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Onward and upward

Published on January 24, 2008 by Donna Seale

I’m feeling very energized these days.  And this is so even though it’s a seemingly never-ending minus 6000 outside and Monday was apparently the most depressing day of the year.  Why am I feeling this way?  Last week was a really good one.

On January 17, I was one of the presenters of the "Conducting Impartial Investigations: Essential Skills" course put on by the Law Society of Manitoba (see my earlier post on this course here).  Not only was the course wildly popular (within days, it was not only at capacity but we had a waiting list for another complete course), but, by all accounts I’ve received so far, it was very successful.  It’s a great feeling to be a part of something that people find valuable.  This was a new venture for the Law Society as it was the first time a course had been designed and marketed primarily for non-lawyers who conduct investigations on a regular basis.  Because of its popularity, we’ll be looking at setting up a session in the spring.  Stay tuned. 

The very next day, January 18, I was back at the Law Society, this time as an attendee of the session "Minding Your Own Business: 2nd Annual Forum on Solo & Small Firm Practice."  Although the second annual, this is the first time I had attended as, prior to starting my own company in 2006, I practiced primarily in medium-sized firms.  I thought this course would be useful and it did not disappoint.  This is largely due to the wealth of knowledge and tips shared by local lawyers and panelists Barney Christianson, Q.C., Martin Gutnik and Robert McCulloch and guest presenter David Bilinsky from the Law Society of British Columbia.  David also happens to be a fellow law blogger.  His blog is called Thoughtful Legal Management, and is a must-read for lawyers, in my view.   It was great to have the opportunity to meet David and to hear him speak.  Those rumours I had previously heard that he was an informative and entertaining speaker turned out to be very true. I want to extend a thank you to Karen Dyck, Competence Counsel at the Law Society for putting together such a fine program.

While last Friday’s speakers were fabulous, I also met some really nice and interesting solo and small firm practitioners as well.  That was an added bonus.

What I found particularly useful coming out of the forum, though, was the general sharing of ideas about what creative and innovative ways solos and small firms can use to compete in the marketplace.  Operating a solo business in a niche area of the law like I do, it’s sometimes hard to know if the way you are running your business is as good as it could be.  Client feedback is the biggest measure (and I’m very thankful for the positive feedback my clients have given me!) but it is nice to get validation from those in your profession as well.  Many of the measures that the panel recommended solos and small firms implement are ones which I have incorporated into my business:

• having thorough intake meetings with clients to determine what type of service they need, the level of service they want and to inform them of the value that I can provide;
• developing fee agreements which set out in detail what has been agreed to in the intake meetings;
• offering value-based fees.  Over the past year, I have moved away from charging my clients on an hourly basis.  My clients aren’t hiring my time; they are hiring me for my knowledge and experience and the level of service I provide.  In most instances, because of the extensive information gathering I do during my intake meetings I am able to assess the value of what the client wants and provide them with a fixed value-based fee for my services before I start the work.  Since implementing this change I have received nothing but high praise from my clients;
• implementing and using client satisfaction surveys.  I constantly strive to provide the highest level of satisfaction to my clients and getting feedback from them on a regular basis allows me to consistently do that;
• start a weblog.  By far, this is the most important step I have taken for my business since its inception.  It has provided me with a platform to share my thoughts and ideas about human rights law as it affects the Canadian workplace and it allows me to easily keep my clients updated on legal issues and decisions which are important for them to know about.  My readership now extends across Canada and around the world.  While, as far as I am aware, I am the only Manitoba lawyer who is blogging, based on the interest expressed by other participants at the forum when they found out I maintain a law blog, I imagine I won’t be the only one for long! 

So…..this is why I’m feeling so energized these days.  I love what I do.  I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished so far for my business and my clients and I am looking ahead to the future with tremendous excitement.  I hope you’ll continue joining me for the ride.  Onward and upward!

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1. National Magazine & me? Who would have thunk it!

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