The problem nobody says out loud

If you own a law firm, your day can disappear into email, staff questions, client calls, and meetings that feel urgent. You look up at 5:00 and realize you handled everyone else’s priorities…yet nothing truly moved the firm forward.

This is not a personal failure. It is often a structural issue. When the owner becomes the default decision-maker for everything, the firm turns into a machine that cannot run without one person in the middle.

Real-life story: The managing partner who could not take a day off

A managing partner told me she wanted to plan a vacation but could not imagine being away for a week. Not because her firm lacked clients…because she believed the firm would stall without her. Staff decisions would pause. Client issues would pile up. Billing would slow down. Money would get stuck.

She was not lazy. She was over-functioning.

She also had one habit that quietly proved the point. She personally approved or touched almost every “small” operational item, including things that did not require her expertise. It was not about the dollar amount…it was about control and the fear of risk.

Framework: 3 questions that reveal whether you are leading or babysitting

Carol Schultz works with CEOs and founders who have become “hostages” of their companies. In our conversation, 3 diagnostic questions came up that translate perfectly to law firms:

1) What percentage of your week is spent managing people and reacting?

If a massive portion of your time is consumed by staff questions, internal drama, inbox triage, and meetings you do not need to attend, you are doing work the firm should be structured to handle without you.

2) Could you step away for 1 day…without panic?

This question is not about work ethic. It is a test of support systems. If a day off feels impossible, the firm is signaling that roles, authority, and decision-making are not clearly defined.

3) Do you believe you are the only person who can “do it right”?

This is where Founders’ Syndrome shows up. A founder may be the original visionary, but growth requires a team that can carry the vision, make decisions, and execute consistently without constant confirmation.

Fix: What to do instead

Carol’s practical guidance for CEOs starts with one simple behavior shift…then expands into structural support.

Step 1: Schedule strategy blocks that are protected

Start with 1 hour per day with no meetings, no inbox, and no interruptions. Use it for the work only the owner can do:

• the goals for the next quarter

• the service mix you want to sell more of

• how to improve realization and collections

• what needs to change in staffing or workflows

As your firm stabilizes, increase the strategy time. If you cannot increase it because fires keep popping up, that is useful information…you need help and structure.

Step 2: Reduce meetings that do not require the owner

Carol noted that many companies waste large chunks of time in meetings. In a law firm, “owner attendance” often becomes the default even when the owner is not the decision-maker for that topic.

The fix is not avoidance. The fix is a proxy role that can run meetings, manage follow-ups, and escalate only true go or no-go decisions.

Step 3: Create role clarity and measurable outcomes

Delegation works when the person receiving the work is crystal clear on:

• what they own

• what success looks like

• what they can decide without permission

If the owner cannot delegate, Carol framed it plainly…you are dealing with micromanagement patterns, not a workload problem.

Results: What changes when a law firm owner leads like a CEO

When delegation is done correctly and strategy time is protected, law firm owners typically see:

• fewer interruptions and fewer decision bottlenecks

• better staff confidence and accountability

• faster execution on initiatives that actually grow the firm

• the ability to step away without operations collapsing

Conclusion

A law firm owner does not reclaim time by trying harder. They reclaim time by changing the structure that forces them to be everywhere.

If you want to lead a firm that scales, start with protected strategy blocks, remove unnecessary owner meetings, and build clear roles with real accountability.