Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Lawyer as Leader: How to Own your Career and Lead in Law Firms
    The Lawyer as Leader: How to Own your Career and Lead in Law Firms
    The Lawyer as Leader: How to Own your Career and Lead in Law Firms
    Ebook172 pages1 hour

    The Lawyer as Leader: How to Own your Career and Lead in Law Firms

    By Antonin Besse

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    This special report is a practical, experience-based guide to personal development at every stage of a lawyer’s career. The author draws on over 30 years as an international commercial lawyer and senior partner in a Magic Circle firm to offer a roadmap for moving from a “What’s expected of me?” mindset to self-leadership and leadership of others.

    The report’s main theme is that retaking autonomy and control can transform engagement and fulfilment in a legal career. Topics covered include career planning, confidence, fulfilment, wellbeing and work-life balance, building an internal support network and “trusted adviser” client relationships, communication and feedback, project management, commerciality and understanding value from the client’s perspective. It also contains a section on pre-retirement planning.

    The special report is above all practical and contains a wealth of tools and templates developed by the author for career planning, self appraisal and project management.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherGlobe Law and Business
    Release dateApr 1, 2019
    ISBN9781787422339
    The Lawyer as Leader: How to Own your Career and Lead in Law Firms

    Related to The Lawyer as Leader

    Related ebooks

    Motivational For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Use Of Trusts For Business And Trading

      May 15, 2021

      BANKRUPTCIES in South Africa averaged 229 companies a month from 1980 until 2020. In August last year, an all-time high of 511 companies declared bankruptcy, compared to the record low of 63 companies in May 1988. The projected bankruptcies for 2021

      3 min read

    • Article

      Are You Ready for Longevity? 4 Steps to Take Now

      Aug 13, 2018

      Did you know that a non-smoking 65-year-old woman today has a 50% chance of living until 88? A non-smoking 65-year-old man has a 50% chance of living until 85? That's how life expectancy works - the longer you live, the more likely you will live lon

      4 min read

    • Article

      To Trust Or Not To Trust

      Aug 1, 2019

      To Trust Or Not To Trust
      6 min read

    • Article

      Choosing The Right Property Manager

      Aug 1, 2019

      The guiding legislation around residential property management is primarily the Residential Tenancies Act 1986. But that’s not the only legislation landlords need to be aware of when it comes to renting out their properties. The likes of the Human Ri

      3 min read

    • Article

      Leading The Charge

      Mar 26, 2020

      Leading The Charge
      34 min read

    • Article

      Estate Planning During the Pandemic

      Oct 21, 2020

      Kip Rupple, 62, of Muskego, Wis., plays guitar in a classic rock band on the weekends. He and his wife, Roni Kramer, 56, ride Harleys. They know how to have a good time, but they’ve lived enough to know when to take life seriously. Last year, Rupple

      10 min read

    • Article

      How To Plan Your succession

      Oct 14, 2022

      How To Plan Your succession
      5 min read

    • Article

      Decoding Family Office

      May 14, 2018

      Decoding Family Office
      5 min read

    • Article

      Impact Investing in Asia

      Jan 1, 2020

      For those who aren’t familiar with the term, what is impact investing? Impact investing means investing in funds or organizations with the intention of generating a measurable social or environmental return alongside financial returns. Some of the ar

      6 min read

    • Article

      Busting Trust Myths

      Sep 3, 2020

      “Trust busting” is the term often used to describe instances where a court finds in favour of a claimant trying to access trust assets. Here, though, I do not want to talk about “trust busting”. Instead I want to bust some trust myths. There has been

      2 min read

    • Article

      How Community Property Trusts Can Benefit Married Couples

      Sep 18, 2022

      Location, location, location is not just vital in real estate. Where you live also can have critical tax implications for your taxes, especially for married couples. There are two very different kinds of property ownership law for married couples in

      4 min read

    • Article

      Beneficiary Designations: 5 Critical Mistakes to Avoid

      Apr 5, 2019

      Many people might not realize that their will does not control who inherits all of their assets when they die. Many assets pass by beneficiary designation -- which is the ability to fill out a form with the financial company holding the asset and na

      3 min read

    • Article

      Before You Invest in ‘Crowdfunded’ Real Estate, Consider the Tax Implications

      Jul 7, 2020

      The rise in online real estate investing in recent years has been remarkable. As the global consulting firm EY estimates, the online real estate investing market worldwide is expected to be $8.3 billion in 2020, with no sign of slowing. For all the

      2 min read

    • Article

      So, You Want to Start a Foundation? Great!

      Jun 21, 2019

      For some business owners, the American dream is more than the freedom to achieve prosperity. To these entrepreneurs, it is the ability to have a real impact on individuals in meaningful ways. Often, they accomplish these goals by starting some kind o

      3 min read

    • Article

      Estate Planning Is More Important Than You Think

      Apr 6, 2020

      An estate plan is a necessary tool that allows you to protect, maintain and manage your property if you become ill or pass away. But more than that, it can also help people make sure their minor children are protected in the event of an emergency or

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Parties Understand and Agree That by Entering Into This Agreement They Are Each Relinquishing and Waiving Their Right Under Applicable Law to Have Any Claim Decided in a Court of Law Before a Judge and/or Jury.

      Nov 27, 2017

      I. SISTER IRENE MORISSETTE ALWAYS LOCKED HER DOOR AT night. Maybe it was force of habit from her decades teaching at an isolated missionary school in Africa, or maybe it was, as she told a police detective later, just that she didn’t want “anyone co

      11 min read

    • Article

      Opportunity Zone Investing: Is It for You?

      Jun 6, 2019

      The prospect of investing in dilapidated inner-city neighborhoods or tumbleweed-ridden rural towns may not excite most investors. But a program embedded in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act offers investors a tax incentive to do just that. As a result,

      4 min read

    • Article

      Dealmaker

      Sep 16, 2017

      Dealmaker
      2 min read

    • Article

      How to Get Your Estate Plan Done While Under Coronavirus Quarantine

      Mar 30, 2020

      The coronavirus lockdown began in the California counties of Sacramento, Palm Springs, Los Angeles and Ventura, issuing unprecedented orders for all residents to remain in their homes except for certain essential activities. Then Gov. Gavin Newsom ex

      5 min read

    • Article

      Before You Do a 1031 Exchange, Consider These 4 Alternative Investment Options

      Jul 27, 2020

      One of the most attractive real estate tax benefits available in the U.S. is the like-kind exchange, which is governed by Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code. About one-third of all commercial and multifamily property sales in the U.S. involve

      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Lawyer as Leader

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      The Lawyer as Leader - Antonin Besse

      title

      Author

      Antonin Besse

      Managing director

      Sian O’Neill

      The Lawyer as Leader: How to Own Your Career and Lead in Law Firms is published by

      Globe Law and Business Ltd

      3 Mylor Close

      Horsell

      Woking

      Surrey GU21 4DD

      United Kingdom

      Tel: +44 20 3745 4770

      www.globelawandbusiness.com

      Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon CR0 4YY, United Kingdom

      The Lawyer as Leader: How to Own Your Career and Lead in Law Firms

      ISBN 9781787422322

      EPUB ISBN 9781787422339

      Adobe PDF ISBN 9781787422346

      Mobi ISBN 9781787422353

      © 2019 Globe Law and Business Ltd except where otherwise indicated.

      The right of Antonin Besse to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying, storing in any medium by electronic means or transmitting) without the written permission of the copyright owner, except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS, United Kingdom (www.cla.co.uk, email: licence@cla.co.uk). Applications for the copyright owner’s written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the publisher.

      DISCLAIMER

      This publication is intended as a general guide only. The information and opinions which it contains are not intended to be a comprehensive study, or to provide legal advice, and should not be treated as a substitute for legal advice concerning particular situations. Legal advice should always be sought before taking any action based on the information provided. The publishers bear no responsibility for any errors or omissions contained herein.

      Table of contents

      Introduction

      I. Creating the environment for successful development

      1. Inside the lawyer’s mind

      2. Autonomy

      II. Where are commercial law firms heading?

      1. The bigger picture

      2. Money and lateral hires

      3. Globalisation and mergers

      4. Now, and then what?

      III. Lawyers as leaders

      1. Introduction

      2. Leaders or rainmakers?

      3. Effective legal teams

      4. Communication, feedback and critical conversations

      5. Building your connections

      6. Business awareness

      7. Managing deals for value

      8. Working effectively across borders

      IV. Self-leadership: getting the career you want

      1. Career possibilities – inside, outside, rock star

      2. Why make a plan?

      3. What should a good plan look like?

      4. What does it take to make partner?

      V. Coaching yourself and others through change

      1. Visiting the oracle

      2. Self-assessment

      3. Anchors and drivers

      4. Values and simple guiding principles

      5. Motivation

      6. Readiness for change

      7. Emotional intelligence

      8. Walking in another’s shoes

      9. Mapping the environment

      10. Knowing goals and managing expectations

      11. Weighing up change

      12. Confidence

      VI. Change in a lawyer’s career

      1. Types of change and their challenges

      2. The stages in a lawyer’s career

      VII. Wellbeing

      1. Energy budgets

      2. Mindfulness and microbreaks

      3. Sleep, diet and exercise

      4. Fear and loathing in law firms – a plea for psychological safety

      Appendix 1: Self-appraisal

      Appendix 2: Partner/senior associate career planning template

      Appendix 3: Project management

      Notes

      About the author

      Introduction

      This Special Report is about taking control of your career, self-leadership, and leading others in a commercial law firm.

      The idea that runs through it is how regaining autonomy and control can transform engagement and fulfilment in a legal career.

      I’m a former international commercial lawyer and have worked with lawyers in legal practice and led, coached and developed them for 38 years, 22 as a partner in a Magic Circle firm. This Special Report is eminently practical, based on what I’ve seen works best, and many things that don’t work (including my own mistakes), in the context of successful and fulfilling legal careers and law firm environments. Choice, authorship of your career, and leadership are key themes. The topics are covered from first-hand experience and include:

      • leadership;

      • building effective teams;

      • career planning;

      • confidence;

      • motivation;

      • wellbeing and work–life balance;

      • building an internal support network and ‘trusted adviser’ client relationships;

      • communication and feedback;

      • project management;

      • commerciality; and

      • understanding value from the client’s perspective.

      Commercial law firms are changing and becoming more challenging environments, especially for those who aim to make a career as an equity partner. Knowing what you want, planning your career and carving out your own path are fundamental to success, fulfilment and balance: it’s no longer an option simply to think that a partnership would be nice, or to have no stronger guiding principle than, Let’s see what happens. However, the good news is that there are many more career possibilities out there than in the past for lawyers who feel that partnership is not for them, possibly for work–life balance reasons.

      Work–life balance, wellbeing and career choice are not new preoccupations. When I was an associate and a partner, you could think about them, but you couldn’t really talk about them and you certainly couldn’t expect anything to be done about them. While I’m now of an age where I’m thinking more about the carer I want than the career I want, I still think that the profit-driven, competitive commercial law firm partnership remains, deep down, geared towards those who are prepared to sacrifice (almost) everything to business, billings and the bottom line. It’s still difficult to admit vulnerability, or to seek and receive regular and open feedback. If things are to change, a new social contract needs to emerge and become part of the zeitgeist. This needs to happen in large part from the bottom up, so it’s for associates and the younger partners to understand their choices, say what they think, articulate what they expect, and be clear and forthright into the bargain.

      With this in mind, this Special Report is organised as follows:

      • chapter I explores the best climate for successful development in a law firm, what makes lawyers tick, and the question of autonomy as the precursor to self-leadership, and leadership more generally;

      • chapter II puts forward some ideas about law firms today and future trends as a backdrop to the theme of choice and career fluidity;

      • chapter III examines essential leadership skills for commercial lawyers, from communication and business awareness to building effective teams, growing networks and profitable matter management;

      • chapter IV looks at self-leadership and proactively shaping the career you want, rather than asking, What’s expected of me?;

      • chapter V is an introduction to the coaching skills needed to navigate yourself and others through change in a legal career, with a discussion in chapter VI of those changes that a lawyer is likely to encounter; and

      • chapter VII looks at wellbeing.

      I. Creating the environment for successful development

      1. Inside the lawyer’s mind

      The law attracts a hugely diverse range of personalities and thinking styles. The variety of challenges, professional environments, subject matters and situations in which lawyers work is equally wide. I can think of few professions like it: the analogy that comes to mind is of a coral reef, where countless aquatic creatures inhabit many specialised ecological niches, each creature exquisitely adapted to its specialism. It is bold, and perhaps foolish, to make an assessment of typical lawyer characteristics – but I shall try.

      Lawyers are task-focused: they take instructions, find solutions, get results and serve clients’ needs. They like to be right – and they fear getting it wrong, which may be one reason lawyers are often labelled insecure overachievers. Billables loom large over their performance metrics and their perception of value, because that’s how they charge for their services. Lawyers tend to specialise, and therefore to be very good at a limited range of tasks. They are analytical, marshalling arguments and taking positions.

      What lawyers are not so good at (to some extent the flip side of the characteristics just mentioned) is leadership. It is not the forte of most lawyers I know to take the time to plan and manage matters efficiently, understand value from the client’s perspective, be proactive, communicate, listen and give feedback, think outside their silo, and understand and manage people effectively. Lawyers are also, like the White Rabbit in Alice’s Wonderland, busily looking at the clock instead of taking time for themselves, asking questions of others, reflecting on their future and taking charge of their careers. They do not move naturally outside their comfort zone, take risks or experiment in the hope of making serendipitous mistakes, for fear of getting things wrong and being found out. This makes it difficult for them to communicate vulnerability and creates a pent-up need for psychological safety, for which law firm environments often fail to cater.

      "[Lawyers] do not move naturally outside their comfort zone, take

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1