competitive salary and bonus structure, so you don't lose your hard-working employees to a competitor. Promoting Work-Life Balance With...

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Posted on December 13, 2022
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Setting goals are an effective and accurate way to measure the success of your law practice's performance. Goal setting allows you to identify what is working, what is not working, where you need to pivot, and what elements in your law firm need an overhaul. Goal setting should not be a one-time event - you can continue to edit and adjust your goals as needed and as your law career progresses. Career goals will vary as you hit different milestones so it's important that you customize and personalize your goals at every stage. It is key that your goals are clear, precise, and measurable. You can also use "I" statements to make it personal and to describe the way you feel, think, and need. Using "I" statements also provides clear communication. Research shows that 90% of the time, setting specific goals leads to more success and those with goals are ten times more successful than those without. Another practical way to set goals is using the S.M.A.R.T method - specific, measurable, achievable/attainable, relevant, and time-based. Here are some law firm goal examples using the S.M.A.R.T method. S: Specific Examples of specific goals comes from, "How Good Attorneys Become Great Rainmakers" - Number of new clients to be brought...

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Posted on October 27, 2022
Public Resources

If you answered "yes" - you are not alone. Time management is one of the four business skills that support growth and profitability in your law practice. To support the growth of your firm, this skill must grow and evolve with the size of your practice. Part of evolving, is working "in" your law practice and not "on" the law practice. Some of the more powerful time management skills include the power hour, planning your day, and handling interruptions. The power hour can have a huge impact on every aspect of your practice. It is a 60 minute block of time per day - without distractions - where you focus specifically on production. This allows you to get things done without interruptions. The best way to do this is to prepare your team with a script ahead of time so that both your clients and staff understand the process and when you are available. By preparing this ahead of time, you will be surprised at how many "urgent" items, aren't as urgent as they seem. Protect your power hour so there are no distractions, write it down so you make the time to do it, and don't respond to emails or phone calls...

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Posted on October 6, 2022
Public Resources

You may have heard about "visual storytelling" before - but how and what does it have to do with your law practice? Visual storytelling is a clear and visual description of stories, beliefs or ideas that are shown through emotions and insights. Storytelling your business is one of the most effective marketing tools. Through storytelling, you are connecting with past, present and future clients by visually telling them a story or experience to build trust and rapport. Trust can lead to consultations, free trials, referrals, and even becoming a client. The practice of law is the business of persuasion, and storytelling is the most effective means of persuading. A credible lawyer capable of telling a well-reasoned story that moves the listener will always beat the lawyer who cannot. Before you can tell your story, you will want to consider the following: - Who your target audience is and their challenges so you can relate to them in a way that is meaningful - Discover something that is unique to you and your firm - why would they want to choose you over another law firm? - Think about a meaningful experience that you can share and pass on to prospects, clients, or past clients - Collect testimonials...

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Posted on October 4, 2022
Public Resources

As an attorney and law firm owner, how are you preparing for the holidays? The past few years have shown us that unforeseen circumstances can have a huge impact on your law practice - including: Shipping Costs Inflation Increased Production Time Labor Shortages With that being said, it's important that you start working on your holiday marketing sooner - rather than later. So what are some things you can do now to help with your holiday marketing? Hire an assistant - an assistant can help with choosing and creating holiday cards, schedule a holiday party or event, help with additional holiday budgets and advertising, and they can also fill in so you can take some time off during the holiday season Set new goals - set boundaries, re-evaluate your current goals, pivot if you need to and make the remainder of 2022 as successful as possible Send out holiday cards - if you are going to send out holiday cards, we recommend that you start working on them now. Give yourself plenty of time to customize the card and order them in a timely manner Plan for a holiday party or event - if you are going to plan a holiday party...

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Posted on August 23, 2022
Public Resources

Would you believe us if we said that, as of this year, Instagram has 1 billion users? Instagram is a place where law practices can share about their business, provide personal stories, reviews and updates. It is also a place where past, present and future clients can learn more about your business through photos and videos. It is a powerful platform for lawyers looking to increase visibility and awareness and connect with prospective clients, peers, and other firms. LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook are often regarded as the best social media tools to attract clients, but law firms are now starting to see the value of Instagram. Hashtags are often used for specific search results and location can be turned on so potential clients can find your services easier. More than 200 million users visit at least one business account on the platform every day. Meanwhile, 81 percent of users have used Instagram to research products and services. So, how do you go about creating a business Instagram account for your law practice? Sign up for a free Instagram account HERE Fill out your email address, name, and create a username that is relevant to your practice and consistent with other social media platforms you may...

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Posted on August 3, 2022
Public Resources

Creating a LinkedIn business page for your law practice is an important element in establishing trust and credibility. It is a powerful platform to promote your services, find top-quality job candidates, connect with your audience and make it easy for your clients to find you. "As of today, more than 830 million people and more than 58 million companies are on LinkedIn." According to ABA Legal Profile, 77% of lawyers personally use or maintain a presence on social media for professional reasons. The most popular social media platforms include: LinkedIn (88%) Facebook (39%) Twitter (23%) Martindale (15%) Avvo (14%) Instagram (13%) If you still aren't sold on LinkedIn, this platform can also increase searchability. When someone searches for your business in Google, your LinkedIn account can pull up. Your account can link to your website, a blog post, and you can share articles with keywords to help build credibility and awareness. You can also use this platform to educate clients about your business. "LinkedIn helps you create an environment of thriving professional legal connections, with minimal financial investment." So how do you go about creating a LinkedIn Business page for your law practice? Log in to your personal LinkedIn account Click on the "Work" tab in the top right corner Click...

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