Lawganised was created with the vision of instilling certainty in law firms.
But what is certainty in a law firm? What is certainty for a principal of a firm, charged with running the business and the leader that has taken all the risk?
What I am talking about here is going to sound a little philosophical. I’m by no means an expert or trained in philosophy, however all I can do is tell you something I learned whilst being a principal of a law firm myself.
Certainty is a basic human need and in law firms, certainty is delivered by having access to critical business data at the click of a button.
Certainty is knowing exactly where your firm is today, hopefully on the path towards its goals.
Certainty is forecasting your performance with confidence that that forecast is right.
Certainty is knowing the right time to make a big change.
Certainty is handing a file to your Associate and feeling confident it is in safe hands.
Certainty is knowing that if something goes wrong in your business, you won’t lose your house.
Certainty is looking at your firm’s bank balance and knowing you’ve got everything covered with some left aside for you.
Certainty is leaving the office for a few week’s break knowing your team has got your back.
How does that feel to you? What would it feel like to list these key business achievements down on paper and respond to each with ‘Yes, that’s our firm’? Would that make you feel….well….Certain?
The opposite of certainty is of course, uncertainty. Uncertainty creates stress, fear and the potential for poor judgement. Consequently, strategies can rely on hope rather than quality assumptions and data. Our decision making can therefore be skewed towards short term, often financially oriented, goals with little regard for the effects on our staff, clients and, don’t forget the biggest one….our families.
Certainty sounds better, right?
I get it. Certainty in law firms can be somewhat utopian in an everchanging business environment filled with systemic risks, shifting market forces and ferocious competition. Things can change on a dime. Therefore, I suggest you look back at the list above and consider how certainty in each of those categories can be achieved. Are they within your control? My response certainly would be ‘yes.’ Think about it:
- Do you have a good systems in place to feed you accurate reports and data?
- Do you make forecasts based on sound assumptions and past performance?
- Are your people trained and motivated to deliver for you and your clients?
- Do you have your risks mitigated should an unfortunate event happen in your business?
- Is your cash flow healthy so you can manage next fortnight’s payroll and all your creditors?
These are all within your control, it’s just up to you how much certainty you want.
All these areas of your firm, and the certainty they deliver, are why Lawganised was created. During my time as a principal, my partners and I had certainty and hence we enjoyed healthy profits, great cashflow and an enviable culture.
In conclusion, if you need more certainty in your firm, give me a call and we can chat about ways to make it happen.
