Law Firm Growth Strategies - Australia

1. body building for law firms
two half Day Intensive workshops
DUNCAN HART
CONSULTING
The Role of team leaders
1.
Growth: How, when & where to grow? A Professional Practice Consultancy
2.

2. DUNCAN HARt LL.B MBA
Duncan Hart spent three years as the Regional Managing
Director of one of Australia’s largest law firms – and was a
member of the taskforce that brought together the six law firms
that created that firm. He has also practised as both a barrister
and solicitor for some twenty years and was Managing Partner of
a ten-partner firm for several years.
He now practises as a management consultant providing advice
to professional service firms.
He has a degree in Law and a Masters of Business Administration.

3. the role of TEAM LEADERS
Team leaders occupy a pivotal role in creating, nurturing and
delivering value in professional firms. They, more than anyone,
are responsible for building the key relationships (both inside
and outside the firm) that enable that value to be realized. Learn
the essential skills in a half-day workshop.
law firm growth - How,
when and where to grow
A half-day workshop designed for managing partners, members
of management committees, team leaders and those associated
with designing and implementing growth strategies in law firms.

5. the TEAM LEADER’S role
WORKSHOP 1: Half day
What you will learn The role is part coach, administrator, leader and marketeer – what is
possible? What is prudent? Most professionals, no matter how skilled in
Team leaders occupy a pivotal role in creating, nurturing and delivering
their area of expertise, need guidance and assistance in carrying out this
value in professional firms. They, more than anyone, are responsible for
role effectively.
building the key relationships both inside and outside firm that enable
that value to be realized. The workshop draws on the work of Maister, ‘Managing the Professional
Service Firm’, Kaplan & Norton, ‘The Balanced Scorecard’ and Dawson,
What are the essential skills they need to succeed in this taxing role?
‘Developing Knowledge-based Client relationships’, and others.
What should their priorities be and how do they balance these priorities
Examples and ‘best practice’ drawn from 30 years experience in working,
with their own workload?
managing and consulting to professional service firms are also provided.
This program is designed to assist team leaders understand and develop
these skills and manage the diverse priorities they face in four key areas:
Who should attend?
• Leadership and team administration
Team leaders, managing partners, CEOs and members of firm management
• Client management and growth
committees. Partners and those aspiring to take such a role in future
• Recruitment and performance appraisal
would also benefit as would CFOs and marketing and HR personnel
• Planning and implementation at team level supporting such teams.

6. the TEAM LEADER’S role
Workshop Schedule Recruitment and performance appraisal
8.30 – 9.00 am - Registration and coffee • How much influence should I have on appraisal of team members?
• How do I encourage delegation and stop ‘hoarding’
9.00 – 11.00 am - Leadership and team administration
• Should my team include other partners with different skills?
• What is a sensible ratio between fee-earning work and
• When should support staff be involved?
my team leader duties?
• How closely should I be involved in recruitment?
• What type of financial and other reports do I require?
• Am I a coach as well as a leader – to what end?
• Issues in setting the team budget – WIP, billing and expenses
• What should I do about monitoring quality and client complaints?
• What sort of reports should I create – and to whom?
• What is the best way to run a team meeting – who should come?
• How do I get recognition for what I do as a team leader?
• What should I be held accountable for as a team leader?
• How much leverage is sensible – what other KPIs are useful?
• What support should I expect from Finance, particularly at budget time?

7. Client management, growth and building the team’s profile
11.00 – 11.30 am – Coffee
• Should I be involved in client visits – how often?
11.30 – 1.00pm - Planning and implementation at a team level
• Do I need a client relationship manager?
• What should my primary objectives be as a team leader?
• Which clients should I concentrate on – what if they
• What should I expect from my team members?
are not ‘my’ clients?
• What should be in my team plan – how should it fit with the
• How can I boost my team’s profile internally and externally?
firm’s plan and individual plans?
• Should my team be centred on specific clients or our expertise?
• Templates for a team plan and individual plans – what works?
• What support should I expect from marketing?
• What should I aim to achieve with other teams in the firm?
• What support should I expect from HR?

9. law firm growth - how, when & where to grow
WORKSHOP 2: Half day
A half-day workshop designed for managing partners, members of • ‘Pick winners’ in their client base
management committees, team leaders and those associated with • Employ, train and retain more talented personnel, build better
designing and implementing growth strategies in law firms. systems, improve gearing
Analyse and exploit your firm’s growth potential in 5 steps: …but to what end?
1. Preparing the ground – what are the options, the alternate strategies? Growth for growth’s sake is no strategy at all but there is little doubt that
2. Growth from within – what grows and what goes? larger firms:
3. Mergers, federations and acquisitions – are they the answer? • Have the capability to generate higher profits per partner
4. Developing your chosen strategy – selling your ‘strategy story’ • Attract superior legal and management talent
5. Planning and managing the process – what works and why? • Are better able to serve larger and more profitable clients
Partners place increasing demands on management and themselves to: • Perform more interesting, diverse and complex work
• Are better placed to help partners and staff realise their career objectives
• Meet ever rising profit expectations – ‘do more with less’
• Cut under performing teams, clients, work and overheads How should such pressures be managed? Create and drive an agenda
• Merge, federate and acquire in an effort to attract ‘bigger and better’ work that manages and harnesses those ambitions.

10. law firm growth - how, when & where to grow
What you will learn Workshop Schedule
This workshop provides key insights essential to the consideration, 8.30 – 9.00 am - Registration and coffee
development and execution of any growth strategy: 9.00 – 11.00 am - Preparing the ground and developing the strategy
• Identify where your firm has the potential to grow – what should you Identifying where your firm has the potential to grow
be looking for?
• Turnover and profit – how to apply profitability/productivity
• Decide if all or only part of the firm and its clients have the capability
and leverage benchmarks
and the capacity to grow – Make an informed decision and prepare
• Analysing profitable work in your firm
the ground
• Being honest about your firm’s capabilities
• Choose what is to grow and what is to go
• Identifying the profitable clients and sectors
• Set goals and expectations - manage the politics of accountability
• Focusing on the levers that matter – building a bias for action
at all levels
• Identify what you need to achieve your growth targets –
match resources with expectations
• Manage the process – timescale, milestones, and changing
course and speed

11. Having identified the potential where do you want to go - by what route? • The importance of accountability – at all levels
• Changing course and direction where necessary
• What sort of firm do you and partners want to be?
• A few words about mergers/acquisitions and federations
• Establishing the ‘latitude and longitude’ of your firm –
your positioning
• Your actual and potential client base – what is their potential for growth? Identifying what you need to achieve your growth targets
• Alignment – talent, systems and clients • Time and tangible support - the most important resources
• Can you afford it - can you afford not to? • Allowing for budgetary impact – the timescale
• Developing your ‘strategy story’ • Maintaining the focus on acquiring, training and retaining ‘talent’
• Gaining consensus and commitment around your growth strategy • Keeping the ‘strategy story’ fresh and relevant
• The competition – choosing the ground on which you compete
• Where do emerging areas and clients with ‘potential’ fit in?
What you will come away with
• Applying the 80/20 rule – making the space to succeed
A sound understanding of the current thinking and practice in developing
11.00 – 11.30am - Coffee
and managing growth strategies in today’s law firm - understanding
11.30 – 1.00pm -Planning and managing the process grounded in thirty years experience obtained in law firms in Australia
Setting goals and expectations the US and UK, - working in and managing both small practices
through to the largest.
• Translating your strategy into a workable plan
• Maintaining momentum and commitment - at firm, team Practical insights and war stories complemented by relevant research
and individual level findings and commentaries drawn from leading authorities in the field.

12. DUNCAN HART
CONSULTING
Ideas and Implementation
Duncan S. Hart LL.B MBA
Mobile 0414 562 267
Tel 03 9686 0060
114 Moray Street
South Melbourne Victoria 3025
Email dh@duncanhartconsulting.com
www.duncanhartconsulting.com
ABN 48 099 664 034
• Performance management for professional service firms • Planning for results – Marketing and business planning • Building firm-wide capabilities and competencies • Interim management •
Creating client focussed strategies for growth • Individual and leadership coaching • Creating and leading effective teams • Managing the role of corporate counsel • Retreat and conference management