As you can see, the third row in the Accountability Chart contains four boxes: Marketing, Client Services, Legal Services, and Finance/Human Resources. These boxes can be further broken down. For example, Marketing is divided into RMS and Traditional Marketing. In the LWP System, RMS stands for Relationship Management System. RMS is our proprietary approach to tracking and managing relationships with referral sources, which we call allied professionals. Leads are generated by forging solid relationships with allied professionals. The skills required by the “Who” responsible for RMS may very well differ from those required in Traditional Marketing, which involves generating leads through radio, television, direct mail, and the like. Proficiency with both forms of marketing is essential to your firm’s growth and success.
Next we have Client Services. Here you’ll find another important distinction between LWP’s approach to Client Services and the approach taken by other companies. We break Client Services down into two categories, Client Enrollment and Client Satisfaction. Why? The skills and approach required to enroll a new client successfully are quite different from those required to maintain an existing client relationship successfully. Enrollment boils down to sales. Satisfaction involves making sure that client work is getting done accurately and in a timely manner, that client meetings take place on time, that clients are enrolled in the firm’s maintenance program, and more.
Similarly, you can distinguish Legal Services by enrollment and satisfaction. In enrollment, the “Who” must be able to identify and convey the value of the services provided by the firm so that a prospect will choose to hire the firm. This requires the ability to host compelling workshops and persuasive initial client meetings. Legal Services Satisfaction, on the other hand, demands proficiency at signing meetings, maintenance meetings, and client support. Again, the skill sets and approaches involved are quite different in each role.
The final box on row three is for Finance/Human Resources. Who is responsible for paying the bills, hiring and firing, managing employee benefits, and other financial and personnel matters? This, too, can be subdivided, with one “Who” fulfilling the duties of Finance Director and another “Who” serving as Human Resources Director.
The Law Firm Accountability Chart provides a proven framework for identifying the roles that must be filled to achieve the three levels of success. The name of the game is thoroughly understanding the skill sets required for each box and finding the “Whos” who possess the requisite skills to fulfill the responsibilities of each position.
If you are a small firm, some “Whos” will obviously have to fill more than one role. As you grow, however, you’ll be able to hire the ideal “Who” for each position or train an existing member of your team to fulfill that role.
Next time we’ll look at the three key roadblocks to taking your firm to the next level.
