Planning for 1988
| Publication year | 1987 |
| Pages | 2187 |
1987, December, Pg. 2187. Planning for 1988
The end of the year is an excellent time to examine and reconsider the course and conduct of a firm's business. For example, what new areas of substantive practice should be considered for 1988? What existing areas have not been productive? In addition, today's clients have different expectations of the delivery of legal services. Their priorities and needs have changed over the last few years. How has the firm planned to demonstrate a willingness to try new concepts and ideas to meet the changing client base during the next year?
Each firm should have a plan to define the nature of practice in 1988. This plan should make more effective use of time and provide for better services for clients. Ultimately, it should result in better employee relations throughout the office. This article allows practitioners to examine areas which deserve consideration in planning for 1988.
It is important to analyze each lawyer's caseload, and the time and effort required of each case. Then, estimate the caseload increase and possible lawyer increase anticipated for the 1988 calendar year---estimate the optimum maximum caseload which can effectively be serviced, and the increase or decrease in lawyers which will allow this to be done.
Finally, plan to increase the caseload of each lawyer by 20 percent, or some other predetermined percentage. Assume that with effective case management and automation, each lawyer should be able to monitor and service more cases within the same time period. Allowing for uncollectibles, this approach should result in a net overall income increase to the firm of from 10 to 15 percent.
Consider using project management software to manage cases more effectively. Software designed for PERT charts or Gantt charts can be used to ensure that cases will be serviced as needed, and work periods can be adjusted to avoid lulls or crisis situations. After this process has been accomplished, the firm can plan for an increase or decrease in the lawyers required to allow the firm to grow and prosper in 1988.
One goal can be to serve more lawyers with fewer secretaries. Due to the high cost of secretarial personnel, one of a firm's largest variable expenses, the traditional 1:1...
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