January 23, 2007
Preventing Law Firm Managing Partner Burnout
Freedman Consulting, Inc.’s web site is a rich source of downloadable articles and white papers dealing with law practice management issues. It includes Ellen Freedman’s article Managing Partner Burnout.
She lists eight things firms should do to prevent managing partner burnout:
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Succession planning: The MP should know who his or her replacement candidate is and the candidate should likewise be aware of the plan.
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Compensation adjustment: The MP job is a part-time one that cuts into the individual’s earning capability as a practice lawyer both while they are in the job and for several years after they level the position.
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Co-Managing Partners: Consider dividing the job with one MP for internal matters and another for external issues like marketing and clients relations.
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Educational Support: Managing partners weren’t trained in law school; encourage your MP to attend practice managing conferences and to network with other managing partners.
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Agree to be led: Stop having a better idea, debating, and questioning every little decision. Most aren’t important. Let the MP make the decisions and move on.
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Don’t act like you want the job unless you do: The moral of this story is simple. One managing partner resigned the position and insisted the job be given to the partner who always seemed to think he knew how to run things better!
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Have a written job description: This item speaks for itself.
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Say Thank you: “You want to come into the office each day to find adequate staff, working equipment, well-honed procedures, a clean, professional looking environment, and left alone to practice law.” “You want to do your work, and go home and relax. So think about that from time to time and make a moment to say ‘thank you’ to the person who makes that possible….”
Morepartnerincome.com is sponsored by Juris, Inc. For information about Juris® products and services for increasing law firm performance and partner income, go to www.Juris.com.
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