Box-ticking and ticking over

Often, law firms' strategies are ineffective and expend more resources than available, with disastrous results. However, the product of a firm's efforts has nothing to do with money, nor with the number of staff or resource. If this was the case then, in better times, a firm's achievements would be unsurpassable.

What, then, is the root of the problem? The answer is a lack of clear objectives and the strategy to achieve them. Often, firms and their staff tick over without ever knowing what their purpose is, other than to have a job and earn a paycheck.

Essential questions that need to be asked early on are:

• Am I good at what I do?

• What is the ultimate goal of starting up my own firm? (if a managing partner).

• What goals do I want to achieve?

• Who will make a thorough study of my firm and my staff's strengths and weaknesses?

• Do I know what the market really needs instead of just distributing a service?

• Will I be able to go to market and sell instead of waiting for the client to come to me?

Effectively, a law firm is inefficient and ineffective if does not know where it is going, why it exists and its values.

However, a firm can be efficient if it has a clear objective; running without knowing where you are going makes little sense and tires you out. Some lawyers try everything to solve their firm's problems: lowering costs, firing people, changing their speciality, expanding - yet still things do not work. As when diagnosing an illness, if we do not go to the doctor and undertake the necessary tests, we will not be treated for the disease; no matter how many drugs we're prescribed.

In my experience, searching and realigning a firm's purpose, analysing why tasks are actioned in a certain way, and examining staff values and whether they match the firm's all contribute towards an effective business model. There are no miracles.

Iolanda Guiu is a partner at Barton Consultants