Agile Attorney Law Practice Self Assessment

Agile Attorney Law Practice Self Assessment
Assessment Questions

I've designed this self-assessment to get you thinking more deeply about your law practice. It will help you systematically approach five different components of your practice to highlight opportunities and identify roadblocks.
Please note that there are no right or wrong answers; this is an exercise, not a scorecard, and your answers will not be graded (not even if you ask nicely). One of the principles of Agile process improvement is "Start where you are," and this tool is meant to help you capture and assess your status quo as the starting point for incremental improvement. You'll get a copy of your answers once you finish the form, and you can decide what to do with them.

The first five sections contain a combination of objective and subjective questions (section 6 is largely subjective). If you don't know an answer off the top of your head or don't feel like answering, feel free to skip the question and move to the next one. Again, this is for you
About you and your role (section 1 of 6)
In this section you will provide information about you and your overall practice. It has more "required" sections than the remaining sections, so once you're through this page the others should go more quickly. Questions that might take a little more of your time to complete are marked with an "Optional" label.
Your Name *

First Name Last Name
Your Email Address *
example@example.com
What best describes your role?

Lawyer primarily engaged in legal practice Lawyer who balances law practice and other roles Lawyer primarily engaged in other roles Paralegal Law Clerk, Legal Secretary, or other support role Legal Technology Specialist Legal Operations / Administration Specialist Legal Marketing Specialist Law Student Law Professor
What best describes the type of entity you work for?

Law Firm / Private Practice Small Business Large Business or Corporation Nonprofit Entity Government Agency Educational Institution Legal Technology Company Legal Process Outsourcer / Service Provider E-discovery Company
What is your managerial role?

CEO, Executive Director, or Managing Partner Small Firm / Small Business Owner Senior Management / Firm Management Committee Law Practice Group Director / Lead Manager Functional Group Director / Lead Manager Middle Management Leadership Committee Member No Management Responsibilities
What size is your immediate team?

Just me 2-4 people 5-9 people 10-15 people 15-20 people 21+ people
What size is your overall organization?

Just me 2-10 people 11-25 people 26-50 people 51-100 people 101-300 people 301-1000 people 1001+ people
What is your (or your team's) primary area of law or primary function?
What other types of law do you practice, or what other functions do you have, if any?
How long have you been in the legal profession or industry?

0-3 Years 4-9 Years 10-20 Years 21+ Years
When you meet someone new at a social or networking event, how do you describe what you do?

Pricing, Billing, & Collections (section 2 of 6):
In this section you will be asked about your pricing and billing model and your payment & collections practices. Only the first question is required, but all others are helpful.

On a scale of 1-5, how much do you agree with the following statement: "I / we could be significantly more successful if we had better pricing, billing, or collections practices" *

	1	2	3	4	5

1 is Strongly Disagree, 5 is Strongly Agree

How do you (or your team) typically charge for your services? (Select all that apply)

Hourly Billing Hourly with Discounts Hourly with Caps / Not-to-exceed Blended Hourly (single rate for all team members) Discounted Hourly with Success Fees Contingency Fee Flat Fee (Entire Matter) Phased Flat Fee / Unbundled Subscription / Retainer Portfolio Management Fees Internal Chargebacks (for in-house or similar orgs) Not applicable (we don't charge fees or track them internally)
What do you like most about your current model?
What do you dislike about your current model?
To what extent are you exploring other billing / pricing models?

Not Exploring: No interest in other billing models Rarely exploring: Curious, but not actively looking Somewhat exploring: Interested but no active plans to change things Actively exploring to SUPPLEMENT our current model(s) with another Actively exploring to REPLACE our current model(s) with another
Have you already adopted an alternative billing / pricing model within the last few years?

Yes, and it is going well Yes, and it has had mixed results Yes, and it is not working well (but we are still trying) Yes, and it did not work (so we abandoned it) No
What your thoughts on the usefulness of alternate billing / pricing models for your practice.
How often do you track your time on client work?

Always Mostly Sometimes Rarely Never
How often do you track your time on other work (e.g. admin time, marketing, etc.)?

Always Mostly Sometimes Rarely Never
What best describes your attitude toward time tracking?

It is my preferred way to work It isn't perfect, but it mostly works It is just OK, but it seems necessary I dislike it, but I do it anyway I hate it and avoid it whenever possible
What payment options do you offer (select any that apply)?

Cash Check Credit Card ACH / E-Check Payment Plans (Managed Internally) Buy Now Pay Later Services (e.g. Affirm, AfterPay, PayPal Credit) Litigation Finance or Matter Finance Legal Insurance (e.g. ARAG, Legal Shield) Barter or other trade of services Crypto Currencies Not Applicable
Do you require advance payment or an advance fee deposit? (Select any that apply)

Our products and/or services are pre-paid We take advance payment that we consider "earned on receipt" We always require a retainer / advance fee deposit We usually require a retainer / advance fee deposit We sometimes require a retainer / advance fee deposit No, we do not take advance payment or fee deposits Not applicable
Do you use evergreen or replenishing retainers?

Always Sometimes Rarely Never Not Applicable What is an evergreen / replenishing retainer?
Do you charge for consultations?

Always Sometimes Rarely Never Not Applicable
What other opportunities or frustrations do you have around fees, billing, and/or collections

Practice & Workflow Management (section 3 of 6)
In this section you will provide information about your Practice and Workflow Management practices. Only the first question is required, but all others are helpful.

On a scale of 1-5, how much do you agree with the following statement: "I / we could be significantly more successful if we had better workflow processes or tools" *

	1	2	3	4	5

1 is Strongly Disagree, 5 is Strongly Agree

What software do you currently use for Law Practice Management

Abacus Aderant Amicus Casefleet Casepeer Centerbase Clio Manage CosmoLex FileVine Firm Central Lawcus Meerus Case MyCase Needles PC Law Practice Panther Rocket Matter Smokeball TimeMatters Zola None
What types of computer and handheld devices do you and your team use in your practice? (Select any that apply)

Windows 11 computer Windows 10 computer Windows 8 computer Windows computer older than Version 8 MacOS 12.x (Monterrey) computer MacOS 11.x (Big Sur) computer MacOS 10.15 (Catalina) computer MacOS computer older than Version 10.15 Chromebook Computer Android Tablet Android Smartphone iPad iPhone
What is your primary device or computer?
What is the machine that you personally use for the majority of your work.
What tool do you use to as your primary email service

Microsoft Exchange / Outlook as part of Office 365 Microsoft Exchange / Outlook that we host ourselves or through an IT service We host our own email server on a platform other than Microsoft Exchange Google Mail as part of GSuite / Google Apps Hosted email through my internet service provider (e.g. Comcast, Lightspeed, etc.) Hosted email through my domain name registrar (e.g. GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.) Gmail (standalone: email ends in gmail.com) Outlook.com / Hotmail (standalone: email ends in outlook.com or hotmail.com) Yahoo Mail (standalone: email ends in yahoo.com)
What online tool(s) do you use to communicate internally? (Select any that apply)

Email Microsoft Teams Slack Google Chat Notes / Chat within our Law Practice Management Tool (e.g. Clio, MyCase, etc.) Notes / Chat within our Productivity Tool (e.g. Trello, Kanbanize, Asana, etc.) Loom or similar other screen-sharing video tool Not applicable
If you use a non-email messaging tool like Teams or Slack, do you use it to communicate with clients or other external resources?

Yes, regularly Yes, sometimes No, but we've considered it No, we would never do that Not applicable
Do you use the "Client Portal" feature of your law practice management tool to communicate with clients?

Yes, regularly Yes, sometimes No, but we've considered it No, we would never do that Not applicable
What tool(s) do you use to store work documents or files?

Apple iCloud Box.com Dropbox Google Drive Microsoft OneDrive NetDocuments Worldox Self-hosted server or share drive File Storage in my Law Practice Management Tool (e.g. Clio, MyCase, etc.)
Do you use the "Client Portal" feature of your law practice management tool to share documents with clients?

Yes, regularly Yes, sometimes No, but we've considered it No, we would never do that Not applicable
What tool(s) do you use for document creation and editing? (Select any that apply)

Microsoft Word (installed) Microsoft Word online (cloud) Google Docs Apple Pages WordPerfect Distraction-free editor (e.g. Bear, ByWord, FocusWriter, etc.)
What tool(s) do you use for forms and templates? (Select any that apply)

Self-managed form / template library Copy/paste from prior work product 3rd party form / template library (e.g. within Westlaw, Lexis, Fastcase, etc.) AfterPattern (formerly Community.lawyer) BestCase DocAssemble DocketWise Documate The Form Tool / Doxserá Hotdocs (hosted) Hotdocs (cloud) Jubilee Lawmatics Pathagoras NextChapter Templates within my Law Practice Management Tool (e.g. Clio, MyCase, Smokeball, etc.) Text Expander WealthCounsel None
What is your primary document automation or automated document assembly tool?
(Feel free to include more than one if applicable)
How often do you use document automation and/or automated document assembly?

Frequently Sometimes Occasionally Rarely Never
For what purposes do you use document automation and/or automated document assembly? (Select all that apply)

Lead nurturing of prospective clients pre-engagement Engagement letters & client on-boarding Client communication during a matter Other communication during a matter (e.g. with opposing counsel, 3rd parties) Client-facing legal documents (e.g. wills, trusts, powers of attorney, etc) Negotiated legal documents (e.g. NDAs, buy-sell agreements, other contracts 3rd party focused legal documents (e.g. subpoenas, etc.) Court-filed legal documents (e.g. pleadings, motions, etc.) Agency-filed legal documents (e.g. deeds, title, immigration filings, etc.) Other legal documents (please specify in the "other" section) Other communications (please specify in the "other" section) Internal documents (please specify in the "other" section) Post-engagement client communications (e.g. requests for feedback, other service opportunities, etc.) None of the Above / Not Applicable
If you use document automation, how do you capture information for document fields? (Select any that apply)

I personally enter the data Someone else on my team enters the data Customers enter data by filling out a PDF document that syncs with our tool Customers enter data by filling out a PDF document that we re-type into our tool Customers enter data by filling out a paper form that we re-type into our tool Customers enter data through a portal / API from my document automation tool Customers enter data using a 3rd party form builder (Google forms, JotForm, etc.) Not applicable
What tools do you use for productivity / task management? (Select any that apply)

Task management within my Law Practice Management tool (e.g. Clio, MyCase, etc.) Task management within my email / calendar tool (e.g. Outlook, Google Apps, etc.) Task Management within an information management tool (e.g. Evernote, Microsoft Notes, etc.) Checklist-based task management using separate software (e.g. Todoist, RTM, etc.) Kanban-based task management using separate software (e.g. Trello, MS Planner, Kanbanize, KanbanZone, etc.) Checklist or Kanban options within separate software (e.g. Asana, Monday.com, AirTable, etc.) Manual / physical checklists or to-do lists Manual / physical kanban board
What is your primary productivity / task management tool?
What other opportunities or frustrations do you have around practice and workflow management.

Business Development & Marketing (section 4 of 6)
In this section you will provide information about your Business Development and Marketing practices. Only the first question is required, but all others are helpful.

On a scale of 1-5, how much do you agree with the following statement: "I / we could be significantly more successful if we had better business development or marketing" *

	1	2	3	4	5

1 is Strongly Disagree, 5 is Strongly Agree

Through what channels do you get new business? (Select any that apply)

Referrals from lawyers Referrals from clients Referrals from other professionals Referrals through a professional networking group Referrals through a referral service Content marketing on my website or blog Content marketing on social media Content marketing through other channels Content marketing with a lead magnet Content marketing using videos (including webinars) Content marketing using audio (including podcasts) Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Advertising online (including paid search) Advertising in print (newspapers & magazines) Advertising with display media (billboards; bus stops; vehicle wraps)
What is your most useful business development channel?
What is your website address?
What website platform does your site use?

Basic HTML Drupal Google Sites Instapage Joomla Kajabi Leadpages Squarespace Unbounce Webflow Weebly Wix Wordpress I don't have a website Hosted by my ISP or Domain Name Registrar (Go Daddy, NameCheap, etc.)

Please indicate who is primarily responsible for each of the website functions

	Me Personally	An Internal Resource	An Independent Professional	A Web-Dev or Marketing Agency	I Don't know	Not Applicable
Technical Configuration
Backups & Updates
Design & Layout
Content & Copywriting
Metrics & Reporting
Online Advertising
Search Engine Optimization

What software do you use for lead tracking, customer relationship management (CRM), or marketing automation? (Select any that apply)

ActiveCampaign aWeber Clio Grow (formerly Lexicata) Hubspot Infusionsoft Lawmatics Mailchimp Pipedrive Salesforce Sugar CRM Zoho My Law Practice Management tool Spreadsheets / Internal Documents None / Not applicable
What business development activities do you typically engage in at least once a quarter? (Select any that apply)

Networking events with lawyers / legal professionals Networking events with other professionals Networking events with prospective clients Individual outreach to lawyers Individual outreach to other professionals Individual outreach to prospective clients Social Media - Facebook Social Media - Twitter Social Media - Other Speaking / Webinars Writing / Blogging on my site Writing for other online channels Writing for print channels Delivering Training or CLEs
What other opportunities or frustrations do you have around business development and marketing.

Strategy & Operations Management (section 5 of 6)
In this section you will provide information about your strategy and operations practices. Only the first question is required, but all others are helpful.

On a scale of 1-5, how much do you agree with the following statement: "I / we could be significantly more successful if we had better strategic direction" *

	1	2	3	4	5

1 is Strongly Disagree, 5 is Strongly Agree

What is your organization's mission or purpose?
If you have a mission statement online, feel free to copy/paste or just give the URL. If you don't have a formal mission statement, just write what you believe the mission to be.
Who are your primary customers (clients or otherwise)?
Which of the following regarding MISSION / PURPOSE describes your organization? (Select any that apply)

We have a formal mission / purpose that we reference frequently We have a formal mission / purpose that we reference occasionally We have a formal mission / purpose that we reference rarely Our mission / purpose statement is primarily for marketing Our mission / purpose statement is for all of our activities I can recite our mission / purpose statement from memory (or get darn close) Others in my org can recite our mission / purpose statement from memory Our mission / purpose statement is on our website Our mission / purpose statement is posted in our office We do not have a formal mission / purpose statement
Which of the following regarding ORGANIZATION GOALS or OBJECTIVES describes your organization? (Select any that apply)

We have formal revenue goals for the organization We have formal billable hour goals for the organization We have formal throughput / workflow goals for the organization We have formal marketing / business development goals for the organization We have formal client experience / client satisfaction goals for the organization We have formal professional development goals for the organization We have other formal goals for the organization We do not have formal goals for the organization
Which of the following regarding INDIVIDUAL GOALS or OBJECTIVES describes your organization? (Select any that apply)

We have formal revenue goals for individuals We have formal billable hour goals for individuals We have formal throughput / workflow goals for individuals We have formal marketing / business development goals for individuals We have formal client experience / client satisfaction goals for individuals We have formal professional development goals for individuals We have other formal goals for individuals We do not have formal goals for individuals
What methodology do you follow for your GOALS or OBJECTIVES (Select any that apply)

E-Myth Measure What Matters (Objectives & Key Results / OKRs) Profit First and/or Pumpkin Plan SMART Goals Traction (Boulders, Rocks, etc) We don't use a formal methodology Not applicable
Which of the following regarding STRATEGY describes your organization? (Select any that apply)

We have a strategic plan for the next year We have a strategic plan for the next 2-3 years We have a strategic plan for the next 4-5 years We have a strategic plan for the next 6+ years We do not have a formal strategic plan
Which of the following regarding METRICS & REPORTING describes your organization? (Select any that apply)

We have formal KPIs or OKRs that we check at least weekly We have formal KPIs or OKRs that we check at least monthly We have formal KPIs or OKRs that we check at least quarterly We regularly check metrics (but not KPIs or OKRs) We occasionally check metrics (but not KPIs or OKRs) We only check metrics to diagnose a problem We rarely or never check metrics I am not very familiar with what a KPI is I am not very familiar with what an OKR is
What are your favorite or most useful metrics?
Which of the following regarding FORMAL CUSTOMER FEEDBACK describes your organization? (Select any that apply)

We regularly solicit formal customer feedback using an index or rating We sometimes solicit formal customer feedback using an index or rating We occasionally solicit formal customer feedback using an index or rating We never solicit formal customer feedback using an index or rating
Which of the following regarding INFORMAL CUSTOMER FEEDBACK describes your organization? (Select any that apply)

We regularly solicit informal customer feedback We sometimes solicit informal customer feedback We occasionally solicit informal customer feedback We never solicit informal customer feedback
What methods do you use to solicit CUSTOMER FEEDBACK? (Select any that apply)

Avvo Google Reviews Yelp Net Promoter Score Happiness index Phone calls or emails from managing attorneys Phone calls or emails from another internal resource Phone calls or emails using a 3rd party Short customer surveys Detailed customer surveys Not applicable
When / how often do you solicit CUSTOMER FEEDBACK? (Select any that apply)

We solicit feedback on a fixed schedule (e.g. monthly) We solicit feedback after all customer interactions We solicit feedback after some customer interactions We solicit feedback upon the conclusion of a matter or engagement We solicit feedback irregularly or when we think about it Not applicable
What other opportunities or frustrations do you have around strategy and operations management.

Personal Motivation & Satisfaction (section 6 of 6)

The following questions are designed to help you better understand what drives your personal sense of growth and achievement. There are no right or wrong answers, and no value judgments. Different people have different attitudes around each of the areas below, and everyone's attitude is valid. For each question, there is space for you to capture why you answered the way you did.

On a scale of 1-5, how much do you agree with the following statement: "It is important to me that my practice involves important and/or meaningful work that makes the world a better place."

	1	2	3	4	5

1 is Strongly Disagree, 5 is Strongly Agree

Please elaborate on your answer.

On a scale of 1-5, how much do you agree with the following statement: "I would continue doing what I do even if I received a financial windfall that meant I didn't have to work to maintain my desired lifestyle."

	1	2	3	4	5

1 is Strongly Disagree, 5 is Strongly Agree

Please elaborate on your answer.

On a scale of 1-5, how much do you agree with the following statement: "I feel it is important to build a practice where people are empowered to deliver work and make decisions without my input or review."

	1	2	3	4	5

1 is Strongly Disagree, 5 is Strongly Agree

Please elaborate on your answer.

On a scale of 1-5, how much do you agree with the following statement: "I feel like I have external pressures—financial, social, familial, or otherwise—that cause me to make choices with my practice that I wouldn't otherwise make."

	1	2	3	4	5

1 is Strongly Disagree, 5 is Strongly Agree

Please elaborate on your answer.

On a scale of 1-5, how much do you agree with the following statement: "I tend to work harder to achieve team goals than I do for individual accomplishment."

	1	2	3	4	5

1 is Strongly Disagree, 5 is Strongly Agree

Please elaborate on your answer.

Please rank how proficient you feel at various elements of your practice

	I Don't Do This	Not Proficient	Somewhat Proficient	Proficient	Very Proficient
Managing People
Managing Process & Workflows
Managing Technology
Sales & Client Acquisition (Closing)
Managing Marketing & Outreach
Managing Financials
Setting Goals & Strategies
Delivering Legal Work
Managing Client Experience & Expectations

Please rank how much you enjoy working in various elements of your practice

	1 - Least Favorite	2 - I'd Rather Not	3 - Take It or Leave It	4 - I Enjoy It OK	5 - Most Favorite
Managing People
Managing Process & Workflows
Managing Technology
Sales & Client Acquisition (Closing)
Managing Marketing & Outreach
Managing Financials
Setting Goals & Strategies
Delivering Legal Work
Managing Client Experience & Expectations

Complete the following sentence: I wish my law practice had more...
Multiple Answers are Encouraged
Complete the following sentence: I wish my law practice had less...
Multiple Answers are Encouraged
What do you most need help with for improving your law practice?
Should be Empty:

Agile Attorney Law Practice Self Assessment

Assessment Questions

About you and your role (section 1 of 6)

Pricing, Billing, & Collections (section 2 of 6):

Practice & Workflow Management (section 3 of 6)

Business Development & Marketing (section 4 of 6)

Strategy & Operations Management (section 5 of 6)

Personal Motivation & Satisfaction (section 6 of 6)