It helped to know that I am not alone and that there are other like-minded women leaders out there.
Capital Partner | Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson
New York, NY
New York, NY
It helped to know that I am not alone and that there are other like-minded women leaders out there.
The Managing Partner Forum is a go-to resource for not only what’s currently important to law firm leaders, but how law firm leaders are dealing with the issue of the moment and preparing for those of the future.
We have enjoyed working with John Remsen and his talented team. The Managing Partner Forum provides excellent content that truly assists in operating a successful business in today’s challenging environment.
The MPF programs always provide relevant, timely educational content. They are high energy and interactive which makes them fun to attend, too.
Great conference, thank you for the invitation.
The information sharing at the MPIEs is especially valuable.
My partner and I really enjoyed the conference and we look forward to attending again next year.
Connecting with other firm leaders, as it felt more like a ‘retreat’ than a ‘conference.’ Fantastic format allowed for great information and advice sharing.
I go to a lot of conferences, and your event is the one I look forward to and gain the most from each year. The power of this group is incredible. So privileged to be a part of it. Thank you for what you do for our industry.
Connecting with other firm leaders, as it felt more like a ‘retreat’ than a ‘conference.’ Fantastic format allowed for great information and advice sharing.
ATL was a great time, and I really enjoyed the conference, as always.
That was my first experience at the conference, and it was tremendously valuable.
Great job! Keep it going. Thank you for the excellent work you do for the profession.
The collegiality and brainstorming opportunities can’t be beat.
The MPF Conference is always a great event. The MPIEs and Workshops were really good this year.
The program topics are timely and well presented. Every time I attend, I learn something new.
MPF is on top of the issues facing firm leaders, often before we even see them coming in our own firms, and provides timely advice from industry experts to see us through them.
I highly recommend the MPF Leadership Conference. I’ve participated many times, as have several of my partners. We leave with new ideas and fresh perspectives every time.
Hands down the best leadership conference for managing partners I’ve ever attended.
This is my 12th or 13th time attending, and it’s always the best conference I attend every year.
The MPIEs are interesting, informative and very useful!
I look forward to this Conference every year. It really helps me to be a more effective firm leader.
MPF provides tremendous value and excellent resources. Great information. Great speakers. Great networking opportunities.
This provocative four-page article raises real leadership concerns, and the opening paragraph captures its central argument:
“95% of legal professionals believe generative AI will be central to their organization’s workflow within five years. Yet, according to the same Thomson Reuters report, more than half of firms have no AI policy, nearly two-thirds have had no training, and few firms have articulated a coherent leadership stance. This is not a technology gap. It is a leadership gap – and it is already undermining client trust, talent retention, and competitive positioning. The firms that lead the next decade will not be those with the most advanced software, but those with the most effective leadership response.”
We are seeing the same data points and thought patterns in MPF Surveys and Zoom discussions among law firm leaders. Definitely worth a read – and yet another critical responsibility being added to your already full leadership plate!
This article is based upon surveys and conversations with leaders of law firms with 200 to over 2,000 lawyers. However, we highly recommend that you read it and we think you will come away with not dissimilar issues, just a difference in magnitude.
One quote that applies to even small to midsize firms is “Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure. Only the paranoid survive.” Or in simple terms change is difficult when partners are making the most money they ever have!
And to confront the issues facing law firms you have to be prepared to change!
We’re constantly reminding managing partners to think “big picture” and get the day-to-day stuff off their plates. Ideally, they should think and act more like CEOs, with trusted, competent and capable COOs at their sides. As CEOs, managing partners should focus time and attention on these types of priorities:
The COO, working closely and in step with the CEO, should have primary responsibility to oversee the day-to-day business affairs of the firm, including Human Resources, Information Technology, Marketing, Finance and Facilities. Importantly, the COO should have a “seat at the table” at partnership and executive/management committee meetings.
This report is based on interviews with more than 1,500 in-house lawyers and professionals through 2022, and here are a few note-worthy highlights:
This a good report to digest if your firm works (or strives to work) with larger corporations and in-house legal departments.
Our MPF Featured Article is “Young Lawyers Need to Embrace an Ownership Mentality” written by MPF faculty member Dr. Sharon Abrahams for National Law Journal. Here are a few highlights of Sharon’s article:
In the article, Sharon includes insights from numerous firm leaders who regularly participate in MPF programs. As always, Sharon writes great advice and her guidance is spot on!
Lawyer leadership skills. We all know they are important. But can they be taught? The answer is yes…if lawyers want to learn! In her article, Yuliya defines leadership:
“The core purpose of leadership is to mobilize people (in a department, practice group, firm, company, community) around common goals to achieve concrete outcomes at scale.”
And then outlines five pillars of law firm leadership as follows:
Helping your lawyers become better leaders just makes sense – from a talent engagement perspective and a business perspective. The sooner you begin investing in people, the sooner you will see them (and your firm) thrive.
Check out the 30-minute podcast we presented with Elise Holtzman, Founder of The Lawyer’s Edge. Our topic was “Essential Characteristics of Effective Law Firm Leaders,” and we discussed these and other attributes of effective law firm leaders:
We cover these and many more topics about things they do not teach you in law school about leading lawyers.
Elise is a member of the MPF Faculty, and you will meet her at The MPF Leadership Conference in Atlanta.
In this two-page article, Sharon sets forth practical and effective initiatives that your firm can implement today to retain young lawyers and support staff. By communicating with your talent, providing the proper tools and giving opportunities to grow along the way, you are more likely to retain your attorneys so they will become the next generation of partners and leaders at your firm.
If we could only recommend one book to a lawyer in private practice, it would be True Professionalism ($26, Simon & Schuster)! Maister’s lesson is clear: believe passionately in what you do and never compromise your standards and values. Act like a true professional, aim for excellence and the money will follow. The challenge for leaders is to find the strength and courage to do what we know is right. A must read.
In this best-seller, Ferrazzi writes about how to build a lifelong community of colleagues, contacts and friends without becoming a networking jack-ass. Never Eat Alone ($24.95, Doubleday) is on almost every rainmaker’s short list of recommended reading. It makes our short list, too.