Time Management in Legal Practice Giles Watson Manager, Practice Support QLS

Time Management in legal Practice Wellbeing Claims and complaints Time and Money Time pressures are ‘normal’

Focus on what counts Get organised Manage expectations Stop Procrastinating management Delegate Just say no Deadlines & key dates Phone management Diary management Manage the supervision burden Control Interruptions Control Perfectionism Be Decisive Eliminate time stealers Use IT creatively Efficient time recording Work to deadlines Motivation

What do you want? Less time at work? Achieve more at work? Achieve something specific? Less stress? Less work at work? Less of some work / more of another kind What’s stopping you? Do you really want this? / Reluctance to take action Lack of specific goals (long term, medium, short) Don’t believe things can change Lack of skills Don’t want to invest time

Managing your workload Reduce ‘in’ –Take control –Define & police your boundaries & priorities –Proactive advice / knowledge management –Client engagement & managing expectations –Time stealers Interruptions / Supervision / admin / meetings –Say no? Say not yet? Increase ‘out’ –Delegate downwards, upwards and sideways –Invest in efficiencies & IT –Ditch – not a priority, not my job –Just do it: close files, get the little things out the way.

Time Management barriers Technical errors –No planning / No, wrong time allocation / too much planning –Multi-tasking –Wrong person –Too large / complex –Lack of prompts / reminders –Disorganised External Realities –Health –You are in transition –Interruptions / other people’s chaos Psychological obstacles –Perfectionism –The need to work / be seen to work / be involved –Procrastination

Managing the daily onslaught Write it down (if not already written) Assess –Estimate how long each task will take –Break large projects down –Do you need help / assistance / info from others? Decide – now! –Act now (3 min rule) / Act later / delete / delegate / diminish Enter it into your diary –Fill up your days with tasks / each with time allocation –Best time = biggest, hardest job. Execute your plan –Diarise your day: reactive / small tasks / big tasks –Put your plan into action without being hindered by procrastination or perfectionism

Prioritisation – what should we tackle when? Importance Urgency

Prioritisation – what should we tackle when? Importance Urgency Do it now Break tasks up / allocate time Dump it / delegate it / low priority schedule. Delegate it

Delay: why? Too busy –Poor client management –Poor delegation, supervision or workload management Stress / Anxiety –possibly as a result of time pressures Poor key date management –no adequate reminder or diary system. poor definition of the retainer / investigations of the facts Tackling areas outside of expertise?

Reminder systems Define or identify all typical key dates Note all key dates on file Fee-earner’s diary (manual or IT) Back-up or duplicate diaries (manual or IT) Bring-up systems: –Single/double/triple? / How much notice? Record actions and follow-ups: –on file/diary/IT/back up Diaries not foolproof: Possible human error on date entry or diary checking –Reminder systems need to be backed up by relevant procedures for use & checks

Key dates & delay: best practice assuming your deadline is recorded, how, and when are you reminded of deadlines? does your system involve automatic checking that the follow-up reminder has in fact been acted upon? do you always use your follow-up system? What if? Client engagement: –How long will the work take? –When will you have to do the work –Will this work make you ‘too busy?’ Timetabled plans for all new instructions? File inactivity checks? File audits?

Time Management – tips for principals More work doesn’t equal more money Should you change your role? Proactively manage the supervision burden Invest in efficiency gains Manage team workload Reflect on the effect of time costing and billable hour targets

Time Management – fee-earners Record a higher proportion of your time in the office as chargeable Get clarity on what can and cannot be recorded as chargeable Delegate Manage expectations and deadlines / say no? Proactive communication Change Close files

Questions and Comments Giles Watson, QLS Manager, Practice Support /