Time management is one of the most important skills a lawyer can have. It’s particularly important if you’re juggling multiple clients or if you’re charging fixed fees – by employing time-saving tricks, you can avoid burnout and continue providing competitive rates. Below are just a few examples of some of the best tips.
Delegate and outsource smartly
If you’re doing everything yourself, you’re slowing your practice down. Embrace the 80% rule when working in a team – if a junior member or paralegal can do a task 80% as well as you and they aren’t also overwhelmed, delegate this task.
Already too much pressure on your firm? Perhaps it’s time to start outsourcing tasks. For example, it could make sense to outsource litigation if it’s not your strong point, or invest in the service of specialist researchers when taking on cases that venture beyond your field of expertise. Always compare pricing when outsourcing to get the best deal.
Standardise questionnaires
Intake and fact-finding can be huge time drains for some firms. Standardised questionnaires may be able to make initial information gathering easier. This could include online forms for clients or documents that witnesses can fill in to detail any general information. Such conversations will allow you to arrive at first consultations feeling more prepared while also saving you time going back and forth with follow-up emails.
Embrace AI and automation
AI-powered and automated legal practice tools can quietly save you hours every week. This could include drafting tools like Clio and CoCounsel, which can help you create and summarise documents. Other tasks like tracking billable hours, invoicing and setting reminders may meanwhile be possible to automate using the right software. Think about some of the repetitive tasks you deal with day-to-day and explore ways to automate these to save yourself precious time.
Set up communication windows
Constant interruptions can throw you off your trail of thought and you could find yourself having to constantly re-read things to pick up where you left off. By setting ‘do not disturb’ hours, you can allow periods for deep thinking. As a team, this may be something you need to discuss together to make sure that collaboration is not negatively affected.
Communication hours for answering emails, scheduling calls and holding meetings should be arranged at various points throughout the day around ‘do not disturb’ hours – 9am, 1pm and 4pm could be good options for allowing communication throughout the day.
Optimise your desk and desktop layout
Clutter – physical or digital – creates hidden time leaks. Make sure that you are keeping your desk clear with the exception of essential files and notes. On your computer, streamline your desktop and browser by pinning core apps, creating clear folders and keeping open only relevant tabs.
Try to avoid the temptation of choosing random file names and or shoving paperwork into any drawer when you’re in a rush – you don’t want to waste time searching around later for these documents or having to spend extra reorganizing them all.
Photo by KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA
