Culture, Culture, And More Culture: A Recipe for Thriving Environments

During the past 10 years, I've learned firsthand several culture-improving tips in helping start and grow a 'new breed of law firm' where the aim was to sell person-centered service and innovation instead of mere time. Below is a starter kit of seven 'cultural flashpoints' law firms can better address to bring about a more soulful ' and therefore more sustainable ' approach to their legal services.

Invest in People, Not Offices

The new law firm of today thinks about how to break down barriers between attorneys and staff, not create them. The private office suites common within historic law firms are impressive, yes, but what do their great expense, size, and isolation communicate to others?

Let's face it: Clients can judge a law firm's 'service' approach before even meeting a lawyer simply by interactions with administrative and staff members. What is most impressive to clients is whether they feel welcomed and appreciated by the entire firm from day one, not the size of the office or the art on the wall.

If a prospective client gets a 'sense' from staff that the firm is trustworthy and a great place to work, it speaks volumes more than a nice brochure. Allocate real dollars to this and make sure staff believe in what you are accomplishing together, not what they are doing after work.

Have a Plan, Not a Mortgage

It's hard to believe in a law firm that doesn't have a plan beyond this month's or this year's numbers. What do you stand for, and is it articulated into values? What do you want the outside world to think about you, and is it the same as what you reward?

While recent strides have been made in this area for all sizes and shapes of legal services, most firms still struggle with planning simply because it is hard work coming up with a firm-wide plan, as opposed to a short-term plan that helps the partners pay their mortgages. But you can't expect employees, associates, and others to believe in a place they know nothing about. Younger, growing firms have a tremendous opportunity to involve staff at all levels in planning processes, improving upon the practices at older law firms sometimes rooted more in legacy, tradition, and habit than modern business. The real chance to engage various practice areas and cross-fertilize ideas can be highly transformational. Take legal marketing, for instance, an area that midsized firms have helped reinvigorate after trying new things and finding they sometimes work.

Clients, too, can't be expected to understand what you are about and what you want to become, unless you talk with them about it. Law is more than a collection of hours strung together in hope of a good result. It should be a higher calling and a service to the community. What's your version?

Do Diversity Now

Go ahead and admit what you don't know and be willing to take chances. A diverse workforce is not built for free and certainly doesn't happen accidentally. It is hard work trying to understand someone who grew up differently than you did and who relates to clients differently than you do. That doesn't mean he or she isn't a great lawyer with tons of potential.

Moreover, diversity is much more than simply the right thing to do. It's amazing how it breeds strong office culture, which in turn breeds excellence and innovation with clients. There are increasing reports of corporations factoring diversity into their law firm hiring and retention strategies. It's an issue resonating with clients and those outside the profession. In that way, diversity can be about rich communities and client service, and in the end it can lead to a competitive advantage and trustworthiness. So don't wait. Get it done.

Reward Selfless Behavior, Not Ego

Do you have $1 million of business and treat staff and associates without respect? It only takes one partner and one day to destroy years of progress, despite all your good efforts. As that sort of implosion has happened at established large firms, it can certainly happen within younger midsized firms.

Be careful not to create monsters supporting the 'greedy, arrogant law firm' persona already well understood by most people. This occurs not only when firms improperly hire and manage, but also in the way they funnel resources. Too many conventional compensation practices (monetary and nonmonetary) convey the wrong message and need to be rethought. Take, for instance, the concept of origination credits. Some firms have struck cultural gold by stopping 'perpetual origination' and rewarding the origination of work only in certain instances or not at all. After all, it's not about who brought in the file. It's about if it is being looked after diligently and whether or not a team of service is being created around the client.

Law firms today must regularly exhibit transparent behavior and ethics especially when it comes to leaders who set the tone at the top. If you wouldn't do it in front of a client, or wouldn't want your best client to know about it, then don't do it. The firm will almost certainly pay a price. If you want a firm that people ' inside and outside the law firm ' trust and stick with, you need to earn it, and act accordingly. Surprisingly, you will not only sleep better at night, but your firm will make more money, too.

Fine ' Talk About Money

The new law firm of today is not in 'la la land' concerning profitability. To the contrary, having a positive culture is largely about having a successful business long term. So keep talking about economic goals, partner compensation 'tiers,' and whatever else will keep you communicating about your reward system, and then talk some more. The more communication the better, as long as it fits with the rest of the picture. A compensation system that doesn't mirror the values and goals of the firm is not a compensation system that works, at least long term.

The findings may surprise you. Some firms, for instance, may find that attorneys are less money focused, and crave benefits related to flexibility or life balance. Other firms may find a strong interest in a specific benefit they hadn't considered before. The only way to learn is to get it all out on the table.

It's About the Client

People, including clients, want more value. Look for specific ways to methodically tap into this sentiment, including direct client communication over service expectations or client surveys covering key perspectives. Marketing research has long been the starting point for corporate marketing strategies, but for some reason has largely escaped the law firm setting.

Can you return client phone calls immediately or offer alternate contacts who are informed of their situation when the primary point person is not available? How do you use associates? This takes teamwork and communication, but also an intentional system of standard operating procedures.

Don't forget that many clients today practiced with private firms for years. They know the routine, and many left for a reason ' their value system did not match that of the law firm. If nothing else, the emerging and successful midsized corporate law firm of today is capturing that sentiment and changing things around. Make sure your firm is one of those firms, and you will be happy knowing that you are performing a client service that is needed and valued, and sustainable as well.

Get a Career Path, Not a To-Do List

Every professional needs a career path, and it's never too early or late to start. After all, the number one reason associates leave firms is due to the lack of career planning. No matter where you are in the organization, do you know what is expected of you and how you can improve? Are you feeling undervalued or overused? If so, it is essential that you talk to the firm and figure it out, making sure you're being invested in and staying thoughtful about your talents at every stage of the game. Midsized firms should want to address this issue head-on, offering something larger firms seem to struggle with.

The business of law is not about making partner. While a meaningful goal, making partner is simply an indication of progress in the business of perfecting your skills and serving clients. More important is what you do next week, next year, and the year after that. If you don't have an agreement with your law firm about that, you need one.

Support Technology, But Remember Who Made Whom

It's no secret that technology is rapidly advancing, offering a competitive equalizer for midsized firms able to efficiently transform their systems. But it also creates an important opportunity to enhance the lives and careers of law firm employees. Smaller and midsized firms preaching flexibility as a workplace advantage, for instance, can take advantage of today's state-of-the-art Web and video conferencing capabilities for remote and home-based setups.

Just make sure to support it with proper overhead and technical expertise before you wind up in 'virtual insanity.' And remember that technology should support culture, not the reverse. The closeness and cohesion you've worked so hard to build through other means can be easily cut off by sometimes cold and distant conferencing styles. 'Early adopters' who make this kind of technology investment are wise to be especially intentional in finding channels for employees to meaningfully interact with one another and get on the same page.

Look to Change

The importance of having a vibrant workplace can be understood by realizing that a static culture is a devolving culture. There is no such thing as permanent law firm cultural nirvana, just meaningful celebrations along the way. While it sounds silly, it's the journey that counts, not the destination. Take risks and explore options that keep you and your colleagues open to new people, new clients, and new ideas. Restoring the trust of law firms among a skeptical public ' and increasingly uncertain profession ' means reinventing the practice of law, something that starts not with old policies and practices, but rather individual commitment and an ongoing and obsessive personal passion to change things for the better.

Keith Halleland is founder and shareholder of Minneapolis-based Halleland Lewis Nilan & Johnson, P.A., where he co-chairs the health law practice and is founder of the firm's affiliated consulting company, Halleland Health Consulting. He can be reached at [email protected].

Numerous adjectives are used to describe the average law firm today ' good, bad, or otherwise. But somehow I don't ever hear 'vibrant' on the list. Why?

Aren't a law firm's heart, spirit, and culture important? Sure, modern law firms have a splendid holiday parties, recognize our birthdays, and even celebrate litigation victories or completed projects; but I'm talking about the day-by-day interactions and understandings that make a firm a unified organization instead of a bunch of lone rangers advancing individual agendas. Do you think of people or projects when you reflect on your law firm? And if the latter, is it a positive connotation?

Luckily, there are signs that tomorrow's successful law firms will be more team-focused and culturally incisive. For starters, there's the growing practice of legal services buyers 'pinpointing' specialized or localized firms, often expanding their stable of firms on retainer to ensure the best fit, not just any fit. Or how about the cracks starting to show within law firms that use traditional management models where people are valued hierarchically. Consider the reports from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and elsewhere: Partners are no longer valued for making the inner circle, only for proving their weight through productivity and profitability. Associates are second-guessing billability-focused careers and quitting at rates never before seen. Even prospective lawyers seem disenchanted, evidenced by this year's drop in law school applications. In short, the conventional approach where associates compete with colleagues for partner ' a law firm's holy grail ' is wearing thin.

During the past 10 years, I've learned firsthand several culture-improving tips in helping start and grow a 'new breed of law firm' where the aim was to sell person-centered service and innovation instead of mere time. Below is a starter kit of seven 'cultural flashpoints' law firms can better address to bring about a more soulful ' and therefore more sustainable ' approach to their legal services.

Invest in People, Not Offices

The new law firm of today thinks about how to break down barriers between attorneys and staff, not create them. The private office suites common within historic law firms are impressive, yes, but what do their great expense, size, and isolation communicate to others?

Let's face it: Clients can judge a law firm's 'service' approach before even meeting a lawyer simply by interactions with administrative and staff members. What is most impressive to clients is whether they feel welcomed and appreciated by the entire firm from day one, not the size of the office or the art on the wall.

If a prospective client gets a 'sense' from staff that the firm is trustworthy and a great place to work, it speaks volumes more than a nice brochure. Allocate real dollars to this and make sure staff believe in what you are accomplishing together, not what they are doing after work.

Have a Plan, Not a Mortgage

It's hard to believe in a law firm that doesn't have a plan beyond this month's or this year's numbers. What do you stand for, and is it articulated into values? What do you want the outside world to think about you, and is it the same as what you reward?

While recent strides have been made in this area for all sizes and shapes of legal services, most firms still struggle with planning simply because it is hard work coming up with a firm-wide plan, as opposed to a short-term plan that helps the partners pay their mortgages. But you can't expect employees, associates, and others to believe in a place they know nothing about. Younger, growing firms have a tremendous opportunity to involve staff at all levels in planning processes, improving upon the practices at older law firms sometimes rooted more in legacy, tradition, and habit than modern business. The real chance to engage various practice areas and cross-fertilize ideas can be highly transformational. Take legal marketing, for instance, an area that midsized firms have helped reinvigorate after trying new things and finding they sometimes work.

Clients, too, can't be expected to understand what you are about and what you want to become, unless you talk with them about it. Law is more than a collection of hours strung together in hope of a good result. It should be a higher calling and a service to the community. What's your version?

Do Diversity Now

Go ahead and admit what you don't know and be willing to take chances. A diverse workforce is not built for free and certainly doesn't happen accidentally. It is hard work trying to understand someone who grew up differently than you did and who relates to clients differently than you do. That doesn't mean he or she isn't a great lawyer with tons of potential.

Moreover, diversity is much more than simply the right thing to do. It's amazing how it breeds strong office culture, which in turn breeds excellence and innovation with clients. There are increasing reports of corporations factoring diversity into their law firm hiring and retention strategies. It's an issue resonating with clients and those outside the profession. In that way, diversity can be about rich communities and client service, and in the end it can lead to a competitive advantage and trustworthiness. So don't wait. Get it done.

Reward Selfless Behavior, Not Ego

Do you have $1 million of business and treat staff and associates without respect? It only takes one partner and one day to destroy years of progress, despite all your good efforts. As that sort of implosion has happened at established large firms, it can certainly happen within younger midsized firms.

Be careful not to create monsters supporting the 'greedy, arrogant law firm' persona already well understood by most people. This occurs not only when firms improperly hire and manage, but also in the way they funnel resources. Too many conventional compensation practices (monetary and nonmonetary) convey the wrong message and need to be rethought. Take, for instance, the concept of origination credits. Some firms have struck cultural gold by stopping 'perpetual origination' and rewarding the origination of work only in certain instances or not at all. After all, it's not about who brought in the file. It's about if it is being looked after diligently and whether or not a team of service is being created around the client.

Law firms today must regularly exhibit transparent behavior and ethics especially when it comes to leaders who set the tone at the top. If you wouldn't do it in front of a client, or wouldn't want your best client to know about it, then don't do it. The firm will almost certainly pay a price. If you want a firm that people ' inside and outside the law firm ' trust and stick with, you need to earn it, and act accordingly. Surprisingly, you will not only sleep better at night, but your firm will make more money, too.

Fine ' Talk About Money

The new law firm of today is not in 'la la land' concerning profitability. To the contrary, having a positive culture is largely about having a successful business long term. So keep talking about economic goals, partner compensation 'tiers,' and whatever else will keep you communicating about your reward system, and then talk some more. The more communication the better, as long as it fits with the rest of the picture. A compensation system that doesn't mirror the values and goals of the firm is not a compensation system that works, at least long term.

The findings may surprise you. Some firms, for instance, may find that attorneys are less money focused, and crave benefits related to flexibility or life balance. Other firms may find a strong interest in a specific benefit they hadn't considered before. The only way to learn is to get it all out on the table.

It's About the Client

People, including clients, want more value. Look for specific ways to methodically tap into this sentiment, including direct client communication over service expectations or client surveys covering key perspectives. Marketing research has long been the starting point for corporate marketing strategies, but for some reason has largely escaped the law firm setting.

Can you return client phone calls immediately or offer alternate contacts who are informed of their situation when the primary point person is not available? How do you use associates? This takes teamwork and communication, but also an intentional system of standard operating procedures.

Don't forget that many clients today practiced with private firms for years. They know the routine, and many left for a reason ' their value system did not match that of the law firm. If nothing else, the emerging and successful midsized corporate law firm of today is capturing that sentiment and changing things around. Make sure your firm is one of those firms, and you will be happy knowing that you are performing a client service that is needed and valued, and sustainable as well.

Get a Career Path, Not a To-Do List

Every professional needs a career path, and it's never too early or late to start. After all, the number one reason associates leave firms is due to the lack of career planning. No matter where you are in the organization, do you know what is expected of you and how you can improve? Are you feeling undervalued or overused? If so, it is essential that you talk to the firm and figure it out, making sure you're being invested in and staying thoughtful about your talents at every stage of the game. Midsized firms should want to address this issue head-on, offering something larger firms seem to struggle with.

The business of law is not about making partner. While a meaningful goal, making partner is simply an indication of progress in the business of perfecting your skills and serving clients. More important is what you do next week, next year, and the year after that. If you don't have an agreement with your law firm about that, you need one.

Support Technology, But Remember Who Made Whom

It's no secret that technology is rapidly advancing, offering a competitive equalizer for midsized firms able to efficiently transform their systems. But it also creates an important opportunity to enhance the lives and careers of law firm employees. Smaller and midsized firms preaching flexibility as a workplace advantage, for instance, can take advantage of today's state-of-the-art Web and video conferencing capabilities for remote and home-based setups.

Just make sure to support it with proper overhead and technical expertise before you wind up in 'virtual insanity.' And remember that technology should support culture, not the reverse. The closeness and cohesion you've worked so hard to build through other means can be easily cut off by sometimes cold and distant conferencing styles. 'Early adopters' who make this kind of technology investment are wise to be especially intentional in finding channels for employees to meaningfully interact with one another and get on the same page.

Look to Change

The importance of having a vibrant workplace can be understood by realizing that a static culture is a devolving culture. There is no such thing as permanent law firm cultural nirvana, just meaningful celebrations along the way. While it sounds silly, it's the journey that counts, not the destination. Take risks and explore options that keep you and your colleagues open to new people, new clients, and new ideas. Restoring the trust of law firms among a skeptical public ' and increasingly uncertain profession ' means reinventing the practice of law, something that starts not with old policies and practices, but rather individual commitment and an ongoing and obsessive personal passion to change things for the better.

Keith Halleland is founder and shareholder of Minneapolis-based Halleland Lewis Nilan & Johnson, P.A., where he co-chairs the health law practice and is founder of the firm's affiliated consulting company, Halleland Health Consulting. He can be reached at [email protected].