Time Management for Lawyers

Executive summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix About the authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix By Catrin Mills Chapter 1: A work day unique to you -understanding your own working rhythms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 By Dr Todd Hutchison, global chair, International Institute of Legal Project Management In conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Chapter 2: Prioritization - focusing on what matters most . . . . . . . . . . . 25 By David Skinner and Karen Dunn Skinner, co-founders, Gimbal Consulting The real cost of doing it all . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 The high-value work only you can do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Don't let urgency determine how you prioritize your to-do list . . . . . 28 Delegation - the superpower you're not using . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 When, what, and to whom - smarter delegation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 The time you could get back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Where to start - a practical path forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Reclaiming your time, reimagining your practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Chapter 3: Making time for business development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 By Joanna Gaudoin, ClientWise Why lawyers struggle with business development and how to overcome this . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 The importance of business development for your firm and your career . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 The key building blocks you need to make time for . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 The 5 Ps of Proactive Business Development© . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 How to build business development into your working day . . . . . . . . . 47 How to get the support you need to manage business development effectively . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 In conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Chapter 4: Work-life balance and wellbeing protecting your health and energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 By Jean-Baptiste Lebelle and Alice Boullier de Branche The rise of wellbeing in the legal profession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Rethinking work-life balance - a dynamic equilibrium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 The consequences and benefits of balance - scientific insights . . . . . . 55 The collective responsibility - culture, leadership, and the profession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 A sustainable future for the profession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Thriving in business law through sustainable time management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Chapter 5: The impact of working from home efficiency or distraction? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 By Nikki Alderson, international talent retention and women's leadership specialist, TEDx speaker, coach, author, and former criminal barrister A profession transformed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 The pros of remote work for lawyers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 The cons and controversies of remote work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Cultivating focus and productivity, connection and longevity - practical strategies for leaders, individuals, and teams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Home working as a cultural catalyst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Case study: A tale of two lawyers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Chapter 6: AI and time management - a game changer for lawyers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 By Sarah Murphy, general manager, Clio International The six-minute myth is cracking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 AI in legal practice - what it really means . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Automation, machine learning, and generative AI what's the difference? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Why AI isn't replacing lawyers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 How AI reshapes time management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Task management transformed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Client interaction - better, faster, smarter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 The client-centric firm powered by AI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Getting started with legal AI - a roadmap for lawyers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Start with low-risk, high-reward use cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Time to take back your time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Chapter 7: The culture of busyness - breaking free from constant overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 By Gary Miles, The Free Lawyer The hidden epidemic in legal practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 The perfect storm creating modern attorney overwhelm . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 The psychological drivers of attorney overwhelm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 The devastating hidden costs of chronic busyness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 The productivity paradox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Eight strategic tools for breaking free from overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Creating space for strategic thinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Measuring success differently . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Implementation strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 The choice that defines your career . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Chapter 8: The "always-on mindset" - setting boundaries and managing client expectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 By Mila Trezza, executive coach and former general counsel Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Why disconnecting is so difficult . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Strategies to reduce being "always-on" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 More strategies to break the "always-on" cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Chapter 9: Neuroproductivity - mastering your mind to master your time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 By Anna Marra, consultant and trainer Master your mind, master your time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 How we perceive time - what your mind does with minutes . . . . . . . . 112 How we manage time - rhythms, neurofocusing, and strategies . . . . 116 The two main enemies of time - perfectionism and procrastination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Conclusion - mastering time starts with understanding your mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Chapter 10: Making space for creativity - a path to wellbeing and peak performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 By Karen Dunn Skinner, co-founder, Gimbal Consulting Improving productivity with creative rest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 The power of small doses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Creativity as a stress-reduction strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Increasing confidence with creativity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Achieving better outcomes for lawyers and clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Chapter 11: Career planning and strategic time management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 By Dr Todd Hutchison, global chair, International Institute of Legal Project Management Balancing mental wellness into the plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 Portfolio careers bring diversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Behavioral profiling highlights your natural strengths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Clarity and leverage are key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 Getting your own clarity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Strategic time management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Last thoughts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Chapter 12: Mastering time for a successful legal career . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 By Rachel Brushfield, The Talent Liberator(TM)®, founder, EnergiseLegal Why are lawyers so time pressured? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 How to free up time in the working day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 The importance of taking time to plan your career . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161 Practical examples of how to make time to plan your career . . . . . . . . 162 Strategic tools and frameworks for career planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Career scenario planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 The role of the physical environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 The impact of AI on career planning and strategic time management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 Career planning self-reflective questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Tips to help you say yes to saying "no" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Self-reflective questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 About Globe Law and Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175