Word count: 401 words
Time to read: 1-2 minutes

1. They cost too much - compared to what? Not making the improvements? Not increasing revenues? Not investing in your firm and attorneys? Not developing your goals? A consultant's fees are no less costly than continuing along the same path you're on now and hoping things don't force you to change too much. What might an 'outside perspective' do to make your personal and/or professional life more meaningful and less stressful?
2. Their advice is common sense - A percentage of advice MAY BE "common sense" but consultants bring the shared experiences of other clients who may or may not have benefited from the thing(s) you may be wanting to do. The consultant investment can also be just the thing to bring a "sense of urgency" and commitment to a plan.
3. They disrupt things - Consultants need 'parameters' just as anyone who works for/with you. There has to be an understanding of the "ground rules." Before engaging any consultant, define their scope of interacting with the firm, attorneys, and others.
4. The legal business is different - Consultants have an "area(s) of expertise." This may be product, process, and/or an industry; however, their knowledge is no substitute for your knowing your firm BEST! All advice and counsel MUST BE "modified" in order to be compatible with your culture, style, and ultimate perspective.
5. Too much work - Engaging a consultant -- searching, interviewing, evaluating, and selecting alone can be tough. Then there's the researching, organizing, and reviewing of the issue(s) "under scrutiny." In all of this work you ultimately benefit by stopping to really analyze your operation and yourself, perhaps for the first time in a long time.
6. Been successful without 'em - May be true -- you've done alright "following the beat of your own drum." But what will it take to move your firm to the next level? Do you have the expertise, research, and insight into current trends and the benefit of other organizations' techniques, innovations, and creativity? The dynamic change and competition impacting every industry demands those with leadership responsibilities to take advantage of all of their resources, including those outside of their own operations and scope of knowledge. Engaging consultants leverages a lot of folks' knowledge and experiences to benefit your growth!