New Year's Resolutions for Small Firm Lawyers

It's December. Eleven months ago, you made some promises to yourself known as New Year's resolutions, and if you're like most people, you probably didn't make it past July. So how can you break that trend? Easy, just make resolutions you can actually stick to.

As an attorney at a small firm, or owner of your own small firm, you're in the distinct position of being a lawyer -- and business owner; your resolutions should reflect that. Here are our top five resolutions for small firm owners -- and we promise, you can definitely stick with them for all of 2014.

1. Make Marketing a Priority

Usually, one of the goals for the new year is getting more clients and generating more revenue. And while that's a great goal, your resolution should be to take actions to achieve that goal -- the best way to do that is by making marketing a priority. Do you have a website? When was the last time it was updated? Do you blog? Is your website optimized for search? Do you send out newsletters to your clients? Ask yourself these questions and see what you can do to make marketing a priority for your firm. If you need help in this area, there's always FindLaw's Lawyer Marketing services.

2. Get Involved with the Community

Another great way to build your client base, and in turn generate more revenue, is to get more involved with your community. Whether you take on pro bono cases, volunteer at local non-profits, write for the local paper, or take on guest speaking engagements, there's lots of opportunities to give back to your community, and the community will return the favor.

3. Learn a New Skill

Face it, you would not have become a lawyer if you were not a nerd on some level. As fellow nerds, we understand that you can get bored easily. That's why you should expand your horizons and learn a new skill. Maybe you want to expand your services to include a new practice area. Go where your curiosity leads you and have fun with it.

4. Get Organized

With tax season just around the corner, if you are not already, it's time to get organized. Keep the momentum going and take your newly found organization skills and put them to practice year-long.

5. Get a Makeover

In your personal life, you probably want to shed a few pounds. You can do the same for your law firm. Take this time to trim the fat (i.e., stop wasteful practices) and make sure that you are running your firm as efficiently as possible. And while you're at it, you can give your office the much-needed makeover it deserves.

It can be discouraging to make New Year's Resolutions and not meet them. Instead, create small achievable goals, and take some time to think about how you will make them a reality. Best of luck in 2014!

Related Resources:

• Top 3 Practical New Year's Resolutions for Lawyers (FindLaw's Strategist Blog)
• New Years Resolutions (FindLaw)
• Law Firm Management Practice Guide -- Client Relations (FindLaw)