Recruit & Support a Healthy Team

As lawyers, we can’t always control the outcome of our cases (they may be found liable or guilty), but we can control how law firm team members interact with clients and make them feel during the process.

Unfortunately, many of us come from a long line of bad bosses who taught us their bad boss ways. We don’t know how to approach the hiring process strategically. We use the same ‘ole cookie-cutter job posting every other firm uses and then hire based on who we “like” instead of finding the right fit for the role and our team.  On day one, we say “welcome,” show them their desk and give them assignments with little to no direction, and then we’re frustrated when they don’t deliver exactly what we want. In the end, we resolved that we could just do it better ourselves.

We think there’s a better approach to creating a healthy law firm team. It requires:

Healthy law firms understand the importance of clearly identifying which one person on the team is accountable for each function of the business. This not only allows clarity for the business owner to see how all the parts fit into the larger business but allows the team to better distinguish between their roles.

When everyone on the team (including the person assigned to a role) understands their role and knows what decisions they can make on their own, the results are noticeable. The team is incentivized to make decisions, complete tasks, and move the business forward.

Cari was beyond frustrated. She had painstakingly documented every process her team should follow when managing cases in her firm. “My assistant just keeps ignoring the process and ignoring me when I ask her to follow the process.” Cari felt disrespected. The assistant was a great person but could not operate within defined systems and processes. She didn’t like the structure and wanted to do things her way. It was like oil and water for this assistant and Cari’s systems—they were never going to mix. If Cari wanted team members who worked in a specific way inside her defined systems, she needed a hiring process to identify those people.

Your goal during the hiring process is not to find your next friend. In fact, there is good evidence that approaching your hiring process this way leads to homogeneity (we’ll talk more about the importance of diversity below). Your goal is to find the right person to fill a particular role on your team. This requires a thoughtful and intentional process designed to give you the information you need to determine if the potential hire shares your team’s core values, works well in the framework your team operates, and can learn how to do the job you are filling.

Spencer shared, “We focused on building a human touch and over-communicating. The result? Our latest hire says the first week has been night and day compared to her last firm’s first day where she was given a file and told to go to court.”

Happy and healthy team members are engaged. This requires that they not only understand their role but how their role on the team contributes to the larger good your business is doing in the world. Smart owners intentionally share the firm’s vision and values, who they help and how they help them, and what makes their firm different from everyone else. In addition to the nuts and bolts of the job, designing a plan that shares the team’s special sauce, allows them to make connections and contribute.

Healthy firms prioritize a fair compensation philosophy. This begins with a fair wage. Everyone in the firm, especially the partners, should receive a regular and fair salary based on competitive market data that stops them from worrying about whether they can pay their bills. After base salary, you can think about other benefits, including incentive pay (we’ll talk about this more later).

When it comes to bonuses, think carefully about the behaviors you want to incentivize and the business’s overall goals. Question your immediate assumptions and consider hidden drawbacks to your system. For example, a commission structure awarding 30% of any revenue collected may encourage attorneys to bring in any business, regardless of its fit with your ideal clients or your long-term goals for growing your business.

You’ll achieve success when your team works together towards common goals. Incentivize everyone to work in ways they excel.

A healthy team is managed by people who actively learn and try to improve their management muscle, just like any other skill that may be an important part of your work. Luckily, leaders are made, not born, so these are skills anyone can hone.

In Julie Zhuo’s book The Making of a Manager, she lays out three qualities of effective management—people, purpose, and process—and we’ve added our forth: path.

Healthy teams also communicate intentionally. Emails are not necessarily effective means for team communication and yet, they remain the default for many firms. Instead, think about the information your team needs on a regular basis and set up communication structures to convey much-needed information.

Here’s another idea worth banning: lawyers have to be tough and competitive and winning requires strength—otherwise you’re weak and vulnerable. This mindset effectively shuts down conversations about mental health and wellness. Our profession is plagued with horrific numbers around addiction, anxiety, and depression. It’s time to open up and have honest conversations about how we can support the wellbeing of our team members, so we have team members who are well.

Diversity, accessibility, and inclusion are more than buzz words. These concepts lead to more effective teams, better team culture, and are proven to provide your business with a competitive advantage. Make sure you are building a team that welcomes and includes everyone. Period.

By the way, when it comes to inclusivity, it’s often the little things that make people feel welcome. For example:

Ultimately, does your team feel like they can bring their whole self to work? Are they allowed to be honest, vulnerable, and real? Do they feel welcome and part of the team? Do they feel supported to propose what interests them outside of work? Committing to diversity, accessibility, and inclusion takes time and effort. You may not get it all right at once, but consistently showing an effort, listening to your team, and working to improve will go a long way. 

When it comes to our team, we need to be intentional. The goal is to  build teams that enjoy showing up to work each day to work with one another and help our clients. We don’t have to be known as toxic workplaces only focused on churning out billable hours. Added bonus: most firms we work find that focusing on building a healthier team leads to more productivity and profits! 

While this sounds simple enough, putting it into practice can be tough. If you could benefit from guided resources, coaching, and being part of a community working on similar goals, consider whether joining Lawyerist Lab is your right next step.