‘It is acknowledged that attorneys are not trained as managers and prefer to do what they are trained to do and enjoy doing, i.e. practice law. Given the current economic climate however, practitioners need to spend more time on managing their practices. What then should practitioners do? The sustainability and profitability of the firm demands that fundamental business processes and principles are applied.
These principles and processes are not new. As each practice will differ depending on its service activities, its geographical situation, its size and its human and financial capital resources, it is essential to understand and identify the components that are to be managed.’
The above paragraph is an excerpt from an article written by Vincent Faris, a Management Consultant, Forensic CA and Auditor and speaker at the inaugural Practice Management for Attorneys 2015, presented by the Law Society of South Africa, which will be held on 19 & 20 August 2015 at Bytes Conference Centre in Midrand, Johannesburg.
The keynote speaker at the conference, Sean Larkan, an international practice management expert based in Australia, echoes the same sentiments in his comments about why practice management is so important:
‘[Attorneys must] realise that success in law in the future will be about being a lot more than being a lawyer – it will be about being a good business person too, which is really common sense in many respects. It will not be about churning out work – there will be a lot more to it than that. It is not too dramatic or radical, just a bit different to just being a lawyer! Those that understand this (and many around the world have and do) and develop their own personal or firm strategies around what has to be done are going to succeed and do very well.’
To hear more from Vincent and Sean, plus many other leading attorneys, attend the Practice Management Conference and receive practical advice and information on how to grow your practice, succession planning, marketing and client relationship management strategies, financial and trust account management, pricing, billing and debt collection methods, leadership and strategic change management and the latest technology trends impacting legal firms.
Other speakers include Piet Faber, CEO, ENSafrica, Lizette Snelgar, HR Director, Webber Wentzel, Baitseng Rangata, CEO, Maponya Inc., Derrick Kaufmann, Director, Kampel Kaufmann Attorneys, David Swartz, Director, Phillip Silver and Associates, Alan Levy, Director, Alan Levy Attorneys, Chris Christodoulou, Managing Director, Christodoulou & Mavrikis Inc., Robyn Hey, Owner, HWD Attorneys Inc., Sizwe Snail ka Mtuze, Partner, Snail Attorneys and many more.
The conference takes place in just over three weeks’ time. For more information on the conference and to register, please visit www.yourlegalpractice.co.za or call Ros Hinchcliffe on 011 470 2930 or email ros@yourlegalpractice.co.za
