One of my most important actions as a young lawyer was writing a “business plan” for myself. I wrote a new plan annually for the first several years of my career. Thankfully, the firm I worked for required it because I probably would not have done it otherwise. Much to my benefit, the firm had a structured format and philosophy for preparing these plans. I loved writing mine. It gave me pause to think about what I wanted, reflect on my strengths and weaknesses, and use a structured format to dream big and problem-solve.
This type of plan can go by many names—a business plan, a CEO plan, a professional or personal development plan, or simply written goals, outcomes, or resolutions. Regardless of what it is called, the concept remains the same: create a written plan charting your goals in your legal career over the coming months and years. An essential concept is that every lawyer is a “business of one.” Not just a part of a firm or company but you alone—the CEO of your own marketing, R&D, and revenue-generating capabilities.
We are all generally aware of the research concluding that writing down your goals, committing to action steps, and developing a support network dramatically increases success in attaining those goals. Sources consistently report that you are 42 percent more likely to reach your goals if you write them down. Is there any serious disagreement among lawyers and other professionals that setting goals and writing them down is a good idea? And yet, only a few lawyers I know write down their goals, let alone have a comprehensive written strategy that they update regularly.
If you are still unconvinced, consider this: when I was a young lawyer (maybe three or four years into practice), I wrote down a specific person who I wanted to have as a client. At that time, having this person as a client seemed unlikely. In addition to writing this name down, my plan that year contained implementation items that would move me toward my goals. For example, I participated in organizations that my ideal clients participated in, wrote articles that I thought would be useful to the types of clients I wanted to have, and made connections that would lead to other connections. Importantly, my plan did not take a shotgun approach—I was strategic with my time and efforts. More than a decade later, and long after I had forgotten the specific contents of any particular professional development plan I had written in my younger lawyer days, I got a phone call that would make me a believer—the client whose name I wrote down all those years ago was calling me to ask me to represent her. I had forgotten she existed, but now she asked for my help. I was thrilled.
Writing these plans was useful and made a tremendous difference in my career, but something powerful happened the day the client called me. I recommitted to writing these plans annually and encouraged everyone on my team to write one.
There are some beautiful templates, both from a content perspective and an aesthetic perspective. But a plan doesn’t have to be pretty or look a certain way. It needs to be effective. The most effective plans include some standard essential components:
