Stop Thinking Like A Lawyer (If You Want Your Firm To Grow)
Not completely… of course.
We’ve been trained to “think like lawyers” since the first day of law school, and for good reason.
How else are you supposed to become a great attorney and deliver great results for your clients?
But that said, while this advice is critically important…
It’s also incomplete.
And it leaves you exposed and vulnerable, if you are managing and growing your own firm in today’s market.
In fact, for most, it’s where all of their client acquisition challenges begin and it ensures that the gates, leading to more profit, freedom, and creating the firm they want, remain locked.
So, what’s the missing piece?
It starts with a simple idea.
An idea not many people talk about.
And this idea supports a myth... that is widely accepted as truth.
Which is:
"If You're A Great Lawyer... That's Enough To Build A Successful Law Firm."
I'm guessing that you know this is NOT true by now.
Because after all, you are a great lawyer but – at least on some level - you haven't been able to create the results that you want, right?
But it still has to be said...
This Story Is A LIE!
And that lie ends now.
I'm not going to sugar coat this... because it wouldn’t do you any good.
And call me crazy... but I think you deserve some unfiltered honesty.
So, here's the truth...
Your legal skills are not your ticket to success in business.
Being great at your craft doesn't mean the phone will start ringing off the hook and clients will come running.
If you build it they will NOT come... unless you strategically and systematically give them reasons to do so in your marketing.
I get into what that means and exactly how to do it in my recent free training called Law Firm Growth Secrets (the link is at the bottom and probably somewhere on my profile).
But look, what it does NOT mean is...
- Dumping money into new software and technology
- Sponsoring or tabling at another networking event
- More client lunches and gifts
- Updating your logos or website graphics
- Or creating as much content as your team can handle
Still with me?
So, now that you have finally heard the truth of the matter...
What are you supposed to do with it?
Well, continuing in the spirit of our unfiltered honesty...
Allow me to repeat the advice we started with in the beginning that goes against everything we were ever taught in law school:
STOP Thinking Like A Lawyer.
The first step to building a wildly successful business is to start thinking like a business owner.
Which means...
Leaving behind your LIMITING identity as a "Lawyer" ...which is an invisible force that is holding your heels.
To embrace a NEW identity as an "Entrepreneur, who practices law".
Combining… ESQ + CEO
Which gives birth to a force with the power to set you free, throw wide the gates of opportunity, and power you forward.
What I’m saying here is you must think of yourself as MORE than an attorney or law firm.
You have to go beyond the law here. You have to transcend law practice itself and start to believe that you are a leader, a marketer, a communicator, and an entrepreneur just as much as you are a great counselor, barrister, and service provider.
You see a person with the ESQ mindset operates like a “Practitioner” or “Tactician”.
They approach their work saying…
- “I’m going to be the best lawyer I can be and do the deliver high quality work for my clients.”
As they should, and that's great… but that’s where it ends.
While someone with the ESQ + CEO mindset operates like a “Producer”.
This person takes the ESQ thought process a step further… where in addition to their commitment to being the best lawyer and delivering high quality work... they ask themselves questions like...
- “How can I position our firm and our brand as a leading authority in the market?”
- “How can I improve our customers’ journey and build relationships with people before they hire us?”
- “How can I make our growth consistent, systematic, and predictable?”
- “How can my team and I level up our business acumen, and deepen our knowledge and skills so we move faster and create better returns on our time, energy, and money?”
- “Where are the hidden bottlenecks, opportunities, and profit centers in this business that we haven’t discovered yet?”
- “How can I innovate inside of this industry and not only have another shop where people get contracts drafted or motions filed... but something that stands above what’s typically done?”
- “How can I ensure that this firm is here for years to come, delivering great work for clients, while empowering me to live the life I want to live.”
You see the difference in mindset here?
That’s the foundational principle behind why Practitioners play the game with limited results while Producers control the game, able to create unlimited opportunities at will.
With the ESQ + CEO mindset and perspective, you understand that being a smart and talented lawyer is only 20% of the game.
It’s not what grows your business… it’s what keeps you in business.
80% of your results depend on your ability to strategically attract, seduce, and convert people in need of your services. And your ability to do it repeatedly, iterating and improving your approach every step of the way.
You and I weren’t taught this in law school.
And you don’t hear this from the bar associations.
But look… after practicing law, then going from zero business experience to building a multi-7 figure company, and helping over 400 of the smartest, most ambitious attorneys and entrepreneurs in the world create explosive growth inside their own…
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this:
How you see the world determines what you do in the world. And the results you produce are always a direct reflection of your perspective.
I’m talking about the frameworks in your mind that silently determine every thought, decision, and choice that you make.
With that said… you have to understand this…
Until you shift into thinking and begin operating under the frameworks of a savvy business owner…
It won’t matter what your goals are, how much you want to achieve them, how much you “hustle”, what school you went to, what software and technology you use, or how much money you spend.
You will have a very hard time building the firm you want and ultimately creating the life you want.
Your limited perspective (ESQ framework) blinds you to what the path looks like to achieve your goals and from the steps that you need to take to reach them fast and predictably.
And as long as that’s the case, you will constantly get in your own way, make poor decisions, and work yourself in circles until you feel confused, alone, and frustrated by your lack of results.
Make sense?
So, what’s the ONE takeaway here and what should you do next?
Well, there’s a lot, considering we’ve barely scratched the surface on this topic here.
But let’s keep it simple:
Step 1:
Think about what you want… meaning the kind of firm you want to build and the life you want to live.
Step 2:
Ask yourself...
“Who do I need to become to get what I want?”
Step 3:
Choose your path and commit to it.
Maybe the Practitioner’s path gets you what you want… in which case, great.
Simply reaffirm your commitment and focus on being the best lawyer and delivering great work.
Or maybe it’s the Producer’s path… in which case, DECLARE to yourself:
“I will embrace the ESQ + CEO journey… I choose to evolve, step up, and play at a higher level... and I’m committed to not only play the game, but control the game, and create the results I want for both myself, my clients, my team, my family and everyone else the business will ultimately impact.”
(Or something like that…the exact wording I leave to you.)
There is absolutely nothing wrong with either path here.
And the choice is yours 100%.
What really matters right now... is that you choose – and in doing so, hold true to what you want.
Be great,
-Marc
Founder of Lawrete | Creator of Esquire Elite?
“We help attorneys build fast-growing, highly profitable law practices.”
Law Firm Growth Secrets: Click HERE to access this Free Training exposing… How to Predictably Add An Extra $100,000 to $500,000 to Your Firm’s Annual Revenue in the Next 12-18 Months… and Create the Business You Want with Maximum Profits & Freedom...
(...That Doesn't Rely On Your "Hustle", Referrals, Networking, Or Unreliable Marketing That Produces Weak Returns... Even If Today You Feel Confused, Frustrated, Or Overwhelmed by the Challenges of Client Acquisition and Managing Your Practice.)