The Five Levels Of The Law Firm Growth Ladder

The Law Firm Growth LadderThis is a ‘work in progress’ article which you can watch as it grows. For some time now I have been analysing the different stages of law firm growth. I have noticed certain commonalities with different stages of the law firm growth process. There are similar challenges, opportunities and threats, which if not overcome, lead to a solicitor working there way back to their previous level on the Law Firm Growth Ladder. However, if a solicitor takes the time to put in place the required systems and processes, they can very quickly move up several rungs of the Law Firm Growth Ladder.

I have tried to summarise the different stages of the Law Firm Growth Ladder and, perhaps more importantly, what you need to do to shortcut your progress to the next level and beyond.

Please feel free to send me your thoughts or questions so that I can keep growing the ladder! Please email info@samsonconsulting.co.uk.

Level 1 – The Start Up Law Firm

Overview of Level 1

  • Feelings of excitement, of breaking free and doing what you have always wanted to do.
  • Turnover £0 to £250,000.

Team

  • You.
  • None or one assistant.

Marketing

  • Hammering old contacts and colleagues to gain some new business.
  • A small brochure website.
  • No automated marketing systems.

Challenges

Opportunities to fast track your progress to Level 2 of The Law Firm Growth Ladder

  • Delegate menial tasks as quickly as possible (even before you can afford it) to free up your time to work on growing the business.
  • Spend time every day working on the growth of your law firm.
  • Put in place some automated marketing systems that bring you clients with the marketing effort outsourced (Google Adwords, Email Marketing).

Level 2 – The Growing Pains Level

Overview of Level 2

  • You are excited at the prospects of growth.
  • Turnover bracket £100,000 to £5000,000

Team

  • You recruit your first fee earner (often a former colleague).

Marketing

  • What got you here from a marketing perspective won’t get you to stage 3.
  • You now need to start using some automated marketing systems to generate sufficient work for yourself and your fee earner.

Challenges

  • Time poor – now time spent managing, doing own work and trying to run your law firm.
  • Stressed – now responsible not only for your own income but that of your new recruit.
  • Income can go backwards before going up if you don’t improve your marketing and systems.
  • Some solicitors can’t get past this stage and quickly let their fee earner go, going back to Level 1 and vowing to never employ anyone again. With some planning and automated marketing this does not have to happen.

Opportunities to fast track your progress to Level 3 of The Law Firm Growth Ladder

  • Recruit your next fee earner as soon as possible to take your case load away from you. Then you can focus on growing your law firm..
  • Most people spend far too long in this stage. This could/should be a period of only 12 to 24 months but in most cases it becomes many, many years.

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Tim Bishop

As the owner of a small to medium-sized law firm, I have found that Samson Consulting’s Marketing4Solicitors monthly newsletter has proved absolutely invaluable throughout the last three years or so. Of all the marketing advice I’ve had over the years, this has proved by far the best value – bringing us tens of thousand of pounds of extra work every year.

One of the best tricks Nick Jervis [who owns Samson Consulting] uses, is not only to identify the kind of marketing actions a small or medium-sized business can take themselves, but he also explains why it works and most importantly then takes you through, step-by-step exactly what you need to do. As someone who is passionate about growing my business, I really look forward to receiving Nick’s excellent newsletter every month.

It’s worth pointing out that initially I was sceptical about his promises – so many marketing businesses promise the earth. But within a couple of months I was absolutely convinced he was right and I have been hooked ever since.

I recommend Nick Jervis and Samson Consulting without any hesitation whatsoever.

Chris Carter

Nick has for a long time now been the go to Legal Marketing Expert offering game changing advice in a no-nonsense way.

As well as knowing what works, he will also make sure you don’t waste valuable time on initiatives that aren’t destined to chime.

Approachable, friendly and fun to deal with he will always make sure you are travelling in the right direction and on the road to success.

Can’t recommend enough!

Michael Birch

Less than a year ago I asked Nick to help me grow our practice by making the telephone ring.

He’s certainly done that and much more.

The improvements are incredible and Nick has guided me through the many challenges of scaling up, not least the need for a client focused approach.

This has allowed me to start the next phase; organising the practice to ensure a better lifestyle balance for all of us, whilst we continue to grow.

Chris Rennie

Nick takes a no-nonsense approach, cuts the fluff and gets straight to the point – which is an approach that you see very little nowadays in the world of marketing where you have many gurus with complex approach that most probably never work. I look forward to working with Nick.

Iain MacDonald

Excellent consultation very practical and straight forward planning, positively and optimistically reimagining a small law firms prospects.