Page 45 - Strategic Planning for Law Firms

Strategic Planning for Law Firms
What Consultants Can Do that You Cannot
A positive consultants have is that they can play the bad cop, the heavy, the one who asks the hard questions without blinking. No one likes being told they’re wrong. No one likes being told they’re not pulling their weight. If someone internally makes these statements, they may create irreparable fissures in the personal relationships among the lawyers at the firm. Let someone else be the bad guy. Good consultants can also address difficult issues within a firm without blowing it up.
Why It Is Preferable to Use an Outside Consultant
Often we’re too close to the problem and we don’t see it. We’re ensconced in the firm and can’t see the forest for the trees. Someone coming from the outside, with a fresh perspective and vision, may be what you need. A good consultant will see issues immediately and have ideas on how to address them. They will have a frame of reference about what is happening in the industry that you may not know.
Consultants Ask a Lot of Questions
Consultants don’t always have all the answers but they do ask the right questions, often a whole lot of them. Having someone who studies your firm critically and asks all the right questions and gets the firm to generate appropriate answers that will help it evolve and grow is an effective approach to strategic planning.
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SECTION 07 YOUR STRATEGIC PLANNING TEAM