Blogs
When to Hire a Fractional CFO or COO for Your Law Firm
Most firms bring in a fractional CFO about a year after they need one. The signs were there the whole time. They just looked like ordinary problems: a tight month, a tense comp meeting, a budget that never quite made it across the finish line. Here's the short answer....
Red Flags to Watch for When Searching for a Fractional CFO for Your Law Firm
I was scrolling through LinkedIn this week and came across someone calling themselves a fractional CFO for law firms. I clicked through, because I always do. Their law firm experience was administrative. Good work, important work, but not the work of a CFO. They had...
It’s Not Your Fault: Why Great Attorneys Struggle to Run Growing Firms
You spent years learning how to practice law. Nobody spent a single semester teaching you how to run a law firm. My favorite movie has a scene where one character says four words to another, over and over, until they finally sink in: it's not your fault. I think about...
How to Create a Budget for Your Law Firm (That Your Partners Will Actually Use)
Most growing law firms build next year's budget by taking this year's numbers and adding five percent. That is not a budget. It is a forecast of doing the same thing again. Budgeting is the most common reason a managing partner calls me. And it is almost never just...
The Difference Between Managing and Leading Your Law Firm (and Why It Matters)
Management keeps the firm running this week. Leadership decides what the firm will become in three years. Most growing law firms have plenty of the first and very little of the second, and that gap, not the market and not the competition, is what stalls them. I see it...
5 Common Mistakes that Growing Law Firms Make — And How Effective Leadership Can Fix Them
Growth is exciting. It represents the reward for years of work, persistence, and strong client service. But growth without the right structure can quickly become overwhelming. Profit margins shrink, operations strain, and attorneys burn out. Even worse, clients start...
Building a Scalable Law Firm: How to Prepare for Growth
Growth is exciting, but without the right foundation, it can become overwhelming. Successful scaling means more than just acquiring new clients or hiring new personnel; it requires a clear understanding of financial aspects, strategy, incentives, and infrastructure....
Why a Bad System Will Always Beat a Good Person: How Inefficiency Holds Your Firm Back
In the fast-paced legal world, talent alone isn't enough to ensure success. Even the most skilled attorneys and dedicated staff can be held back by inefficient systems. While hard work and commitment are crucial, they can’t overcome the problems created by outdated or...
What the Big 4’s Entry into US Legal Markets Means for Traditional Law Firms
The legal industry in the United States is undergoing a major transformation, driven by regulatory changes and the growing overlap between technology, finance, and legal services. A key development in this shift is KPMG’s recent approval to provide legal services in...