The Benefits and Challenges of Implementing a Firm-Wide Strategic Plan

As the legal marketplace becomes more globalized, many lawyers are venturing out and starting their own law firms. However, many attorneys also establish law firms without creating a company-wide strategic business plan to help guide future growth and company development. How do attorneys create a strategic business plan for their firm and what are the best ways to implement that plan?

In this episode of The Digital Edge, hosts Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway talk with The Remsen Group President John Remsen, Jr. about the benefits of creating a firm-wide business plan. John expresses how important it is for law firm leadership to recognize that they are running a business and states that it is difficult to run a successful business without a plan of where you are going. He shares that his research results show that only 40% of midsize firms report that they have a written strategic plan and less than 5% give themselves a positive score on implementing that plan well. Gordon also reveals that 90% of firms with a plan will attribute improved performance in areas like increased cohesiveness, profitability, long term sustainability, and growth to the planning exercise. He then analyzes the top five concerns of midsize firms, like associate development and firm governance, and provides ways that firms can address these concerns. He closes the interview with reasons that older lawyers resist these types of improvements and tips to help law firms start the strategic planning process.

John Remsen, Jr. is a frequent speaker and author on law firm leadership and marketing topics. He has spoken at national and regional conferences of the Legal Marketing Association, the Association of Legal Administrators, American Bar Association and numerous state and local bar associations. After serving as in-house marketing director at two major law firms, John formed The Remsen Group, a consulting firm that works exclusively with law firms to help them develop and implement long-term strategic objectives to improve cohesiveness, performance and profitability.

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