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

Good CEOs are the backbone of successful companies. However, the role of a chief executive officer is far from easy, especially in the complex and ever-evolving legal industry. Law firms struggle to operate at their peak performance without effective leadership, hindering growth and profitability.

So, what sets successful law firm CEOs apart from the rest? While there's no magic formula, there are certain principles for success. A great CEO must possess a harmonious blend of leadership and business acumen, strategic planning, a deep understanding of law firm management and the legal industry, and the ability to inspire and motivate their team. 

In this guide, we will give a brief overview of the role of law firm CEO, discuss 12 top tips for guaranteeing success, and explore what makes a great law firm CEO. Furthermore, industry experts like Michael Alder and Eda Rosa have shared their invaluable insights on what it takes to be a successful law firm CEO. On the Grow Law Firm podcast series, Michael Alder has shared tips on running a law firm and Eda Rosa has shared valuable insights on building a winning team.

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.

12 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

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5. Develop Self-Control

As a law firm CEO, it's essential to have self-control and avoid making impulsive decisions that can negatively impact the firm's reputation. Developing self-control, practicing self-awareness, and knowing your triggers are important. Once you're aware of your triggers, you can create a plan to avoid or deal with them. Self-reflection and taking the time to evaluate and understand your thoughts and emotions is crucial.

Discipline is key to achieving success in any aspect of life. It is also important to be mindful of how you spend your time and resources and not make excuses for why you can't do something.

Alder's approach to self-discipline is a great example for law firm CEOs. Make self-control and discipline one of the law firm's strategic priorities to guide you in making better decisions while managing your time more effectively, and creating a positive and productive work environment. This, in turn, can lead to a successful business that thrives in the long term.

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 their executive team to 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.

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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. Extra Tip from Mike Alder: CEOs Serve Other People

The title of CEO shows your importance in the law firm. But good CEOs know their employees are most important. CEOs are leaders and 'servants' to employees. A good leader recognizes that employees may be smarter and prioritizes their needs over their own, using power to benefit others.

A legal CEO sets the firm's tone and culture. Successful CEOs support and guide employees, helping them grow. They lead by example, showing commitment to company success.

Mike Alder also emphasizes the importance of having no ego and being willing to help others without looking over their shoulder to see who the next person they can step on to get to the next person. He encourages CEOs to take a step back, do what they can, help somebody, and do it repeatedly. He also stresses the importance of thanking someone, being pleasant, really appreciating someone, writing them a personal note, and helping them however you can.

12. Advice from Eda Rosa: Build a Results-Driven Team

Establishing a results-driven team is a crucial component of creating a successful legal practice. This approach emphasizes the importance of focusing on your team members and overcoming any existing miscommunications or inefficiencies within the firm.

You need to recognize that your staff, particularly paralegals, are integral to the firm's operations and client service. Rather than viewing them as mere "support staff," you should empower them as true partners, involving them in strategic decision-making and equipping them with the necessary tools and training to collaborate effectively with attorneys.

The key is to align your team's collective vision with the overarching "dream" of the firm, whether that's to become a nationwide, multi-office powerhouse or to maintain a boutique, client-focused practice.

You should also need to establish clear processes and communication channels. You can cultivate a results-driven, collaborative culture that drives sustainable growth by involving your team in the process and addressing any existing bottlenecks or pain points.

Increasing Law Firm Revenue with Eda Rosa, Founder of Eda Rosa LLC

In this episode, Eda Rosa discusses the importance of having highly optimized internal processes and proper communication between team members in law firms. She stresses that firms often miss the mark when scaling up because they don't effectively communicate changes to staff and get inputs from those implementing new processes. Rosa asserts that focusing on staff as "dream builders" is key, and ensuring they have the right tools, training, and resources maximizes productivity and boosts revenue. With optimized operations and cohesive teams, law firms can sustain growth according to the unique vision of each lawyer.

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Eda Rosa

Founder of Eda Rosa LLC

Eda Rosa is a highly experienced paralegal and legal professional development trainer who founded Eda Rosa LLC, a paralegal service and legal professional development training company. With over 20 years of experience, Eda has worked with attorneys nationwide, delivering high-quality support and helping firms save millions of dollars with her operational management analysis plans.

Eda's expertise has allowed her to support portfolios with the best possible outcomes within the confines of the law. She is also the host of the Let's Talk Paralegal podcast and author of the Let's Talk Paralegal book. Eda is a member of the Lean In Organization and Namati Global Legal Empowerment Network, and she is dedicated to training legal professionals and spreading her knowledge to make a positive impact in the world.

Learn How to Thrive as a Law Firm CEO with Insights from Mike Alder in the Podcast Series

Mike Alder shares invaluable guidance for law firm CEOs in his podcast series. Through insightful interviews and discussions, Alder unveils strategies for developing rock-solid habits, mindsets, and routines to help thrive above the competition. CEOs learn how focusing inward on personal growth and discipline can ultimately lift their entire firm to new heights of success. The episodes provide actionable advice and tools perfectly suited for leaders seeking an enduring advantage.

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Mike Alder

Founder of AlderLaw

Mike Adler is a top trial attorney and owner of AlderLaw, a leading Los Angeles firm representing plaintiffs in personal injury, business torts, and employment litigation cases. He is known for his unwavering commitment to his clients and dedication to pursuing justice. As an underdog advocate, Adler takes pride in being personally involved in every case his firm takes on and has earned a reputation for achieving significant settlements and verdicts.

He is also a well-renowned speaker and published author on trial strategy. He is dedicated to supporting other trial attorneys, maintaining a 9,000-deposition database and an expert witness directory that he provides to up-and-coming lawyers at no charge.

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 through.
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.