Is Your Practice At The Bar Sustainable?
A Short Self-Assessment For Barristers
Many barristers are busy.
That does not necessarily mean they are building a strong or sustainable practice.
This short self-assessment is designed to help you take a quick look at your practice, where the briefs are coming from, what you are becoming known for, whether the economics work and whether it is moving in the right direction.
It is not designed to give you every answer.
It is designed to show you where the practice deserves a closer look.
6 Questions That Matter
For each question, mark yourself Green, Amber or Red.
Green means this area is reasonably strong or controlled.
Amber means there is some exposure and it needs attention.
Red means it is a weakness that should not be ignored.
1. Brief Flow
Do I have a reasonably consistent flow of worthwhile briefs from more than one solicitor, firm or source?
Green / Amber / Red
2. Positioning
Do solicitors know what to brief me for and am I becoming genuinely known for particular work, expertise or difficult problems?
Green / Amber / Red
3. Briefing Relationships
Am I building strong, repeat relationships with solicitors and making myself easy to brief, responsive and reliable?
Green / Amber / Red
4. Practice Economics
Are my fees, brief mix, collections and practice costs producing enough return for the time, risk and responsibility involved?
Green / Amber / Red
5. Judgement & Advocacy
Am I developing the advocacy, specialist expertise and judgment that make solicitors want me involved sooner than later
Green / Amber / Red
6. Future Readiness
Am I adapting my practice to changes in technology, AI, specialisation and the way solicitors and clients will use barristers in the future?
Green / Amber / Red
What Your Answers May Mean
Mostly Green
Your practice appears reasonably well positioned.
The next opportunity may be refinement, stronger specialisation, better briefs, higher-value relationships, improved fees, better use of technology or greater selectivity about the work you accept.
Our latest checklist Building A Sustainable Practice At The Bar can help you look at those issues in more detail.
One Or More Amber Areas
The practice may be working, but there are areas of exposure.
Perhaps the briefs are too concentrated, the solicitors are not clear what to brief you for or you are busy without being sufficiently profitable.
Perhaps you are not building the specialist reputation or repeat relationships that will strengthen the practice over time.
This is worth examining rather than waiting for it to become a bigger problem.
The Building A Sustainable Practice At The Bar checklist is a practical next step.
Any Red Areas
A red area does not necessarily mean the practice is failing.
It does mean something important deserves attention.
The problem may be positioning, solicitor relationships, fees, brief mix, practice economics, advocacy development or the direction of the practice.
Often the problem is not whether you are working hard enough. It is whether the practice around you is being built deliberately.
Our Building A Sustainable Practice At The Bar checklist can help you work through those issues.
If the issue is more significant, a Strategy Session may be the better next step.