Practice Management Programs
A Law firm is “……typically a group of lawyers who happen to be running a business, not a group of businesspeople who happen to be running a law firm. In other words, the law comes first, and business comes second. Things like technology, marketing, sales, and finance are afterthoughts at many firms (they never teach you these topics in law school). But they are critical parts of running a business, which is all a law firm is at the end of the day.”
This quote from Aaron George at Lexicata is a prime example of where priorities lie for many law firm Principals. But with the right advice, you can be great at the law and also great at operating a successful business. The Learning @ Lawganised Practice Management programs aim to offer Principals, senior management team members, and aspiring Principals with information pertinent to some of the critical elements of operating a successful legal practice. From business planning to cash flow, our programs provide a great platform of knowledge built upon the experience consulting to over 100 legal practices across Australia and around the World.
At Lawganised, we also know that these programs are but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to operating a successful legal practice. If you or your firm are seeking tailored advice, or are looking for assistance to manage specific projects or initiatives, please contact us to discuss some of our other services and bespoke offerings to legal practices.
Business Planning for Law Firms 60 minutes | 1 CPD Point | For Leaders, Supervisors, Managers
Are you running your business or is your business running you?
Having a business plan and working towards achieving it empowers both you and your team and sets you up for success. This program will provide you with all you need to know about how to develop and implement your own customised business strategy, an understanding of the critical business drivers that enable a legal practice to flourish, how to understand your target client base to best market your firm and then how to monitor the execution of your business strategy and ensure performance metrics are measured.
The 10 tips legal practices must employ to thrive 60 minutes | 1 CPD Point | For Leaders, Supervisors, Managers
Developed from experience consulting to hundreds of legal practices, this program packages up what Lawganised has assessed as the 10 characteristics of high-performing firms. This course will provide you with a summary of the 10 tips but will also guide you in how to implement them. From business planning to cash flow, from recruitment to developing a high-performing workforce, this program is the ultimate blueprint for a successful legal practice.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: How to avoid dysfunction and build a high performing team 60 minutes | 1 CPD Point | For Leaders, Supervisors, Managers
One of the mantras at Lawganised is that "Firms that have a strong culture built on vulnerability-based leadership and trust just do it better."
This program offers participants an understanding of the reasons why teams struggle (The 5 Dysfunctions) as described by Patrick Lencioni in his exceptional leadership fable, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. With application specific to the legal profession, you will learn some practical ways to unite your team, learn how to build a team focused on common goals, regardless of function, and understand the leadership techniques needed to drive effective teams.
The Five Golden Rules to Improve Your Cash Flow 30 minutes | 0.5 CPD Points | For Leaders, Supervisors, Managers
Cash flow is the lifeblood of any business. This is specifically relevant to legal practices where firms can often get into trouble with client engagement processes not designed to support efficient cash flow.
This program will provide you with an understanding of cash flow metrics and what they mean to your firm, the Lawganised five Golden Rules to improve cash flow and how to implement them, and then how to ensure you maintain a cash flow focused client engagement lifecycle. You'll also be shown how subtle changes can make a significant impact on your firm, both positively and negatively.
Empowering Practice Managers 60 minutes | 1 CPD Point | For Practice Managers (or equivalent)
Practice Managers are an integral cog in the wheel of any legal practice responsible for literally every aspect of the firm, with the exception of the practice of law. However, often the responsibilities and expectations of Practice Managers do not align with the empowerment they are offered to effectively execute their role.
This program aims to offer Practice Managers strategies to facilitate how they can become leaders of their firm and considered a peer of the Partners. You will also get an understanding of lawyers and what makes them tick, how to develop clear goalposts for you and your Partners on who does what and ‘staying in your lane’, how to ensure you can communicate with lawyers in a way to make life easier, and finally, how you can get and keep a 'seat at the table.'
SUMMARY GUIDE | The Five Golden Rules to Improve Your Cash Flow Downloadable Guide
Cash flow for law firms, like any business, is the lifeblood of the firm. However, often law firms get into trouble with their cash flow as a result of ineffective internal systems and processes. In a 2019 survey conducted by FWO Chartered Accountants in Australia, 64% of participants rated cash flow as 'Highly Stressful' with a further 29% rating cash flow as 'Moderately Stressful'. This indicates that 93% of law firm Principals experience some degree of stress when managing their cash flow.
The Lawganised Five Golden Rules to Improve your Cash Flow guide is simply the must-have resource for your firm if you are seeking to dramatically improve your cash flow.
CALCULATOR | Your Cash Flow Lock Up Calculation tool Microsoft Excel spreadsheet
One of Lawganised's 10 Tips for Law Firms to thrive is: "Understand and Improve Your Cash Flow metrics." This easy-to-use Microsoft Excel calculator will give you a snapshot of your firm's Cash Flow Lock Up in minutes. After a few items of data are inserted, this tool will tell you your firm's Lock Up value, percentage and the all-important 'Lock Up Days'. We also offer some industry benchmarks and Lawganised's own recommendation on where your firm's Lock Up should be.
This tool will be one of your best investments this year and will start your firm's journey to improved cash flow.
