Edge International

Insights

Strategy Day

Strategy Day

Like any well-managed law firm, you have a strategy. It was written after a lengthy process, perhaps assisted by an outside consultant. Partners wordsmithed it for hours, then approved it for your executive to implement. But like the merchandise on the bottom shelf, that strategy has been gathering some dust. Perhaps it has been overlooked for some shiny new object, like a prize lateral or client.

If you are a firm leader, try this brief test. Stop a random partner, other than a leader, and ask them these two questions:

  1. Can you describe one of our strategic goals?
  2. What measurement would you use to know if you helped achieve a strategic goal?

Most partners might refer to billed hours or increased originations. While those measures tell you something about the past results of strategy, they do not tell you about progress on an active forward-looking strategy. In short, we often work hard on writing the strategy, but ease up on implementation. Some other reasons that strategic plans falter are:

We have seen these issues over and over at Edge, and we offer a solution. We want your executive committee or a “strategy renewal committee” to consider spending a Strategy Day with one of our consultants. After some background study of your strategy and the areas you think are lagging, we will take a day with your team in order to:

To go ahead with a Strategy Day is to make a modest ongoing investment in a plan that cost you a lot to produce. And failure to move forward on your strategic goals will be far more costly.

If you are interested in this initiative, email or call me and we’ll talk about the best match for your firm and one of our international team members.

David Cruickshank, Principal
[email protected]
1-917-628-8238

David Cruickshank
Author

Edge Principal (1947 - 2024) advised firms on growth strategies and lateral integration programs. In addition to being a lawyer with a master’s degree from Harvard Law School and an LLB from the University of Western Ontario, David was a trained mediator who taught at the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine Law School. He frequently trained partners and associates in management skills like delegation, feedback, managing up, and career development. His interactive courses can still be found online.