Year end scramble
It’s that time of year again. Financial year-end. 30th April. The annual law firm sprint to the finish line.
It’s likely some of you are:
- chasing bills like your life depends on it
- quietly sweating over whether you’ll hit the number
- suddenly remembering conversations you meant to follow up… in January
Others are already done and dusted. Relaxed. Dangerous.
Wherever you are, year-end is one of the most commercially useful moments in the calendar.
The trick? Don’t waste it by treating it like admin. Here’s three things to consider in the race to Thursday 23:59:59. Good luck and try to survive!
#1. Don’t just chase bills.
Most people will send the boring email.
“Just checking if you can settle the invoice.”
Fine. Functional. Forgettable. Instead, use the moment properly. You’ve got a completely legitimate reason to get back in touch with a client. So, make it count.
Layer in something commercial:
- “Let’s get this wrapped up and also have a quick look at what’s coming next”
- “Anything on the horizon we should be thinking about?”
- “Where are the pressure points internally at the moment?”
Same email. Completely different outcome. You move from chasing cash… to opening a conversation.
And the people who use year-end as a reason to talk about the future? They’re the ones who don’t start May from zero.
#2. Create urgency
If you need to get revenue in before Thursday…
This is where you earn your keep. The classic line:
“I’ve had sign-off from management that if we can get this settled before year-end, we can look at a reduced fee.”
Is it slightly engineered? Of course. Does it work? Every year.
Because people love:
- a deal
- a deadline
- and feeling like they’ve got one over on you
But here’s the real fun bit. If you’re sitting on unused BD or marketing budget…
Don’t let it quietly disappear. Pick up the phone. Drop the note.
“Quick one — if you’ve got any BD budget left before year-end, give us a call. LINAR Consulting and Legal Engine will happily help you spend it.”
Subtle? Not really. Effective? We’ll let you know next week 
#3. Start thinking like it’s next year
For the goody-two-shoes who’ve already done the number…
This is where you either get ahead, or quietly fall behind. Year-end is your cleanest moment to ask:
- What’s my number next year?
- How much is already covered by existing clients?
- Where is the gap coming from?
That gap is your BD plan.
But this year, there’s a fourth question you can’t ignore:
How is AI going to reshape how I generate that revenue?
Not in a vague, “we should probably look at this” way.
In a very practical sense:
- What work becomes AI-supported?
- What still requires human energy?
- Where do the two combine to create something better than either on their own?
Because the game isn’t: “AI makes things cheaper”. It’s: “AI changes how the work gets done”. Which means you need to be clear on:
- what you delegate to AI
- what you double down on as a human
- and how you get your team operating in the same way
The firms that win next year won’t just plan their numbers. They’ll redesign how the work actually gets delivered.
Chat to Tina by voice, when you’re between meetings, on the commute to/from work, or heading into something you’d rather avoid.
The takeaway
Year-end isn’t just about closing the books. It’s one of the few moments where:
- clients are responsive
- money is moving
- decisions happen quickly
So don’t just chase. Don’t just tidy up.
Use it:
- to open conversations
- to create urgency
- and to get brutally clear on what next year looks like (AI included)
Or… send the polite invoice reminder and see you in June.
We’re building a team of voice enabled AI assistants to support you with BD activities and allow you to spend more time being human. Interested? We’d love to chat.
