Page 18 - Strategic Planning for Law Firms

“It’s too theoretical”
The phrase itself – strategic planning – sounds like some Wharton MBA term. No one wants a book length treatise heavy on ideas and light on practicum. But that’s not how strategic plans works. Done right, a plan offers achievable goals with measurable and obtainable tasks.
“It takes too long”
Some believe the process takes too long. If done correctly, where a firm limits the focus of the process and goals, it doesn’t take much time.
Strategic Planning for Law Firms
“We won’t get by in”
Some worry that the effort will be for naught, because of a lack of buy in. Will everyone buy
into strategic planning? Perhaps not. Can you get your key players to buy in? Probably. If the process is explained simply and directly and it’s not couched as a means to push someone out or put others in their place (which is not its purpose), you should secure sufficient buy in. At the end of the day, buy in is about leadership by your firm leaders and accountability of all.
“We can’t come up with concrete goals”
This is another take on the process being too theoretical. The whole purpose of strategic planning is to devise goals and tasks that are measurable, calculable and can be held up to the light and studied and evaluated. Lawyers by nature and by training tend to be creative problemsolvers. “We can’t” is a cop-out.
SECTION 02 RESISTANCE TO STRATEGIC PLANNING
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