There are a few simple steps to hiring. We’ve always been a fan of the group hiring method. It gives you a chance to:

1) Review resumes and cover letters for writing skills, formatting skills and some basic communication skills.

Anyone with spelling errors or formatting problems will not be invited to the group interview.

2) You get to witness the candidates idea of “prompt” based on what time they arrive for the group meeting (I usually have the receptionist note the time of arrival as she puts them in the conference room with an application).

Anyone arriving late is automatically removed from my list for a second interview.

3) You get a chance to see how they interact with each other.

4) You get a chance to see them speak in front of a small group of people they don’t know.

5) You also have narrowed down the introduction of your firm (usually made by the attorney), the introduction of the position (made by a senior staff person) and the introduction to your culture (made by someone else in the firm)…. One time instead of individual meetings covering that information

6) The next thing I like to do, is to offer up a chance for candidates to have 2-4 minutes to say something about what they loved and didn’t love about their last position and what interests them about this position.

If they say anything negative about a former employer, they’ll say it about you. Pay attention to the wording used. If they mention that they noticed something on your website or fan page on Facebook, take note that they were serious enough to do some homework before coming in.

Have all staff in your office attend so that after the meeting everyone can vote on the top 2-3 people to come in for a private interview or testing.

Tell each candidate that they will be contacted the next day and either thanked for coming in and showing an interest in the firm, or be invited back for a second interview. Explain your process to them.

Collect the applications and make reference checks for the people you intend to bring in for an additional interview.

We highly recommend testing new hires, using tests similar to what is offered by Personnel Profiling. Everyone in your firm should be tested so when new hires are brought on, your Personnel Profiling consultation will cover information about how strengths of your new candidate will work or not work with your existing team members.

In the event that you are suddenly left with a hole to fill, it’s tempting to hire too quickly. Don’t. I always have the number of Robert Half handy, so we can have a temp come in if necessary to help out through a transition.

Jennifer Price
Director, Member Services, Marketing & Recruiting
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (858) 453-2128
www.aaepa.com

The Academy is all about systems. We believe that if your law firm is not organized with the systems running the practice and the people running the systems you are bound to get inconsistent results, confusion among staff and a haphazard client experience. Yet when I talk with experienced attorneys around the country their comments are uniformly the same: No we don’t have any written systems.

I remind them that they do, indeed have systems, even if they’re not written down. The default systems in most firms are the staff member’s way of doing things laid down by each departing employee on their way out the door. That is if you’re lucky enough to have an employee that actually gives you proper notice when they leave.

Systems are your way of saying, “This is how we do things here. This how we answer the phone. This is how we meet with clients. This is how we draft documents and pleadings. This is how we dress. Whatever it is that is going to set your firm apart and brand it with your way of doing things will be found in your unique systems.

My suggestion is to start looking at every part of your firm’s processes from the largest to the smallest and begin writing them down, better yet flowchart them. Have all employees set aside time each week to create a binder outlining every detail of their job. Make it an ongoing project that you monitor as closely as you watch your cash flow.

When it’s done, you’ll never fear those unexpected resignation notices and, more importantly you’ll take pride in knowing the firm is a reflection of your unique vision.

Robert Armstrong
President and Co-Founder
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (858) 453-2128
www.aaepa.com

Recently I’ve been involved in a project to create a law firm procedure manual by reviewing our documented systems. The goal was to pull all of our information into job specific modules to expedite training and to fine-tune existing ones. Organizing this information into a one-stop employee training and reference manual was a bit of a project but definitely worthwhile because it is now a major time-saver for law firms training new employees.

If you do not have a procedure manual in place for your firm, you’re not alone. In fact, you’re in good company. Many employers do not have a training manual in place. It is even more common for them to rely on existing employees or former employees to train new hires only from memory and pass along their knowledge verbally while the trainee takes copious handwritten notes that are never typed, despite the best of intentions. Often this type of training is task-oriented instead of systems-oriented, and efficiency isn’t always taken into consideration. The obvious downside to this type of training practice is that over time, the systems become diluted, misinterpreted, changed to an employee’s preference or lost, especially if there are multiple turnovers. This type of training program is like having a football team without a play book. A better way is to have a planned strategy to educate and inform your biggest asset, and often, your biggest expense – your employees.

Once you recognize the need for a systemized training program, discuss this need with your staff and delegate the responsibility to each key person in the firm. Any process done on a regular basis can be systemized, documented and placed into a procedure manual. The easiest way to tackle this job is to type training steps as the training occurs then save it to a specified network folder for use later. Once a process is established and fine-tuned to be as efficient as possible, the next step is to drill down and document the step-by-step detail of that task or project. The last step is to then memorialize it in the procedure manual, so anyone picking up a particular responsibility would be able to do so efficiently and quickly. It will also speed up their ability to become a productive member of your team and save existing staff time by eliminating lengthy or repeat training sessions. Once you have a procedure manual in place, it is important to review periodically for updates or changes in those processes. Doing so will reward you and staff for years to come.

Susan Russel has been a Practice Building Consultant with the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys since 1997. She coaches estate planning attorneys across the country, frequently conducts conference calls, webinars as well as Summit sessions. Her email is Susan@aaepa.com if you have questions on this topic.

Susan Russel
Practice Building Consultant
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (858) 453-2128
www.aaepa.com

Is your staff saying they are too busy, have too much on their plate, can’t possibly handle another responsibility? Well, before you rush to hire a new staff person, you may want to look at your current employees’ productivity and its impact on your revenue.

One benchmark we analyze on financial review calls and strategic planning calls with Members is revenue per person on the payroll. We look for a minimum of $130,000 per person annually – this includes everyone from the receptionist to the attorneys. Of course, part-time employees count as a fraction of a full-time employee. Let us know if you want the exact formula for calculating the number of people on your payroll.

We often see the revenue per person on the payroll for law firms range anywhere from $80,000 to $250,000 – both the bottom and top end of the scale are a red flag and prompt a conversation about the cause and impact on the health of the business.

If your revenue per person is under the benchmark, it could be caused by:

1. Inefficient Systems: Your systems for producing the work aren’t effective or being followed on a routine basis. Your staff may very well be busy, but it’s not a productive type of busy. Your systems need to improve and your revenue needs to increase in order to justify having that number of staff.
2. Your fees are too low: This may mean that your staff is honestly busy, but it isn’t reflected in your numbers, because you and your staff are producing too much work for the money you’re getting paid. Before hiring anyone, increase your fees and see what impact it has on your bottom line.
3. Untrained Staff: You may either have a lot of turnover with untrained staff or you could be adding a new service to your business that hasn’t been fully implemented.
4. Wrong people on the bus: Your staff may not be in a position that takes advantage of their interests or their strengths. They may not be that busy and it could be time to reshift and reorganize those job descriptions. Is it just a job for them OR is it a career and they honestly care about the business and the families you help? Also look at their strengths and whether they’re in the right position to take advantage of them, there could be an opportunity to move them to a different position where they can be more productive. As Jim Collins explains in his book Good to Great, you have to get the right people on the bus and in the right seats, and the wrong people off the bus so that it will move in a positive direction.

If your revenue per person is hovering around $200,000 or more, you are taking some risks. Your office has systems in place and is operating like a well-oiled machine. Your employees are juggling a ton of balls and don’t have time to stop and think about the details or ways to improve what is currently in place. It could be time to hire a new staff person. Take out your organizational chart, talk to your current employees, and determine what the job description for that new hire will look like.

If you don’t make another hire, beware of:

1. Systems falling apart: If you lose a key employee unexpectedly (they get sick, have an accident, move to a new city, have a baby), you won’t be able to continue at the same pace. Everyone is already operating at breakneck speed – they can’t possibly fill in for that missing employee and get all of their own work done as well. Balls will be dropped, clients may have to wait too long and get upset, all costing the firm referrals and money.
2. Burnout: If everyone is consistently working overtime, 50 – 60 hours a week, how long can they sustain that pace and how long will it take before they look for another job?

If your staff isn’t productive, remember that you, as the business owner, are responsible for the leadership role in the firm and holding your staff accountable. You aren’t just an attorney meeting clients, you must have a vision for the firm with an organizational strategy that takes into consideration your short-term and long-term goals.

Lillian Valdez
Practice Building Consultant
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (858) 453-2128
www.aaepa.com