As highlighted in PART ONE and PART TWO of this series, there are real leadership lessons for legal leaders from the career, achievements and life of the late Steve Jobs – who in just two stints of 9 and 14 years, founded and then transformed Apple Computer into the world’s most valuable company. These were the lessons… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Legal Profession
Subscribe to Legal Profession RSS FeedGet to know your clients – or someone else will!
Posted in Client Reviews, Law Firms, Leaders, Leadership, Leadership Frames, Legal Profession, Management, Professional Service Firms (PSFs)Yes, get to know your clients, or someone else will! Law firms that fail to obtain regular feedback from their clients run the risk of: not keeping pace with their clients’ needs and expectations – and losing their work. not knowing when a client is unhappy – and losing their work. missing out on lucrative… Continue Reading
You gotta feel sorry for those angry, difficult partners!
Posted in Culture, Law Firms, Leaders, Leadership, Legal Profession, Management, Partners, Professional Service Firms (PSFs), Trust & Respect, valuesIt does seem like we have been laying into angry or difficult partners lately – so much so, you (almost) gotta feel sorry for them! (not really, we all know how difficult they can really be and how much time and positive energy they eat up) – 3 recent posts attest to this: Difficult partners… Continue Reading
The real leadership lessons of Steve Jobs – for legal leaders – PART TWO
Posted in Business Leader, Law Firms, Leaders, Leadership, Leadership Frames, Legal Profession, Management, VisionLast week I posted PART ONE of a short four-part series on the real leadership lessons of Steve Jobs, based in part on an HBR article (subscription required) of a similar title by Walter Isaacson, author of the Steve Jobs autobiography. We continue the theme today! A number (but not all) of these provide great leadership and management… Continue Reading
The real leadership lessons of Steve Jobs – for legal leaders – PART ONE
Posted in Culture, Law Firms, Leaders, Leadership, Leadership Frames, Legal Profession, Management, Strategy, VisionWalter Isaacson, author of the Steve Jobs autobiography, commented in an April 2012 Harvard Business Review article ‘The real leadership lessons of Steve Jobs‘ (subscription required), that following the publication of his book many writers have tried to draw management lessons from Steve Jobs, however, most of them, incorrectly, became fixated rather on the “rough… Continue Reading
New merged law firm in India starts in 5 key geographic locations
Posted in Law Firms, Leaders, Legal Profession, Mergers and acquisitions, Strategy, UncategorizedA notable Indian law firm merger came into operation on 1 April 2012. The merger was facilitated by my Edge International colleague Bithika Anand between one of the oldest law firms in India, “Udwadia & Udeshi” and one of the most dynamic young law firms “Argus Partners”. This merger is interesting given that the merging… Continue Reading
Lex Africa – the first and largest network of African law firms – 20 years on
Posted in Brand, Legal Profession, Strategy, Uncategorized, VisionLex Africa, the first and largest network of African law firms, is holding it’s annual general meeting in April 2012 in Maputo, Mozambique. I thought I would mention Lex Africa in case readers ever need assistance in Africa and want a referral to a reputable firm. I am also delighted to be attending the AGM… Continue Reading
Difficult partners and angry babies have a lot in common – some EQ tips
Posted in Emotional Intelligence, Law Firms, Leaders, Leadership, Leadership Frames, Legal Profession, Management, People Strategy, Personal effectivenessWhat to do and what not to do with difficult partners was the subject of two recent posts (Leadership Frame #8 & #9). Coincidentally I came across a recent article from Travis Bradberry at Talent Smart (the EQ/emotional intelligence people) and he offered some more tips from an EQ perspective which I thought would be… Continue Reading
Leadership Frame #9: what to do with the difficult cogs in a partnership
Posted in Culture, Leaders, Leadership, Leadership Frames, Legal Profession, Management, People Strategy, valuesSome partners are downright difficult. This makes them awkward cogs to fit into the firm set-up, particularly where they are top producers, run important clients or contribute in other meaningful ways. And let’s face it, all too often they are and do. It is important therefore to work out an approach you can use for… Continue Reading
Leadership Frame #8: difficult partners – what not to do
Posted in Culture, Law Firms, Leaders, Leadership, Leadership Frames, Legal Profession, People Strategy, Personal effectiveness, valuesDifficult partners are tough work. As a professional services firm leader or senior manager, at some stage you are going to be faced with the unenviable task of dealing with one or more. As I am sure you will confirm, they can be gnarly, hard nuts to handle. ‘Difficult’ comes in various shapes and forms…. Continue Reading
Leadership Frame #7: the next challenge – align your various strategies
Posted in Corporate Counsel, In-house counsel, Law Firms, Leaders, Leadership, Leadership Frames, Legal Profession, Management, People Strategy, Strategy, UncategorizedStrategies which have been developed by professional service firms for areas such as finance, people, marketing, brand or innovation must align with and support a firm’s overall strategy. This alignment is important for both internal (partner and staff) and external (client and other stakeholder) consumption. Small firms might say this is only for the larger… Continue Reading
Leadership Frame #6: Challenge your vision and strategy
Posted in Law Firms, Leaders, Leadership, Leadership Frames, Legal Profession, Management, Professional Service Firms (PSFs), Strategy, VisionChallenging one’s vision and strategy somehow seems counter-intuitive, especially when so much time, effort and thought has gone into putting it together. But strategy is about achieving a competitive, and ideally a dominant positioning, and challenge it you must. Professional Service Firms (PSFs) find determining and reviewing vision and strategy a real bind. A necessary… Continue Reading
Leadership Frame #5: Soft Power leadership for professional service firms
Posted in Business Leader, Law Firms, Leaders, Leadership, Leadership Frames, Legal Profession, Management, Professional Service Firms (PSFs)Soft Power leadership may provide a helpful framework of understanding and application for leaders or senior managers of professional service firms (PSF), particularly law firms. Undertaking a leadership role in a PSF has always presented some unique challenges around power and leadership styles. The reason is that the traditional sources and trappings of power and… Continue Reading
Volatile future will demand law firms bring more to the party
Posted in Australasia, Australia, Change, Culture, Law Firms, Leaders, Leadership, Legal Profession, Strategy, UncategorizedThe challenging future legal and business environment which is widely anticipated will demand a lot more from law firms than providing quality legal advice. This is the view of Ian Robertson, long-standing managing partner of Holding Redlich’s Sydney office, writing in The Australian (apologies; link requires subscription or log-in) recently. This advice backs up on the… Continue Reading
Slater & Gordon and Russell Jones & Walker tie up confirms law firms as business-savvy innovators, not ‘merge or die’ desperadoes
Posted in Australasia, Australia, Brand, Business Models, Law Firms, Leaders, Leadership, Legal Profession, Mergers and acquisitions, Ownership Models, UK, Uncategorized, valuesThe world’s first listed legal practice, Australia’s Slater & Gordon (S&G), announced its agreement to buy national UK firm Russell Jones & Walker (RJW) for £53.8 million on the 30 January 2012. My UK-based Edge International Partner Chris Bull joins me in this post as we consider some of the implications of this transaction and how the respective markets… Continue Reading
Wall Street Journal’s ‘law firms must merge or die’ revisited
Posted in Australasia, Australia, Culture, Leadership, Legal Profession, Mergers and acquisitions, StrategyIn the recent WSJ article “Stark choice for lawyers – firms must merge or die“ author Jennifer Smith reasons that due to client and competitive pressures law firms have a ‘stark choice: to ‘merge or die’. As a result, she says, there has been a ‘flurry’ of merger deals. The author’s conclusions are hard to reconcile… Continue Reading
Food for thought on a most valuable marketing ally: thought leadership
Posted in Law Firms, Leaders, Leadership, Legal Profession, Management, Personal Brand, Personal effectiveness, thought leader, thought leadershipIn a recently published article in the Australasian Law Management Journal (ALMJ) on thought leadership as a most valuable marketing ally, I emphasized the importance of: recognising and taking advantage of valuable, untapped stores of thought leadership assets clarifying what we mean by thought leadership understanding its benefit to lawyers and their firms appreciating where… Continue Reading
Thought Leadership ideas for leaders – Part Three
Posted in Brand, Law Firms, Leaders, Leadership, Legal Profession, Management, Personal Brand, thought leader, thought leadershipThis is the final in a three-part series on Thought Leadership (click to see Part One or Two) based around an interview with Think Write Grow author Grant Butler. Himself a thought leader in his field he has provided some invaluable insights – these can be borne in mind as you ponder how to incorporate thought… Continue Reading
Thought Leadership tips for leaders – interview with Think Write Grow author Grant Butler: Part Two
Posted in Brand, Law Firms, Leaders, Leadership, Legal Profession, People Strategy, Personal Brand, Personal effectiveness, thought leader, thought leadershipLast week in Part One of this series Think Write Grow author Grant Butler defined thought leadership, talked about making thought leadership happen in practice and confirmed that just about anyone can become a thought leader. In this Part Two interview we cover thought leadership and personal brand, building trust as a benefit of thought… Continue Reading
Thought Leadership – Think, Write Grow author Grant Butler provides some insights for law firm leaders: Part One
Posted in Brand, Leaders, Leadership, Legal Profession, Personal Brand, Personal effectiveness, thought leader, thought leadershipThought Leadership is an important part of developing one’s personal brand, of contributing to the marketing and business development activities and successes of a firm, and to contributing to building the capital fabric of a firm. As professionals, it is ideally something all of us would aspire to do and be, a thought leader in… Continue Reading
Beyond rituals – personal effectiveness (PE) from 2012
Posted in Leaders, Leadership, Leadership Frames, Legal Profession, Management, Personal effectiveness, Time ManagementLast year I posted a Leadership Frame on the usefulness of daily rituals (based in large measure on a post by Tony Schwartz). As most leaders will be starting to think about their personal and professional priorities for the coming year and how they are going to get everything done (rather than get caught up in the… Continue Reading
Leadership Frame #4: The benefits of one-on-one executive coaching
Posted in Coaching, Law Firms, Leaders, Leadership Frames, Legal Profession, valuesOne on one coaching by an independent external coach can be a powerful business tool for a leader to use for him/herself or for selected personnel within a firm. While coaching is a much used term it is also much misunderstood. It is also not regulated. Leaders should therefore proceed with some care and fully… Continue Reading
Pricing, billing and value – tough messages and ideas from two senior General Counsel
Posted in Alternative Fee Arrangements (AFAs), Billing, Change, Corporate Counsel, In-house counsel, Law Firms, Leaders, Legal Profession, Pricing, Trust & RespectIssues and challenges around pricing, alternative fee arrangements and value understandably still get plenty of air-time. They received top billing at the recent COLPM (College of Law Practice Management) Futures Conference in Chicago. I read through my notes from talks by two senior in-house counsel - there are strong words and some important messages and… Continue Reading
Thought leadership, pricing, knowledge management and challenges for lawyers – Q&A
Posted in Law Firms, Leaders, Leadership, Legal Profession, Management, Strategy, Uncategorized, VisionQuestions on thought leadership, pricing, knowledge management & future challenges for lawyers were put to fellows of the College of Law Practice Management for the COLPM Futures Conference in Chicago recently and published in a special issue of InsideLegal’s Thought Leaders Digest last week – below are the questions & my responses: Q1 – Thought leadership… Continue Reading
Published by
Sean Larkan
Subscribe to this blog via RSS
View My Linkedin Profile