Law Practice Management Asked and Answered Blog
Category: Law firm administrator
Sep 24, 2013
Law Firm Administrator/Business Manager – Establishing Presence & Earning Respect
Question:
Our firm is a 8 attorney firm located in downtown Chicago. We have just hired our first administrator/business manager and he starts in two weeks. We are concerned that we get started on the right foot so our experience is successful. Any thoughts?
Response:
Relationship With Partners
On the first day of employment with the firm, the administrator must begin to develop a relationship with the firm’s partners that is based upon need, understanding, credibility and trust.
Governance Plan
Business management in many law firms suffers from decision-making paralysis — in other
words, helpless inactivity and the inability to act decisively. Lack of effective implementation of decisions is also evident. The result: missed opportunities and a deteriorating competitive position in the legal marketplace. Administrators who can be proactive and turn this situation around will be off
to a good start to solidifying their positions in their firms.
- Start with a governance plan.
- Design and implement an effective governance plan and structure in the firm.
- Distinguish between policymaking and overall governance, practice management and
administration. - Establish boundaries by defining roles and responsibilities for the partnership at large,
managing partner or executive committee, administrator or office manager and
practice group heads. Specify these roles in job descriptions and have them
approved by the partnership. This will help reduce the second-guessing that
inhibits decision-making in many firms. -
Ask everyone concerned to respect the boundaries. Encourage attorneys to
resist second-guessing and instead allow others to perform their roles.
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John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC
Jul 15, 2008
How Large Should a Law Firm Be When It Is Time to Hire an Administrator
Question:
How large should a firm be when it is time to hire an administrator?
Response:
There is no magic size. We just completed an engagement recruiting an administrator for a seven attorney firm. We also have law firm clients with over 40 attorneys that don’t have an administrator. I believe that an administrator, or office manager, is appropriate in firms of all sizes. It is a matter of attitude and commitment on the part of the partners and whether they are willing to delegate responsibility and authority to an administrator to run the day-to-day operations of the firm. The firm should start with a job description and then decide whether the firm is willing to delegate responsibility and authority. If not, the firm should not hire an administrator.
John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC
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