Andrew Otterburn – How can we make our Practice more efficient?

Consultant Andrew Otterburn stressed the importance of establishing a culture of leadership in any legal practice to drive business. While many practices employ people in managerial roles (people who perform administrative duties and look after existing business), empowering individuals with the leadership authority to expand and shape the company is also essential. Not every senior partner is cut out for that role and practices need to put together the right team to do the job.

You also need a tangible strategy with quarterly plans containing four attainable goals. Those goals will depend on the strengths, weaknesses and overall direction of the practice so examine your market carefully.
Communicating this vision to the fee-earning staff is absolutely essential. Once firms have created that culture of executive leadership they need to make sure every team member is on side, working in their own specialist area to realise the vision. Where a gap in your firm’s skills profile exists you need to find the right person to fill it.