Another Meeting?

You’re kidding!

The question was raised again this week in CC&I calls about what a time template should look like as far as weekly meetings are concerned.

What we see working for members is a quick twice daily “catch-up” conversation that we commonly refer to as a “Got-A-Minute.”  This isn’t meant to be a sit-down meeting, but almost a quick team huddle, similar to what you’d see on a football field.  Encouraging each team member to keep a legal pad specifically for noting issues or questions to be raised in the “Got-A-Minutes” and creating an office environment where interruptions happen only in extreme emergency, will dramatically improve office productivity.  

Keep in mind that each and every interruption effectively costs the firm 22 minutes of time.

So!  If your office has twice daily 15-20 minute GAMs incorporated into its time template, and they are being religiously observed, how many meetings does a firm need and how can a firm “take care of business” in the most time-efficient way?

Ideally, you would have two additional internal meetings on the weekly time template – a one-hour weekly team meeting, and a one-hour weekly marketing/RMS meeting. 

Everyone attends the weekly team meeting.  And each and every team member reports at the meeting.  This means that roles and responsibilities need to be clearly defined, with clear expectations of which team member is tracking and will report on which aspect of the firm’s business.  For a detailed sample agenda of a weekly team meeting, and the reports that should be covered, please see the recently revised “Sample Weekly Team Meeting Agenda, Tips & Techniques” which can be located on the LWP website by logging into the members section and using the search word “team.” 

Once again, this may mean breaking some old habits, or creating some new ones.  Team members need to hold each other accountable for weekly reporting.  If someone is unavoidably absent, have the meeting anyway.  By observing the suggested “rules” and timeframe, the meeting should run no longer than an hour.

The weekly marketing/RMS meeting should be attended by the attorney(s) and any team member involved in marketing or administering the RMS process.  The “Weekly Marketing Meeting Agenda,” can be found on the LWP website by logging into the members section, and using the search word “marketing,” gives a general outline of what should be covered during this weekly meeting.

Any special project, team training or firm development project would also need to be scheduled, but these should not necessarily be considered “meetings.” Depending upon your firm time template, you may have already reserved time each week to focus on a firm-development related project.

If your reports are not informing your practice and your team is not actively involved in reaching a revenue goal each month, we can help you review how your weekly team meetings should be driving your practice.

If you have questions about your weekly meetings, or would like more information, please don’t hesitate to write me at ncatale@lawyerswithpurpose.com.

Announcing NEW Pricing, Services, & Membership Changes—Effective Monday, October 27^th

At LWP we are committed to innovation and continuous improvement. In an effort to augment our services and the value of our membership levels, LWP is excited to announce changes to our membership levels. All membership offerings were specifically designed to serve solo, small and medium sized firms based on their customized needs. Changes are applicable to all NEW memberships beginning Monday October 27^th. 

If you have been considering joining the Lawyers with Purpose community, please contact mhall@lawyerswithpurpose.com to schedule a 15 minute demo to see the upcoming Pricing, Services, & membership structures prior to October 27th! 

Existing LWP member? Great NEWS, you’re grandfathered in!