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Last week I wrote about the importance of systems for a law practice to run smoothly, and to free the law firm owner, both financially and time-wise.

I thought I’d made a clear argument in favor of systemizing a law practice and although I didn’t have any lawyers disagree with me, there was a little push-back on Social Media.

So this week I thought I’d follow up and go into more detail about why systems are so important, beyond the three key points I focused on in the last article.

I have so many counter-arguments to make, at some point, I’ll just have to cut off this article. But I want to make this specific point before I get into the details:

It’s my law practice and I’ll run it how I see fit. And from over 30 years of experience, my choice is to implement systems, training and accountability, because I’ve seen what happens without it. And not just in my law firm. In hundreds of law firms. No Exceptions.

Anyone who hasn’t run a law practice and tells me that I’m misguided by implementing systems in the business – well, I’m sorry but they are speaking without experience. They aren’t familiar with what I know front-to-back. To put it very politely, they know not of what they speak. But everybody is entitled to their opinion, no matter how unqualified it might be.

With last week’s article, perhaps I didn’t paint a clear picture of just how much a law firm suffers until systems are put in place. It’s not just the owner that suffers; the employees and the clients suffer too.

But it really does start at the top, with the owner of the law firm.

It’s My Name On The Building

It’s my name on the building. But it’s also my name on every letterhead. It’s my name on every court filing. It’s my name on every letter or communication that goes to a client, to opposing counsel, to the insurance companies, to the loss assessors – and to the State Bar.

Whatever happens in my law practice, good or bad, I am the person responsible for it.

A paralegal can make a mistake on a client’s case file, but it will be me who has to answer for it to the State Bar.

So this isn’t just “some ego thing” about it being my name above the door. It’s my reputation. It’s my good name that’s at risk if something happens that shouldn’t.

So, should I jeopardize my business, my reputation and my livelihood – just because an employee wants to do something their way instead of my way?

Or, put another way, do you want me to not run my business? Should I just let my employees run the store, without my input?