Where do you fit into your law firm's strategic plan?

Attorneys in law firms are fantastic at managing their matters and understanding how all the pieces fit together to form the Big Picture. But unless they're equity partners, those same lawyers usually aren't as good at understanding how they fit into their law firm's Big Picture. Sometimes, they haven't even considered what their firm's Big Picture is (other than, of course, to generate revenue for its shareholders).

But understanding your law firms goals and challenges lets you position yourself to be part of the solution -- a key player in helping the firm grow, thus helping to protect your own job and to promote your own career. If you're interested in practicing at a mid-size or small law firm, particularly if you're interested in equity partnership or partnership path, then you should read the Managing Partner Series White Paper Strategic Planning: Key to smart growth. 

The white paper is developed from a survey of 145 mid-size and small law firm leaders, including managing partners and CEOs of law firms with 30 to 174 attorneys. The law firm leaders identified their biggest challenges as: 

But of course law firm leaders aren't sitting around waiting for your solutions! They're proactive. They've already identified factors to help meet or exceed performance goals. The top five are:

You'll want to think about how you can help with these challenges and contribute to these solutions as you prepare your resume, cover letter, interview, or partnership bid.