The leading provider of practice management solutions to maximize opportunity and joy for Estate Planning attorneys
The leading provider of practice management solutions to maximize opportunity and joy for Estate Planning attorneys
“How do I get my practice to the next level?” This is the first question the vast majority of our prospects ask. Unfortunately, it is the wrong question. Becoming an efficient, proficient, and consistently profitable firm isn’t about how, it’s about who. The question you must ask is, “Who do I need to take my firm to the next level?”
Located in Glastonbury, Connecticut, and serving most of the state, Baker Estate Planning Law, LLC has been a LWP member since 2016. In one year, from the point of becoming fully engaged with the LWP process, the firm doubled its income. Founder and Owner George Baker talks with LWP about his path to success.
During the “Why Day” session at the Taper New Orleans retreat held this past March, Lawyers with Purpose Founder Dave Zumpano presented his take on law firm roles and the power of having the right person in the right seat. Zumpano offered that “Who?” (not “How?”) is the greater question to answer when planning to grow a law firm.
What is the greatest success you’ve had since joining LWP?
In a speech (before a large group of clients of a financial planning firm) using the “Estate Planning Essentials” workshop (along with examples of actual cases), we were fortunate enough to collect approximately $200,000 in revenues and we are continuing to add to the total due to maintenance plans, referrals from the financial planners of that firm, probate, etc. Of course, it is not just about the revenue. It is about helping so many people to make their own choice as to what they want to do to protect their family. We tell them we are Baskin Robbins - we tell them the flavors and toppings, and they simply tell us what they like.
What is your favorite LWP tool?
Although I do not know if a workshop is considered a tool, there is no question this has been fruitful for us. We have workshops every 3 weeks, and I can’t remember the last time we didn’t have a waiting list to attend (although we restrict the workshop to only around 30 people to keep it more intimate).
How has being part of LWP impacted your team and your practice?
We continue to work on our systems and processes. Everyone should know their role and how important they are to team success. The combination of teamwork and focus results in continued success and reaching new goals and heights.
Share something about yourself that most people don’t know about you.
When I was young (over 35 years ago – which merely shows that I am old), a friend of mine and I developed a formula for game in which your success was based on statistics of touchdowns, length of touchdowns, touches, etc. of pro football players. We were written about in professional football publications although there were already other “fantasy football” games in existence. We were young and had limited funds and did not pursue this although we thought others might enjoy it as much as we did. I still play this every year (looking forward to the draft) with some of the same friends.
What is your favorite book and how did it impact your life?
Although I don’t know if it would be considered my favorite book, Michael Gerber’s E-Myth is certainly a “must read” for all members of LWP. It certainly can change your life. I am presently reading “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni with the hopes that existing team dysfunctions can be overcome.
What is the greatest success you’ve had since joining LWP?
We have nearly doubled our revenue for the first half of 2017 over 2016 while reducing our expenses by more than $25,000.
What is your favorite LWP tool?
The document generator inside Actionstep.
How has being part of LWP impacted your team and your practice?
We are much more focused. Actively participating in the Tri-Annual Practice Enhancement Retreats by establishing goals and holding ourselves accountable has had the biggest impact on our team and the services we provide to our clients.
Share something about yourself that most people don’t know about you.
We have a great marriage. Working together in the business has provided us with great blessings.
What is your favorite book and how did it impact your life?
Mega Living by Robin Sharma. This is first motivational book we applied to our daily lives which produced positive results.
What is the greatest success you’ve had since joining LWP?
Meeting my office income goal in April, 2017, and being well on track to meet it in May! I’m learning to be confident in my abilities which is always a personal success. Also, helping families find a bit of peace, when there is ofttimes little peace for them to find.
What is your favorite LWP tool?
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Personal Care Plan. I think it should be packaged with every plan and included. We are having a discussion about whether we should charge extra for it in the base plan, or just raise the base plan a bit.
How has being part of LWP impacted your team and your practice?
LWP is so much more than just a forms practice. I LOVE having the support of the whole LWP team behind me. Without having coaching, mentoring, and questions answered (even the dumb ones), I would have given up quite some time ago!
Share something about yourself that most people don’t know about you.
Oh, gosh, I’m pretty much an open book. Okay, a few cool things:
What is your favorite book and how did it impact your life?
Oh, there are so many…The obvious choice is “To Kill a Mockingbird,” which I first read when I was in law school. I was raised in a family where money and status were the measure of success. TKAM clarified all those obscure feelings that being a lawyer was as much of a calling as a profession; how justice didn’t always prevail; all the other clichés that every other lawyer has heard and felt a million times when talking about this book. Less trite, The Last Temptation of Christ, by Nikos Kazantzakis and Silence by Shusako Endo. Both of them have affected my spirituality deeply.
What is the greatest success you’ve had since joining LWP?Since joining LWP, I have transitioned and dedicated my practice exclusively to elder law and estate planning, founded my own firm, and have grown the firm to a team of five people including an associate attorney.
My favorite tool is the LWP-CCS. The many trusts that I have reviewed fall far short of the sophistication of those that we have created using the LWP software. The design choices, state specificity, and different types of trusts and other documents facilitates our ability to offer full service to our clients. We have used the TAP trust, First-Party SNT, Third-Party SNT, CGT, RLT and iPug trusts (including the KIT) to serve the varying needs of our clients.
When I founded my firm with one assistant, LWP served as a back office for us, provided us a business model, and encouraged us to adopt a “firm mentality” that enabled and inspired the growth of our firm.
Many people do not know that I am also a Registered Pharmacist.
Choosing just one favorite book is a difficult question. “Mere Christianity” by C. S. Lewis is certainly very high on the list. This was the first of Lewis’ books that I read and, after reading it, I read many of his other titles. His books have inspired me to a deeper faith. A print of C. S. Lewis, received as a Christmas gift from my wife and children, hangs in my law office.
The greatest success I’ve experienced since joining LWP has been the confidence I’ve gained as a part of the entire implementation process. I joined LWP a little over 6 months ago, and in the time, feel as if I have grown “years” in my practice. My knowledge base has increased significantly and as a result I am confidently offering more sophisticated planning options to my clients. The support and knowledge shared on the listserv is just fantastic. In learning and adopting LWP’s referral management system I have experienced more success than I’ve ever had before marketing my practice and am building more meaningful, productive relationships with my referral sources. Last, I’ve gained confidence simply in my ability to efficiently run my practice. Looking back to 6 months ago, I honestly feel better about myself now as both a lawyer, mother, spouse, provider, you name it.
What is your favorite LWP Tool?Hands down, my favorite tool is the monthly Revenue Focuser. It is a beautifully designed spreadsheet that enables you to clearly see the trends in your practice over time. It is helping to hold me accountable and better identify the areas of my practice which are still lagging behind, but yet also helps me stay positive in seeing the overall positive trends as well. Yet another aspect I like is how I was trained to pull it together along with my staff, so that it’s not just me sitting here at my desk worrying over these numbers on my own. Instead, my staff buy into it too and are part of the analysis each month. It helps us brainstorm together on ways to improve the practice, better serve the clients and get the word out that we’re here and we’re doing good work.
The implementation coaching has been essential for both myself and my client services coordinator. She came on board just as I was starting to implement LWP’s system, so we’ve really learned it together. It made her onboarding that much easier because I wasn’t reinventing the wheel and starting her position from scratch, instead, it was as if LWP was my partner in training her in her new role. I knew I could save some money by purchasing a lower level membership, but for me at this point in time, the extra money spent on the Gold Membership was essential to taking my practice to the next level as quickly as possible.
Over the years as I became immersed in raising my family and building my practice, most of my hobbies have fallen away with the exception of one – cooking. I pride myself on putting a cooked from scratch dinner on the table for my family most nights of the week and there is nothing I love more than pouring over recipes, challenging myself to try new techniques and feeding people. I honestly think I feel even more pride when people love my food than I feel when I’ve done something great for one of my clients. Maybe I’m in the wrong profession!
I have many favorite books, but one that has impacted my life the most is Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Wikipedia describes it as a fable about a seagull learning about life and flight, and is a homily about self-perfection. I was taken by the message of someone who feels like an outsider, someone who really never feels like they’re quite like most of the people, and feels drawn to do something different, something more. The main character conquers his fear, continuing to expand himself trying to find a more meaningful existence and is ultimately rewarded with the knowledge that the secret to finding true satisfaction is to keep pushing to stretch one’s abilities. When the main character struggles with doubt about whether he can ever achieve what, he wants, his mentor tells him that the secret is to “begin by knowing that you have already arrived.” I read the book first when I was in high school and I honestly feel like it lodged in my brain and has subtly influenced the way I’ve approached my life ever since reading it. In other words, sometimes you just have to fake it till you make it!
Lawyers With Purpose's Platform Trainer, Briana Moriarty, gives a brief update on Actionstep and the LWP Workflows that are offered within the system.
What Is The Greatest Success You've Had Since Joining LWP?
Launching and doing workshops. We are certainly a work in progress as far as marketing them and getting butts-in-seats. However, I am very proud of my team that we dove right in and started doing them, and keep doing them regardless of how many attendees we have. While our attendee numbers have started small, on a conversion basis, they have been profitable for us. Plus, getting out of our comfort zone and doing more public speaking is always great experience.
What Is Your Favorite LWP Tool?
The support and coaching. We have a tremendous implementation coach in Rosalyn Drotar. Her guidance, belief in our mission, and straight up energy has been uplifting and a game changer for us as far as our direction moving forward in implementing LWP processes and establishing the necessary goals to achieve our firm vision. I look forward to my monthly mentoring calls with Candace Pollock who has great ideas; and I always enjoy our conversations. The legal/technical support from the amazingly Kimberly Brannon has been vital; I wouldn't have been able to get through my first AP2 plan without her. And lastly, the support of the whole LWP community on the list serv. It is comforting to know there is a larger community of other attorneys where no question is a bad one and everyone is so eager to help each other.
How Has Being Part of LWP Impacted Your Team & Your Practice?
The biggest impact has been in time management, both individually and as a firm. We bought in to the concept of creating our time templates and that has made us more efficient with our workflow as well as reduce some stress. The time templates also forced us to dedicate time for working on the business, as opposed to being reactionary on a daily basis. Having dedicated time for team meetings and marketing meetings has allowed us to respect each other’s work time better. Also, taking some advice from Candace Pollock, we have scheduled important firm and life events (team meetings, workshops, time off) six months in advance. Learning how to use time as an investment towards growing our practice has been revolutionary.
Share Something About Yourself That Most People Don't Know About You?
When I was a kid I wanted to grow up to be a cartoonist like Charles Schultz or Jim Davis. I still enjoy cartooning as a hobby and one of my favorite activities is to sit down with my three kids and draw with them.
What Is Your Favorite Book And How Did It Impact Your Life?
"Miracle Mornings" by Hal Elrod. It has been instrumental in helping me create better habits of approaching each day with a positive spirit and energy. Much like working on your business as opposed to just in it, it is important to work on yourself and take care of yourself. This book has helped give me the tools and focus to do that. As a result, I have generally felt happier and less stressed even during the most difficult times.
