I drafted a significant part of our law firm’s strategic plan years ago. That gave me a license to put into it things I thought we should be doing, and then hope they were not taken out.

Here is an example of one that stayed in the plan. Given our firm history, I was surprised that we actually started to implement it. To me, this is a no brainer and requires little time and expense.

 Best Practices.

Each of our lawyers has experience in developing and strengthening relationships with clients. Up until now, we have not captured those “best practices” and made them available to all of our lawyers.

By the third quarter of this year, we will establish categories of “best practices” in client relations. Lawyers will be encouraged to contribute examples of their “best practices”. Each annual shareholder retreat will include a breakout session to identify and brainstorm “best practices” in client service and client relations.

We will also regularly include “best practices” in discussions during our quarterly all-associate lunches.