You’ve been a lawyer for more than a few years and you’re good at what you do. So good, you could do most of your job in your sleep.
You know the forms to use and the words to say. You know the best places to park at the courthouse. You know the judges and other lawyers, and they know you.
Your job has become routine. Easy. Life is good.
Don’t get too comfortable. Before you know it, some rookie lawyer will come along and eat your lunch.
They may not know what you know or be able to do what you can do, but they’re fresh and hungry. Everything is new and exciting. They’ve got energy and drive and something to prove.
And let’s not forget that they have been using computers since pre-school.
If you’re not careful, as their practice grows, you may see yours diminish.
But you can stay ahead of them by re-inventing yourself and your practice. Become a new lawyer again. Look at everything with fresh eyes.
Imagine that you have just opened your doors and you don’t have any clients. Get hustling and bring some in before the end of the month.
Take classes in your practice area and also in practice areas you know nothing about. Take classes in business, marketing, sales, writing, and speaking.
Take some cases you’ve never handled before. Find another lawyer to associate with you or mentor you.
Start over, from scratch, and build your practice again.
In the military, for a day or for a week, a unit will periodically stand down and review all of their operations. You should do the same thing. Examine all of your office management procedures and forms, look for holes that need to be patched, find expenses that can be reduced or eliminated, and processes that can be improved.
Do the same thing with your marketing. Find ways to make it better. Eliminate things that aren’t working, do more of  the things that are, and find new ways to bring in business you’ve never tried before.
Examine every piece of paper in your office and every electron in your computer. Resolve to get organized, eliminate clutter, and streamline your workflow.
And from this day forward, do something new every week. New ideas, new projects, new people, will keep you fresh and alert and sharp and open new doors for you.
Get excited about the future you are about to create and then go eat someone else’s lunch.
Get your marketing plan here
