Is your firm getting it ‘right’? This time I am going to write about something really tough. I am going to write about dividing up the financial pie in a law firm. The issue of partner compensation surfaces in every law firm and it underlies many other issues. It is often not discussed directly, but […]
Partner compensation Read More »
Some years ago, I interviewed several of the most successful lawyers I knew. They had consistently robust practices that generated enough work to keep themselves and others busy. They were the “go to” lawyers in their fields, and they earned good incomes. I asked them how they envisioned, built and sustained their practices and what,
It’s not just a practice. It’s a business Read More »
Bill, an equity partner in a large law firm, advocated for a change in the way the firm utilised secretarial support staff to ensure continuity when secretaries were absent or when staffing changes occurred. Although Bill is a senior partner, to his surprise, his seniority and authority proved to be of little help in getting
Influencing & Professional Success Read More »
Buckle your seatbelt. I suspect 2017 will be a fast paced, bumpy ride into an uncertain and challenging future. What has worked well for your law practice to date may not be sufficient to get it to where it needs to be, or even maintain the status quo.
Future proofing your law practice Read More »
My friend Donella Meadows, who started an intentional community in Vermont many years ago, once said: “Living in community is neither as good nor as bad as you might think”. The same can be said about working in teams. Unless you really do practise law alone, you are likely to be part of a team
Coaching teams so the whole is greater than the sum of the parts Read More »
Smith & Same, a hypothetical general practice law firm with five partners and a total of 15 lawyers, has been in existence for 30 years serving clients throughout its regional area. John Same, the managing partner, makes many of the firm’s day-to-day decisions, but significant decisions are made by all of the partners. “three partners
Law office retreats that really add value Read More »
Frequently, I’m asked to coach a lawyer who is viewed as being a “high potential” professional within a law firm, in-house counsel’s office or barrister’s chambers The unspoken (or not so unspoken) agenda is that, as a result of the coaching relationship, the individual will “change” to better meet the needs of the organisation and
Coaching lawyers – what can success look like? Read More »
A law firm is optimally managed when the organisational and leadership needs of that firm are consistently well aligned with the resources the firm has to meet those needs. Full stop. In all law firms, management needs and resources are in constant flux. A law firm never fully “arrives”, nor is it ever completely deficient
Optimal law firm management Read More »
Recently I spoke at a gathering of lawyers on the topic of in! uencing and its importance in building and running a successful law practice. A member of the audience asked how influencing tied in with successful networking to create a high profile practice. It got me thinking about what networking is and why it’s
Networking: what it is and why it matters Read More »
No doubt you know what it means to build a legal practice. Do you have as clear an idea of what it means to build a “profile”? Consider the following. Peter, a barrister, specialises in certain types of litigation. He is bright, capable, hard-working and has practised for 15 years. Early on, Peteridentified his speciality
Building a practice & Building a profile Read More »
