The Importance of Law Firm Integration Consulting during the First 180 Days

In this episode, Margaret Burke of Kolibri Law Support Solutions, discusses the importance of Integration Consulting during the first 30, 60, 90, and 180 days after Senior Attorneys join Growing Law Firms.

Burke, who has previously served as CEO of a mid-sized law firm and holds a MBA, Bachelor of Science in Accounting, and is a Certified Professional Coach, assists law firm leaders with: (i) Law firm management; (ii) Financial management; (iii) Human capital management; (iv) Operations Management; and (v) Sales and marketing management.

As Burke states, “Our goal is to free-up the attorneys so they can focus on what they do best and what they enjoy doing.”

When addressing the benefits of Integration Consulting during the first 180 days, Burke and Poock advise Senior Attorneys and Growing Law Firms as follows:

Days 1 – 30: Focus on “meet-and-greets,” social events, assigning mentors, and explaining new processes to the Senior Attorneys joining a new firm.

Days 30 – 60: Prepare to jointly contact and meet with a Senior Attorney’s clients and referral sources.
As Burke states: “This is also a great time to recognize that perhaps something that was in the original plan [needs] a small adjustment.”

Days 60 – 90: “This is a time to really re-focus, be open, [and] make changes that can be made. If they cannot be made, discuss why,” Burke says.

Days 90 – 180: Here, Poock adds that during Days 90 – 180, the parties learn to trust each other, where they develop that trust by listening and learning from each other.

Addressing the value of an Integration Consultant during the first 180 days, Burke states: “[E]valuation and [the] opportunity for people to meet and discuss things . . . with the help of a third party is critical to move forward and reach the goals that everyone set when they originally decided to join each other.”