What Makes a Good Law Firm CEO: How to Create Successful companies

Good CEOs are the key to the success of great companies, but it is a tough job. Without proper leadership, firms don't operate to the best of their abilities, the business doesn't thrive, and, as a result, potential profit is lost.

So, what makes a successful CEO? There is no one-size-fits-all answer to the principles law firm chief executives should follow, but there are general rules of thumb. In order to be successful, a CEO must have a blend of leadership and business acumen, strategic planning, an understanding of the legal industry, and the ability to inspire and motivate staff. 

Asides from these qualities, the points which we will mention in this guide will: 

• Give a brief overview of a law firm CEO 
• Discuss 11 law firm CEO top tips to guarantee success 
• Explore what makes a great law firm CEO

Who Is a Law Firm CEO?

A law firm CEO is the highest-ranking executive of a law firm. Their job is to lead the law firm to profitability and sustainable growth. 

Accomplishing these goals requires a law firm CEO to have or adopt the mindset of a leader who cares not only about the law firm's profitability but also knows or can learn the steps necessary to achieve these goals. 

In contrast with a non-law-firm CEO, a law firm CEO is not only an executive but also a lawyer. As such, the CEO of a law firm can make effective decisions in both the financial and legal arenas.

11 Law Firm CEO Tips to Guarantee Success

1. Grow as a Leader to Grow Your Business

Do you want your law firm to grow into a profitable business? First, you must develop yourself as a leader, and continue to do so consistently. There are plenty of classes and materials that can teach you some of the basics of being a great business CEO.

Some people may be born leaders, but many must learn leadership roles. Even those with an innate ability to lead would do well spending time on the basics of leading in the business and legal worlds.

2. Demand Concrete, Accurate Data

Most companies have multiple data sources and various methods available for managing performance. 

As the CEO of a law firm, you should always demand concrete, accurate data before making decisions. This data can come from many sources, such as direct reports, financial reports, case studies, market research, or even just your own observations.

When it comes to data, more is not always better. You need to ensure that the data you're using is reliable and relevant to your decision-making process. Otherwise, you could end up making the wrong decisions for your firm.

3. Analyze

Most successful CEOs spend ample time each day analyzing many aspects of their law firm to identify areas that can be improved. Focusing periodically on firm objectives and goals will help you monitor your firm's progress toward milestones. Furthermore, employ a top-down approach that focuses on expanding your company's value and offerings. 

Some key areas to focus on include: 

• Financial performance 
• Client satisfaction 
• Employee satisfaction 
• The effectiveness of marketing and business development efforts

4. Study Core Areas to Outsource

Not all the employees in a company work in-house. Some are outsourced workers who add to the business value of the law firm. By outsourcing, in-house employees can focus their time and energy on the most important aspects of the firm while leaving the less critical tasks to the third party.

So what are the most important areas to outsource as a law firm CEO? Here are a few to consider:

• Accounting and bookkeeping
• Human resources
• Marketing
• IT support
• Administrative tasks

5. Develop Self-Control

A primary responsibility of a CEO is self-control. Why? Because a law firm CEO must make many key decisions that can affect the firm’s reputation. You don't want to go from CEO to former CEO because you made too many rash choices. When it comes to developing self-control, you can do a few things. 

What are the things that cause you to lose control? First, you need to practice self-awareness and know your triggers. Once you know your triggers, you can develop a plan to avoid or deal with them. Additionally, you need to be self-reflective. This means taking your time to evaluate and understand your thoughts and emotions. Lastly, do away with any negative leadership system and focus on creating a positive and productive work environment that can lead to a successful law firm.

6. Acquire a Specific Set of CEO Skills

Most successful CEOs of law firms are professionals who know what skills are necessary to grow their law firm. But there are some skills that CEOs should acquire that will help make them more effective leaders.

Foresight and Planning

Successful CEOs need not lose sight in order to run a law firm effectively. Foresight allows them to anticipate problems and deal with them creatively before they occur. An effective law firm CEO with self-confidence can deliver unique solutions together with the executive team that efficiently handle bumps in the road.

Flexibility

Preparation and scenario building. You can't predict the future, but you can play out scenarios that are likely to occur. Through this, you can plan how your firm will respond. Knowing which steps to take when an event does occur gives your law firm the flexibility it needs to move ahead.

Dependability

Law firms continue to get clients because they are reliable. There is no substitute for this essential trait. The law firm CEO can foster this reliability in every move they make. If you're considering a lawyer as CEO of a law firm, look for reliability. By carefully serving metrics and performance reports, potential issues can be averted before they become problems.

Ability to Work Within Teams

The best CEOs of law firms take time to assemble their teams after considering many potential employees. They know that team dynamics will determine how efficiently the law firm will run. As such, they set the parameters for hiring as they see necessary for the firm's best interests. You can also incorporate team building, which involves collaborative work, periodically to improve interpersonal relationship among team members.

Ethics

The legal profession is a respectful one. As you discover how to be a successful CEO, you'll find that maintaining this respect is not accomplished simply by winning large settlements. There's a manner in which lawyers should behave toward clients and others to keep the legal profession respectable.

7. Learn From Things That Went Wrong

When you're learning how to be a good CEO, instead of moving on from a bad situation, take the time to analyze every aspect of the occurrence to determine the root cause. Doing so is especially helpful for small business owners who may not be able to absorb as many negative blows as a larger law firm.

8. Focus on the Big Picture

As the leader of your firm, you should have a clear vision for the future, which requires you to focus on the big picture.

As the law firm's CEO, it is essential always to know the destinations and goals of your law firm. The business will eventually suffer and stagnate without knowing where the firm should be headed and what smaller goals it should accomplish. 

9. Understand the Four Financial Statements

A law firm CEO's job is to make sure the law firm is financially healthy. This requires them to know and fully understand the four financial statements, each of which encapsulates a key aspect of a law firm's financial performance.

Profit and Loss: Profit and loss statements are like conclusions. The numbers on these statements tell you whether your firm is running in the red or the black and where.

Balance Sheet: As the CEO of a law firm, you should regularly study your firm's balance sheet. There, you will find a listing of all of the firm's assets and liabilities and built-up equity. Like most law firms, most of your assets are likely mostly cash. And your list of liabilities probably includes the following:

• Accrued payroll
• Payroll taxes
• Revolving debt
• Loans

Constant monitoring of your balance sheet will help you plan for the future and keep liabilities in check.

Statement of Cash Flow: Cash flow shows the path of all the monies that your firm takes in. The cash must go somewhere when your firm receives payment for services or other reasons. As the law firm's CEO, regularly checking the cash flow statements will keep you abreast of when money comes into your firm and where it goes.

The cash flow statement differs from the profit-loss statement in key aspects. Check out this Harvard Business Review article for more information on the differences between the two.

Accounts Receivable Aging Statement: The information in this statement is vital to any law firm CEO interested in assessing their firm's economic strength. 

The statement contains information regarding payments you are owed, including how much and who owes them. It also tells you when the payments became due and other pertinent information.

The beauty of these types of statements is their ability to demonstrate where payment problems lie. Sometimes, a payment issue may be caused by a client with solvency issues, or the problem may be due to the relaxing standards regarding payment deadlines.

10. Managing, Not Doing

For some reason, many CEOs of law firms and other businesses, in general, tend to want to do it all or a lot of whatever it is they are supervising. However, when there's a competent team in place to handle a particular task or obligation, there's no need for the law firm CEO to do anything but manage.

It's all about delegation. Suppose you are interested in learning how to be the best CEO of a law firm. In that case, you'll never forget the delegation of jobs and duties. Delegating work requires you to be a confident business leader with strong communication skills. Those to whom you delegate tasks need firm guidance from a leader in charge.

11. CEOs Serve Other People

The title of CEO shows you are the most important in the law firm. But good chief executives know they are not the most important person in the company- their employees are. CEOs are not just leaders of their companies but also 'servants of their employees.' A good leader recognizes that their employees may be the smartest people in the room, and a great strategy is to prioritize the needs of others before their own and use their power to benefit others. 

A legal CEO sets the tone for the company and its culture. Successful CEOs support and guide their employees, helping them navigate their careers and grow within the law firm. They lead by example and show their employees they are committed to the company's success.

What Makes a Great Law Firm CEO?

There are many ways to answer this question.

1. A great law firm CEO must also have a clear and achievable vision for the firm's future and be able to articulate that vision to the rest of the firm. 
2. The CEO must be able to make tough decisions and see them throug.
3. They must be able to inspire and motivate others.
4. They must be able to communicate the firm's direction to all the board members and employees clearly.
5. They can manage and control the firm's finances and maximize market share.
6. They must be able to build a strong leadership team and delegate tasks.
7. A good law firm CEO must handle adversity and keep the firm moving despite challenges.
8. They can increase shareholder value.

If you are interested in taking your law firm to the next level, keep these tips for CEOs in mind. If you follow the right CEO advice, you may choose to be the CEO of your law firm instead of just the head lawyer. 

What makes a successful CEO? High-performing CEOs know when they need a partner. Grow Law Firm is a premiere high-performance digital marketing company ready to help you take your law firm to the next level of profitability and sustainable growth. Contact our office today for a consultation.