The True Cost of Sacrifice

“Lawyers who are broke are not in a position to do much good… Not for their clients, their family, their community, least of all themselves.” – RJon Robins, author of Profit First for Lawyers

In Part 2 of our series on Escaping the Doctrine of Sacrifice, we dive deep into the belief system itself. RJon further explores the idea that suffering somehow makes us good, working ourselves into the ground is noble, and that profit is something to be ashamed of. He references the philosophy from the How To Manage A Small Law Firm employee handbook that every team member reads it during onboarding.

In a clip taken from the 2021 livestream which would eventually become the Profit First for Lawyers book, RJon challenges the legal industry’s celebration of sacrifice for its own sake. The true cost? It drains your resources, time, and capacity to serve. Instead, RJon offers a profitable alternative rooted in stewardship, not selfishness.

Key Takeaways

• The Doctrine of Sacrifice celebrate giving up what you value for what you don’t value
• The legal industry encourages sacrifice in overt and implicit ways:
  • The billable hour
  • Pro bono awards for lawyers who can barely provide for their own families
  • Censuring the word “profit”
• Being broke drains you of financial resources, time, mental energy, and the capacity to serve your clients well
• Profit isn’t selfish, it’s stewardship that ensures you’re resourced enough to serve at your highest level

The Doctrine of Sacrifice is something most lawyers don’t even realize they’ve been influenced by it. But when you glorify struggle, burnout, and endless hours without measuring the value created, you are practicing sacrifice for its own sake, and that helps no one.

Resource: Profit Leak Assessment

The Profit Leak Assessment is a practical, on-demand course to help law firm owners find thousands of dollars in potential profit leaks. Karli teamed up with Evelyn Aucoin, Financial Literacy and Strategy Expert with How To Manage A Small Law Firm to create this resource for law firm owners. Click the link below to start plugging the profit leaks in your firm. Your future self will thank you for it!

Connect and Engage:

• Link to Part 1 of Escaping the Doctrine of Sacrifice
• Coming up next week: Part 3 of Escaping the Doctrine of Sacrifice
• More information about The Doctrine of Sacrifice can be found at the end of Chapter 6 in the Profit First for Lawyers book
• Subscribe to the Profit First for Lawyers podcast
• Watch episodes on YouTube
• Follow Profit First For Lawyers on social media: LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook
• And most importantly, order your copy of Profit First f