Small Law Firms

Delegate $10 Per Hour Tasks At Your Small Firm

If you are a solo attorney who is already overwhelmed with the demands of your day, you can't do it all by yourself. 

By  
on

I have held every single position at my firm: attorney, receptionist, intake coordinator, coffee server, paralegal, marketing specialist, event planner, operations director, strategist, and witness for will signings. It is pretty common to meet seasoned solo attorneys who are still answering phones, replying to email inquiries, printing, scanning, and copying — basically doing every single, solitary task a firm requires. Doing it all doesn’t mean that truly solo attorneys are unsuccessful; working this way has led many solos to comfortable and extraordinary success. However, if you are a solo attorney who is already overwhelmed with the demands of your day, and you want to continue to scale your business without burning out, you can’t do it all by yourself.

$10 Per Hour, $100 Per Hour, And $1,000 Per Hour Tasks

A few years ago, my coach Heather Hubbard encouraged me to categorize all of the “work” of my firm into $10 per hour, $100 per hour, and $1,000 per hour tasks:

  • $10 per hour tasks involve repeated activities and are administrative. For example, I hired a marketing intern, so I no longer fuss over designing Canva slides for Instagram instead of finishing up a sticky probate matter.
  • $100 per hour tasks require legal training or another professional to complete. For example, I hired an SEO specialist to optimize my blog content.
  • $1,000 per hour (and $10,000 per hour, why not?) tasks require you to work on your business and generate the most revenue. For example, I spend time speaking on podcasts to position myself as an estate planning attorney for underserved people. The $1,000 per hour tasks may not show immediate results, but they are worth it in the long run.

The point of the task exercise was to see what I spent most of my time doing. Unfortunately, it was time-frittering administrative tasks. I was challenged to spend time only on $100 per hour, $1,000 per hour, and $10,000 per hour tasks while delegating my $10 per hour and some $100 per hour tasks. It may seem counterintuitive to spend time working on income-generating tasks — even when outside the day-to-day of your business, but it works. Just try.

Here is a sample list of tasks by cost:

$10 Per Hour Tasks (Routine and Administrative)

Sponsored

  • Answering phones
  • Booking travel and accommodations
  • Creating and managing spreadsheets
  • Creating and sending engagement letters
  • Filtering emails and managing the firm inbox
  • Managing calendars
  • Ordering supplies
  • Organizing digital files
  • Designing PDFs
  • Formatting presentations
  • Posting on social media
  • Printing, copying, mailing
  • Scheduling meetings 
  • Updating client records
  • Writing holiday cards and sending gifts

$100 Per Hour Tasks (Lawyer, Paralegal, or Other Professional)

  • Bookkeeping 
  • Conducting consultations with qualified prospects
  • Drafting and reviewing estate plans
  • External marketing
  • Following up with prospective clients
  • Managing payroll
  • Paying invoices
  • Performing legal research
  • Taking substantive client calls
  • Writing a paper for a conference
  • Writing blog articles for SEO

$1,000 (or $10,000) Per Hour Tasks (Business Generating)

  • Building a marketing funnel
  • Creating a new legal package offering
  • Implementing systems and standard operating procedures
  • Interviewing top clients
  • Networking with a financial planner
  • Recruiting the right team members
  • Refining your brand, value, and ideal client
  • Speaking at a legal conference 
  • Writing a book for the benefit of potential clients 

Sponsored

If you already have someone you’ve employed to fulfill a task you repeatedly execute, I hate to break it to you, but you are wasting time and money. Either you are micromanaging, are not clear in your job requirements, or are hiring people that are not a good fit. Maybe all three?

(Extra credit: spend 20 minutes listing the various tasks of your firm and categorize them according to the rubric above. What you put on your list and the price for each task may vary, but generally, the categories work.)

Next week, I will share some tips on how to hire the right person for your newly delegated tasks.

I’d love to hear your constructive comments or questions at [email protected]. I am always looking for topic suggestions! Did I mention that I signed with a literary agent for my upcoming estate planning book? You can read all about it here.

Iffy Ibekwe is the principal attorney and founder of Ibekwe Law, PLLC. She is an estate planning attorney evangelist for intergenerational wealth transfer with effective wills and trusts. Iffy is writing her first book on culturally competent estate planning, available in 2022 (prayers up!). She graduated from The University of Texas School of Law and has practiced law for over 14 years. Iffy can be reached by email at [email protected], on her website, and on Instagram @thejustincaselawyer.

Topics

, , ,