Envisioning Your Ideal Practice: The Process

As a practical matter, envisioning your ideal law firm is easier said than done.

Mostly, it’s because we find it hard to sit down and spend time reflecting and thinking.

Once you start the process, though, it’s not that hard. So…

To begin, sit down with a legal pad and pen and start brainstorming.

Answer the following questions (using a growth mindset). And if some of the questions are easier to answer then answer those first

Just go as quickly as you can, without letting negativity, limiting beliefs or other mental obstacles create friction.

• What does your ideal day off look like?
• What does your ideal day on the job look like?
• What unique or niche problems do you want to solve through the practice of law?
• What kind of clients do you want to bring into your business?
• What do your lawyers, attorneys, or partners want from your firm?
• What are your morals or ethical beliefs?
• What is your customer profile?
• What kind of people do you want on your team?
• Why did you become an attorney?
• What kind of life did you envision you’d have as a lawyer?
• What did you think practicing law would be like before you started doing it?
• What problems did you want to solve when you first began practicing?
• What intellectual challenges were you looking forward to in the legal world?
• What resources do you need, and how willing are you to compromise on them?
• How much growth potential does your firm vision offer?
• Do you have the necessary skills to get your firm to your desired level? If not, how can you gain those skills?
• Can you see yourself doing this for the next few years? Possibly forever?
• How much financial capital is at risk on the journey to reach my vision goals?
• How much time will it consume to reach your goals?
• How much energy will it take to reach your goals?
• Do you currently have other obligations that will prevent you from giving the firm 100% percent?
• Would there be a much better time for you to overhaul your firm vision other than now?
• What are the chances of success when it comes to reaching your firm vision?

Once you’ve finished answering these questions, you have the raw material for crafting a blueprint for your law firm vision.

You should use this “vision blueprint” in all areas of your practice: marketing, recruiting, managing staff, operations etc.

Most of all, you should use it to clarify what kind of practice will make you truly happy.