Time Management
If there’s one skill that a lawyer needs when she hangs her first shingle, it’s time management. Increasingly, the skill is being taught in professional development seminars and law school itself. Regulators have pushed for the change as they’ve realized that many trust account violations and other competency failures have resulted, not from ill will, but merely from a lack of time on the part of the practitioner.
So how do you ensure that you’re managing your time effectively? Read on below to find out.
Organization
It’s impossible to know how to manage your time if you’re constantly running from one place to another with your hair on fire. The key to preventing and avoiding this is organization. You’ll need to keep yourself organized, both physically and mentally. By that we mean that your physical space should be kept neat and tidy. Filing cabinets should be orderly. Basically, you should be able to find everything you need at a moment’s notice.
Mentally, you need a system that allows you to organize your life and schedule in a way that you’re not constantly being surprised by deadlines and tasks that you didn’t see coming. Case management software, electronic diaries, and support staff can go a long way towards making this a reality.
Automation
If a task can be automated, do so. For example, if you need to print an envelope label every time you print a contract, create a macro to do this for you. If you need to open four files for every client, get case management software that can do this for you automatically. All tasks that don’t require a person to think should be automated as much as possible. Thirty seconds of time saved might not seem like a lot, until it happens a thousand times and you’ve saved a full workday.
The modern attorney is in luck as there are thousands of software solutions designed to automate the more mundane, day-to-day tasks of running a firm. You can even contact a developer for a custom solution for your firm if you like.
Delegation
The most difficult and important of all your time management tasks will be delegation. It’s difficult because no one likes to hand over responsibility for important things to other people. But this is a necessary skill to master in order to make your life and firm manageable. Knowing what can safely be delegated, and what can’t, is a necessary part of successfully running your practice.
Bookkeeping is one of those tasks that can be delegated, but only responsibly. You don’t want to delegate to just any bookkeeper. Ideally, your bookkeeper will have skill and experience handling law firms and their associated trust accounts. They’ll understand the demands of the practice of law and work with you to meet those requirements.
Contact Us!
Are you looking to make your life more manageable and delegate the arduous task of bookkeeping to a responsible and experienced professional? Send us an email using the contact form below. We’d love to learn how we can best help you free up your time for more interesting things!