30 minutes to create time and money

Self-employed barristers do two things. Only two? (Yes). They (1) provide legal services for a fee and (2) run a legal practice.  Introducing good habits into (2) creates more time for (1).

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”  Aristotle

We are what we repeatedly do

I was at a networking event a couple of years ago where I bumped into a QC friend sipping mineral water, chatting to everyone and looking completely at ease. I happened to know he was leading one of the highest-value commercial cases that year, the stress of which would make many of his peers weep.  Yet he still carved out time to get out mid-trial to meet the people who would instruct him on the next one.

The most successful QCs take steps to grow their practice every day, including on the busiest trial days, over many years. Here’s a structure you can follow to emulate their success.

1. Deepen your expertise every day

Your clients pay a premium for the time you’ve spent learning the law. They’re not paying you to learn current law on their matter, especially if you are charging by the hour.

In The Business of Barristering programme, you are encouraged to develop one or two areas of legal expertise for which you want to be known. This doesn’t mean turning away work which pays the bills; it means directing your career towards work you really want to do.

Clients don’t want a generalist. They want a specialist. So you need to pick one or two practice areas and focus your attention on becoming the go-to expert.  Keep on top of the ‘pay the bills’ work by all means, but invest your thinking time developing a niche.

Spend just 30 minutes every day on deepening your legal expertise. Schedule it into your diary and make reading and research a non-negotiable part of your day.  You’ll accumulate ten hours of new expertise every month. That’s a lot of expertise for which you can charge a premium.

2. Raise your profile every week

Your Clerk or Practice Manager tells you to market your practice. Most barristers don’t want to.

Sticking your head above the parapet isn’t easy for barristers (cf. The Secret Barrister).  It’s not easy for anyone working in a sector where the surgical scrutiny of every point is a sport.  No wonder so many barristers prefer to keep quiet.

Your aim is not to raise your profile with your colleagues.  That’s a by-result of your profile-raising activities. Your clients, not your peers, are your primary audience. Keeping that in mind can help reduce the concern about publishing your point of view.

You don’t have to publish an opinion or article every week. If you do, you will significantly accelerate the growth of your practice. There are many ways to raise your profile without investing hours of time.   Techniques to raise your profile with your target clients are included in the core modules of all Jurilogical’s programmes.

Schedule 30 minutes every week on activities that raise your profile.  Practice ‘brave’ and put your name to everything you publish.

3. Allocate time every month to getting paid

Barristers are squeamish about asking for money. But you’ve earned it and it’s nothing more than an exchange of value. Asking for money owed to you doesn’t say anything about your character, status or success.

When your client fails to pay your fees on time, they are protecting their cash flow and exposing yours.  Consequently, you are taking the risk in the contract.

Dealing with your billing is a non-negotiable for self-employed barristers. You must get your invoice into your client’s billing system as soon as possible.

Your Chambers fees clerk chases everyone’s bills so you must do everything you can to help her chase yours.

Schedule 30 minutes around the 25th date in the month to administer your billing.  Your bill is more likely to make the next payment run.

30 minutes to strengthen your practice

• Every day spend 30 minutes deepening your expertise by reading
• Be brave and take 30 minutes every week to raise your profile
• Look after your cash flow by carving out 30 minutes every month to deal with your billing

Schedule the time into your calendar and make these tasks non-negotiable.  Your practice will thank you.

Further resources

The power of habit by Charles Duhigg
Better than before by Gretchen Rubin
The Chimp Paradox by Stephen Peters

The 7 Habits of Wildly Successful Barristers download is available when you sign up at Jurilogical.com

Can you think of one of your many smart friends from Bar School who needs this advice?  Help them out by sharing this post.

By Heidi Smith
Creator of Jurilogical.com