Leadership

Articles

• What's Our Deal?  ** NEW **
  by David Maister
  

  David Maister writes some really good stuff and you'll find lots of his books and articles featured on our Website. This particulter article discusses things like mission, vision, values and culture in the context of a law firm. It's a great article to circulate among your parnters in advance of your next Firm Retreat. It will get them thinking about a whole bunch of issues, including the rules and codes of conduct (if any) by which your fim and its professionals live.

• Law Firm Management Science: Ignore at Your Peril  ** NEW **
  by Timothy Corcoran
  

  This interesting and thought-provoking article appears in January edition of the ABA's Law Practice Today. In fact, there are several good articles in this issue, but this one got my attention. Among othe things, Corcoran writes about how more progressive law firms are focusing attention on continuous process improvement and finding new, more effective ways to get things done.

• Why Leaders Need Feedback 
  by Dr. Larry Richard
  

  As a new member of the MPF faculty, we've asked Larry to provide a few articles for our Website. This one says that, as a law firm leader of a law firm, you should want and solicit feedback about how you're doing. The more you understand about yourself and how others perceive you, the better equipped you are to effectively respond to the concerns of others, to understand those you lead, and to gain buy-in from them on their own terms.

• Leadership Development
  Should Your Firm Invest in Growing its Leaders? 
  by Kathleen Bradley
  

  Developing leadership skills is hard work. And it's especially difficult for lawyers who, by nature, tend to be skeptical, autonomous and risk averse. Yet the absence of strong, committed leaders who are trusted and inspire confidence within the firm is often cited as a major factor in most law firm dissolutions. Has the time come for your firm invest in developing leadership skills in its lawyers? If no, why not? If yes, what, when, who and how? This article will help answer some of those critical questions.

• Herding Cats:
  The Lawyer Personality Revealed
  by Dr. Larry Richard
  

  According to the research presented in this timeless article by Dr. Larry Richard, lawyers are highly skeptical, hate change, avoid risk, love autonomy and expect immediate results. That makes them an especially tough group to lead. A must read, this article will help firm leaders understand what they are up against.

• Make Mid-Sized The Right Size
  by Peter S. Marlette, Esq.
  

  Peter Marlette, Managing Partner of Damon Morey in Buffalo, New York, has recently joined the MPF Advisory Board. This outstanding article, which originally appeared in the New York Law Journal, is must reading for leaders of mid-size law firms. It discusses the exciting opportunities for mid-size firms in today's marketplace for legal services. Among his recommendation: Adopt and implement a firm-wide strategic plan, and become active in the right law firm network. His frm is a member of ALFA International.

• Where Leaders Stumble
  by Patrick J. McKenna
  

  In working with hundreds of law firm leaders over the past twenty years, McKenna has observed several warning signs that often lead to weak or ineffective firm leadership.

• Five Questions to Ask about Your Firms's Succession Readiness
  by Thomas C. Grella, Esq.
  

  "A leader's lasting value is measured by succession," says leadership author and guru John Maxwell. Tom Grella, a long-term member of the MPF Advisory Board, puts his spin on the topic from the perspective of managing partner of a mid-size firm. Importantly, he writes about the role of current firm leadership in the process. Tom is Past Chair of the ABA's Law Practice Management Section. This article appears in the May/June issue of the ABA's Law Practice magazine.

• The Evolving Role of Today’s Law Firm Leaders
  by John Remsen, Jr.
  

  Today's law firm leaders face extraordinary challenges. Learn steps that the top level of firm leadership can take to enhance the effectiveness and performance of their organizations.
  

• Leadership Transitions: Seven Steps to Ensure Success
  by Patrick J. McKenna
  

  There is no definitive answer to the question of exactly how long an outgoing leader should stay in office after announcing his or her departure. Many management experts advocate a swift transition to avoid lame-duck syndrome or firm drift. However, one-on-one interviews with dozens of firm leaders reveal a very different approach.

• Anxieties of Leadership:
  Critical Questions and Answers for New Managing Partners
  by Patrick J. McKenna
  

  For new managing partners, the responsibilites are multi-facted and the stakeholders are diverse, both within and outside the firm. This article looks at the most common mistakes, the biggest challenges, some unanticipated surprises, and how to avoid them.

• Take Responsibiity for Rising Stars 
  by Jeffrey M. Cohn, Rakesh Khurana and Laura Reeves
  

  This article contends that companies that are good at growing leaders do so in the trenches at the “line manager” level, not through their HR departments. That would equate to a department head and practice group leader in the context of a law firm. It includes a “Leadership Development Checklist” on how to grow great leaders.

• Grooming Next-Generation Leaders 
  by Martha Lagace
  

  This article interviews a pair of Harvard Business School professors who talk about the importance of identifying future leaders, training them to be effective in their roles and retaining them as top talent – especially in a mid-sized organization.

• Administrators: The "Secret Sauce" of Law Firm Success
  by Law Office Management & Administration Report (LOMAR)
  

  We are strong advocates for strong, competent, business-minded administrators in law firms. Management. Marketing. Finance. Human Resources. Technology. They make the trains run on time, and they make the firm more money. This article talks about the critical role of firm administrators from the perspective of three managing partners - from small, mid-size and large law firms. One thought we especially like: "Acting like a partner, that is like an owner not an employee, goes a long way toward helping the administrator get a seat a the table."

• Nine Rules for Law Firm Leaders
  by Robert W. Denney
  

  From strategic planning to effective committee structure, this two-pager gets right to the point. Although simple in concept, these rules are not always easy to apply and follow. But the most successful organizations do....including law firms.

• Advice from a Non-Traditional Law Firm Leader
  by Keith W. Houck
  

  For many years, Keith Houck was the COO of GrayRobinson, now one of the largest and most successful law firms in Florida. In his article, he compares growing a law firm to nurturing a garden. Although each plant has its own preferences and special needs, they function and look their best as a group. But not every plant is good for the health of the entire group.

• Sustainability: How Values-driven Law Firms Are Surviving
  Tough Times and Prospering Over the Long Term 
  by William R. Blackburn
  

  This thought-provoking article was featured in Law Practice Today, the ABA's monthly online magazine. In it, William Blackburn reports on a growing number of law firms that have adopted new models of governance to help them survive, even thrive, in both good times and bad. He profiles numerous firms that have implemented broad-based sustainability initiatives -- cultural, social, economic, environmental, and financial -- to ensure their long-term prosperity and well-being. 

• Legal Industry Faces Major Changes:
  Large Law Firms Facing Intense Pressure to Adapt 
  by Katy Hopkins
  

  Much ado has been made over the new partnership between Best Lawyers in America and US News & World Report to present their version of law firm rankings. We'll be writing more on that topic in a soon-to-be-published MPF White Paper. In any event, there are a few thoughtful articles on their website including this one. And it's good news for smaller and mid-size law firms.  

• Why Do Law Firms Die?  
  by J. Mark Santiago
  

  There are three common reasons why law firms fail, says this article that appears in the June edition of ABA's Law Practice magazine. Lack of leadership. Lack of strategic focus. Lack of financial discipline. Don't let your firm be among those that fall apart or seek refuge through an acquisition.

• Lawdragon's 100 Managing Partners You Need to Know
  by Lawdragon.com  
  

  We found this rather interesting list "100 Managing Partners You Need to Know" browsing the Web earlier this month. Not surprisingly, it appears as if one must be with an AmLaw 200 firm to be on it. Lawdragon says it contacted more than 50,000 legal professionals for their input. 

• Turning The Business Model in Your Law Firm Inside Out
  by William E. Lowell
  

  According to a recent Harvard University study, more than 70% of a customer's "brand perception" is based on experiences they have with the organization's employees. For law firms this means both lawyers and support staff. This article speaks to the concept of "relationship capital," which is created when everyone in the firm is focused on working together to achieve a positive brand image and deliver the brand promise to each and every client, prospective client and referral source.

• The Best-Performing CEOs in the World 
  by Harvard Business Review
  

  According to this HBR article, the very best CEOs are "quiet" leaders who deliver outstanding results, year in and year out. Most have formal training (They have MBAs.), and many inherited the leadership role at a struggling company from a mediocre predecessor. 

• A New Leadership Model is Needed
  by Robert W. Denney
  

  MPF Faculty member Bob Denney offers practical advice to firm leaders in the wake of the worst economic recession in 70 years.  We couldn’t agree more with Bob’s points. It’s time for law firm leaders to step up.  

• Great Leadership is Everything:
  11 Leadership Skills for Recovery and Renewal
  by Quint Studer
  

  This is a must-read article for firm leaders, especially in these challenging times. "Out of difficulty, leaders rise. That someone might as well be you," says acclaimed author Quint Studer. The 11 bits of advice offered in this article are the components of leadership greatness in law firm executives. 

• Leadership Transitions: Seven Steps to Ensure Success
  by Patrick J. McKenna
  

  Succession planning is neglected by far too many law firms. In fact, most managing partners - 74% to be exact - do not have an exit strategy when they take the job. This helpful article provides seven thoughtful suggestions to smooth the transition when you're ready to pass the baton. 

• Best Practices for Setting Managing Partner Pay
  by Peter A. Giuliani
  

  How should a firm appropriately compensate its managing partner for the non-billable time required of the role?  Take a look at Peter Giuliani's article that appeared recently in the ABA's Law Practice Magazine.

• Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It: First Steps for the New Managing Partner
  by Merrilyn Aston Tarlton
  

  You've just accepted your new role as managing partner of the firm. Congratulations. Now what? This article, published recently in the ABA's Law Practice Magazine, offers a list of savvy first steps to help you get started on the right foot.  

• Law Firm Leadership: Accessing the Inner Entrepreneur
  by David H. Freeman, JD
  

  Have you ever heard this excuse from your colleagues? "I didn't go to law school to become a salesperson!" If the business aspects of practicing law don't come naturally to you ... or to someone you know ... this is the article you need. It's time to change your approach and tap into entrepreneurial resources you've had all along.  

• Becoming a Change Insurgent in the Legal Profession
  by William C. Cobb
  

  Riffing on an article from Fast Company, a publication that focuses on creative individuals in the business world, Cobb issues advice for the law firm environment. Like "Find, hire and promote people that make you and the organization uncomfortable." This article is a shot in the arm for the naysayers and people afraid of change.  

• Are Law Firms Manageable?
  by David Maister
  

  Harvard management guru David Maister asks the ultimate question "Can lawyers be 'managed' at at all?" Given their unique personalities, it's no easy task. We think every firm leader should read this article.

• Defining the Role and Development of a New Managing Partner
  by Joel A. Rose
  

  The managing partner job rarely comes with an instruction manual or even a job description. Rose polled firm leaders to find out the real concerns of new law firm leaders. Should you lead by consensus or decree? How much time will you spend managing? Learn what your colleagues had to say.

• Five Lessons for New Firm Leaders
  by Glenn B. Callison, Esq.
  

  MPF Advisory Board member Glenn Callison wrote this article for Texas Lawyer magazine a few years ago. In it, he talks about what he has learned in his role as Chairman and CEO of Munsch Hardt, a 100-lawyer law firm based in Dallas, TX.

• Leading Productive Meetings: Five Practical Tips for Lawyers and Law Firm Administrators
  by Sally Williamson
  

  Meetings are one of the most universal parts of business life, but one of the least effective communication tools. Read this article to learn ways to run more efficient and productive meetings at your firm.

• Orderly Succession of Law Firm Management
  by Joel A. Rose
  

  Most firms don't utter the "s" word -- succession -- until disaster strikes. This article leads off with a great example of that. Don't let your firm fall into the malaise and wait until fate forces your hand. Succession planning benefits firm leaders of today and tomorrow.