Full Description
Time Management for Lawyers: Making Every Six Minutes Count is a comprehensive guide designed to help legal professionals take control of their time and enhance both productivity and wellbeing. In a fast-paced and high-pressure profession, time management is the key to thriving - not just surviving. This book explores practical strategies for managing overwhelming caseloads, maintaining a healthy work-life balance, and preventing burnout. It covers the latest technological influences, including how AI is reshaping how lawyers manage time and tasks, while also addressing the mental and emotional challenges of working in law.
From optimising focus to managing client demands and avoiding distractions, this book helps lawyers achieve peak performance while still leaving room for creativity, innovation, and personal wellbeing. With expert advice on delegation, prioritisation and setting clear goals, Time Management for Lawyers: Making Every Six Minutes Count equips you with the tools to reclaim your time and thrive in your legal career.
Contents
Executive summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
About the authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix
By Catrin Mills
Chapter 1: A work day unique to you -understanding your own working rhythms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
By Dr Todd Hutchison, global chair, International Institute of Legal Project Management
In conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Chapter 2: Prioritization - focusing on what matters most . . . . . . . . . . . 25
By David Skinner and Karen Dunn Skinner, co-founders, Gimbal Consulting
The real cost of doing it all . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
The high-value work only you can do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Don't let urgency determine how you prioritize your to-do list . . . . . 28
Delegation - the superpower you're not using . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
When, what, and to whom - smarter delegation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
The time you could get back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Where to start - a practical path forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Reclaiming your time, reimagining your practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Chapter 3: Making time for business development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
By Joanna Gaudoin, ClientWise
Why lawyers struggle with business development and how to overcome this . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
The importance of business development for your firm and your career . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
The key building blocks you need to make time for . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
The 5 Ps of Proactive Business Development© . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
How to build business development into your working day . . . . . . . . . 47
How to get the support you need to manage business development effectively . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
In conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Chapter 4: Work-life balance and wellbeing protecting your health and energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
By Jean-Baptiste Lebelle and Alice Boullier de Branche
The rise of wellbeing in the legal profession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Rethinking work-life balance - a dynamic equilibrium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
The consequences and benefits of balance - scientific insights . . . . . . 55
The collective responsibility - culture, leadership, and the profession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
A sustainable future for the profession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Thriving in business law through sustainable time management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Chapter 5: The impact of working from home efficiency or distraction? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
By Nikki Alderson, international talent retention and women's leadership specialist, TEDx speaker, coach, author, and former criminal barrister
A profession transformed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
The pros of remote work for lawyers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
The cons and controversies of remote work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Cultivating focus and productivity, connection and longevity - practical strategies for leaders, individuals, and teams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Home working as a cultural catalyst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Case study: A tale of two lawyers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Chapter 6: AI and time management - a game changer for lawyers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
By Sarah Murphy, general manager, Clio International
The six-minute myth is cracking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
AI in legal practice - what it really means . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Automation, machine learning, and generative AI what's the difference? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Why AI isn't replacing lawyers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
How AI reshapes time management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Task management transformed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Client interaction - better, faster, smarter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
The client-centric firm powered by AI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Getting started with legal AI - a roadmap for lawyers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Start with low-risk, high-reward use cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Time to take back your time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Chapter 7: The culture of busyness - breaking free from constant overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
By Gary Miles, The Free Lawyer
The hidden epidemic in legal practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
The perfect storm creating modern attorney overwhelm . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
The psychological drivers of attorney overwhelm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
The devastating hidden costs of chronic busyness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
The productivity paradox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Eight strategic tools for breaking free from overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Creating space for strategic thinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Measuring success differently . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Implementation strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
The choice that defines your career . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Chapter 8: The "always-on mindset" - setting boundaries and managing client expectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
By Mila Trezza, executive coach and former general counsel
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Why disconnecting is so difficult . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Strategies to reduce being "always-on" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
More strategies to break the "always-on" cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Chapter 9: Neuroproductivity - mastering your mind to master your time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
By Anna Marra, consultant and trainer
Master your mind, master your time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
How we perceive time - what your mind does with minutes . . . . . . . . 112
How we manage time - rhythms, neurofocusing, and strategies . . . . 116
The two main enemies of time - perfectionism and procrastination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Conclusion - mastering time starts with understanding your mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Chapter 10: Making space for creativity - a path to wellbeing and peak performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
By Karen Dunn Skinner, co-founder, Gimbal Consulting
Improving productivity with creative rest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
The power of small doses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Creativity as a stress-reduction strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Increasing confidence with creativity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Achieving better outcomes for lawyers and clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Chapter 11: Career planning and strategic time management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
By Dr Todd Hutchison, global chair, International Institute of Legal Project Management
Balancing mental wellness into the plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Portfolio careers bring diversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Behavioral profiling highlights your natural strengths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Clarity and leverage are key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Getting your own clarity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Strategic time management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Last thoughts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Chapter 12: Mastering time for a successful legal career . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
By Rachel Brushfield, The Talent Liberator™®, founder, EnergiseLegal
Why are lawyers so time pressured? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
How to free up time in the working day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
The importance of taking time to plan your career . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Practical examples of how to make time to plan your career . . . . . . . . 162
Strategic tools and frameworks for career planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Career scenario planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
The role of the physical environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
The impact of AI on career planning and strategic time management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Career planning self-reflective questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Tips to help you say yes to saying "no" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Self-reflective questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
About Globe Law and Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
