Bias and Recall in Associate Evaluations
The first quarter of the year is the season of verbal evaluations for associates in many law firms. The written performance reviews have come in from several lawyers, the data on hours and billings are reported, and the availability of rewards (bonus, salary increments) is known. Now the partners sit down with the associate to […]
Business Development Skills and the Billable Hour
I recently reviewed a small firm’s Associate Guidebook. In describing the firm’s expectations of associates, two-thirds of the text was taken up with how to attain annual billable hours (2000). The remaining one-third addressed billing and timekeeping. Not a word was said about business development or career. This got me pondering this question: What if […]
Sharing Your Profitability Numbers: All for One?
Because of client pressure on fees, law firms are scrutinizing their profitability numbers more than ever. If the clients are right, firms are looking for new efficiencies, better project management and innovative staffing. But we see that law firm leaders are looking at profitability as “business lines” as well. Is this area of practice a […]
The Path to Partnership in Small to Mid-sized Firms
If you are a partner in a U.S. law firm with fewer than 200 lawyers, think for a moment of how your current group of senior associates with eight to nine years of experience got to the brink of partnership. Then reflect on who their contemporary associates were at five years of experience. Many will […]
Tailored Talent Supervision
While working with counsel at a top global firm recently, I asked them: “What is your best tip for supervising associates?” I received some terrific ideas, but one that stood out was this from a transactional lawyer: “I ask them what they need from me.” This counsel had turned the normal supervision wisdom upside down. […]
Five Signs of “One Firm Thinking”
Managing partners sometimes complain to me about the lack of collaboration and teamwork in their firms. Then they shrug and declare, “It’s the nature of lawyers to be individualists.” The implication is that nothing can be done about it. I contend that a good leader can move a firm toward “one firm thinking” despite those […]
Client CLE Courses: Risk or Reward?
A common marketing tool to increase work from existing clients is the offer of a free continuing legal education (CLE) or “new developments” course. These are now often done by webinar, although the in-person version still has distinct advantages. If your firm conducts either version of these courses, have you considered the risks of doing […]
Dynamic CLE Panel Sessions
(Presented at the Professional Development Institute, Washington, DC December, 2012)The continuing legal education (CLE) program item in your hand looks promising: “Panel Discussion of Current Issues in Mergers and Acquisitions Practice.” You attend the 90-minute session. One moderator and three panelists appear. The moderator introduces each in turn. Each delivers a 25 to 30-minute lecture, […]
Getting Partner Performance on Track
At a recent summit meeting of U.S. practice group leaders in a global firm, I had the opportunity to run a leadership self-assessment (The Leadership Practices Inventory) and then ask the leaders to apply their insights to partner under-performance. The “takeaways” from this session may help any practice group leader who is charged with turning […]
Does “The Vision Thing” Work?
Specific behaviors by leaders can contribute to the success of a firm’s shared vision. When law firms prepare or revise their strategies, we ask them to write a vision statement: “What do you aspire to be?” We find that discomfort is evident, and disagreement follows. Somehow, the statement gets written, and then adopted by the […]