Hardback
Managing Your Leadership Career in Law
A Partner’s Guide
9781035316540 Edward Elgar Publishing
In this practical and insightful book, Dr Nigel Spencer and Mike Mister provide expert guidance to both aspiring and established law firm leaders, to help them to successfully navigate the specific leadership challenges partners face in private practice environments. Offering a unique practitioner perspective, they cover what partners need to know, do, and what skills they need to develop, at each step of their leadership journey.
More Information
Critical Acclaim
Contents
More Information
In this practical and insightful book, Dr Nigel Spencer and Mike Mister provide expert guidance to both aspiring and established law firm leaders, to help them to successfully navigate the specific leadership challenges partners face in private practice environments. Offering a unique practitioner perspective, they cover what partners need to know, do, and what skills they need to develop, at each step of their leadership journey.
Key features:
• Engaging and accessible writing style
• Guidance on how partners can effectively manage career transition points
• A series of best-practice case study ‘stories’ on how law firm partners can best lead in different situations
• Practical tips for law firm leaders based on the authors’ own experience as coaches and consultants specialising in law firm leadership development.
Managing Your Leadership Career in Law is an indispensable guide for partners in private practice law firms across the globe. Senior and Managing Partners seeking to maximise the effectiveness of their leadership cohort will also benefit from the guidance offered, as well as academics and students learning about private practice law firm leadership, and management in the legal sector more generally.
Key features:
• Engaging and accessible writing style
• Guidance on how partners can effectively manage career transition points
• A series of best-practice case study ‘stories’ on how law firm partners can best lead in different situations
• Practical tips for law firm leaders based on the authors’ own experience as coaches and consultants specialising in law firm leadership development.
Managing Your Leadership Career in Law is an indispensable guide for partners in private practice law firms across the globe. Senior and Managing Partners seeking to maximise the effectiveness of their leadership cohort will also benefit from the guidance offered, as well as academics and students learning about private practice law firm leadership, and management in the legal sector more generally.
Critical Acclaim
‘Whether you’ve just been promoted to partner or are planning your retirement, this research-backed reflection guide is a must-read. Grounded in relatable case studies, poignant questions, and a spirit of smarter collaboration, it offers ideas and inspiration for fashioning a fruitful, meaningful, and unprecedented next chapter.’
– Heidi K. Gardner, Harvard Law School, US
‘The authors’ acute understanding of the different stages of partners’ careers enables them to provide critical advice, which will enable every partner to be more effective quicker. But, Nigel and Mike also add the critical dimension usually missing in most discussions around partner development – what their superiors and sponsors can do to speed the transition. It is their understanding of the four different stages of a partner’s career that sets Nigel and Mike’s book apart. This understanding will help every partner in every firm and, if their advice is followed, will ensure that there will always be more than enough partners, with the right capabilities, to achieve the competitive advantage every firm needs.’
– Rob Lees, co-author of Harvard Business School’s best-selling book, When Professionals Have To Lead: A New Model for High Performance
‘Leadership can be described as ‘stepping up to the situation’. A challenge which presents itself differently at the various phases of a lawyer’s career. Spencer and Mister provide an excellent practical guide to meeting those challenges, with fresh insights and coaching tips.’
– Jon Stokes, author of Changing Gear: Creating the Life You Want After a Full-on Career
– Heidi K. Gardner, Harvard Law School, US
‘The authors’ acute understanding of the different stages of partners’ careers enables them to provide critical advice, which will enable every partner to be more effective quicker. But, Nigel and Mike also add the critical dimension usually missing in most discussions around partner development – what their superiors and sponsors can do to speed the transition. It is their understanding of the four different stages of a partner’s career that sets Nigel and Mike’s book apart. This understanding will help every partner in every firm and, if their advice is followed, will ensure that there will always be more than enough partners, with the right capabilities, to achieve the competitive advantage every firm needs.’
– Rob Lees, co-author of Harvard Business School’s best-selling book, When Professionals Have To Lead: A New Model for High Performance
‘Leadership can be described as ‘stepping up to the situation’. A challenge which presents itself differently at the various phases of a lawyer’s career. Spencer and Mister provide an excellent practical guide to meeting those challenges, with fresh insights and coaching tips.’
– Jon Stokes, author of Changing Gear: Creating the Life You Want After a Full-on Career
Contents
Contents
Preface
PART I SETTING THE SCENE
1 What is leadership in law?
2 The leadership career life cycle of partners in private
practice law firms
PART II THE PARTNER CAREER LIFE-CYCLE
3 Phase 1: getting established
4 Phase 2: consolidating one’s reputation
5 Phase 3: maximising your ‘career peak’ years
6 Phase 4: leaving a legacy
PART III PERENNIAL LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES
Introduction to Part III
7 Inclusive leadership: the winning formula
8 Leading people older than you
9 Providing ‘air cover’ for your team
10 Avoiding micro-management
11 Building feedback-rich cultures
12 Spotting and developing talent
13 Hiring new team members
14 Managing the ‘star performers’
15 Tackling the law firm ‘r&d challenge’
16 Rectifying client service failures
17 Leading change
18 Handling resignations
19 Changing track: moving on yourself
PART IV CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
20 You the leader
Preface
PART I SETTING THE SCENE
1 What is leadership in law?
2 The leadership career life cycle of partners in private
practice law firms
PART II THE PARTNER CAREER LIFE-CYCLE
3 Phase 1: getting established
4 Phase 2: consolidating one’s reputation
5 Phase 3: maximising your ‘career peak’ years
6 Phase 4: leaving a legacy
PART III PERENNIAL LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES
Introduction to Part III
7 Inclusive leadership: the winning formula
8 Leading people older than you
9 Providing ‘air cover’ for your team
10 Avoiding micro-management
11 Building feedback-rich cultures
12 Spotting and developing talent
13 Hiring new team members
14 Managing the ‘star performers’
15 Tackling the law firm ‘r&d challenge’
16 Rectifying client service failures
17 Leading change
18 Handling resignations
19 Changing track: moving on yourself
PART IV CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
20 You the leader
