Larger workloads per person and tighter budgets have become the norm in law departments, a situation that not only increases stress levels but also challenges legal professionals to achieve a new level of productivity.
Peak productivity depends primarily on two components – managing your time wisely (the individual level) and interacting more productively with colleagues, internal clients and service providers (the team level). When these two components are in place, you’ll be able to meet deadlines, handle ongoing projects and respond appropriately to unforeseeable developments in a case or matter.
The following six-step action plan can help you become more productive on both the individual and team levels by making better use of three important resources – time, technology and human resources.
Manage Schedules
For most legal professionals, time management is the cornerstone of enhanced productivity. If you have control over your schedule, you’re better able to follow through on existing projects, plan new ones and respond to unexpected developments.
Productivity Tip #1: Make planning a daily activity
Allot at least 15 minutes each day to plan tomorrow’s activities. Prioritize each item on your to-do list according to its importance and urgency. Schedule complex or demanding tasks for those times of the day when you have the greatest focus and energy.
Productivity Tip #2: Protect your schedule from disruption
Computer problems, misplaced documents and long-winded meetings plague even the most conscientious planners. To minimize their impact on your schedule, don’t fill every minute with activity. Instead, build a reserve of time within each day. This will serve as a buffer so that you won’t be completely thrown off schedule by unexpected problems or situations.
To limit everyday interruptions and distractions, don’t respond to phone calls or e-mails as they come in; instead, allocate specific blocks of your day to make and return phone calls and handle correspondence. Close your office door to deter drop-in visitors when you’re working on tasks that require unbroken concentration, such as reviewing complex contracts.
Leverage Technology
Effective management of technology is the second element that contributes to peak productivity. You may find that you spend less time on any given task and can more smoothly integrate new assignments and developments into your daily schedule. You’re no doubt already taking advantage of many technology tools, but there may be some others you’ve overlooked.
Productivity Tip #3: Automate routine functions
Scheduling software such as Microsoft Outlook can help you keep track of deadlines, deliverables and important dates. Use filters to scan for and quarantine spam and junk e-mail. Document management software can help you capture, organize, store and retrieve information, and case management systems can handle large volumes of material and facilitate document sharing and deadline tracking. Likewise, document assembly programs are designed to speed up repetitious, rote duties.
Productivity Tip #4: Take advantage of wireless connectivity
These days, using secure wireless technology can allow you to work remotely via laptop or PDA to the department’s network no matter where you are. This can enable you to turn normally unproductive time, such as waiting at the airport or doctor’s office, into ‘go’ time, and minimize interruptions to your workflow.
Use Staffing Resources Wisely
If you’re a team leader, review how duties are ided among members to make sure you’re maximizing their talents and expertise.
Productivity Tip #5: Delegate judiciously
Given that many of today’s paralegals are capable of handling some of the non-legal work of first-year attorneys, the initial drafting of letters and other documents can be delegated to them. Legal secretaries and other administrative support staff can perform research, maintain calendars, screen calls, file court forms and handle many other tasks that, while essential, do not require the direct involvement of more senior staff.
Productivity Tip #6: Staff strategically
The use of inidual project attorneys or teams of legal project professionals can help maintain your law department’s productivity while protecting core staff from undue pressure and potential burnout. Using project professionals is an excellent way to quickly access specialized expertise that doesn’t currently exist in-house or is required on a one-time basis only. Temporary legal staff can also be used to cover for full-time employees who are on leave or vacation.
The ability to work more efficiently and effectively is critical if you want to complete projects on time and meet your firm’s strategic goals. Attaining peak productivity leads to better client service and, ultimately greater revenue-generating potential and profitability.
Charles A. Volkert is executive director of Robert Half Legal, a leading staffing service specializing in the placement of attorneys, paralegals, legal administrators and other legal professionals with law firms and corporate legal departments. Based in Menlo Park, Calif., Robert Half Legal has offices in major cities throughout the United States and Canada.