The People Hat.
Performance, behaviour, wellbeing, development, supervision, and exits.
Problems are discussed everywhere except with the person involved.
Difficult conversations are delayed and good employees absorb the consequences.
- Clear expectations
- Trained supervisors
- Regular one-to-ones
- Documentation
- Consistent treatment
Getting workload visibility in two weeks
Stop guessing who's busy. A simple weekly load view that partners and managers actually read.
Getting workload visibility in two weeks→
Stop guessing who's busy. A simple weekly load view that partners and managers actually read.
Headcount ratios at small firmsSign up to read →
Three ratios — leverage, paralegals per FE, support per FE — by practice area and firm size, with the patterns to watch.
Better delegation to paralegals and supportSign up to read →
The work that should move down, the conversations that make it stick.
Billable hours per fee earnerSign up to read →
Median and top-quartile billable hours per fee earner per year, by role.
Making the next-hire decision with evidenceSign up to read →
How to know whether you need another lawyer, a paralegal, or a practice manager — and in what order.
Hire another lawyer or another paralegal?→
The signals that point to each — and the honest break-even calculation.
When to hire a practice managerSign up to read →
Firm size, signals, and what the role should actually do.
Practice manager job descriptionSign up to read →
Scope, outcomes, and the hard-skills list.
Strategy
Direction, deliberate choices, priorities, and what the firm will decline.
Commercial
Understanding how the firm makes, loses, and leaks money.
Culture
The behaviours the firm repeatedly permits and therefore teaches others to copy.
Operations
Workflows, handoffs, waiting points, process consistency, and operating design.
Technology
The behavioural and process change surrounding technology, not merely procurement.
Client Experience
The consistency, clarity, responsiveness, and confidence experienced by clients.
Compliance & Risk
The living connection between formal policy and actual behaviour under pressure.
New Business
Where the next client comes from — marketing, referrals, enquiries, and proposals.
We also run Techsperience (legal-tech support) and Clearmatter (matter management). Mostly we write. Learn more →