Who is responsible for your firm’s success?
Having a dedicated internal resource – with knowledge of legal services as well as internal systems and objectives – is a good route to effective optimisation, says Amy Bruce, marketing manager, Osprey Approach.
Never before has the optimisation of the delivery of legal services been more important. Clients expect a new level of service, employees demand greater flexibility, and technology is inevitable in the future of legal operations.
The long-term success of a firm no longer focuses solely on what can be delivered, but crucially how you deliver it. To remain competitive, law firms must focus on connecting the people, processes, and technology throughout the practice and ensure that someone takes ownership for operational success.
The importance of the legal operations role
A recent whitepaper found that over three quarters (77%) of firms running small departments (teams of 1-10 people) don’t have a dedicated legal operations professional – someone who focuses on optimising the delivery of legal services to add value, maximise productivity, and streamline processes through technology.
With the absence of this role in many SME law firms, it’s likely they are struggling to compete with their larger counterparts who typically have a dedicated legal ops role. Perhaps the biggest barrier is the need to commit resource and budget, which is difficult for many smaller firms. However, all firms can implement small, effective changes and all members of the team can take responsibility for ongoing success.
The operational challenges faced by SME law firms
Alex Hiscutt, non-practising solicitor and case management developer with Osprey Approach, says that one of the key challenges she sees to assigning a dedicated legal operations or legal tech role in SME firms is that they’re resource light. And if the role of heading up legal operations falls to someone who also juggles other responsibilities, such as fee earning, the latter is going to take precedence because billable hours become the priority. This means that opportunities to improve the running of the firm, and remove any barriers to greater productivity and profitability, are missed.
Hiscutt points out that some firms fall into the trap of believing they have outsourced this role to an IT consultant – “but that only covers the firm’s servers, network, and equipment – not legal operations and case management. It doesn’t get under the skin of what the firm is all about and what it’s trying to achieve.”
In many SME firms the responsibility of at least some aspects of legal operations tends to fall into the lap of practice managers, but Hiscutt sounds a note of caution: “Unless the practice manager has expertise in operational, financial and technology management, along with a strong understanding of how the legal sector works, then it’s likely the role will become a watered-down version of what’s required.
“Taking charge of legal operations covers so many elements within the firm; you need to understand the firm’s culture, strategy, and what you need the technology to do.”
How SME law firms can streamline operations
Hiscutt notes that SME firms experience success when each department has a ‘super user’ who “gets to know the legal software well and can implement new processes, workflows, and oversee compliance. Super-users build a closer relationship with the software supplier and are an important point of contact for continuity.
“It’s essential that there’s buy-in right across the firm to ensure that accounts, support staff, and managers are all behind shared goals.” Hiscutt notes that whilst it can be difficult for fee earners and others to juggle their workloads alongside the responsibility for adopting legal tech, this can be overcome by creating a good working relationship with your supplier from day one and “where everyone across the firm can easily access training and support.”
Hiscutt says that where firms don’t feel they have the right person for such a dedicated role, and hiring someone isn’t possible, a third option is to build legal operations into the job description of practice managers, c-suite executives, and heads of department roles, while ensuring other team members are assigned as super-users.
It’s important that everyone across the firm takes some level of responsibility of legal operations, says Hiscutt. “Without legal operations being high on the agenda, it won’t ever form part of a firm’s culture or become a priority for continuous improvement. Firms that are truly inclusive and recognise that each job role has an important part to play in overall success will see the best results.”
Take control of your legal operations
Identifying the right person – whether that’s the operations manager, managing partner or practice manager or a team of super users – is an important first step in taking charge of your legal operations and key to your long-term success. Building effective digital habits across your firm will help to reduce errors, overheads, and the cost of being compliant. You’ll also increase employee happiness, sales opportunities, enhance client service, and importantly, achieve your goals quicker.
For more information on bridging the gap between legal processes, people, and technology register for Osprey’s Build Better Habits four-part webinar series. With a panel of expert guests, each episode focuses on the core challenges faced by SME law firms including client expectations, innovation, empowering employees, and utilising technology.
