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5 Things You Absolute Must Get From Your Logo Designer

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Your logo is the most prominent visual for your brand. It should be simple, memorable, versatile and appropriate for your audience. If your logo doesn’t meet these criteria you might want to consider an update. There’s a great company that I recommend to lawyers who are just getting started and need a new logo, or those looking for a refresh. The company is 99designs and it is very affordable and offers a wide range of talented designers. Actually, there are a lot of great design agencies and independent designers that will be happy to work with you. Maybe you even know a talented designer.

But no matter who you work with, there are 5 things you’ll need from them after the design is final. Most lawyers aren’t graphic designers and don’t speak “design-speak” so I wanted to be sure that you know what to ask for.

  1. The native fileAt the end of the design process, you will most likely get the design in jpg, gif, pdf or tiff format.  However, you should also ask the designer to give you the native file. The native file is the format that the design software produces. The format is identified by the extension just like .jpg, .gif, etc. But it is very specific to the software. For example, if the designer uses Photoshop, the extension you are looking for would be “.psd.” If the designer uses Adobe Illustrator, the extension would be “.ai.” There are several types of design software programs and it isn’t important that you know what kind of software they use, just know that you will need to request the native file that will have an extension that you don’t readily recognize. Also, you won’t be able to open the file unless you have that particular type of graphic software on your PC or mac. Even though you can’t use that format, it is so important to have it so another designer can modify or manipulate it if needed. You won’t be able to do that unless you have the native file.
  2. Layered and non-layered imagesThe designer will provide you with a non-layered, or flat, image so that you copy and paste it easily. However, you’ll also need the layered image so that if it needs to be modified later, a designer will be able to pull the different pieces apart to make intricate changes. Most likely, if you get the native files (as mentioned above) you’ll get the layered image as well. But, to be safe, be sure to ask your logo designer for both types.
  3. RGB and CYMK numbersNow we’re getting really technical! But, RGB and CMYK are a set of numbers that represent the very specific color used in your logo. In order to keep your brand consistent, you’ll need to make sure that the colors look the same every time they are used, no matter where they are used. Knowing these numbers will allow that to happen. Just so you know, RGB color numbers are needed for digital applications and CMYK are needed for printing applications. However, all you need to know is the values for both. When the time comes, you’ll give these numbers to the designer who will know exactly what to do with them.
  4. Color and Grayscale OptionsThe final file will most likely be delivered to you in a full-color file. However, there may be times where you need your logo in black and white. The majority of the time you’ll use your logo in color, but if you happen to need it in black and white, it is best for the designer to do this. Ask your designer to provide your logo in color AND grayscale. Grayscale allows your logo to maintain the subtle shades that may exist in your logo rather than simply turning it to black and white.
  5. Font NameIf your logo includes your law firm name and/or any other letters, numbers or symbols, you should ask the designer for the name of the font used. There are a plethora of fonts and chances are that your designer has used one that is not common in an effort to make your logo look unique. Even if you think you know, ask your designer to provide the name of the font used so you can replicate it.

 

Do you want to talk about other strategies to help you implement your marketing plan? Feel free to schedule a time on my calendar for a no strings virtual cup of coffee to chat about your business. I promise you will come away with a good plan for turning your ideas in actions!

 

Using Project Management Systems in Your Law Firm

Legal project management systems can be a great way to increase efficiency in your law firm, which leads to more clients and more revenue. Introducing project management strategies to evaluate your practice, identify strengths and weakness, and implement a plan for strategic growth may be one of the best investments you could make in your law firm. But as with any practice management change, you’ll have to get buy-in from your staff. Here are 5 tips for presenting legal project management to your staff in order to get the best outcome possible:

Guidance

Let’s face it, even if your staff needs help in becoming more efficient, it doesn’t mean that they’re completely incompetent – in fact, no one knows how your law firm works better than your staff. That’s why any project management approach should not be about teaching your staff things they already know, but more about guiding them to the path of more efficient outcomes. Acknowledge that your staff is aware of the basic tenets of project management, and explain that you’re merely putting their knowledge and experience into a more structured and streamlined approach in order to become more efficient and effective.

Simplicity is Key

Don’t try to achieve grand goals all at once, or take up copious amounts of work time on training sessions. Instead, focus on the simple aspects of the practice that you can turn around and make more efficient through proper project management. In fact, in order to get better buy-in from your staff with this approach, you should come to your staff and ask them what they need help with or what processes they’d like to see improved.

Concentrate on One Thing at a Time

As stated before, simplicity is key. That means you should focus on improving just one process at a time when engaging in project management in your law firm. This way your entire staff can focus on improving one aspect of the firm without losing track and getting caught up with other projects. Once this pattern sets in, your staff will become more efficient at identifying issues and – more importantly – discovering effective solutions.

Follow Up

Track your staff’s progress and follow up with them so your project management strategies don’t fall through the cracks. It’s very easy for new initiatives to fall by the wayside, especially when there is a glut of day-to-day work to contend with, but it’s important to stay on track in order for your law firm to grow.

Discuss and Debate

The most valuable information you’ll receive during the project management process is the feedback from your staff. Allow them the opportunity to discuss and debate the effectiveness of their undertakings and learn from what they’re saying. However, it’s extremely important to make sure that discussions and debates have a positive focus and that the end goal is about improving your law firm – there should never be a discussion or debate that ends without a resolution.

Would you like to learn more about implementing project management strategies in your law firm or discuss how we can save you time on your marketing? Schedule a no-strings virtual cup of coffee so we can discuss how you can become more efficient and gain staff buy-in!

High Employee Turnover Could Be Crippling Your Practice

Constantly having to replace employees who quit is a huge drain on your time, money, and patience. Training team members only to have them leave within a year can be painful and demoralizing, and your practice will suffer because of it. Below are some things to think about if you want to keep your employees happy and reduce turnover:

Compensation: The Be-All End-All?

When asked, most employees say that compensation is the most important factor when staying at job. And it is – but it’s not the only factor. Make sure you’re paying your employees a decent wage for the type of work they’re doing, and compare the wages you pay with what your colleagues pay their employees. If you notice that you’re paying much less than everyone else, you might want to consider upping your pay scale before your employees become their employees. But like I said, money isn’t the only factor. I’ve heard stories about plenty of employees who were making decent money at their law firm jobs, but left because they just couldn’t deal with the stress, felt like they had no work-life balance, or didn’t get any additional benefits like flexible PTO. Find out what’s important to your employees (besides money) and do your best to provide it. You can only work within reason, but it will mean a lot to your employees if you go the extra mile trying to provide them with a good workplace environment.

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

Don’t wait for the exit interview to ask employees why they’re leaving; instead, conduct interviews with current employees to ask them why they’re staying, what might motivate them to stay longer, and what might make them leave. You’ll get valuable information on your strengths and weaknesses as an employer, and you’ll be getting it straight from the people who it applies to. Most importantly though, you need to act on this information where possible, because in a year from now, it could be the difference between a stay interview and an exit interview.

It’s the Little Things

Small gestures of kindness can go a long way for your employees. Does it seem like one of them is having a bad day? Take a couple minutes to ask how you can help or even just give some encouraging words. Do your employees come in early or stay late consistently in order to keep your firm running smoothly? Buy them lunch or dinner to let them you know you appreciate it. You never know how much a tiny gesture will mean to someone, so it’s a good idea to always be aware of what’s going on and how you can help, even in the smallest of ways.

If you have more questions about lowering turnover in your office or you are interested in implementing some of the strategies listed above, please feel free to schedule a no-strings virtual cup of coffee. We can also talk over how we can help you save time on your marketing. 

Staff: Your Most Valuable Law Firm Asset

Thank you lettering with watercolor spots on background. Modern typography. Thank you colorful greeting card calligraphy design.

When a lawyer thinks about his or her law firm’s most valuable asset, the answer should always be the staff. These are the people that run the office day-to-day, that interact with clients the most, and that are responsible for putting forth the best representation of your law firm possible. That’s why it’s so important to avoid the typical pitfalls of any business with employees, such as high turnover and the constant cycle of training that accompanies it, employee burnout, and low morale.

All of those issues could have a huge detrimental effect on your law firm and your bottom line. Think about it:

  • Your receptionist is a potential client’s first point of contact with your firm. If he or she doesn’t present the firm in a positive light, chances are you’ve just lost out on a new client.
  • Your paralegals and assistants are responsible for the day-to-day work of keeping your clients happy and working behind the scenes to make sure the clients are taken care of, for example by communicating with banks to ensure trusts are properly funded or by working with the courts to make sure filings are in the proper order. These staff members need to be engaged and happy, as burnout can take its toll on them.
  • The entire staff represents your firm, from the receptionist in the front to the bookkeeper in the back. Morale needs to be high and staff members need to be happy, otherwise it will reflect poorly on your law firm.

There are many ways to keep your staff happy, engaged, and working at their peak capacity, including competitive wages and benefits, special perks, and an atmosphere that’s conducive for teamwork. But it all boils down to one main key factor: respect. A staff that feels respected is a staff that will do the best work possible. If staff members feel that attorneys, whether they’re senior partners or junior associates, don’t have an adequate level of respect for them, it won’t be long until the quality of work begins to slide and the flow of clients starts drying up.

That’s not to say that all staff problems exist solely because of attorneys and a lack of respect. Sometimes, a staff member just may not be a good fit for a particular law firm. But it’s important to examine any possible reason why there’s a problem with the staff and, if possible, address it accordingly.

Are you experiencing any issues with your staff? Have you noticed a change in attitude of any of your employees? Or are you interested in learning some of the ways to keep your staff engaged at work and presenting your law firm in the most positive light possible? Then please feel free to schedule a call so we can discuss some ways to utilize your most valuable asset! We can even discuss how we can lighten your load by helping you save time on your marketing. Win-Win!