Law Practice Today

Times being what they are, now more than ever it is important to have not only a mastery of law, but a fundamental ability to sustain your practice at every level. It is doable.

How often did you find yourself running from client to client, project to project, case to case wishing that you had the time to learn software (or, just make it work!) You once thought yourself a talented writer and yet never found the time to write anything but another email in a string of emails? And what of the moments when you wish you had a better handle on marketing your services or understanding yourself as a brand? Or, what if you are looking for work in a saturated market - how frustrating is that? And yet, maybe with all that on your plate you feel like you’re just running, and soon to be running on empty.

Ok, so now you may find yourself with the time, too much time, and even stressed because there’s not enough work. You may also be stressed because what seemed to make sense just a short year ago, now feels as if it is going in another direction. Where do you begin? Where should you put your attention?

The goal is get you focused and motivated, which means that you have to turn inward first for an assessment, a self-assessment. Long after I had been introduced to time management I read Steven Covey’s, The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People. He began to take time management to the next level with one key element. What I took away was the concept of writing a personal mission statement, or as I’ve come to rephrase it, “Why am I on this planet?” Without a mission statement all the to-do lists in the world merely contained ‘stuff’ – stuff I dreaded doing. I got it done, but it never felt right. I never felt able to focus on what was important.

Here’s what I know: when you have a better understanding of why you are here, what your purpose is, you can develop realistic and valuable long-range goals (10 to 20+ years.) Long-range goals can then be divided into short-term goals (1-5 years,) and supported by tasks (daily, monthly, yearly)

Most of us often began by listing tasks on a legal pad and checking them off throughout the day. If you’re organized you might even prioritize the tasks. At the end of the day if you were focused (and/or lucky,) everything was completed and checked off. If not, you transferred the unchecked items to a new sheet, tossing the old sheet away, only to begin again wondering where it all went. But this is doing the process backwards. Don’t get the wrong impression. I’m a huge proponent of time management, but by writing out your personal mission statement, including answering the question ‘why am I a lawyer?’ all the stuff you do supports the person you want to become.

Recently, I re-examined my mission statement and found that, although some things remain true, my life now has a different meaning. I ended up laying out the different aspects of my personal and professional life. Roughly six or seven areas of interest became quite clear – writing, business development which includes obtaining new clients, additional website development, conducting professional workshops for law students, staying on top of new software, and personal development (yes, learn Spanish). I have now organized the long-term goals, prioritized my short-term goals for each, and posted them on my office wall in front of me. It’s my road map. What I really started to see is that while I have a lot of work to do, everything is intertwined: My personal development supports my professional development and vice versa. Volunteering supports my desire for the greater good but also has the possibility of bringing in business. Writing and publishing helps me clarify my thoughts while assisting others, and additionally puts my name in places I wouldn’t have had access to otherwise. Each facet supports the others. At the end of the day I feel accomplished. And I realize more and more that each is part of a bigger picture. Because my long-term goals bring value to my life I touch upon them individually as short term goals at least once a week.

Yes, this is a lot of work. Looking at your life in this manner takes time and effort, which may feel like work, but what better time to do it than now? And if you’re going to put a plan like this back together again, be sure to do it right this time. I can’t begin to describe how many frustrated lawyers, and especially young lawyers, I’ve met who are in the same situation. The lawyers I know who plan well do it with incredibly full lives, and not just full with work. They understand that law has given them an opportunity to support the endeavors of others either in business or through pro bono work. They volunteer, they sit on boards, they get involved with their community, they go to their kids’ soccer games. They also understand that their financial freedom has given them additional responsibility. They support local and state political candidates who make a difference. Where do you fit in? Where will you fit in? Where do you want to fit in?

Your personal mission statement will give you the clarity you need to move forward in this furiously paced community. As you develop clarity about who you are and why you are here the work will flow. The work will flow because you have conviction. Conviction is portrayed with confidence, confidence in the firm, confidence in a potential client, confidence in yourself. Now is not the time to live small. Live with less maybe, but don’t live small. Now is the time to examine life and live it with an understanding about how you want to live your life and how you want to fill your day. You choose. Do it with an examined life and it will fall into place. Happy, fulfilled, loved – fill in the rest. Now, go! Write your mission statement. Let me know how it goes.