Today’s tip is super-quick: if you don’t have a process for something you do more than once, you’re wasting time and leaving money on the table.

Want to watch this tip instead? 

Ask any lawyer how she does something, and her answer will likely start with, “it depends…” We resist the idea of systems and processes in our practices because we think, somehow, that it will box us in.

But having a process for your work doesn’t mean you can’t be creative. In fact, knowing you’ve got a framework means you don't have to think about the basic steps. You’ve got them covered. As my friend Rohit Parekh said recently, having a process gives you the freedom to be creative. 

The reality is, if your firm is strong without processes, it will be even stronger with them. So put some structure to your everyday work. Start with the routine things you do regularly. Having a process will make you more efficient—it can help reduce costs and improve the service you deliver to your clients.

As I said at the beginning (and to be fair, I stole this from a process-driven lawyer I know),

“If you don’t have a process for anything you do more than once, you’re wasting time and leaving money on the table.”

That’s it for today.  Next week, on December 4, we’re running our Matter Management Masterclass and I'd like to invite you to join us. We’ll teach you everything you need to know to go from under water to under control with a visual approach to matter management.

If you’re like a lot of lawyers, you’ve got a to-do list scribbled on a legal pad on your desk, or you track your matters by scrolling through your inbox. We’ve been there. We know how stressful and time-consuming it can be.

Join us on December 4 for our Matter Management Masterclass. You’ll learn a visual alternative that will let you manage your files better, faster, with less stress.

And in case you’re wondering if these boards really work, here’s an email I got yesterday from David, who runs an active capital markets and M&A practice in Raleigh, NC. We met in mid-September at a presentation I gave to the Legal Project Management task force at the ABA’s annual business law section meeting. David said,

“after our meeting in DC, I now have a personal Kanban board in my office, and our M&A group has a full color coded board for the whole group.  While not as detailed as some of the ones you previewed, it has made staffing decisions must easier.”

This made my day.

To all of our American followers, have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving holiday.

Thanks a lot everybody! See you next week.