The Importance of Case Status Meetings

Many attorneys don’t believe there is any value in case status meetings. Some believe that their work is their business and they don’t need to share what is going on with anyone else. Others don’t want to hear about the other attorneys’ cases. And still others think it’s a waste of their billable time.

However, there is a good case for these case status meetings. They can be effective in managing work, and can also be good for morale.

There are 4 other benefits worth considering:

1. They are good for brainstorming. When you feel stuck, what do you do? If you like to bounce the problem off of others, a case status meeting is the perfect place to do so. You can get a plethora of ideas from a lot of different perspectives, and may come up with things you would have never thought of on your own. Other attorneys can share tricks and tips they’ve used before, and you can share what ideas worked or which ones didn’t, and why.

2. They can provide a training ground. For new attorneys, or attorneys who are venturing into a different area of practice, a case status meeting can be a great way to learn. If you evaluate the worth of a case, or the strong or weak points on both sides, everyone in attendance can come away with something valuable.

3. It improves law firm cohesion. If you have a weekly or semi-monthly meeting, the attorneys will get to know each other better. It will also help people to feel less isolated. Once you get a good sense of what each attorney’s strong points are, you know who you can turn to between meetings for help. When you know that every person at the meeting is on your side, you feel more confident.

4. It can save your law firm money. A case status meeting can create cost effectiveness by managing work in the best way possible. It can cut down on hours spent doing tasks that aren’t necessary, and it can keep people on track.

When you get a new case, you review it and have to come up with a game plan. Think of how exciting it is to know that you have a case status meeting coming up, and you can take your new case to that meeting and get advice and direction from the beginning.

Just remember this: when it’s your turn to report on any of your cases, whether they are new or ongoing, keep it brief so the meeting doesn’t last too long. Be open to input from others because you never know what kinds of gems will come your way.

Also, when you’re listening to other people report, be interested. Listen closely, ask relevant questions, and give helpful advice. If the other people at the meeting believe you’re valuable, they’ll be more apt to reciprocate to you.

A case status meeting doesn’t have to be a waste of time. It can be a great way to build strong team and a solid firm.