When marketing gets too far ahead of operations, lawyers and staff are overwhelmed and clients get frustrated and angry. It’s not just a client service issue — it’s a business risk. Here’s how smart CFO’s manage law firm growing pains.
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When I asked my team what I should write about this month, they didn’t even hesitate: “customer service.”
At first, I rolled my eyes. I mean, come on, how am I going to convince people that a law firm CFO should be involved in client service? Isn’t that a problem for the operations team, or maybe marketing? But here’s the thing: Client service is absolutely a financial issue. Why?
Growing Pains: Bad Client Service Costs You Money
Most of the law firms we work with are focused on growth. More leads, more clients, more revenue. So they double down on marketing — Facebook ads, Google campaigns, webinars, you name it — and start pouring leads into the top of the funnel. The goal? Convert as many as possible and crank up the cash.
So far so good, right?
Here’s the problem: Most firms are treating their business like it’s a straight line. Lead comes in, client signs, case gets worked, money shows up. Rinse and repeat. But that’s not how it actually works.
Growth isn’t a line — it’s a system.
If you scale one part of that growth system (like marketing) without scaling the rest (like hiring and training), you’re going break something. Usually, it’s the client experience.
The phones don’t get answered fast enough. Emails sit too long. Deadlines slip. Clients get cranky. And when clients get cranky, they leave bad reviews. Suddenly, your Google rating drops from a shiny 4.9 to a sketchy 3.8. Referral sources start to back off. Your conversion rate tanks. And that cheap lead you paid $200 for now costs you $600 to close. Or worse, it never closes at all.
And guess what? That’s absolutely the CFO’s problem. Because now client acquisition cost (CAC) is up, your marketing budget is bloated, and your return on marketing dollars is circling the drain.
This is what happens when marketing gets ahead of operations. It’s not just a service issue — it’s a business risk.
Let’s Talk About the Train Wreck Scenario
Here’s what I see far too often: The firm gives marketing the green light. Leads go up. The intake team is underwater. So they pull in associates or administrative staff to “help,” and these people have no business answering intake calls. New hires get thrown into the deep end to work case files with no training. The people who are supposed to supervise them are too busy putting out fires.
Client service drops. Deadlines get missed. People get mad. Reviews go south. Referrals dry up. And suddenly, the firm’s reputation, something you’ve spent years building, is on shaky ground.
And that lead you worked so hard to get? It’s now a one-star review and a future client who decided to go with the other firm down the street.
Want a Different Future? Do These Five Things
To manage your law firm’s growing pains and prevent the train wreck, follow these five steps.
1. Hire before it hurts.
If you wait until your team is drowning to post a job ad, you’re already behind. You should be hiring and training before the flood hits. Don’t treat staff as an expense. Treat them as infrastructure. You wouldn’t run ads for a party before you booked the venue and the caterer, right?
2. Don’t spend on marketing if ops can’t handle it.
I know this one stings, but it’s the truth. If your intake team is maxed out, do not give marketing more money. Marketing should be directly tied to your firm’s ability to deliver a solid client experience. When operations can’t keep up, slow your roll.
3. Track what actually matters.
Here’s what you need on your dashboard:
- CAC. Is your client acquisition cost going up? Ask why.
- Review score. Google doesn’t lie. But also test client satisfaction throughout the entire process so it never gets to the 1-star stage.
- Referral rate. Are past clients still recommending you?
- Time to first response. Are leads hearing from you in minutes or days?
These are the canaries in the coal mine. When they start shifting, pay attention.
Read: What Should Be on Your Law Firm Dashboard.”
4. Make client service part of your firm’s DNA.
This isn’t just about getting the work done — it’s about how the client feels while you’re doing it. Talk about service in team meetings. Celebrate wins. Share feedback. Make it part of how you hire, fire and promote.
5. Protect your brand like it’s your retirement fund.
Because in a way, it is. If your brand gets dinged, you’ll spend months (and a lot of money) digging yourself out. And that’s if you catch it early. Bad service leads to bad reviews, which leads to fewer leads, which leads to desperate spending.
Don’t get caught in that death spiral!
Bottom Line: Growth Should Be Exciting, Not Exhausting
Scaling your firm shouldn’t feel like riding a rollercoaster with no seat belt. If your team is constantly behind, your clients are constantly annoyed, and your CAC is creeping up month after month, it’s time to pump the brakes.
Before you spend one more dollar on marketing, ask yourself: “Can we actually handle more clients without dropping the ball?” If the answer is no, congrats. You just found your next big priority.
Because growing a firm shouldn’t mean breaking it in the process.
Attorneys work tirelessly to build their practices and are beginning to realize that these businesses have value.
In Exit On Top, financial advisor Brooke Lively addresses the practical aspects of creating an easy-to-sell law firm, providing the roadmap and tools that will allow you to… exit on top. Learn more at www.ExitOnTopBook.com.
More Profitable Law Firm Tips from Brooke Lively
For more tips on building a more profitable law firm, read:
- Law Firm Metrics: Why Law Firms Struggle with Data Chaos (and What to Do About It)
- Are Your Law Firm’s Financial Systems Ready to Scale?
- The Path to Partnership: Embracing the ‘P’ Word Is the Key to Law Firm Growth
- Law Firm Profits and Year-End Taxes: Avoiding a Surprise Tax Bill
- 5 Ways You May Be Sabotaging Your Firm’s Growth
- The Best Compensation Plans Use the Law of Thirds
- Law Firm Overhead: What It Is — and What It Isn’t
- Building a Law Firm That Pays You First
- Understanding Law Firm Profits — And What to Do With Them
- How Are Law Firm Owners Paid? Total Compensation vs. Salary
- Funding Growth: Are You Starving Your Law Firm?
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