Are You Cloning Yourself?

We all like to be on the same wavelength with people we work closely with, but this tendency to select others like us can be a problem when seeking out a new support staff hire for your law practice.  For example, if you’re a sole practitioner with a keyboard speed of 90 words per minute or skilled in the operation of voice recognition software, a speed typist may not be the best use of use of your hiring dollar.

Before you hire, think about the tasks that require a law license. Unless you’re considering hiring an associate, you are going to have to continue to be responsible for all those tasks. Your objective is to hire someone to do everything else that’s left. Concentrate on the tasks that don’t require a particular skill that you have, or that do require skills you don’t have and which take up your time and effort without producing revenue for the firm.

Perhaps you need a new employee who can successfully handle routine correspondence and phone calls about ongoing cases, or maybe what you really need is someone who is a whiz with computers and can master the case management system you’ve bought but never fully implemented.  Or someone who is skilled at handling litigation support programs and can prepare knockout trial graphics in house.  The right employee is one who can complement your skills by bringing missing abilities to the office mix.