What do Bruce Wayne, Jeff Bezos, and 2018 Jordan Ostroff have in common? All of us have been caught in the grind of doing too much ourselves, thinking we could handle everything like superheroes. But even the best knows: you can’t do it all alone.
Batman might seem like he’s running Gotham solo, but he’s got Alfred, Robin, and the entire Bat-family backing him up. Jeff Bezos built Amazon, but even he didn’t package every box or answer every customer email. And me? Well, in 2018 my dream was to clone myself and let multiple me’s staff my whole firm…then I realized that would be a NIGHTMARE.
In running your law firm, time is your most valuable resource. If you’re wasting time on tasks someone else could handle, you’re holding yourself back from focusing on what actually matters—whether that’s strategic growth, working on big cases, or just spending more time with family.
Today, we’re going to explore people-focused solutions to business problems. Then next week we will look at the options that don’t involve more people. First, let’s start with the WORST option.
1. Do It Yourself (Boo! We Don’t Want This)
Pop Culture Example: Tony Stark in Iron Man 2—he’s trying to fight bad guys, build suits, and handle his company’s PR. The result? Total burnout and his company falling apart until he hands things over to Pepper Potts. Sort of like me handing over the actual legal work to my wife (who is a lawyer and a better one than I am).
Real Example: Jeff Bezos might have started Amazon in his garage, but at some point, he had to stop packing boxes himself. His success came from delegating the right tasks to the right people, allowing Amazon to scale massively.
Your Example: When I started my firm, I was wearing too many hats—taking client calls, managing intake, and handling admin work. The result? I was miserable, overworked, and not focused on growing the firm. Doing everything myself wasn’t the way forward.
The Fix: Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you have to handle everything yourself. Sure it’s cheap and easy in the long wrong to just work an extra hour and do this extra thing…but in reality, you’re only holding yourself (and your firm) back.
2. Delegate (Hand It Off)
Pop Culture Example: Batman relies on Alfred, Nightwing, and Robin to handle different parts of the fight for Gotham’s safety. Delegating ensures that Bruce Wayne doesn’t have to be in two places at once (though he tries sometimes).
Real Example: Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, says that the key to his success is delegation. He’s built an empire by trusting others to take care of various business ventures while he focuses on the big picture.
Your Example: When I finally started delegating intake, billing, and admin work to my team, I freed up hours in my day. And guess what? The firm didn’t crumble—things actually ran better because my team could focus fully on those tasks and let focus on the next thing to start figuring out how to delegate.
The Fix: Identify tasks that are eating up your time (maybe use a time audit…) and delegate them to team members who have the skills to handle them. Trust your team to get things done, and spend your time where you can make the biggest impact.
3. Train (Build Up Your Team)
Pop Culture Example: Professor X trains the X-Men to hone their powers so they can take on bigger threats together. By training them, he’s able to scale their impact and solve problems no single mutant could handle alone.
Real Example: In any successful business, training is key. McDonald’s is so successful not because they make the best burgers (spoiler alert they don’t) but because they invest heavily in training (and tech – which will come up next week) employees, creating a system where nearly anyone (including high school students) can run a restaurant, ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
Your Example: I’ve seen this in my firm—when I invest time in training my team (whether it’s for intake processes, client communication, or case strategy), it pays off tenfold. At least!!! Think about it…if 5 of us spend 1 hour training that’s 5 hours total. But if this helps everyone save 1 hour a week moving forward that’s a 10 x return in just 2 weeks.
The Fix: Take time to train your team how to do things correctly and efficiently on the tasks you want them to manage. Yes, it takes effort upfront, but the long-term payoff is worth it. You’ll build a stronger, more capable team that can handle more responsibilities over time.
4. Outsource (Let Someone Else Do It)
Pop Culture Example: Tony Stark outsourcing AI to J.A.R.V.I.S. so he doesn’t have to monitor everything himself. By automating and outsourcing, Stark is able to focus on higher-level tasks (and, you know, saving the world).
Real Example: Apple outsources most of its manufacturing to other companies, focusing on what it does best—designing products and creating the best user experience possible. Caveat – Dell did this to another company who eventually became ASUS and started competing with them…so be careful WHAT you outsource.
Your Example: My favorite example – an answering service. Think about it…if they have 3 shifts then every person can work 8 hours but my phones can get answered 24 hours a day. And look, we still have a receptionist, so it’s just for overages and nights and weekends (and hurricane weeks). But this allows us the flexibility to treat clients the right way while still getting our work done.
The Fix: If there are tasks that are important but outside your core expertise (or they take too much time), outsource them. Whether it’s marketing, bookkeeping, or even client intake, outsourcing lets you focus on what you do best.
5. Hire (Bring in Someone New)
Pop Culture Example: Nick Fury knew he couldn’t defend the Earth on his own, so he recruited the Avengers. By bringing together experts in different areas, he built a team that could handle the biggest threats to humanity.
Real Example: Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks, knew that to grow the company, he had to hire experts in operations, finance, and other areas. He couldn’t run every part of Starbucks himself…they also have to employ all the people who take your order for coffee (and yes EVERYTIME I go into a Starbucks I think of the scene from Role Models about how the names make no sense)…
Your Example: When I hired my first intake coordinator, it felt like a big leap. But within weeks, I realized how much time it freed up for all the lawyers, allowing us to focus on the legal work and growing the firm instead of being bogged down by administrative tasks. Oh AND she does it better than we did so our overall close rate is higher. To be fair, she can still book consultations with the lawyers if the person doesn’t hire ASAP so it really gives us 2 bites at the apple.
The Fix: Sometimes, you need to bring in new talent to solve your problems. Whether it’s an admin, paralegal, or associate attorney, hiring the right person can be a game-changer for your firm’s growth and success.
Conclusion: Time is Your Biggest Asset
At the end of the day, all of these solutions—delegating, training, outsourcing, or hiring—come down to freeing up your time or creating more time for the business as a whole. You only have so many hours in the day, and you need to focus on the tasks that matter most. Whether you’re handing off intake, hiring an assistant, or training your team, the goal is the same: not only are you getting time back so you can focus on what really matters, but you can also get people who know it better, or will learn it better to do it better than you can.
Until then, keep your cape ready and your time protected!