What Do Practice Group Leaders Really Do?

The PGLs, also in consultation with the Chair of the Associates' Committee, assuming that an Associates' Committee has been established to oversee the recruiting, retention and the development of systems for the associates' professional and personal career development at the firm, should review the annual written evaluation of all practice group associates and approve their annual salary adjustments and bonuses. In addition, the PGLs periodically should initiate with the practice partners, evaluations of the “partner potential” of each associate in their Practice groups.

Annually, each PGL should provide to the managing partner and Associates' Committee, the practice group's evaluation of its current need, if any, and three-year projection of need for additional partners, supported by economic justification, and identity of those associates in the practice that are recommended for current and future partnership consideration.

Finally, when an associate is deemed worthy for consideration for partnership, the GPL leader should establish a special mentoring program to ensure that each candidate is provided every opportunity to achieve partnership status. This is particularly important in those instances where individuals have been considered but not selected for partnership and are considered to be viable candidates in the future.

Partner Compensation Recommendations

PGLs should assume an important role in the compensation evaluation of partners in their practice group. They should prepare annual qualitative evaluations of each partner in the practice, and, where applicable, coordinate evaluations for partners associated with more than one practice group. In addition, they should review annual performance statistics for each partner and make recommendations to the managing partner and Compensation Committee.

It should be anticipated that PGLs will be interviewed by members of the Compensation Committee concerning their compensation recommendations.

Marketing

The PGLs should be responsible for the preparation of an annual practice group marketing plan and budget after consulting with the practice partners for review and approval by the marketing committee.

Routinely, the PGLs should review the progress and problems of the members of his or her practice group in developing and implementing the marketing plan to insure that appropriate support to achieve each marketing initiative is being provided.

To ensure that plans are implemented and periodically re-evaluated, the GPLs should be responsible for periodic contact with the marketing committee, the Managing Partner and the Executive Committee concerning: 1) practice group client development expenditures and returns on those investments; and 2) success and/or shortcomings and the need for modifying the practice group strategic plan.

Succession Planning

The PGL will develop and, with the approval of the managing partner, recommend, implement and monitor the firm's plan to transition clients, matters and networking contacts from senior partners who are retiring, intending to reduce their active involvement or otherwise leaving the firm to other members of the firm.

Lateral Candidate Opportunities

Whether as a result of strategic planning or unanticipated circumstances, it is anticipated that all of the firm's practice groups will be opportunistic to the possibility of considering lateral acquisitions with profitable books of desirable business to enhance the firm's practices. Because this process may be time-consuming for the firm's lawyer management, it will be important for the practice leaders to identify resource needs, conduct initial screening of lateral candidates, and when a viable candidate is found that satisfies the firm's screening criteria and the practice group's strategic plan, make recommendations to the Managing Partner and the Executive Committee.

Conclusion

When planning to develop and implement the concept of PGLs, it has been my experience that the individual needs of the attorneys working in the practice groups have to be balanced with individual partner independence to be responsive to the firm's organizational structure and policies. Applying practice management techniques to practice groups in an appropriate manner will introduce to the firm a new aspect on methods for enhancing quality and timely client service and profitability.

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Joel A. Rose, a member of Law Firm Partnership Law & Strategy's Board of Editors, is President of Joel A. Rose & Associates, Inc., a firm of management consultants based in Cherry Hill, NJ. He may be contacted at 856-427-0050 or [email protected].