The Jakovenko Group

09/25/2026

5-minute fix that just saved a firm $3,000/month.

A small firm called me last month. They were paying for 14 different software subscriptions. Fourteen!

Half the team didn't even know these tools existed.

We spent 5 minutes doing a simple audit:
• Listed every subscription
• Asked who actually uses each one
• Checked the last login dates
• Identified overlapping features

The results were embarrassing.

They had three different e-signature platforms. Two project management tools that nobody touched. A "premium" legal research subscription that duplicated their bar association's free access.

Total waste: $3,000+ per month. That's $36,000 a year going nowhere.

The fix took literally 5 minutes to identify. Another 10 minutes to cancel the redundant subscriptions. Done.

This isn't unique. Most small firms are bleeding money on zombie subscriptions - tools they bought, forgot about, and keep paying for on autopilot.

Here's your homework: Pull up your credit card statements. List every recurring charge. Ask yourself: "When did we last use this?"

You might be shocked at what you find.

What's the most ridiculous subscription you've discovered your firm was still paying for?

09/18/2026

"I'm working 70 hours a week and I think I'm going broke."

That's how the call started. A partner at a 5-attorney firm. He was at his breaking point.

We pulled his numbers. He was right.

The firm had $2M in revenue. Sounds great, right? But after expenses, they were barely breaking even. Some months they were actually losing money.

Here's what we discovered:
• Their top client consumed 40% of their time but generated only 15% of revenue
• One practice area was subsidizing two others that were hemorrhaging cash
• They were writing off nearly $400K annually in "courtesy discounts"
• Each attorney needed to bill 2,400 hours just to cover overhead

The partner nearly cried when he saw the real numbers. He'd been running on gut instinct for years.

We made three changes:
1. Fired the unprofitable client (scary but necessary)
2. Raised rates by 20% for the profitable practice area
3. Stopped the automatic courtesy discounts

Six months later, same revenue. But now they're keeping $300K more of it.

The lesson? You can't manage what you don't measure. Most attorneys are brilliant legal minds running businesses they don't understand.

When was the last time you looked at your real numbers? Not just bank balance. Real profitability by client, by matter, by attorney.

Is it time?

09/11/2026

Stop solving law firm problems by throwing more people at them.

I see it constantly. Firm gets busy, partners panic, they hire. Six months later they're busier, more stressed, AND have higher overhead.

Here's the truth from my latest Law Firm Geek newsletter: You don't scale chaos. You organize it.

Before you post that next job listing, ask yourself three questions:

1. Is the process actually defined?
Can your team map the workflow? If everyone does it differently, a new hire just adds another variation to the mess.

2. Is your technology being fully used?
Most firms use maybe 20% of their software capabilities. I've seen firms hire paralegals to do what automation could handle in seconds.

3. Is accountability clear?
Without defined roles, every new person creates more overlap, more meetings, more confusion.

Last month, a firm called me wanting to hire two more associates. We spent an afternoon mapping their workflows instead. Found out their senior associate was spending 15 hours a week on tasks a legal assistant could handle. Fixed that first. Saved them $200K in salaries they didn't need.

The smarter approach: Optimize, then expand.

A smaller team with clear processes will outperform a larger team running on instinct. Every time.

When's the last time you audited your workflows before posting a job? What did you discover?

09/04/2026

It's Friday, so let's be honest about law firm operations.

You know your firm needs help when:

• The "filing system" is whoever remembers where they put it
• Your billing process involves prayer and Excel sheets from 2015
• "We've always done it this way" is your mission statement
• The printer has been "temporarily broken" for 3 years
• Partners think PDF stands for "Please Do it Faster"

My personal favorite: A firm told me they track time "very carefully" — on Post-it notes. That they regularly lose.

What's the most creative "system" you've seen at a law firm? Wrong answers only. 😂

Happy Friday, legal operations warriors. We've earned this weekend.

08/28/2026

Saturday morning on the tennis courts with my daughter.

She asked me why I keep score so carefully in tennis but tell law firms to "stop keeping score of everything."

I told her tennis has clear rules. Law firms make them up as they go. 😅

She beat me 6-0. Again.

There's something beautiful about a sport where the lines are literally painted on the ground. No gray areas. No "it depends." Ball is in or out.

Maybe that's why I love helping law firms find clarity in their operations. We all need clear boundaries somewhere in our lives.

What's your Saturday stress relief? Tennis? Golf? Pretending your inbox doesn't exist?

Enjoy your weekend, everyone. See you back in the law firm trenches Monday.

08/21/2026

I get asked a lot about the biggest misconception attorneys have about their firm's financial health.

My answer is always the profitability piece. Period.

Most attorneys are brilliant at practicing law but are consistently confused about where all the money goes.

They want to know their numbers, but they don't 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 know their numbers.

They see a big revenue figure and think the business is thriving. But they often have no idea what their actual profit margin is.

It’s like billing thousands of hours without knowing if you're actually making money on them. You're running the business blind.

08/16/2026

Exciting news—The Jakovenko Group has been nominated for Best of Georgia in the Business Consulting category!

I’m incredibly grateful for every law firm, attorney, and business leader who has trusted me to help strengthen their operations and build a more profitable, sustainable business.

Voting is free and only takes a moment. I’d truly appreciate your support!

Vote here:
https://gbj.com/alpharetta/business-consulting/the-jakovenko-group?from=badge

Thank you! 🙏

Vote for The Jakovenko Group in Alpharetta, Georgia as Best of Georgia for Business & Creative Services!

08/14/2026

I was asked a great question last week: When orchestrating the business side of a law firm, what’s the one 'instrument' that, if out of tune, can derail the entire operation?

My answer is simple.

Lack of a clear owner's dashboard.

It should be a daily snapshot that translates into a monthly prediction.

It must include:
Your bank account balance as of today.
Your anticipated collections for the month.
Your anticipated expenses for the month.

It also shows your WIP and AR. That’s your pipeline. It tells you what's coming up.

This isn't just about tracking numbers. It gives you a predictor of where you're going to start next month. It allows you to be at ease, knowing you'll have money to operate going into the next month.

Are you running your firm with a clear dashboard, or are you just guessing what next month will look like?

08/13/2026

The number one hurdle for law firms right now is AI adoption. It's not humans versus AI, but humans working *with* AI. AI should handle the tedious tasks, like initial drafts and administrative work, freeing up legal professionals for what truly matters.

08/10/2026

Many law firms struggle with time entry, causing stress and underperformance. Attorneys want to practice law, not track every minute. Imagine a system that watches your day and drafts your time entries with AI, letting you simply approve or adjust. This frees up mental energy for what truly matters.