In 2024, legal leaders must “show up” for their staff more than ever, particularly in the face of shifting client demands and the prevalence of remote work – and work on key leadership skills post-pandemic.

This is also one of the key issues that will be discussed in the upcoming inaugural Lawyers Weekly Partner Summit, taking place on Thursday, 20 June 2024, at The Star, Sydney. Click here to buy tickets.

College of Law chief commercial officer Angie Zandstra confirmed there is a specific distinction between leading and managing.

“Good leaders will provide vision and inspiration for people to work towards with a common purpose, while a manager tends to focus on the day-to-day and getting things done. Both have a role to play, but the reason that leadership is so important (and managers are also leaders) is because more than ever, people are looking for a sense of purpose and belonging,” she said.

“Leaders are not born, and it is really important that people get to practise leadership, at all stages of their careers. Creating opportunities, however small, is also really important, as well as ensuring that there is a safe place to fail. But most importantly, modelling the leadership behaviour you want to see.”

In the legal profession specifically, Lander & Rogers chief executive partner Genevieve Collins said that good leaders encourage innovation and creativity and “lean into new opportunities and challenges in an evolving profession”.

“Leadership in law firms is about influence and persuasion; leaders are distinguished by their ability to communicate a vision, bring people together, negotiate and build consensus. In a partnership model, the leadership dynamic is very different to a traditional corporate ‘command and control’ hierarchy. It requires understanding how colleagues will respond to particular issues, reconciling differing perspectives, and bringing everyone along on the journey. Most importantly, leadership is about empowering others to thrive in their roles,” she said.

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“Strong leaders promote continuous improvement and foster a working environment where innovation thrives. In 2024, this means being receptive to the growing prevalence of tech and AI in legal practice; considering its impact on our people, society and the environment, prioritising client experience, and evolving our business practices accordingly.”

For FCW Lawyers managing principal Andrew Douglas, leadership involves a “dedicated process of self-awareness and the development of bespoke tools” to assist in making people leaders rather than managers.

“Partners and principals are already working hard, bringing in work, delegating down to leveraged operations and hitting their targets. They are remunerated on revenue and personal production. They are busy. Busier than most people who work. They are stressed. Expecting partners and principals to lead around psychological hazards and wellness ignores their overwhelming workload. And their institutional drivers. What you reward is what people focus on. In law firms, it is revenue,” he said.

“Leadership is critical in legal service because the productive capital is people. What holds and develops employees is leadership. It manages workload, capacity, has trust and relationships to help and make employees safe in vulnerable times. Leadership is the aspiration and the planned maintenance. It creates meaning, high productivity and quality. A lack of leadership harms people; it devalues their commitment and ultimately damages the product of law firms and their productivity.”

Good leadership also requires specific skills – and Zandstra said that in any industry, a sense of curiosity and inquiry is important.

“To always question, and that includes questioning themselves. To always be open to new ideas and ways of thinking. This takes courage because it means you have to be open to being wrong and to making mistakes. When it comes to employees, it means you have to put aside any assumptions and be curious about the employee as a person,” she said.

“For example, if there are difficult behaviours on display or tensions within a team or between people, being curious about the individual and understanding that there may be more going on than appears on the surface. The only way to cultivate curiosity is to practise it. Start with yourself and start questioning how you contribute to dynamics, question how others perceive you, or how you may have been able to handle something differently to get a different outcome.”

In terms of a practical plan for firms moving forward, Douglas added that firms must include “changed structures in remuneration and time resources for partners and principals to grow and manage”, as well as a deliberate leadership development program to drive incremental improvements.

“Your people will flourish if led well, they feel safe and respected. It will build a brand of attracting the best and retaining them. Wellbeing programs have a habit of greasing the wheels, not building the best car. If you want to be a great law firm, design what good is, grow it incrementally, measure the process of success, build great leaders, and the outcomes will follow,” he said.

“The failure to do this will leave your partners and principals rudderless with people, obsessed with revenue and ignoring the real world around them. It is full of people. And people want more than money; they want meaning. Burnout is a place where the meaning has gone; work is a burden that brings no happiness, and the pressure of work despoils the rest of their life. Good leadership that is well resourced is the answer.”

Lander & Rogers has a formal mentoring structure in place and a talent development program, as well as an annual budget for lawyers, business services and legal support staff to undertake courses and gain qualifications to assist their professional development, including the AICD Company Directors Course, MBAs and mini-MBAs, and executive courses at Harvard University, according to Collins.

“Our lawyers progress into senior roles with structured firm-led training, including our Leadership Development Program for senior lawyers on the partner track; a ‘Leading with Emotional Intelligence’ education program for senior leaders; our Senior Associate Leadership Program, which instils both technical and personal skills including managing stress, providing challenging feedback and dealing with change; and dedicated training for early-career lawyers with a focus on empowerment, connection and career growth,” she said.

“There are many successful leadership styles, and every leader will bring different skills and qualities to their role. For example, are you naturally outgoing and form relationships quickly? Are you an introvert whose skills lie in listening and observing? Being an effective leader is about understanding how your qualities contribute to your firm’s vision and values, being authentic to yourself, and playing to your strengths.”

Lawyers Weekly will host its inaugural Partner Summit on Thursday, 20 June 2024, at The Star, Sydney, at which speakers will address the range of opportunities and challenges for partners and partner equivalents, provide tips on how they can better approach their practice and team management, and propel their businesses towards success. Click here to book your tickets – don’t miss out! For more information, including agenda and speakers, click here.