Dear Tutor:

I am enrolled in a paralegal class Law Office Management & Procedures.

The goal is to define and analyze the 11 Habits and explain how a paralegal can positively contribute to these habitsin a law firm in order to make the firm more successful.

How can I condense my analysis and include paralegal's role to the firm's business success?

The source is from a video called "Webinar with LEAP Legal Software - 11 Habits of Successful Law Firms Updated in the Digital Age " Presenters were Erika Reynolds and Kevin Briggs. Both are Business Development Managers for LEAP.

Also, I googled the article on 11 Habits... Digital Age. E-book Volume 2 by Richard Hugo-Hamman, Global Executive Chairman of LEAP Legal Software and Amanda Mead, principal of Law Firm Solutions.

The 11 Habits are:

Habit 1. Decide to be efficient- to be efficient, the law firm has to invest in technology to do billing and accurate recording of every attendance and document automation. The number one concern of most firms is efficiency in the production of documents. Efficient billing comes second. And when you are efficient, the company makes money.

Habit 2. Be an early adopter in the use of technology - successful firms use technology to focus on having a single database of information. Practice management, case management, time recording, billing and trust all in one application. Recording every activity as they go so that they can bill accurately.

Habit 3. Enjoy practicing law - you can't succeed if you don't enjoy what you are doing. Do the type of law that interests you. Lawyers enjoy helping clients or manage their firm instead of doing administrative work.

Habit 4: Employ smart people and treat them really well - successful firms treat their staff exceptionally well. Staff are paid well so they attract better people. Successful law firms are also committed to staff training. The more that you train staff, the more they can do for you.

Habit 5 Select the areas of law you like and focus on them - One of the great advantages the legal profession has is that it is possible to build a very recession-proof business. Select areas of law that sit together comfortably, eg, residential property, estate planning and probate and family law. Choose to practice in areas of law that will be counter-cyclical, or which are consistent irrespective of economic cycles.Example: If they practice real estate, focused on foreclosure work.Family law, focused on divorce.Think strategically and understand what's going around you and in your local market so you can easily pivot and adapt quickly.

Habit 6 Dedicate time to building the firm as a business and take the time to care for yourself as well - Leaders seem to get more done by delegating work effectively and setting time aside to work on their firms. The ideal split between billable work and time spent building the business: 80% - time spent on billable work; 20% - time spent building the business (non legal business activities to ensure growth of your business). Relying on "word of mouth" to build your business is not a strategy. Although it is essential to build a good reputation, to build a business you need to act and you need to have a plan. Successful firms have a clear vision for where they want to go and how they are going to get there.

Habit 7 - Confront the challenges of getting paid to solve problems - Get paid faster: 1. Ensure an appropriate retainer agreement is in place for every matter. 2. Set the right expectation for monthly billing & payments. 3. Get paid a retainer before commencing work. 4. Ensure all time is captured contemporaneously. 5. Bill regularly for small amounts. 6. Make it easy for clients to pay online.

Habit 8 - Have standard processes and procedures in place forall matters - Establish standard processes & procedures: 1. Have one central database and matter information for every client and matter. 2. Have one way of opening a new client file and make sure that every member of staff accesses every client file the same way with no exceptions. 3. Organized Document Storage - all standard documents should be electronically organized and easily available. 4. Online Client Collaboration - both lawyers and staff can share matter information including documents with clients online 5. Standardize Billing Procedures then adhere to them religiously 6. All use plain English in ever communication and ensure eall communications are understood. 7. All information about a matter can be accessed instantly, and if necessary, client conflict checked.

Habit 9-Make compliance a natural consequence of running a firm well - The leaders of successful small law firms implement systems with standard procedures, processes and checks and balances to ensure that compliance is a natural consequence of running a firm well. They have professional rules relating to: 1. How a file is run/managed; 2. How the lawyer conducts her/himself; 3. How Client/Trust money is handled and do not require complicated bookkeeping knowledge. Just honesty. It is not just creating procedures, it's about ensuring everybody in the firm complies with the rules and uses good judgment, applies common sense to the job at hand.

Habit 10 -Become an expert in the client experience - The foundation of good client experience is just two simple factors: 1. Clear Communication 2. Building a strong rapport from the first meeting. From the very start of an engagement, until the matter (no matter now big or small) is completed, you must keep the client fully informed about the progress of the matter they have brought you. Bill fairly and often to avoid 'bill shock'. By doing so, you will consistently demonstrate how your firm values them as a client.

Using social media in conjunction with a well-designed Web/Client Portal, you can provide all your clients with a single point of access. This means clients can interact with your firm anytime it is convenient for them to do so. These self-service portals allow your clients to complete intake forms, book appointments, pay bills, make deposits, view their matter financial and read and comment on documents, all at the clients' convenience 24x7.

Habit 11 -Understand the finances of your firm - To successfully grow a firm, understanding the sources of capital and the stock of available time and effectively managing them is critical. To truly be successful you need to understand the finances of your firm. Your most important source of working capital or cash flow is the revenue generated from legal work.

Measuring matter profitability isn't easy. The only way to do it is by keeping accurate time records for every case whether it is billable or not. Successful firms monitor performance daily through automatically generated performance reports. You can immediately identify financial issues regarding a lawyer performance or client delinquency as soon as a problem appears and take action early. They are on top of the financial performance of their firm each day not just once a month.

Summary: These 11 Habits are the hallmark of all highly successful law firms because these Habits mean: 1. They are efficient. 2. They are early adopters of technology. 3. They enjoy practicing law. 4. They employ smart people and treat them really well. 5. They have selected areas of law they like and focus on them. 6. They dedicate time to building the firm as a business and take the time to care for yourself as well. 7. They confront the challenges of getting paid and solve them. 8. They have standard processes and procedures in place for all matters. 9. They make compliance a a natural consequence of running a firm well. 10. They become experts in customer experience. 11. They understand their finances.

The firm has to stay on top of their expenses. Transformation takes time and action.Just have to take the first step to see real change.

Although, I have defined and analyzed the 11 Habits, I have not explained paralegals role in the firm's success.