By: ED POLL//August 18, 2011//
Successful lawyers tend to work long hours and are focused and passionate about what they do. But the billable hour is only a method of accounting; it is not the reason for working long hours. Our success motivation as lawyers comes from loving what we do, from wanting to help people and from needing to take care of our families and ourselves. But in the effort to excel, made more intense by the pressure of economics, trying too hard to succeed can cause problems for lawyers who cannot see that their striving for success has become counterproductive.
So, in this context, how can lawyers become more successful in their practices? The answer lies, not in earning more money or racking up more billable hours, but in moving one’s professional life down as many of these paths as possible.
Ed Poll J.D., M.B.A., CMC is the principal of LawBiz® Management, a national law firm practice management consultancy based in Venice, California. For more information, visit his Web site www.LawBiz.com or email him at [email protected].