Authors: Xie Lingli                                                           Introduction

In 1979 to restore the lawyer system has in the past twenty-seven years, China lawyer has developed more than one hundred thousand practicing lawyers, law firms more than eleven thousand scale, development speed is very breathtaking. With the continuous development of China lawyer industry, are constantly exploring the Law Firm lawyer management mode and business development, international in scope of reference necessary comparison, has formed some type of management mode, the lawyer business has also been all-round development. But undeniable is, from a whole range of lawyer industry, management mode, management method and the lawyer business development is still in the lower stage. This paper discusses the management and the law of business development.

 

　　Management mode, company is the main trend of the development of law firms, on the basis of this, a law firm shall strive to achieve the scale of operation, suitable machine for the group development, cultivate the firm culture and build firm brand.
Law firm management model should fully reflect the convenient and efficient decision-making ability, strong and effective implementation, to ensure the sustainable development of law firm partners law firm, achieve social and commercial purposes, as long as the law firm management to meet the above conditions is certainly worth the management mode.
The same is true in fact. In view of the differences in historical period, and geographical environment, regional culture characteristics, economic level, background and resources, individual quality, team characteristics, the lawyer business areas and stages of development and many other factors, law firms may not choose the same management mode, management mode can not be immutable and frozen, but should be adjusted according to the the change of the situation. Therefore, suitable for their own development model is the best law firm management, no standard mode of.
Relatively large international law firms generally uses the company management mode, the influential law firms also have a considerable part of the company management mode. Domestic law firms in the promotion process, generally to promote itself as the company management in law firms, obviously, company management model has been a certain identity lawyers in China, but also by the legal services market recognition. Unfortunately, the current situation of domestic law is just the opposite, the real implementation of very rare law firm the company management.
　　(a) the company management mode is the main trend of the development of law firms.
The company system has become one of the most important economic system since the creation of the self. In the theoretical research and practice, the company system obtained the very big development, has formed a scientific and perfect system, the company system with other management system has incomparable advantage, has a strong vitality, this is the choice of root causes of the company management in law firms. But the specific applicable law firm management in companies, but are different, with different characteristics. To where I am the Guangdong andao Yonghua law firm as an example:
Firms will partner meeting determined to firm the highest authority, its legal status and company system of shareholders (large) will be roughly the same, its members for all partners, exercise on the major issues of the decision in accordance with the "provisions of the partnership agreement" and "articles of association" of the law firm;
The committee management law firms through partner meeting election law firm, responsible for the day-to-day management and operations, its legal status equivalent to the company system of board of directors. Members of Management Committee comprises a director elected Management Committee (who is also the director of the law firm) and the management committee, the management committee member of the executive partner at the firm, some aspect of the real is in charge of the law firm or a few aspects of the work.
Accept the commission business committee, responsible for managing partner in charge of its members, as the person in charge and relevant business partners. Research on business commission is responsible for the firm's business planning, business, research and business coaching duties.
At the same time, set up the service quality supervision and Management Committee in the management committee, responsible for managing partner in charge of its members, senior partner at all or a lawyer. The committee is responsible for the law firm of standardized management, establishment and occupation moral education work service quality standard, in order to guarantee the quality of legal service firm.
Attorney's office, to ensure the normal operation of firms and promote the cultural construction of law firms; business development department responsible for marketing and management firm; the customer service department is responsible for the normal operation of the firm customer management system, effective maintain customer network.
In addition, the establishment of the legal professional department according to the law firm business expertise, responsible for the professional scope of legal services and Business Committee designated legal services.
Guangdong andao Yonghua law firms and other corporate management mode of law firms were compared and found the exchange: the management committee adopted by many firms, which effectively reduces the cost of decision, is very helpful to improve the operation efficiency of the firm; establish development and client management business is an important feature of the implementation of the company management model law firm, the firm establish brand and customer network and its significance has beautifully maintained.
From the static point of view, the implementation of the company management mode of the law firm the management costs than do other management law firm is high, but the resulting competitive advantage is the other model law firm incomparable. From the perspective of market competition, the company management to improve the competitiveness of firms is effective and preferred way.
　　(two) to realize scale management, increase market competitiveness.
The legal service market competition is actually the competition of talents, capital and resources, this is exactly the same as in other markets, and the law firm scale development is formed talent advantage, capital advantage and resource advantages, and achieve competitive advantage.
Consider, from the market point of view on the one hand, the law firm scale development of the competitive advantage is bound to expand law firm influence, enhance firm brand market visibility and market awareness and; on the other hand, it helps to consolidate the business scale business firms to enhance the brand, and promote further scale law firm the development, fundamental and finally achieve the development of business lawyers. The development of the law firm is a very necessary benign circulation.
Considering from the customer perspective, scale development firm, means that the business law firm development success, reflected and the expected better law firm strength, such a law firm is of course ideal partner. In recent years, the development status of lawyer industry is weak even weaker, the strong stronger, some not survival law firm scale faces great challenges, this is the inevitable result of customer choice, is the law of the market. Especially in the primary stage of the lawyers in China brand creation, brand effect temporarily still not very clear, customers in the selection of law firms tend to be on firm size judgment, for example: office area, based on the hardware configuration, the number of such.
From lawyers and business development direction of view, the professional division of labor is increasingly elaborate and customer demand a full range of increasingly high degree of apparently contradictory, it also needs the law firms through scale development to crack.
As above, the scale development law firm is represent the general trend, otherwise, not only difficult to develop law firm, or even to survive, even can survive only in some low-end business lawyer.
In foreign countries, hundreds of law firms are common, the British Gao Weishen law firm and USA, Germany's two firms after the merger, to become the world's largest, has offices in more than 30 important financial centers around the world. With more than six hundred partners, with seven thousand five hundred global employees, can provide legal services to commercial and financial sector for customers worldwide. Lawyers in China the average firm not to ten lawyers, a relatively small number of firms, the largest and only two about a hundred. According to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, the situation, many people over 100 lawyers did not implement company operation, is taken "mode of management fees (lawyer industry people call" Temple "), and not the resources advantage to form stable talent advantage and unified, unable to achieve economies of scale accordingly, and not the full sense of the scale of development.
This paper considers the scale development company management mode the most conducive to take advantage of the scale, the final realization of the fundamental development of law firm. In the scale development process should pay attention to the following questions:
1, the scale development is determined according to local market conditions, should not blindly pursue scale.
The legal service market vary widely across the country, the market space is not the same, this often exists in corresponding relationship with local economic development level. In the economy is not very developed area, scale development should pay special attention to step by step, blind scale will lead to management costs continue to increase, and the legal services market is small and difficult to achieve the scale effect of the law firm, will eventually The loss outweighs the gain.
2, the development of scale shall be determined according to the law firm business field.
Different areas of business law firm requirements on the scale is different. For example:
In the criminal defense business law firm, in view of the principal criminal lawyer is more concerned about the visibility and the past successful case law person, development is not necessary to the pursuit of scale.
In proceedings for the main business of the firm, given the procedure source of instability and uncertainty, it is also not necessary to the blind pursuit of scale development.
3, the scale development mode should be carefully chosen.
With the development of the lawyer business, continue to absorb the new partners and lawyers with law firms, human benign expansion will undoubtedly further promote the development of the lawyer business, so as to realize the continuous development of firm growth, the development model is an important way of firm scale development, is also the firm scale development. Many medium-sized law firm is continuously developed, which belongs to the "large-scale development of moderate amplification".
Also, an important means of merger is a law firm scale development, and even in some local firms and has formed a tide, become the preferred means of scale development. At present, the big firms are generally after several mergers to reach today's size, firm scale development abroad is to take the same approach. The competent authorities at all levels of our country law firms tend to encourage consolidation law firm. It is self-evident advantages of merger, can complete the scale of development in a relatively short period of time, and the inheritance of the original law firm all resources.
However, with the merger be totally different is, with examples of success are not many, many law firms after the merger and the rapid separation. Investigate its reason, it is ideas, cultural and institutional differences failed to break in, eventually led to the irreconcilable conflict and lead to discrete.
Therefore, with selection of objects is crucial. A law firm shall be tested with the object from the partner team, culture of law firms and lawyers in the business field, screening and selection "and fellow Chi" partner.
　　(three) a law firm shall choose suitable machine group development.
With the development of economy, area, regionalization and internationalization has become an important feature of the market economy. In order to meet the needs of economic development, the development characteristics of law firm shall reflect the area, regionalization and internationalization of the same.
The general is to meet the lawyer business area, regional and international demand to some extent by the way of cooperation with law firms, some cooperation is very successful. But the drawbacks of similar cooperation very much, cooperation degree is generally not deep, more short-term cooperative behavior and low-end business cooperation partners, mostly for the purpose of reducing business cost and seek cooperation, can not meet the legal service market demand, can not effectively expand market share firms to the legal service market.
In this context, the group development has become an inevitable choice. Group development itself is an important form and an important stage of large-scale development, is the important way to realize the firm brand expansion, is an effective method to improve market share, increase market competitiveness.
Group development should make clear direction, should follow the professional advantage or regional advantage of the idea of seeking development.
For example: some to maritime business law firm, layout according to the distribution of the Chinese maritime court, completed the development of collectivization, targeted very strong;
Another example: some law firms according to the economic region's (such as: area of economy of Pearl River Delta, Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone) for layout, completed the development of collectivization, the effect is very good, formed a regional firm brand appeal and market share.
In addition, some large law firms in China have set up branches in other countries, an important sign of this is of course a group development.
Group development means nothing more than three kinds: one of, directly to set up branches in different places; second, use the law firm mergers, merger law firms become branches Merger Law Firm; third, in-depth cooperation between different firms, the group operation to unified management and firm brand.
Group of law firms adopt different management mode based on the size and characteristics of business areas, usually for the following two kinds:
Highly centralized group model and regional branch of management with the group model of greater autonomy in relatively loose management from headquarters. In the first mode, firms within the group will achieve financial, business integration, profit by the headquarters according to the partnership agreement uniform distribution; the latter mode, fully considered the business development in different regions of different branches, and distribution as the leading pattern taken area management, to pay a certain proportion of branches the headquarters of the profit, the remaining part by the branches decide distribution, the headquarters of the business guidance necessary for the branches, and the business development of poor branches to provide full support, including financial support. One of the world's largest law firm Beck Mccann thought that the latter mode, moreover, branches of the localization and greater autonomy is one of the factors of the scale management success.
Most of China's present development of group management law firm is used after a model.
To sum up, the lawyer firm based in the scale of development, should select the appropriate time, select the appropriate way to realize the development of the group, which is the inevitable trend of the development of domestic and international law.
　　(four) the firm culture and brand is the core competitiveness of firm firm.
To establish firm firm culture, brand image has not been paid enough attention in general; lawyer firm culture and brand very little investment, not even as input, do not want to invest; most law firms is limited to its own management mode, unable to form a unified consciousness firm culture and establish brand image, not investment and operation. This is in fact the law firms lack of enterprise culture and cannot build a brand root cause. On the contrary, many lawyers for their individual propaganda is very successful.
Unified Office unified management, marketing, unified quality standards, unified image, enough investment and the stability of the team is the prerequisite to cultivate firm culture and establish firm brand. Company management in law firms are often on the firm culture and brand value, to greater input, this should be a significant advantage company management mode.
No corporate culture is no hope for the enterprise, is not the vitality of enterprises, is impossible to sustainable development, it is already obtained the rules of development of enterprises fully proved; also, this is an era of brand, brand concept already win support among the people, see no brand products from consumption areas will No one shows any interest in or sell at a low price, in the services no brand services also will suffer a lot. In the service industry law firm shall foster a culture and brand from the following aspects:
1, scientific management mode, improve the internal governance structure, standardize the operation behavior, this is the carrier of culture is firm, firm culture.
2, set up the positive enterprising, integrity services business philosophy, culture of solidarity team spirit, strengthen the law occupation ethics and disciplinary education.
3, improve the incentive mechanism and performance appraisal system, retain talent, talent training, make the talents fully play room and space for development.
4, promoting legal service mode of standardization and specification, and continuously improve the level of legal services, the establishment and perfection of the legal service guarantee mechanism.
5, pay attention to the theoretical study and practice of summing up, training law firm learning and research atmosphere, continuous introduction of theoretical research results.
6, pay attention to training and publicity firm lawyers and other auxiliary personnel unified image, pay attention to the use and promotion of a unified service mark and logo.
7, make firm brand strategy planning, and implementation key points, ensure a reasonable budget brand construction.
8, actively participate in various social activities, to fulfill their social responsibilities, and pay attention to media, authorities and industry associations to communicate.
System engineering firm culture and brand building belongs to the law firm, cannot accomplish at one stroke, the need for long-term attention and devotion.
In a word, the company management mode is the main trend of the development of law firms. On this basis, the law firm shall strive to achieve the scale of operation, suitable machine for the group development, cultivate and create law firm culture brand, and ultimately to form the competition advantage in the legal service market, success.

　　Two, the law firm shall determine the professional direction of development in line with its own conditions, set up the market marketing idea, the market operation skills and methods.
The lawyer business will be along the direction of development of specialized continues, this is inevitable choice of market, all sectors must follow this rule. Investigate its reason, the growing competition in the market, specialization is one of the important means to improve the ability of market competition. From the legal service market point of view, the market size, competition is becoming increasingly fierce, the customer demand for quality legal services has increasingly improved, legal system is becoming more and more large and complex, and the corresponding individual lawyer mental, physical strength and energy limited, is a law firm scale, resources and team limited. Therefore, the professional development become the must choice.
For the understanding of the professional development of lawyer industry, there is no objection, that is represent the general trend, which is similar to the lawyer industry management mode of knowledge of company. However, the implementation of a few. The reason no more afraid of specialized "eat not satisfied" or reluctant to non specialized direction "meat", be in a nice hobble. Professional development is the need for courage and determination, which may also involve short-term losses and increased investment, should be fully prepared for.
The market is run according to its own laws, not to comply with the laws of the market will be ruthlessly eliminated by market.
　　(a) the law firm should determine the direction of their own professional development.
First of all, the law firm of professional orientation in determining the direction of development, specialization, should not only consider the reserve of human resources, but also to consider the status and direction of area, the development of international economy, existing law firm business situation, law firms, capital strength and regional law firm professional advantages etc. many factors. Any unrealistic, do not respect the economic development situation and prospect area of specialty orientation must be empty talk.
Determine the professional development objective is to ensure that the industry-leading and market monopoly, which is the professional development of the core problem.
For example, in the coastal economically developed areas, the real estate market to form a long time, very mature, have a batch of the same mature firms engaged in the field of real estate legal services, has accumulated a lot of practical experience, has the business operating system perfect, and the formation of a certain market visibility and awareness. In this case, the other law firms in the business of real estate legal services as the development direction of specialization is not wise. Instead, just started in the real estate market area, choose legal service areas of real estate as a professional development direction is feasible, the minimum can also achieve the purpose to seize the market opportunities.
Some law firms for some real estate housing sales procedure, is positioning itself as a legal service real estate professional development firm, without any professional development practical significance. The legal service division of the field of real estate is more refined, such as some in the field of real estate legal services for the development direction of the law firm specializes in providing legal services for real estate development enterprises, providing legal services does not purchase; from the nature of real estate to see, some lawyers to provide legal services for commercial property projects on the residential areas of the property, receive less involved. In foreign countries, the legal services division of the more sophisticated.
Secondly, professional development direction is not equal to the development direction of single.
The legal service market has been divided, the legal services market is not mature and need a long process of market cultivation, the development space of different legal service market is not the same, the professional development of single direction has great market risk.
The development of firm scale to the larger volume of business cooperation, professional development direction of single limited to professional level may lead to traffic instability.
Therefore, in the initial stage of specialization, according to the actual situation of our country's lawyers, law firms shall determine the direction of development of two or three professional. For example, where I am the Guangdong Road Yong Hua law firm established real estate, company law and financial law service three professional development direction, in order to resist the possible risks.
Once again, the law firm shall be non litigation legal services areas as the focus of professional development.
Litigation unstable and uncertain factors, it is difficult to form a stable source of cases. Therefore, legal services should be focused on research and development of non litigation in the field of professional development direction in selected.
Of course, professional development should also fully consider the professional legal service market potential, the accurate assessment of its commercial value.
To determine the direction of professional development is a problem for any one firm, but also a need to solve the problem of.
　　(two) the legal services lawyers shall provide products and integration to the customer.
First, before the research on legal service products, lawyers must correctly analyze lawyer marginalization.
Law firms and accounting firms, investment or management Consultants Co and other intermediary service institutions, the same nature, resources, service similar to similar, the only difference is that the service content of different. But from the development situation of the domestic point of view, a lot of business -- especially corporate non litigation business mostly by agencies other occupation, the lawyer was marginalized, become integrated other intermediaries. For example: the lawyer at the edge of enterprise restructuring project phenomenon is very prominent, lawyers in many projects can not appear in "the main coordinator" image, but only the Law Commission according to "opinions" issued by the relevant, the main coordinator is often intermediary service machine of other types.
The reason for this situation is in many aspects, the most important point is the lack of awareness of law firm service products, can not form the corresponding legal service system. Other intermediary service institutions not only has strong service consciousness, pay attention to service product standardization and standardization, pay more attention to packaging, promotion of service products, especially pay attention to the integration of related intermediary resources and establishment of integrated service system with themselves as the core. In this regard, the domestic law consciousness and operation differs very far, so can't compete with other intermediary service institutions.
In view of this, in order to meet the needs of the market, marketing and promotion for legal services, legal services lawyers shall provide to the product development direction. Product style is firm standard and open service specification, service standards, service content, service mode, service project and service categories and other details, the establishment of a complete service system, through carrying the appropriate vector and packaging, to facilitate law firm execution, independent choice for customers, to provide customers with evaluation standard. For example:
Legal advisory service is one of the lawyer business important, but the difference between legal consultant service mode, service contents and charges each law firm or lawyers, all kinds of, very casual, no rules to follow, the client has no basis for judgement. In recent years the market point of view, many law firms will have the legal advisory services and products, and achieved good results.
Guangdong andao Yonghua lawyer office according to the characteristics of present legal service market, the legal counseling services for product upgrades, determined for in-house integrated support services. Specific to the service is divided into primary, intermediate and advanced three types, in the primary in-house integrated support services is subdivided to class C, class B and class a three categories, in the intermediate in-house integrated support services also subdivided into class C, class B and class a three categories. Different types of service, service content, different categories of services, service standards and service charges are not the same, customers can according to printed advertising materials and the corresponding service specification (equivalent to product introduction and instructions), choose the required, affordable services category. This kind of product service, not only convenient for customer choice, more suitable for marketing and promotion.
In fact, not only the legal advisory business so, any other legal services can realize production, the only difference is that the product form and product degree is different.
In addition, the legal service market law firms must provide legal service integration. Customer demand is multifaceted, each project may involve many aspects of the field is. For example: in the acquisition, investment legal business involves not only legal issues, but also to the issue of tax, accounting and other aspects of the. In the law firm of such circumstances must seek and other intermediary service institutions of cooperation, jointly completed the matter. Since it is a complete, involves the cooperation mechanism of professional standards, with the practical problems of tacit understanding degree. Therefore, law firm is necessary according to their own direction of development of specialization, to establish long-term strategic partnership with related accounting, audit, assessment, auction, intellectual property agency and investigation mechanism, construction of integrated management system, a full range to meet customer needs.
　　(three) establish client management system and service quality guarantee mechanism.
Unified management of customers for the company's management mode of the law firm is not difficult; the unified management of customer for some non company management in law firms, is a very sensitive topic, the lawyer will assume that the customer is a personal customer, personal customer management has nothing to do with the law firm, customer management law firm is actually a disguised deprived lawyer personal customer resources.
We can examine, face the customer management firm objective from the two layer one, is to strengthen the communication with customers, the stable customer resources, consolidate relations of cooperation with customers, dig the potential commercial value, carry on effective management to the customer; secondly, in order to tracking survey of service quality, quality assurance legal services. Two aspects of customer management purpose determines the importance of customer management of law firms. In view of the customer management is to guarantee the quality of legal services, even without the company management mode to execute the law firm should also carry out customer management, law firms for legal services lawyers to provide customers with tracking survey is necessary, is also justified.
To establish and perfect the need to tailor according to the law firm of its customer management system. Customer management system should at least include three aspects:
The specialized management departments, law firms shall establish the customer management, the relatively small size of the law firm shall designate a person responsible for customer management;
Second, the law firm shall purchase or designed in line with its own characteristics of customer management software, systematic and scientific management to customers, improve customer management efficiency. Software should pay special attention to ensure customer tracking and reflect dynamic changes.
Thirdly, a law firm shall formulate effective customer management system, make clear of the problems concerning customer management, customer management firm can run effectively.
To establish and perfect service guarantee mechanism is an important means to enhance law firm legal service quality and market competition ability. Guarantee quality of service mechanism shall also be customized according to law firm management mode and specific characteristics. The business according to the law firm, legal service quality guarantee mechanism of General shall include the following contents:
The professional legal services, is the cornerstone of quality guarantee mechanism.
Law firms based on professional development, in the internal shall carry out specialized division. According to the needs of professional development direction, combined with the lawyer's professional expertise and ideal, cultivate a group of professional lawyers in particular, optimize the allocation of talent. At the same time, expert selection of professional lawyer for professional legal departments, professional team in the play the leading and coordinating role of the.
Strengthen the training of professional knowledge and skills, professional exchange conference held on a regular basis, system and make them, to promote individual and team ability.
The establishment of professional operation platform, for the professional lawyers to learn and use, make the professional team can provide efficient and stable service.
Second, develop and implement business practices and service quality supervision system.
Formulate business operation strictly is to improve the quality of service is the most effective, the most direct way. Everywhere, various industry associations have developed operating norms of legal services, a law firm shall organize the professionals to study operating specifications similar, make more operational specification according to the actual situation of the Institute, applicable in all range, improving the quality of legal service in the.
Service quality supervision system should position, clear law firm sector in the functions of legal services in the safeguard mechanism of roles and responsibilities should be clear; law, the person in charge of the project, department heads, the committee responsible person and partner status in legal services, security mechanism in the role and responsibilities. The final formation of quality legal services security system, their duties.
Third, the implementation of quality legal services survey and quality legal services rectification system.
Investigation of quality legal services include self-examination activities (law firms through inspection and analysis, the lawyers handling project or case files based on quality assessment survey activities) and external check activities (active in the legal service market to customers, including legal services market participants on the legal service quality survey activities).
Quality legal services rectification system refers to the quality of legal service survey results are not in accordance with the law firm lawyers, legal standards of service departments to carry out targeted rectification, improve their professional level, to correct their bad work habits, improve the quality of legal services.
　　(four) the use of market means of marketing law firms and legal service products.
The development of marketing law firm has been plagued by lawyers. One is the concept of distress, many industry insiders believe that the lawyer is a noble occupation, should not carry out marketing activities, marketing activities detrimental to the lawyer industry image; on the other hand is plagued by the Department in charge of the system, there are many restrictions for the law firm's marketing activities.
No marketing, there is no market. The market has already proved that marketing is the most typical and the most effective means of market, in the legal service market law firm does not use this market means can not get good development. We can see all over the newspapers, in consultation with the advertising column, there are some law firms and lawyers to do long-term (some up to several years) "chunks" advertising. Advertising must have effect, otherwise these law firms and lawyers can not long persist in doing it. This is the most simple advertising marketing.
The viewpoint of this paper is, since the law firms have entered the market, right, is necessary to legitimate marketing. Law firm marketing includes two aspects of firm brand marketing and legal service product marketing content.
A law firm shall be according to their own conditions and environment, to choose their own means of marketing, marketing, law firms and legal service products.

Conclusion

Business development law firm management, law firm has been one of the most main topic of lawyer industry, the law firms and lawyers industry colleagues to try and exchange. Some views and ideas in this paper were tried in Guangdong an Dao Yong Hua law firm, the development process of Guangdong andao Yonghua lawyer office of certificate of the company's management will better promote the sustainable, healthy development of the lawyer business.