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Effective practice management: How to run a modern legal business with Kirsty Pappin   

Category: Blog, Empowering Law Firm Leaders Interview Series, Podcast, Practice Management, Webinar / Video 11th September 2024

In conversation with Kirsty Pappin, owner of Aries Legal Practice Management and Practice Manager of the Year winner. Kirsty shares her experience and insights into what it takes to successfully run a modern legal business.

In episode nine of our Empowering Law Firm Leaders podcast, we discuss the habits and behaviours of an effective practice manager, what sets successful law firms apart from their competition, and how to better prepare for the unexpected.       

In this conversation we cover:

  • The essentials for running a modern law firm
  • Habits of effective practice managers
  • Impact of non-lawyers in leadership
  • How to prepare for the unexpected
  • Importance of quick decision making

Watch the interview with Kirsty Pappin:

Listen to the episode here:

Kirsty’s three essentials for running a successful modern law firm

  1. Planning

Kirsty stresses the need for thorough planning at both individual and business levels. She believes that being prepared and having a solid plan is crucial for success. This includes ensuring that planning is comprehensive and adaptable.

  1. Innovation and creativity  

Kirsty advices leaders to: “Be prepared to be innovative and creative with solutions.” This involves not only developing new solutions but also being open to change and willing to experiment. She notes that innovation often comes with calculated risks and potential failures, but these are necessary steps for growth and improvement. “With innovation, there’s always a calculated risk… to fail means that you’ve experimented.” 

  1. Communication 

Effective communication is essential for change management and overall firm success. “I have a thing which I’m calling the 3Cs which is communication, change management and courage.” She introduces the concept of courage within communication, emphasising the need to communicate effectively, even when it involves difficult conversations or hearing unwelcome feedback. “You’ve got to have courage to communicate effectively and say what’s on your mind. You’ve got to have a courage to hear the things you don’t want to hear.” Courage also plays a role in decision-making, especially in crisis situations, where quick and decisive action is required. 

The habits and behaviours that make an effective practice manager

Kirsty believes that “Practice managers are superheroes” and shares how multifaceted the practice manager role is, especially in SMEs. They simultaneously wear multiple hats and have to juggle priorities, expectations, and requirements.

Kirsty highlights her top five characteristics and behaviours of an effective practice manager to inspire future leaders and help current leaders make the right next hire:

Curiosity: Kirsty highlights the necessity of asking the right questions and being open to new information. She believes that to be successful you need to marry up people who are skilled in cashflow, profits, and turnover but combined with others who are curious and creative thinkers.  

Communication skills: Effective communication is crucial for a practice manager. Kirsty notes, “A practice manager is that lynchpin in any SME law firm…they need to be able to communicate really well with the highest level partnership and at a junior level.” This involves adapting communication styles to suit different levels within the firm and ensuring clear, effective dialogue.

Adaptability: Kirsty stresses that: “You have to be adaptable. You have to be ready to change on a pinpoint and switch gear.” She shares how priorities can shift rapidly within a business, or a crises arises which requires practice managers to navigate these changes smoothly.

About Kirsty Pappin 

Kirsty’s legal career spans over 20 years, working in large UK and US firms both as a paralegal and in business administration and operations roles.  

“This hybrid experience has been incredibly useful in finding innovative and creative ways to work with law firms. Eventually, I decided to focus on helping SME law firms grow and innovate, which led to the founding of Aries Legal Practice Management last year.”

As the founder and director of Aries Legal Practice Management, Kirsty supports law firms to effectively manage business operations. Kirsty is also a trainer and writer for the ILFM, and legal technology project mentor for the University of London.

Problem-solving: Practice managers must be adept problem solvers, bridging gaps between different parts of the firm. “You have to be able to bridge the gaps between the team and the operational problem.” This involves presenting solutions rather than just problems to senior management.

Facilitation: “As a practice manager you have to be able to facilitate and move projects forward.” Kirsty believes it’s an underrated skill in a law firm, but essential when you can have many decision makers with opposing personalities and progress needs to be made on plans, budget, and strategies.

What sets successful law firms apart from the competition?

Kirsty highlights the importance of culture in successful firms. “The successful firms I’ve worked with have an infectious energy. I once attended a team meeting…and you could just feel it in the room. People wanted to be there. People were involved in the growth strategy of the firms.”

Kirsty shares that she attributes the firm’s transparency and inclusive approach, where everyone is informed about the firm’s performance and future plans, to the success of the culture. When everyone from partners to junior staff are involved in the business plan, it is a key differentiator. “Those are the firms that are going to really drive forward because their team wants to be there.”

Successful firms offer more than just high salaries. They create a growth culture mindset that encourages participation and innovation. Kirsty warns that firms that ignore the cultural aspects of running a business: “In the next five to ten years… I think we’re going to see more firms closing doors or being bought out and trying to merge because they don’t have people coming through the ranks that want to take on the business.”

Practice managers play a crucial role in fostering the firm’s culture. They can identify issues and communicate them to senior leaders who should be open to receiving feedback.

The impact of non-lawyer leadership in SME firms

Kirsty believes that non-lawyer leaders bring valuable perspectives and skills to law firms. “I think there are loads of amazing non-lawyer leaders and I don’t think you need to have been a lawyer to be a leader or a partner in a law firm.” She highlights that many non-lawyer professionals in operations, finance, HR, and other areas that can contribute significantly to a firm’s success.

She explains that lawyers and non-lawyers often have different approaches to business. “Lawyers are trained one way…  they think very differently. Their risk assessments are different…whereas non-lawyers can offer a more pragmatic approach.” This diversity in thinking can be beneficial for a firm’s strategic planning and decision-making processes.

Kirsty also emphasises the importance of delegation and leveraging expertise. “Practice managers cannot be experts in everything. They can be an expert in one, maybe two, and they can be really well-versed in other areas. So, a really good practice manager will know how to facilitate.”

Having a combination of lawyers and non-lawyers in leadership roles creates a “winning recipe” for law firms. By recognising the strengths and expertise of non-lawyer leaders and effectively delegating tasks, firms can enhance their operational efficiency and overall success. “Lean on the experts and know when you need to delegate…that can only be good for your firm.”

How to prepare for the unexpected

“Continuously audit departments to see what’s there, what’s happening, speak to people, speak to your team to see what could be brewing.”

Kirsty introduces the concept of a “pre mortem,” which involves planning for potential failures by identifying everything that could go wrong and working backwards to prevent those issues. This proactive approach helps firms to be as prepared as possible.

Having the best people, systems, policies, and procedures in place is the best form of preparation. “If you’re confident and you have courage in the convictions that you’ve made, then when the unexpected does happen, there’ll be a process you can lean on or a person you can lean on to get you back to where you need to be.”

However, she acknowledges that even the best plans and systems need to be continuously updated. “As soon as you think you’ve got it in place, it’s changed again. So just being OK with the fact that it’s not always going to be the best and just knowing how to keep updating and moving.”

Kirsty advises law firm leaders to seek help from experts when needed. “If you don’t know, lean on an expert, get someone in to discuss it with whether it be a mentor, a consultant or whomever to say, look, can you help us strategise or what are your thoughts on this.”

“We’ve all got to fail and make mistakes and experiment. We just have to keep moving forward. Don’t sit down.” A continuous improvement and resilient mindset is crucial for law firms to navigate unexpected challenges and continue to thrive.

Embracing modern practice management

Effective practice management in modern legal businesses hinges on a blend of thorough planning, innovation, and robust communication. Kirsty’s insights underscore the importance of adaptability, problem-solving, and fostering a strong, inclusive culture within law firms.

Long-term success will be determined by the dedication and passion of the team around you. This is why people and culture management requires a dedicated strategy and plan. Alongside the other strategies Kirsty discussed include technology and innovation, disaster recovery, and succession planning.

By embracing these principles, law firms can not only navigate the complexities of today’s legal landscape but also position themselves for sustained success and growth. “The courage to innovate and communicate effectively is what sets successful firms apart from the rest.”

Watch the full interview with Kirsty Pappin now to discover more advice and guidance on effective legal business management. You’ll also hear Kirsty’s exclusive advice on the importance of quick decision making for firm leaders.