Leadership for Law Firms

Wheatley Burt Patricia

Description

Leadership for Law Firms contains integrated research and anecdotal findings from over 70 interviews with Managing Partners, CEOs and other experts. The report offers practical guidance on the particular challenges faced by contemporary law firm leaders.

Sujets

• Droit et juridique

Informations

• Publié par: Law Society
• Date de parution: 01 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781907698248
• Langue: English

Extrait

Leadership for Law Firms
After the Legal Services Act
Patricia Wheatley Burt







All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by photocopying, scanning, downloading onto computer or otherwise without the written permission of the Law Society except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Law Society Publishing. Any unauthorised or restricted act in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.
The author has asserted the right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as author of this work.
Whilst all reasonable care has been taken in the preparation of this publication, neither the publisher nor the author can accept any responsibility for any loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from action as a result of relying upon its contents.
The views expressed in this publication should be taken as those of the author only unless it is specifically indicated that the Law Society has given its endorsement.
The Law Society 2011
Crown copyright material is reproduced in Appendix 5 with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty s Stationery Office
ISBN (EPUB): 978-1-907698-24-8
Published in 2011 by the Law Society 113 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1PL
Typeset by Columns Design XML Ltd, Reading


Contents

Cover
Title
Copyright
About the author
Abbreviations
1Leadership in law firms - is now the time?
Why is leadership relevant in law firms in 2010+?
Why 2010 offers a greater opportunity for leadership
How and why has this research been undertaken?
How to use the findings from this research
A big thank you and acknowledgement
2Is it a leadership or management role?
Captains of industry as role models
Leadership: is it essential?
Leadership: master or servant?
How does leadership emanate in today s law firm?
Guided entrepreneurial leadership
Overt leadership
Covert leadership - light touch leadership?
Decision-making structures to support the leader
Head-hunted leaders
What advantages does a non-lawyer leader bring?
The rest is management
A renaissance for leadership in law firms
So, can lawyers be led?
Chapter summary

3Leadership and current structures
Current options for law firm leadership structures
Existing drivers for changing the leadership structure
Conclusions
Chapter summary
4Leadership structures for the future - post-2011
What are the drivers for changing the leadership structure?
Leadership structures for a flourishing future (post-October 2011)
Chapter summary
5Right time - right leader
Establishing the current status and predicting the future
Five transition phases
Start-up and the leader MP
Status quo or servant and the leader MP
Change agent and growth and the leader MP
Crisis management and the leader MP
Continuous momentum and the leader MP
General - career leader MPs
Conclusion
Chapter summary
6Getting followers on board
Managing followers expectations
Overcoming a lack of trust
Decision-making: directive or consensus?
Fickle followers
Achieving shift and change
Collegiate or commercial cultures - or both?
Assessing new talent
Merging and lateral hire followers
Aligning and integrating values and vision
Prevention is better than cure - selecting followers
Conclusion
Chapter summary
7Behaviours and key traits for leaders
Selection methods
Experience can teach us as much about where we want to go, as where we don t
Great, average or ineffectual MPs?
Credibility, trust and respect of the MP
Commercial awareness and entrepreneurship
Essential personality and key behaviour traits
Values, tone and culture
Success can look like this
Chapter summary
8Career leaders - as MP/CEO
Cul-de-sac or career?
Issues around becoming MP - or not
Where could a career as MP lead to?
Taking control and head-hunting
Genuine career move or just pension pot hunters?
Succession planning and the next generation of MPs
Graceful retirement - or nothing?
High street v. national v. global firms
Collegiality is the watchword
Recognition and reward
Conclusion
Chapter summary
9Sprucing up the leaders and their successors
Role model leaders
Talent spotting and grooming for succession
Leaders development whilst in post
Preparation
Development centres
Revisiting training for trainees - ideas
Preparation for next career moves
Chapter summary
10Change or do nothing?
Leadership v. management
Do current structures hamper leadership?
Opening up and redesigning the delivery of legal services
Right time and so right leader
Getting followers on board
What does the future hold for law firms?
Appendices
1A selection of questions asked during interviews
2Job descriptions summary (taken from discussions)
3Top tips during term of office - first 101 days
4Summary of the Seven-Ss of leadership success
5Legal structures: the basics
6Contributors
About the author
Patricia Wheatley Burt (FCIPD) has over 25 years experience working in the legal, other professional and commercial sectors, from small partnerships to those in the Top 100. She currently leads a growing team of consultants and trainers associated with Trafalgar - The People Business Ltd.
With a background in commercially driven human resource (HR) management, Patricia provides employers with practical and strategic analysis, project plans and advice on implementation to achieve improved profitability through the effective deployment of leaders and teams.
Patricia s previous publications include Profitable Performance Management (2006) and The Role of the Managing Partner (2007). She regularly contributes articles to legal and professional journals, and is also increasingly in demand as a speaker and chairman at awaydays, conferences, seminars and other corporate or in-house events.


Abbreviations
ABS alternative business structures AIM Alternative Investment Market BD business development CEO chief executive officer COO chief operating officer DD due diligence Ei emotional intelligence FTSE Financial Times Stock Exchange GC general counsel GMP global managing partner HMRC Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs HoD head of department HR human resources IT information technology KPI key performance indicator L&D learning and development LLP limited liability partnership LSA Legal Services Act 2007 MDP multidisciplinary practice MP managing partner NI National Insurance PE private equity PEP profit per equity partner PII professional indemnity insurance plc public limited company SP senior partner SRA Solicitors Regulation Authority



Chapter 1
Leadership in law firms - is now the time?
Why is leadership relevant in law firms in 2010+?
Working with a wide selection of managing partners (MPs) and chief executive officers (CEOs), this research has sought to find out just what qualities a leader of a law firm needs in order to pull all the vested interests together. How have they faired during the past five years of boom, followed by recession, and how will they cope in these more austere times? It was found that leadership is not just the preserve of the Magic or Silver Circle or global firms, nor only of those who have a sophisticated infrastructure of business support directors. In fact, it is a mindset that enables the investors in the firm - currently the partners - to get the best possible return on their investment. Focus has been on the following questions:
Do firms understand the difference and benefits between leadership and management?
Can lawyers be led, and are they prepared to be followers?
Is the size of firm a determining factor before the partners are prepared to invest in a non-fee earning MP as the leader?
Is the structure of partnership in law firms outdated and unworkable in the context of leadership, and will the new options be any better?
Are there particular circumstances that require a particular style of leadership? If so, what examples are there?
Are there methods used for succession planning, selecting, grooming and appointing an MP as leader now and for the future?
Is there life after being MP? What are the career options?
When exploring how leadership fits within the partnership model, there remain mixed views. Some are adamant that consensus is workable up to,