by Anna Farber Conrad with contributions from Elizabeth A. Weishaupl

As lawyers approach partnership status at a firm, they frequently are given greater levels of responsibility in firm management, including serving as a department or group supervisor. Despite the important role supervisors and managers play in the workings of law firms, firms often fail to train new supervisors or give them guidance regarding management methods or techniques. Management of firm resources, including employees, is vital in controlling the bottom-line costs of any business. Training in this aspect of law firm management is critical in maintaining a business’s solvency.

Developing a few key skills can help the supervising attorney optimize associate productivity, assimilate the new associate quickly into the firm, and create associates who may stay with the firm for many years. This article provides tips and techniques for three essential management skills needed for attorneys who supervise others: (1) giving feedback; (2) coaching; and (3) delegating.

Effective Feedback

Communicating well and providing constructive counsel are essential skills for legal professionals. However, we frequently fall short in using these skills to manage our own employees. Most associate attorneys likely are unfamiliar with the logistics of practicing law and may be unfamiliar with the law firm culture into which they were hired. Coherent, effective feedback by management is critical for productive development of the associate. Here are a few tips to follow when giving feedback to a new associate. Read the rest of this article »

by Penny McDaniel and Anne Neal

What is strategic planning? And what do you need to know about the process to determine how strategic planning could benefit your municipality? This article provides a brief overview of strategic planning—the benefits, process, obstacles, and strategies for insuring accountability and follow-through.

Strategic planning is a systematic process where you identify why your local government exists, whom it serves, benefits derived from the services you provide, and your administration’s vision for serving its citizens. Your strategic plan serves as a blueprint for how your local government will achieve its vision, and it answers three basic questions: “Who are we?” “What do we want?” and “How are we going to get what we want?” At each stage of the process you will need to involve various people and groups, and this is where the power of strategic planning comes into play.

Does strategic planning sound like a long, drawn-out process?  Well, it can take a while to do it right.  What’s the old saying?  “Anything worth doing, is worth doing right.”  This may be quite true, but we think there needs to be a lot of benefits for embarking on a time-consuming and sometimes difficult process.  Participants in previous strategic planning workshops determined a number of benefits for undergoing this process: Read the rest of this article »