I have reached the point where I could really use some help from another lawyer.
I knew this day would come. It is part of my business plan. Yet, I don’t really know how to hire someone and I am not sure I want to. I can see it being a total disaster. Why would I want to spend time training someone when I don’t have enough time as it is? I also don’t really need the money. I have enough. Yet, it would be really nice to have some help. Someone to rely on. Someone else to answer the calls and meet with clients. I do everything. I am pretty tired.
Pros and Cons of Hiring an Associate
(* Caveat: I don’t know that hiring an associate is a good idea. Maybe it should just be a contract employee, etc. The discussion of independent contractor versus full or part-time associate attorney is too big for this post and I am not going to think about that important delineation yet.)
I figure people like lists and they help to organize my thoughts. Therefore, let us move forward with the pros and cons of hiring someone:
Pros
- Someone to differ tasks to
- Someone to answer the phone
- Someone to meet with clients
- Someone else to generate revenue
- Someone to share the experience of running a law practice with
- Someone to cover you when you go on vacation, get sick, play hooky, etc
- Someone to share some of the load
Cons
- They want to be paid
- They don’t know what they are doing / won’t do it right
- They don’t do it the way you do it
- They may not show up
- You may have to fire them
- Payroll tax
- More accounting headache
- You will likely have to take time to mentor them when you don’t want to
- They may steal your clients and leave
- They may just leave and not tell you
- They may be unethical, lazy, not smart
I am sure there are other points I am missing.
Summary
In a nutshell, I think I really want to hire somebody because I think it would be fun to have a teammate. I also want to mentor somebody. I feel strongly that it is time to do that. Yet, I am also very nervous because I know being an employee is not all that fun. I never liked being an employee. I also really don’t want to manage somebody every single day.
Basically, this was a gather my thoughts post. I will think more about this later and update.
As always, I am signing off with an obligatory “who I am post”. I do this mainly to let people know I am a Minnesota probate attorney who is looking for some help, or, perhaps just a place to vent.