UNITED STATES—An organized system can improve management skills and building a consistent procedure will make work smoother. It’s just like following a manual on how to build or set up your furniture. It is so much easier to build it with a fixed or ordered series of actions instead of just trying to figure out what to do without any guide whatsoever. Without a proper procedure to follow it can result in inefficiency and loss of productivity. Organization can help you go through each task, making sure you don’t miss anything.

A tool that can help lawyers with creating a system are calendars, planners, or even just a regular notebook. Written procedures whether jotted down manually or digitally can be a huge help and in many ways, important. Create checklists, write down important dates or time, note important things you can’t forget, list down tasks to do now or tasks to do later, create a reminder for phone calls that have to be made or follow-ups etc. There are also tasks management softwares for mobile phones and laptops that can be downloaded and used if it is preferred to be done electronically.

If you want to hire a lawyer because you will need to verify military service here is a timeline of the procedure they have so you can familiarize yourself. 

A lawyer is also beneficial if you believe that you are entitled to the benefits under SCRA and you have been denied these benefits. The lawyer will be able to determine your rights and ensure that these rights are protected under the SCRA.

Lawyer’s Procedures

  1. Phone answering, call handling and message taking – entertaining inquiries or questions.
  2. Appointment setting- setting a time, date or place where a much detailed conversation about the matter can happen.
  3. Prospect conference preparation- preparing what the client might need based on the info they told you during the call or email.
  4. New client intake – accepting the work for the client.
  5. Client information gathering – research regarding the matter of the client.
  6. Physical and digital file opening and set up – setting up all the files needed.
  7. Timekeeping and time tracking – recording of time. Can be used to record attendance and compute labor cost for the service.
  8. Deposition and meeting scheduling – choosing an environment where a lawyer and client are able to communicate professionally and clearly. This also takes notes of the time and date the meeting takes place.
  9. Court filing procedures – legal forms, printing documents etc.
  10. Document handing- scanning, digitizing, naming, filing and attorney notification.
  11. Specific legal processes for each practice area, such as estate planning, criminal defense, workers’ comp.

All in all, a written procedure will give you a chance to double check that each step has been done. It is also a way to quality check the status of a matter. A system that is followed allows you to do things right the first time. Remember, set goals, make lists and plan and do this consistently. It will guarantee that you will become more efficient and productive.