Time Management Strategies for Law Firms

Introduction

Every day, law firms face inefficiencies that drain valuable hours from client work and case progress. With time management strategies, like time blocking, streamlining paperwork, and using case management software, law firms reclaim this precious billable time. By adopting best practices and leveraging the right tools, law firms of all sizes can unlock greater productivity and growth.

Time Blocking

Time blocking is the process of going through a calendar and making actual blocks of time reserved for various priorities. Making sure time-blocking is concrete and consistent gives a reliable outline of the workday. This a great way to clear up uncertainty and the stress that often comes with it. If time management is the key to productivity, then time-blocking is the key to time management.

When setting up time blocks, think in big chunks of categories. Examples may be document creation and management, client contact, business development, research, etc. Of course, each day will vary based on the urgency or importance of the items noted above, but having some structure to day can help attorneys keep an eye on the big picture. 

Minimizing Multitasking

Despite the overwhelming number of tasks attorneys face, it's important that attorneys don't divide their attention. Doing so hurts their productivity and the quality of their work. Minimizing multitasking is a good way attorneys can make sure their time is used wisely.

There are a few ways attorneys can effectively decrease the amount of the multitasking in their daily schedule. One of the best ways to reduce multitasking is delegation. Delegating tasks to other qualified individuals can free up time to focus on others. The trick is figuring out what tasks to delegate to who. Consider the role of each member of the firm and try to assign tasks related to their primary role.

Another way attorneys can minimize multitasking is prioritizing the tasks in front of them. Attorneys should organize what they have to do along two standards: how important a task is and how urgently a task needs to get done. Find out what task is the most important/most urgent and work down from there.  For example, completing a filing for a court deadline is both urgent and important. Other items, like responding to a unexpected calls or emails can feel urgent, but may not be as important. Of course, what may be urgent or important can become less or more so as time goes on. Attorneys should review their priorities regularly as to be blind sighted when a task that may not be important or urgent one day suddenly becomes priority number one the next.

Setting Realistic Goals and Deadlines

Finishing things on time is important, and so is understanding what can and can't be done within a set span of time. Set realistic, achievable deadlines for tasks. If a task can be broken down into smaller segments, build deadlines for each of them. If attorneys have particularly daunting tasks ahead of them, they should think of it like building a house. Set deadlines for the foundation, walls, roof, interior, furnishing, and so on. This will greatly minimize stress in the long run.

Naturally, deadlines move. Planning ahead, with cushion, is always a good idea. No one likes feeling like they are behind. Consider using case management software to set your deadlines, reminders along the way, and more. Workflows are a great tool to automatically create and assign the work with the deadline in mind.

Case Management Software

Comprehensive case management software programs give attorneys multiple tools to help manage and track their time. Said tools include:

• Time Tracking: CSM software makes it easy for attorneys to record and keep track of their billable hours. Once a new legal matter is created, attorneys can assign whatever rate works for them. Attorneys can also choose whether they want their hours to be recorded exactly, or if they can just be rounded to the nearest minute, five minutes, or ten. Attorneys can also set up timers to track how long they spend on a single matter. These timers can be paused without being made inactive, so attorneys don't have to spend time figuring out how long they actually spent on a matter.
• Calendar Integration and Syncing: Case management software can integrate external calendar programs  like Google and Outlook. When attorneys add a legal matter like an appointment to the calendar on the law firm portal, it shows up on their external calendar and vice versa. Even if the matter is taken from the external calendar, attorneys can still customize it as much as they need to in the law firm portal. 
• Delegating Tasks: Calendars are managed at the individual level on CSM portals. For firms with multiple practitioners, it's possible to see everyone's timetable and delegate tasks on the calendar tab. Having everyone's schedule in one place saves time that would be spent sending emails or viewing spreadsheets to figure out who's doing what.
• Streamlined Document Management: One of the most time-consuming aspects of any law firm, a centralized document management system can greatly help attorneys reduce the time they spend on individual legal tasks. With all documents easily accessible in a secure, cloud-based environment, attorneys don't have to waste time searching for files. This simplified process saves both time and accuracy, making sure all the most up-to-date material and information is in the same easily-accessible place.

Using a comprehensive case management program can make implementing the right time management strategies even easier. Attorneys don't have to spend time going through and comparing legal matters to figure out what's the most important or urgent thing. They can easily see what their priorities should be when everything's in one place.

Closing Thoughts

Time management is a crucial skill for everyone, but for law firms especially. While it's possible to implement these strategies without the help of case management software, doing so with CSM makes it easier for attorneys to figure out their priorities and stay on track. After all, technology should enable an attorney's productivity, not hinder it.

SimpleLaw makes tackling time management challenges easy with an affordable all-in-one case management software program.

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