--- description: A practice manager in a law firm is a multi-faceted role that encompasses many responsibilities. Discover what this role can bring to a UK law SME. image: https://gdm-localsites-assets-gfprod.imgix.net/images/getapp/og_logo-94fd2a03a6c7a0e54fc0c9e21a1c0ce9.png title: Explainer: What is a practice manager in a law firm? --- # What is a practice manager in a law firm? Canonical: https://www.getapp.co.uk/blog/3445/what-is-practice-manager-law-firm Published on 10/02/2023 | Written by David Jani. ![What is a practice manager in a law firm?](https://images.ctfassets.net/63bmaubptoky/2WgiUtNStjTZiBwAhFcyJG/072da590003cef43bff75e3446d126f1/What-is-a-practice-manager-in-a-law-firm-UK-GA-HEADER.png) > Legal firms can be complicated organisations to manage. In small to mid-size enterprises (SMEs), having a staff member with a managerial role to coordinate the staffing, finance, compliance, and admin of legal cases can prove vital. In this article, we look at what practice managers in UK law firms bring to their employers and when companies should consider hiring them.  ----- ## Article Content Legal firms can be complicated organisations to manage. In small to mid-size enterprises (SMEs), having a staff member with a managerial role to coordinate the staffing, finance, compliance, and admin of legal cases can prove vital. In this article, we look at what practice managers in UK law firms bring to their employers and when companies should consider hiring them. In this articleWhat does a practice manager do in a legal firm?What training should legal practice managers have?When can a legal business benefit from a practice manager?Knowing what a practice manager in a law firm can do can help owners improve the running of a business in many ways. However, these are roles that encompass a wide range of skills and responsibilities, which means it’s important to have a clear idea of the scope the role can take.  In this article, we answer the following key questions:What does a legal practice manager do?What skills and qualifications do practice managers need, and what responsibilities do they fulfil?What is the difference between a practice manager and an office manager?When should a solicitors office or legal SME consider hiring a practice manager? What does a practice manager do in a legal firm?Practice managers can be found in many professional environments; for example, GP and dental surgeries, accountancy practices, legal offices, and care homes. In short, any office or workplace where a group of accredited practising professionals collaborate may benefit from appointing a practice manager. In all cases where one is hired, the manager must demonstrate a diverse range of skills to oversee the proper running of the office or surgery. Their focus will be centred on a mix of roles all the way from accounting to human resources (HR).Nevertheless, a legal practice manager in a law firm is a specialised position where knowledge of Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and Lexcel compliance regulations and an understanding of legal case management systems are highly desired by SMEs. In smaller businesses, this can make a lot of difference to the day-to-day running. A manager in this situation allows fee-earning lawyers and solicitors to spend more time on essential legal services tasks of practising law, such as researching and preparing cases, whilst the general management tasks of the business can be left to the practice manager.What skills do legal practice managers bring to an organisation?Many skills may appear on a practice manager job description. Depending on the solicitor's office or law practice in question, this may require anything from the manager, from handling admin for the business to taking on an all-encompassing role which additionally handles marketing and HR, amongst other responsibilities.In addition to the skills used in most office environments, there is a knowledge of legal practices expected from these managers. These might include, familiarity with legal document management software, case management procedures and maintaining compliance with legal accreditation standards.This role also requires a person to wear many hats in a law practice. Therefore well-honed soft skills, such as communication, flexibility, multi-tasking, and diplomacy, can play a part in fulfiling a practice manager's role. Common duties for practice managersPractice managers may be called upon to perform many tasks in a solicitors' business. The winner of the Law Society’s Practice Manager of the Year Excellence Award 2020, Steve Bradley, sums this job profile up as being “prepared to do anything and everything”.Some examples of a practice manager’s in-office responsibilities might include everyday tasks such as:BookkeepingGoal settingInformation technology (IT)Organizing schedulingPremise managementSupplier negotiationsTeam leadershipUpdating social mediaTips for SMEsA practice manager can streamline their tasks with the help of law firm practice management software and other Law Practice as a Service (LPaaS) tools. These allow SMEs to automate a range of important legal tasks.To choose the best practice management software for law firms, owners should take into account factors such as:Company scale and structureThe level of security necessary for your dataIntegration with other software platforms you already use or will use in the futureHowever, there are many more focused tasks that managers will find in law SMEs. These focus primarily on helping staff members with the day-to-day professional duties that distract from their fee-earning tasks. Some examples may be:Client onboarding and relationship managementLegal billing and debt recoveryOptimising company-managed legal softwareReviewing company policy and procedure for regulatory complianceSelecting and renewing professional indemnity insuranceWhat is the difference between a practice manager and an office manager?There may seem to be a lot of similarities between a legal practice manager and an office manager. Whilst many responsibilities overlap within these two roles, there are key differences.An office manager will usually handle the site admin, maintenance, liaising between different departments and managing supplies of a business. However, they usually won’t be a chartered professional even if they’re managing staff members who are.Legal practice managers, on the other hand, will do many of the general management tasks and much more. They will often be experts in managing legal practitioners to get the best results for their firm and, in some cases, may be qualified lawyers themselves.  What training should legal practice managers have?As we’ve already examined, being a practice manager in a law firm can require a specialist understanding of legal compliance. This could make hiring a candidate with legal practice management training a consideration.However, having legal compliance familiarity might just be the icing on the cake for a business. There are many other qualifications that UK SMEs could want to see from practice manager candidates.These may include certification or experience in subjects such as:AccountingHRITManagementMarketingwhereas sector-specific qualifications that would demonstrate good knowledge of legal practice management and compliance regulations may include, for example: Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE)CLC Conveyancing and Probate CILEX Professional Qualification (CPQ) When choosing a candidate with relevant qualifications, identifying well-accredited certifications should also be considered. The most relevant awarding bodies vary depending on the area of law the practice focuses on. However, a few notable accredited training bodies practice management candidates may have qualifications from could include:Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX)The Law SocietySolicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC)When can a legal business benefit from a practice manager?The bottom line is almost any small legal practice could benefit from a dedicated practice manager. A law practice manager lets lawyers focus on liaising with clients, drafting legal documents, preparing cases, and appearing in court and handles other tasks necessary to maintaining a compliant and organised office.Naturally, a dedicated role such as this is often a valuable tool for solicitors. By allowing their focus to be purely based on working with clients, the business can build its reputation and achieve steady growth.Looking for legal case management software? Check out our catalogue. ## About the author ### David Jani David is a Content Analyst for the UK, providing key insights into tech, software and business trends for SMEs. Cardiff University graduate. He loves traveling, cooking and F1. ## Related Categories - [Project Management Software](https://www.getapp.co.uk/directory/332/project-management/software) - [Project Portfolio Management Software](https://www.getapp.co.uk/directory/572/project-portfolio-management/software) - [Project Tracking Software](https://www.getapp.co.uk/directory/1457/project-tracking/software) - [Task Management Software](https://www.getapp.co.uk/directory/570/task-management/software) ## Related Articles - [What impacts are UK electricity prices having on SMEs?](https://www.getapp.co.uk/blog/3309/impacts-uk-electricity-prices-SMEs) - [Digital acceleration in the UK – 64% organisations conduct most of their business virtually due to COVID-19](https://www.getapp.co.uk/blog/1885/digital-acceleration-in-uk) - [How To Prepare Your Enterprise Against Common Cyber Security Threats](https://www.getapp.co.uk/blog/1930/prepare-your-enterprise-against-common-cyber-security-threats) - [Trustworthiness of search results: How can businesses build a better online presence?](https://www.getapp.co.uk/blog/3731/trustworthiness-of-search-results) - [Rebuilding a healthy organisational culture in the age of remote work](https://www.getapp.co.uk/blog/2996/rebuilding-organisational-culture-remote-work) ## Links - [View on GetApp](https://www.getapp.co.uk/blog/3445/what-is-practice-manager-law-firm) - [Blog](https://www.getapp.co.uk/blog) - [Home](https://www.getapp.co.uk/) ----- ## Structured Data