{"id":144246,"date":"2026-02-17T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/02\/17\/delegating-legal-work-7-tips-to-scale-your-practice\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T01:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T09:00:00","slug":"delegating-legal-work-7-tips-to-scale-your-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/02\/17\/delegating-legal-work-7-tips-to-scale-your-practice\/","title":{"rendered":"Delegating Legal Work: 7 Tips to Scale Your Practice"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Karen and David Skinner | The biggest source of waste in law practices is the wrong people doing the work. Here&#8217;s how to delegate and build your business.<br \/>\nThe post Delegating Legal Work: 7 Tips to Scale Your Practice appeared first on Articles, Tips and Tech for Law Firms and Lawyers.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Delegating legal work is the key to unlocking your law firm\u2019s potential. Follow these tips from top Legal Process Improvement Advisors Karen and David Skinner, and learn how to do it the right way.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"770\" height=\"495\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/delegating-legal-work.jpg?resize=770%2C495&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"delegating legal work\" class=\"wp-image-100023588\" title=\"\"><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\">\n<h2>Table of contents<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/delegating-legal-work\/#h-pop-quiz\" data-level=\"2\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Pop Quiz!<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/delegating-legal-work\/#h-delegating-legal-work\" data-level=\"2\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Delegating Legal Work<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/delegating-legal-work\/#h-the-top-7-tips-for-delegating-legal-work\" data-level=\"2\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Top 7 Tips for Delegating Legal Work<\/a>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/delegating-legal-work\/#h-1-identify-and-categorize-your-tasks\" data-level=\"3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">1. Identify and categorize your tasks<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/delegating-legal-work\/#h-2-start-delegating-the-tasks-you-dislike-the-most\" data-level=\"3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">2. Start delegating the tasks you dislike the most<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/delegating-legal-work\/#h-3-change-your-mindset-about-time\" data-level=\"3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">3. Change your mindset about time<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/delegating-legal-work\/#h-4-delegate-to-freelance-lawyers\" data-level=\"3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">4. Delegate to freelance lawyers<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/delegating-legal-work\/#h-5-delegate-to-technology\" data-level=\"3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">5. Delegate to technology<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/delegating-legal-work\/#h-6-do-the-math\" data-level=\"3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">6. Do the math<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/delegating-legal-work\/#h-7-hire-before-you-re-ready\" data-level=\"3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">7. Hire before you\u2019re ready<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/delegating-legal-work\/#h-delegation-is-the-key-to-scaling-your-business\" data-level=\"2\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Delegation Is the Key to Scaling Your Business<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-pop-quiz\">Pop Quiz!<\/h2>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s the biggest waste of time and money in most law practices?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-background\">\n<li>(a) Time you spend waiting for stuff<\/li>\n<li>(b) Correcting errors and redrafting<\/li>\n<li>(c) All the emails you have to wade through every day<\/li>\n<li>(d) Hours you spend in useless meetings<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Answer:<\/strong> None of the above (although those are pretty annoying too)!<\/p>\n<p><strong>The biggest source of waste in law practices is the wrong people doing the work.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In a small or solo practice, the \u201cwrong person\u201d is usually you \u2026 and it\u2019s one of the biggest hurdles you\u2019ll face when you scale your law firm business.<\/p>\n<p>In previous articles, we talked about how you can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/systems-for-law-firm-growth\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">create the foundations for growth<\/a>. The systems. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/scale-your-law-practice-with-a-library-of-sops\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The processes.<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/how-to-choose-the-best-tech-for-your-law-firm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">The best technology<\/a>. Now you\u2019re ready to take the next big step toward scaling your practice: <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-delegating-legal-work\">Delegating Legal Work<\/h2>\n<p>We can hear you now, with all the reasons you can\u2019t delegate:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>I don\u2019t have time to train someone<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><em>I don\u2019t have the money to hire anybody<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><em>I don\u2019t have enough work<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><em>It\u2019ll be faster to do it myself<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><em>It only takes 30 seconds \u2026<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We\u2019ve heard them all. But delegation is the key to unlocking the potential in your law firm business.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-top-7-tips-for-delegating-legal-work\">The Top 7 Tips for Delegating Legal Work<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-identify-and-categorize-your-tasks\">1. Identify and categorize your tasks<\/h3>\n<p>Grab a stack of sticky notes and, for the next week, make a note for every task you do. Stick them up on a blank space on your wall. Then separate your tasks into four categories: <\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Tasks requiring your expertise or legal qualifications<\/li>\n<li>Tasks someone else could do, and you dislike<\/li>\n<li>Tasks someone else could do, but you enjoy<\/li>\n<li>Tasks you should stop doing altogether<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>You\u2019ll have to keep doing the things in the first category, and over time you\u2019ll want to stop doing all the things in category four. That leaves categories two and three. Those are the things you\u2019re going to delegate.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-start-delegating-the-tasks-you-dislike-the-most\">2. Start delegating the tasks you dislike the most<\/h3>\n<p>Always start by delegating the tasks in category two: the things you really dislike doing. You know your instinct is going to be to take back a task the first time someone makes a mistake. You\u2019ll be less likely to do that if it\u2019s something you hate!<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group cust-audio-set\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color has-link-color has-small-font-size wp-elements-cfcb9da76db1f9477d99d3d6dbb2eac1\">Listen to More Practice Tips on Attorney at Work Today:<\/p>\n<div class=\"exemag-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/share.transistor.fm\/e\/4bfa0443\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-change-your-mindset-about-time\">3. Change your mindset about time<\/h3>\n<p>How many times have you said, \u201cIt\u2019ll be faster to do it myself\u201d? Investing time in training is not a waste. If you\u2019ve been following along with our series, you\u2019ll already have some standard operating procedures, or SOPs, in place. Once you\u2019ve taught someone to follow your SOP or use your system, you\u2019ll never have to do that task again. Yes, the training will take time once or twice \u2026 but you\u2019ll save time in perpetuity.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-delegate-to-freelance-lawyers\">4. Delegate to freelance lawyers<\/h3>\n<p>As you start to scale, you may have more work than you can handle before you\u2019re ready to hire a full-time associate. Consider delegating legal work to freelance lawyers, also known as surge attorneys. Freelance lawyers can step in to handle specific legal projects, court appearances, document review and legal research. They can follow your SOPs and use your systems, making the execution of the work seamless. Just make sure you are adding a little markup on their fees \u2014 you\u2019re not running a temp agency!<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-5-delegate-to-technology\">5. Delegate to technology<\/h3>\n<p>The right person for the job may not be a person at all. Automate as many tasks as you can. Most practice management platforms have automations that can send emails, schedule appointments, create documents, and move information between systems to minimize data entry tasks. Take advantage of all these automation features.<\/p>\n<p>Some research and writing tasks can be delegated, at least partially, to AI technology like ChatGPT. Use AI to create tone-appropriate responses to letters and emails, summarize meeting notes, simplify complex concepts, translate content and compile FAQs. It\u2019s a valuable, time-saving tool, but remember to verify and customize its output to ensure accuracy and alignment with your firm\u2019s style.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-6-do-the-math\">6. Do the math<\/h3>\n<p>When you start to scale, you may think you can\u2019t afford to hire someone to take over the administrative work. But surveys show that most small firm and solo lawyers spend up to five hours a day on their unbillable work. So let\u2019s do the math.<\/p>\n<p>Multiply your hourly rate by the number of hours you spend on unbillable work every day. That\u2019s how much money you\u2019re leaving on the table when you do your own admin work. Why? Because you can definitely find someone to do that work for a lot less than your hourly rate (and probably faster, too).<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-7-hire-before-you-re-ready\">7. Hire before you\u2019re ready<\/h3>\n<p>When you\u2019re ready to scale your business, you\u2019ll face the classic chicken-and-egg dilemma. You want to wait until you\u2019re sure you\u2019ve got enough revenue or work before you bring in someone new. But deep down, you know you\u2019ll never generate enough revenue or bring in steady work if you keep doing it all yourself.<\/p>\n<p>The thing is, you don\u2019t have to start with a full-time employee. Hire someone for a few hours a week. Start them on a discrete set of tasks. Delegating legal work to a part-time person will give you back hours to develop new business or focus on revenue-generating work.<\/p>\n<p>For example, one of our coaching clients brought in an assistant for five hours a week to handle tasks related to intake. Almost immediately, she saw the impact. A process that was taking 1.5 hours now took her only 15 minutes, and her revenue increased far more than enough to cover the cost of her assistant.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-delegation-is-the-key-to-scaling-your-business\">Delegation Is the Key to Scaling Your Business<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top has-background has-large-font-size\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><a href=\"https:\/\/attorneyatworkevents.com\/ready-set-scale\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Ready-Set-Scale-1200.jpg?resize=1080%2C1080&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-100026950 size-full\" title=\"\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tired-of-the-feast-or-famine-cycle\">Tired of the \u2018feast or famine\u2019 cycle? <\/h3>\n<p><strong>Download \u201cReady, Set, Scale\u201d and learn how to set up the systems you need to grow.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>* Create processes and SOPS<br \/>* Automate key workflows<br \/>* Learn what to delegate and to whom<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-space-between is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-3d213aab wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-50 has-custom-font-size\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-black-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-text-align-center wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/attorneyatworkevents.com\/ready-set-scale\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Get the guide!<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Most lawyers only bill for about 30% of their workday. The rest of the day is filled with admin and all those little things that \u201cjust take 30 seconds.\u201d But those \u201c30 seconds\u201d add up quickly and prevent you from effectively scaling your law firm business. To grow your business without burning out, you need to start delegating.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Use these seven tips to identify and prioritize tasks to delegate; hire before you\u2019re ready and empower your team with SOPs, automations and technology; and leverage freelance lawyers and AI.<\/p>\n<p>People who delegate effectively can\u00a0generate 20% to 50% more revenue\u00a0than people who do it all themselves. If you want to master this critical business-building skill and get resource guides and a checklist for onboarding new employees, check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leanlegal.academy\/delegation-express-EG\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Delegation Express<\/a>. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-center has-background\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0DJ81371L\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"412\" height=\"612\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/The-Power-Zone-Playbook-COVER-Low-Res-w-Rule.jpg?resize=412%2C612&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Power Zone Playbook for Lawyers book cover\" class=\"wp-image-100034488 size-full\" title=\"\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-069d1d18c05d637dacc6ee5787682390\" id=\"h-get-the-power-zone-playbook-for-lawyers\">Get the Power Zone Playbook for Lawyers<\/h2>\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">By Karen Dunn Skinner and David Skinner<\/p>\n<p><strong>Get out of the grind and into your power zone!<\/strong> Learn to align the work you do with the work you love, finding the sweet spot where your expertise, passion, and client needs intersect. It\u2019s here, in your Power Zone, that you will discover the secret to a thriving practice.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Everything you need is in your Playbook.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-50 has-custom-font-size is-style-fill\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\">\u200bGet it now!<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Image \u00a9 iStockPhoto.com. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile has-white-background-color has-background\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/subscribe\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"372\" height=\"106\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/AttorneyatWork-Logo-%C2%AE-2021-1.jpg?resize=372%2C106&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-100019522 size-aaw-full-width-no-crop\" title=\"\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Sign up for Attorney at Work\u2019s daily practice tips newsletter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/subscribe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">here<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/feeds.transistor.fm\/attorney-at-work-today\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">subscribe to our podcast<\/a>, Attorney at Work Today.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Karen and David Skinner | The biggest source of waste in law practices is the wrong people doing the work. Here&#8217;s how to delegate and build your business. The post Delegating Legal Work: 7 Tips to Scale Your Practice appeared first on Articles, Tips and Tech for Law Firms and Lawyers. Delegating legal work is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-144246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-legal_matters"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=144246"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144246\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=144246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=144246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=144246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}