What All Law Firms Need from Their Leadership Team

This article first appeared in the April 24 edition of Legal Abacus Magazine.

Law firms come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes – from sole practitioners to multi-million-pound PLCs and everything in between. Whatever the structure or size of your law firm, there is a common theme that runs through all successful firms – good leadership.

There are numerous textbook definitions of leadership, but to me, it’s about inspiring and motivating people towards a common goal.

So, what makes a good leadership team in a law firm? What ought to be the leadership team’s priorities? Irrespective of the size of your law firm, there are three priorities that you want your leadership team to be focusing on.

Priority 1: Setting a clear vision and strategy for the firm

Law firms are businesses, and as such, the leadership team must set a clear vision and strategy for the firm with measurable objectives and goals that are regularly updated and communicated consistently. The vision and strategy should be clear, concise, and compelling, communicated regularly throughout all levels of the firm, so everyone understands the direction and how to get there. Without clarity on the direction, your leadership team will not be able to drive the firm towards an agreed destination.

Priority 2: Creating a positive culture throughout the firm

Recent research indicates that a third of UK managers who left their jobs did so because of a toxic culture at their workplace. Although the research was not specifically related to law firms, it is something the Solicitors Regulation Authority will no doubt be interested in given their commitment to clamp down on law firms that allow a toxic culture to exist.

Changing a law firm’s culture is never easy, so how can your leadership team create a positive culture?

Identify and live your values: The culture in your firm derives from your firm’s values. Many law firms have yet to define their values, and even some that have identified them allow senior leaders to pay lip service to them. If this happens, any hope of embedding the values in your firm will be doomed to failure, as your people will see through it. When leaders do not practice what they preach, it can be almost impossible for a team to work together successfully.

Be an authentic leader: Everything starts from the top in a law firm, and the leadership team should set the tone. It is about how your leaders interact with everyone in the business and the need to be consistent in their behaviours. Your leaders should lead by example, and their actions should reflect what they believe in. Creating a positive culture requires your leaders to radiate positivity.

Value all staff equally irrespective of their role: The values of your business apply to all staff irrespective of their job title or whichever team or department they work in. The values apply equally to fee-earning and business support staff. If your people are doing their jobs in accordance with the firm’s values, you should value their contribution equally, whatever their job title may be. It is worth remembering that a person who feels appreciated will always do more than is expected, so avoid anyone feeling less valued, particularly on the Business Support side of the business.

Priority 3: Dealing with issues as they occur

It is impossible for law firm leaders to have their finger on the pulse all the time, so an effective feedback mechanism needs to be in place to provide early warnings of issues causing frustration for colleagues at the coal face. Feedback can be obtained in a number of ways: formal staff surveys, staff suggestion schemes, and an informal network within the firm that can be relied upon to accurately provide feedback on issues. Once an issue causing concern has been flagged, it is particularly important that the leadership team grasp the nettle and act, avoiding sweeping unresolved issues under the carpet – the soft option of doing nothing is invariably the wrong option. Do not underestimate the negative impact that sweeping things under the carpet can have on staff, ultimately causing so much frustration that people leave the firm.

If the leadership team in your firm focuses on these three priorities, communicates effectively with partners and the wider firm, and sets the right tone by practicing what they preach, your firm will have a better chance of building engagement with its people and gaining a competitive edge over the competition.

If you are interested in discussing how I can help your law firm leadership team, contact me here.