DON’T Take Your Time: Five Rules for Militant Law Firm Time Management

When you graduated from law school, someone probably told you that you would have to “get used to” spending your nights at the office. You’ve just broken your back getting your degree, and now you’re expected to give your entire life to your practice. You may have even accepted this idea, thinking it was all part of a lawyer’s life.

Unfortunately, many attorneys buy into this myth. They routinely miss their kids’ birthdays, leave family parties early—and when they do sleep, they keep their cell phones next to the bed. Is this really necessary? Or is it possible to have a thriving law practice and a full and active home life?

Attorney Ben Glass knows that it’s possible—he’s been living this way for years through what he calls “militant time management.” The next time you’re stuck late at the office, consider Ben’s five rules to keep your time—and your life—to yourself:

1.      Relate everything you do to your goals.

2.      Calculate the true value of your time and delegate everything else that’s not at your “pay level.”

3.      Do not make or take phone calls that are not scheduled in advance.

4.      Throw out your typical “to-do” list. You are going about things the wrong way.

5.      Educate your employees and clients about why your time is so valuable—and why it is in everyone’s best interest to protect your time.

You cannot wear all of the hats in your business. You are an attorney first, a business owner second—and anything else should be handled by staff. After all, if you don’t appreciate the value of your time, nobody else is going to, either.

Ben is a nationally recognized expert in attorney marketing and the owner of Great Legal Marketing.

Most attorneys start their firms assuming that being a really, really good attorney should, in and of itself, be a marketing advantage. Those attorneys believe that joining a whole bunch of committees and putting their name in lawyer directories is “marketing,” and they never bother to ask if there is a better way.

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If you want a peek at what successful attorneys use to market their practice, the HERO Starter Kit is your logical next step.

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by Ben Glass

Ben is a nationally recognized expert in attorney marketing and the owner of Great Legal Marketing.

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  • Ben is a nationally recognized expert in attorney marketing and the owner of Great Legal Marketing.