Law is one of the most competitive industries. It’s quite challenging to be the best amongst the best. Therefore, besides the extraordinary services, you need to focus on some other values that will distinct your firm. Since lawyers and associates are continuously competing against one another, it’s up to you as a senior partner to create a culture of acceptance. How can you do so?

Communication may be the key to all of the problems. Open and honest communication with clients is vital. But if you want to run a successful firm, in-house communication needs to be spot on! So, in which ways does internal communication affect the success of your company?

1. Credibility

One of the main benefits when it comes to internal communication is the credibility leaders earn when speaking to other employees. The secret behind creating a credible atmosphere is the timing you pick to implement an internal communication strategy. What does this mean?

You can't gain credibility in times of crisis. If you try to force trust in leaders during a time of crisis, leaders will not only lose credibility but trust as well! Downsizing, mergers, and transitions happen sometimes. It's up to you to create a pleasant atmosphere on time and prevent increased stress and anxiety. In case you only worry about how the public perceives your company, you'll lose credibility within your employees, which is worse than the public's opinion!

2. Teamwork

Intuitively we can say that better internal communication leads to even better teamwork. Even though not all people are ready to cooperate and work in a team, in law firms such a setting is sometimes necessary. You'll have to work together with an associate, paralegal, intern, or assistant in some cases. Therefore, building internal communication is essential.

Employees who know how to communicate and are open to different people’s opinions tend to be easier to work with. This leads to better law firm success, which is the outcome we all hope to achieve. On top of that, honest communication creates a team bond that is not easy to break. Attend different events together or organize team buildings where you’ll strengthen team communication and bond.

3. Trust

You probably know that trust is not an easy thing to build in a law firm. While everyone in the industry is playing against you, you may experience some in-team conflicts that can jeopardize your success! You mustn’t let that happen. Such scenarios minimize your credibility as a leader, as well as decrease the trust within a firm. 

In firms where trust is one of the main qualities partners nurture, employees experience fewer levels of stress, anxiety and are generally more satisfied. Why is that? In such environments, every victory is celebrated and every mistake can be prevented or fixed. This leads to a strong company culture that maintains employees' mental and physical health. If employees trust the firm, the firm is more likely to reach the wanted goals and succeed.

4. Reputation 

First thing first, lawyers and law firms depend on reputation. If you obtain a bad reputation in your field, you're less likely to score clients, bring new clients to the firm or even win cases! All the odds will be against you. To prevent that from happening, build a solid internal communication strategy. How can you do that?

To build an internal communication strategy, you need to work on your relationship with all employees. Whether they are partners, associates, assistants, or cleaning staff, respect, honest and transparent communication is the best way to build a reputation. It will increase trust, credibility, and job satisfaction. Satisfied employees will establish positive word of mouth and therefore build an external reputation as your ambassadors!

5. Retention and loyalty

Fluctuation is natural in every industry. However, companies and firms try their best to minimize it within their teams as hiring and training new employees tends to be more expensive than retaining talents. On top of that, fluctuation leads to worse reputation, less trust, and generally less job satisfaction. But how can you make the employees stay?

With open and honest internal communication, employees are more likely to keep their jobs. Open communication creates transparency and with that, a happier work environment. However, some firms don't nurture transparency. That's why building a customized strategy that suits your firm the most is the ideal case. With loyal employees, you won't have to worry about the company's secrets leaking into the public.

Final thoughts

As you can see, a strong internal communication strategy takes you one more step towards success. It may be a key missing part of the puzzle to achieve the goals and create the dream team. So, try to create and nurture communication strategies that will help you meet the goals, keep employees, and beat the competition!