Case Studies
Please note that all names and firm descriptions and some other details within the case studies have been altered to preserve confidentiality.
Case Study: Moving to a New Firm as a New Partner
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Commentary: going straight into partnership at a new firm can be one of the most challenging moves in the legal profession, with the partner simultaneously having to find their way around a new culture and learn what it is to be a partner.
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Ian, an associate in a Magic Circle firm, joined a UK Top 30 firm as a partner. Because he had not been on the partner track at his previous firm, he had not undergone any partner training. In his first session with me, Ian needed reassuring about the total confidentiality of the sessions we were about to have. When he felt satisfied about my assurances, he confided in me that he felt overwhelmed. While his new firm had provided a mentor, he felt it did not appreciate how much he was having to learn all at once. Key issues for him were:
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How to develop good relationships with other partners in his team in what was, for Ian, a ‘contested space’ ie one where partners are effectively competing with one another for work
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Understanding how to develop business as a partner and in an entirely different kind of firm
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Understanding the nuances of the firm’s compensation system
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Learning how to treat and manage associates.
Working with Ian across eight ninety-minute sessions in the course of eight months, we were able to settle his feeling of overwhelm and come up with a series of practical objectives for Ian to which he felt he could readily hold himself accountable. Like that, Ian was able to see steady progress, and his new-found confidence allowed him to accelerate his development.
By the end of the eight months, Ian felt he understood what he had to achieve and how he was going to do it, and was developing solid relationships with other partners and team members. While he still had much to learn, he felt he was now equipped with the right tools and a new awareness of his role.
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Case Study: Moving from In-house to a Partnership in a Law Firm
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Commentary: joining a law firm from in-house is a very challenging move, not only transitioning cultures but from a technical and business development point of view.
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Sonya was formerly a client of an international law firm which hired her as a partner to develop its sector expertise.
In her first session with me, Sonya said she had been surprised at how much she had had to learn. She was no stranger to learning – going in-house as an associate had felt like going ‘in at the deep end’ – but she was new to things her fellow partners took entirely for granted. Key issues for Sonya were:
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While her sector knowledge was broad and deep, her technical legal expertise was poor compared to her new peers. She wanted to understand how to manage this so as not to look ‘weak in front of associates’
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She was heading up a new team but had no experience of handling associates who had far more power and leverage than she’d had when she’d been at their level
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Her business development experience – internal and external – was very different to that of private practice lawyers, which she felt the firm did not entirely appreciate
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What she saw as the firm’s failure to utilise and leverage her unique knowledge, in terms of educating and training their lawyers to understand the client’s perspective.
I worked with Sonya to help her create a workable plan to help her better orientate her in her new role and figure out how to exchange information and best practice.
By the end of eight months Sonya had opened up two-way communications channels, felt more confident asking questions without looking weak and had learned how to successfully communicate her knowledge in a way her colleagues were able to use to develop their own practices.
We provide services, ranging from bespoke tailored lateral integration coaching programmes for individuals or teams (for example through our Partner Integration Programme), to advice to firms and companies on one or more of the challenges existing in their recruitment, lateral integration and/or follow on support. We are also able to undertake research projects for organisations looking for an analysis of how their competitors undertake lateral integration.
For further information please email us at info@intogreatcoaching.co.uk