Page 9 - Strategic Planning for Law Firms

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Staff Training .......................................................................................................................................................... 60 Other Areas ............................................................................................................................................................ 60 Making a Realistic Plan .........................................................................................................................................61 Setting Realistic Goals ..........................................................................................................................................61 Setting Realistic Deadlines...................................................................................................................................61 Holding Everyone Accountable..........................................................................................................................61
Strategic Planning Retreat....................................................................................................... 62
A Foreword About Firm Retreats .....................................................................................................................63 Why Have a Firm Retreat? ..................................................................................................................................63 Logistics of a Firm Retreat ..................................................................................................................................64 When to Have It?....................................................................................................................................................64 Where to Have It? ..................................................................................................................................................64 Who Should Lead It?.............................................................................................................................................64 Who Should be the Scribe? ................................................................................................................................64 What are the Ground Rules?..............................................................................................................................64 Any Evening Plans? ...............................................................................................................................................64 Who Should Attend the Firm Retreat? ............................................................................................................64 Retreat Committee ...............................................................................................................................................65 Preparations for a Firm Retreat........................................................................................................................65 Agenda for Firm Retreat......................................................................................................................................65 Running Firm Retreat ...........................................................................................................................................65 Do’s and Don’ts of a Firm Retreat......................................................................................................................65 Reducing Plan to Writing.................................................................................................................................... 66 Securing Buy In for Plan..................................................................................................................................... 66 Having a Follow up Retreat ............................................................................................................................... 66
The Strategic Plan .................................................................................................................... 68
A Firm Wide Strategic Plan................................................................................................................................ 69 A Practice Group Strategic Plan...................................................................................................................... 69 Individual Strategic Plans .................................................................................................................................. 69 Developing a Personal Business Development Plan ................................................................................. 69
Implementing the Plan ............................................................................................................. 70
Roll Your Plan Out to the Whole Firm ............................................................................................................... 71 How Do You Make Sure the Plan Doesn’t Simply Get Shelved? ............................................................... 71 How to Keep the Plan Alive and Vibrant .......................................................................................................... 71 Creating and Enforcing Accountability........................................................................................................... 72
Tweaking the Plan......................................................................................................................74
Updating Your Strategic Plan ............................................................................................................................ 75 Annual Strategic Planning Retreats ................................................................................................................ 75 Regular Strategic Planning Sessions .............................................................................................................. 75 Proper Care and Feeding of Your Strategic Plan ........................................................................................ 75
Measuring Success .................................................................................................................. 76
Was Your Plan Successful? ................................................................................................................................ 77 Law Firm Metrics ................................................................................................................................................... 77 Measuring Success............................................................................................................................................... 77 The Intangibles....................................................................................................................................................... 77 Staying the Course versus Changing Course............................................................................................... 77
Summary of Key Points ............................................................................................................ 78
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