Year-end planning? Yes, you need to start making your business plans now. If you want your family law practice to thrive this year, you must start preparing your entire year. Any changes you want to make or new directions you want to try can be part of this plan. No successful law practice, or any business, can succeed by “making it up as they go.”
Of course, nothing should be set in stone. Leave plenty of room in your plans for changes in direction or emergencies. But take time to plan your upcoming year with framework in place. Think of it as the trellis that your law practice will grow up. You don’t know where each shoot will finally end up, but the vine must have a stable foundation.
Yearly planning for family law practices
Legal business advisers suggest not merely thinking about your practice and plans, but sitting down with your files and computer and writing out your goals. The time-honored SWOT analysis still works best for reviewing the past year and looking ahead to the next.
- Strengths. As you review the past year, what projects were most satisfying? Which of your cases turned out best? What clients left your office the happiest with their outcome? Just as importantly, what made you feel good about your work? What areas did you think were most outstanding?
- Weaknesses. These can be areas you want to improve or focus on during the year. What things were less satisfying? Were there things you could have done better? Were there clients you should not have taken? What could have made some cases work out better?
- Opportunities. What changes would you like to make to correct some of your weak areas? What new directions can you take your practice? Are there new economic trends you want to examine? Have you thought about new partnerships or networking with other agencies?
- Threats. What hazards are facing you this next year? Are there financial or technological issues you need to address? Do you need to upgrade your skills or recertify? Have any laws changed in your state or jurisdiction?
Take time to honestly review your past year or more and think about all your strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Look back on times this year when you may have felt burned out or wanted to repair your work-life balance. Remember when you had that troublesome client that made you want to give up practicing law forever and retire to a monastery in Nepal? What exactly was the problem there? What could you realistically do to fix that situation?
Setting achievable business goals
Whether you’re just starting a new practice or want to explore a new area, you should keep your plans reasonable and realistic. If you have a stable practice, you’re probably familiar with setting annual goals. You know how much you need to make each month for rent and expenses, and how much you spend on marketing and other costs. You know what is left over for expanding into a new area or trying to attract new customers.
Time
Remember that there are only 24 hours in a day, and some of those must be spent sleeping, eating, and traveling. Too many entrepreneurs—and even people who should know better—destroy themselves and their businesses by making meticulous plans for their business goals and neglecting to add time to drive to and from their offices each day. If you allocate eight hours per day for “work” then you must include two hours for “travel” and one hour for “meals” making your “work” day eleven hours in total, not eight.
Resources
You can only do what you have the money, staff, and energy to accomplish. If you expect to increase your client base by 35%, you must be able to increase your marketing budget and your intake time by 35%. If you don’t realistically have that much time to spend screening clients, you need to scale back your goals.
Specificity
Don’t just say “I want to do better this year.” Have specific, measurable goals and set deadlines. Then stick to them. If you want to increase your client base by 10%, say you want to have five new clients by March 31. On April 1, if you have only three new clients, review your plan and see what needs to be fixed. See why you are falling short, and what you should correct.
Marketing strategies for the upcoming year
Next year’s marketing plan should build on whatever worked last year, with an eye to the changes you want to make in the upcoming twelve months. If you want to branch out into a different area of law, you may consider trying a new type of marketing. For instance, if your practice has been divorce, you might have used social media with great success. Now you’re thinking about adding custody and support to your repertoire. In that case, networking with other providers may work better than a new online marketing campaign.
Review last year’s marketing returns. Conduct an abbreviated SWOT analysis of your marketing and advertising. Weak strategies should be eliminated, and new opportunities in technology should be embraced. Maybe this year you should overcome your nervousness and start a podcast or your own family law blog.
Just like your business goals, your marketing strategies should be realistic, reasonable, and measurable. Take stock every quarter and see how both new and old plans are working for you. Continue to expand the ones that work and eliminate the ones that just cost you more than they bring in.
Networking Never Fails
If you are looking for a new direction, Divorce With Dignity Network may be just what you need. Our Providers have experience in family law, counseling, therapy, and operating a one-person office. We know how to achieve a successful business while maintaining an essential work-life balance. Just as important, we’ve got referrals and marketing strategies to help get you started.
Whether you’re an existing professional looking for a new start, or a freshly-minted legal mind who needs direction, we want you to be a success. Join our Providers in the Divorce With Dignity Network. Schedule your complimentary Success-Strategy Consultation today!
