I PRACTICE MRNACEMENT

Culture is a keY differentiator

for most firms, and it is

especially imPortant for a familY

law practice wanting to attract

new clients.

or today's law firm, culture matters

and should not be seen as a "buzz

word" used onlY bY the Gen X and Y

crowd. ln 2012, Inc. magazine reported

that 18% of college graduates consid'

ered the culture of an organization to

be the number-one factor in making an

employment decision. Unfortunately,

many lawyers and law firms don'tbelieve that these statistics apply to

them, but in today's competitive family'

law practice, establishing and retaining

the right culture for your firrn can be

a key differentiator when it comes to

attracting clients.What do Your clients think about

your firm's culture when they visit for

their initial divoree consultation? Are

they compelled to tell their friends

about the exPerience? Can theY tell

from just one visit which values are

important to your firm? lf you are not

sure, then it could be time to assess or

establish the type of culture that will

encourage your clients to make referrals

and share their positive experiences"

Culture is atmospheric. Culture is

Table of Conterrts I Professional Listings

msr[KEsililT Cm mLLvoUR FlRt'S ruLTUREBy Tea Hoff mann. Strategy Consultant

r r1a feeling. We all know a good culture

when we experience it. When I enter

my doctor's office, for examBle, the

receptionist smiles and says hello to me

by name. When I sit down, theY have

magazines that are current and relevant

to their patients (most of who are over

50), and when I am called back to see

the doctor, the nurse (who also calls me

by name) asks about mY children and

my work before she asks me to raise

my sleeve to take my blood pressure.

I know that customer service is impor-

tant to this office.

Culture is a shared set of values

that is communicated and demon-

strated throughout the organization'

The leader sets the standard of what is

important and what actions will and will

not be tolerated. A leader makes few

excaptions, if any, and exemplifies the

purpose of the firm.Culture flows downward. lf an orga-

nization's leader does not adhere to

the core values and stated Burpose of

the firm, then the other lawYers and

staff won't buy into it and the culture

will become a joke. I have heard horror

stories from staff who bought into thefirm culture outlined in their initial

intervieq only to find a fuw months in

that the talk was just, well, talk.

5o, which mistakes can kill Your

firm's culture?

1. Lack of Stated PurPose or Values

At my current firm, client value

is one of our four stated standards.

Actions that reinforce this value include:

completing in-person client interviews

and actively responding to the feedback;

completing after-action interviews and

online surveys to determine in real-time

what worked well and what we could be

doing better, as well as staff training on

client service; and constant reminders

of why our clients are important.Our client commitment is PromF

nently displayed in our lobby; it is also

on our coffee cuPs and is the basis of

a new website our firm is launching'

These simple steps effectively keep our

client commitrnent toP-of-mi nd.

Family law practitioners may choose

www.fumilylawyermagazine'com/article-category/practice-management | 38

to provide customer service training tolawyers and staff; prominently display

the firm's client commitment in the

lobby and in allclient materials; provide

clients with a resource, outside of theirprimary attorney, to call and ask ques-

tions; establish a standard response

time policy; or complete a simple after-

the-case interview to determine what

went well, and what could have been

done better or differentlY.

2. Lack ol LeadershiPteadershiP at all levels must sub-

scribe to and embody the firm's stated

values. Otherwise, Your attempted

culture revival is destined for failure.

Obtaining staff buy-in at a small family-

law firm is much easier than doing so at

a larger firm, but it still requires effort

from those in leadership positions'

Every leader has certain core values, but

establishing or re-establishing a unique

firm culture should involve a group

discussion on current perceived core

values as well as the aspired values' The

gap hetween where you are in relation

to your purpose versus where you want

to be must also be discussed involving

small, targeted actions that move your

firm closer to exhibiting your unique

culture.

3. lnellicienciesSome studies estimate that ineffi-

ciencies cost organizations 2G'30?6 of

their revenue. Despite this, many firms

are running so fast that theY never

slow down enough to be efficient, or

they don't want to spend the money tocreate efficiencies. But you can't affiord

to ignore this topig as inefficiency is an

underlying sounce of frustration - and

frustration is toxic to your firmt culture.

lf your computer is outdated and

takes minutes to load, if your copiers

are constantly jammed and your files

are disorganized, and if Your work-

space does not allow You to do Yourjob well, there is a problem that must

be addressed. The cost of such ineffi-

ciencies, in addition to the frustration

they cause, include lower-quality work,

wasted time, damaged morale, and

a higher staff turnover rate.

Table of Contents I Professional Listings

So, to the leaders reading this, I would

ask: what are Your firm's core values

and purpose? Do You most stronglY

value client attraction, client retention,

productivity, profttability, community

service, or something else? How are

you comrnunicating those values toyour team? How are You embodYing

and demonstrating these values? Can

your team describe the firm's purpose,

and are you open to suggestions from

all team members on how that purpose

can be accomplished? Are you willing

to spend the time, money, and energY

necessary to turn your firm into a place

that clients will want to go and will refur

to others? A firm where lawyers enjoy

working, and where staff members

choose to stey because they fuel like

part of a team?Whether You're activelY working to

shape it or not, your firm has a culture"

Itt up to you to choose how to define

your firmt culture and avoid making

the toxic mistakes that can kill culture

completely. fl

Teo Hoffmonn is the Chief

Strotegy Offrcer for Parker

Poe Adoms & Bernstein in

Charlotte, NC. She received

her JD from Cumberlond

School of Low. ln her cur'

rent role, she Providesguidonce in the formation, development,

ond implementotion af revenue generat-

ing strategies and policies. Ms.Hoffmann

is o frequent public speoker ocross

the lJnited Stotes on o wide voriety

of business development-related topics.

wwwparkerPoe.com

Belated Article

Simple Directions tor Bettsr TimeManagement and Client RaPPort

By Canie Hagan

The key t0 eftectiw client meetings

is gentle control, clanty 0f process,

and general transparenoy about what

comes nexlwww.fam alYlawyermagazine.com/articles/simPle-directions

OurFamilyWizard.comfo fqf,f,t ,.b(Lrorl'LE

www.familylawyermagazine.com/article-category/practice-management | 39