Money and Motivation Are Key to a Small Law Firm’s Success
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Third in a series on How Small Law Firms Can Perform Better
Just as at their large law firm counterparts, the matter of money — who is getting it, and how much — can be a divisive issue that fosters discontent at smaller firms. “Inconsistency in how employees of the same level are paid … can generate jealousies and resentment” at small law firms, says Larry Ploucha, a shareholder at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooneyin Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Small law firms (fewer than 20 attorneys) should consider what they want to compensate for. “All firms, large and small, can become locked into a system that compensates based on seniority instead of merit,” says Wendy Sartory Link, managing partner of Ackerman, Link & Sartory, in West Palm Beach, Fla. Lockstepcompensation — rewarding seniority rather than contribution — may reward more experienced practitioners but is not necessarily attractive to more junior go-getters.
“That can discourage younger associates and creates a lack of incentive for older associates to push themselves. Some firms operate on an ‘eat what you kill’ system, which doesn’t lend itself as well to the team work necessary to best serve the clients’ needs,” Sartory Link continues. Eat-what-you-kill partner compensationsystems have been criticized for rewarding individualism at the expense of the team. “Smaller firms should focus on compensating attorneys based on their quality and caliber of work and what they can bring to the firm,” Sartory Link says.
Hiring good staff is also an element in any successful small law firm equation. “Having good support staff is just as important as having good attorneys,” observes Sartory Link. “They get to know the attorneys inside and out and can can anticipate and plan for any situation that arises. Our talented support team is as critical to the successful management of the firm as the quality of the attorneys themselves,” she says.
Make lawyers and staff aware that they are expected to pitch in. “Small firms can run more efficiently by making sure that support staff and attorneys are all trained and proficient in multiple functions needed to keep the office running in order to streamline the number of personnel needed and best serve the clients,” says Annemarie Robbins, a business manager at Ackerman, Link & Sartory until she retired in 2015.
Small firms in particular cannot suffer staff members who sit around expecting marching orders to be hand-delivered. A “do what it takes to get the job done” approach to her work day served Robbins well during her years at Ackerman, Link & Sartory. “I performed whatever duties were needed from the smallest everyday tasks to working with Managing Partner Wendy Sartory Link to help manage her busy schedule and enable her to make the most efficient use of her time at the firm while still having the time to be a business leader and civic leader in the community,” Robbins says.
Robbins did not wait to be told what to do.
She strived to keep “all aspects of the day-to-day operations working smoothly. I developed lifelong friendships with the partners and associates and performed whatever tasks they needed or whatever I anticipated they would need to better perform their jobs,” Robbins says. The bottom line is, she liked what she did and felt that her contributions mattered. “I truly enjoyed the satisfaction of working with a small group of talented people and making the team stronger than any one individual,” Robbins says.
A small firm very much needs to take efforts to foster engagement at all levels. “It is really important to forming a close culture to make time to play and get to know each other well. Celebrating personal milestones and accomplishments and supporting each other through difficult times leads to a more trusting and cooperative work environment,” Sartory Link says.
This post is the third in a series on How Small Law Firms Can Perform Better. The other posts in the series are:
- Mistakes that Small Law Firms Make
- Why Choose a Small Law Firm
- How Small Law Firms Can Cut Costs
- Develop Long-Range Plans that Include Talent
By: Lori Tripoli
