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Being in the right place at the right time

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In his recent book Outliers: The Story of Success Malcolm Gladwell suggests there was a time to be born in New York if you wanted to succeed in law. He builds the case based on the study of several individuals who made it big in the expansion in corporate take-overs in the 70s and 80s in New York. His point was not just that these successful people were born at the right time but they also did 10,000 hours of practice in a field not popular with the big firms of the 50s and 60s and this is what meant they were ready for the brave new world when it came.

The question is therefore - were we born at the right time for the current changes in the business environment and have we spent the last 10 years practicing enough to be ready now?

Mark Jarvis

mark@penningtonhennessy.com

The changing world we work in

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There is a lag between what's happening in "the real world", and the effect it has on law firms.  

So have a look at the short video on the landing page of Right Brain Media http://www.rightbrainmedia.com/, and ponder how long do we have to adapt, and what will adaption look like?

Jamie Pennington  
Jamie@penningtonhennessy.com

What Partners Want to Say

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Most partners are not good at giving feedback. If they were, this is what an upfront partner would tell you that he or she is looking for in a junior lawyer:

1. Honesty. If you've screwed up, I need to be the first to know. If you say something is true, it must be true. We all make mistakes - I did when I was your age and I am not immune today. The problem is not making a mistake, it is failing to acknowledge and learn from it.
2. Time recording. It's not your job to decide if someone should pay for what you've spent your time on. I need to know how long things take, or else I can't work out profitability.
3. Curiosity. If you don't ask, you won't know. So ask me how the work assigned fits into the wider client brief. Ask me why things are structured the way they are. And keep current with world and business affairs so you can ask good questions, not just legal ones.
   
4. Attitude. I need you to learn how to do new things. You need to be pro-active. What area do you need to develop in most? Find work that stretches you in these areas, and get feedback on your efforts. I may also ask you do boring mundane stuff - that's life when you're junior (and even when you're not so junior). Do it cheerfully. Then the next time some interesting work comes through, you will be top of the list.
5. Attention to detail. You can get a First Class Honours with 70% right. I expect 100%. It's what you're supposed to be good at, so if it's not your natural preference, you need to spend more time on it.
6. Ability to listen to instructions. When I give you a piece of work, and tell you what to do, I expect it to be done the way I said. Ask if you don't understand something. But make sure you are asking the right questions. Take the time to think it through for yourself as far as you can, then ask about the bits you really don't get. 
7. Tenacity. When I'm busy I can appear distracted, off-hand or even rude. Sorry. But that's life. Get over it, smile, and get back to work.
   
   

Engaging Generation Y in Law Firms

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A great deal has been written about the Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y. 

The FT entered the fray on Thursday with a well-crafted piece looking at ways some companies are linking the retiring generation (Boomers) with Generation Y to give the feedback and meaning that characterises the Generation Y.

I don't know of any law firm that is this pro-active.  Advantages could include:

• Linking the "grey hairs" heading for retirement with NQ's might well bridge the feedback gap that hard-worked partners are often accused of neglecting.
  
• Linking could also give those retiring a sense of legacy, and a chance to share the accumulated wisdom which is rarely captured on a formalised basis.
  
• Linking could be a natural part of the wind-down process, formalising the latter stages of a highly successful career.  Note the Cisco example given by the FT.

In my experience mentoring programmes usually stumble because of the mentors preoccupation with his/her career&clients, or the unwillingness to give frank feedback. 

Perhaps Boomers heading for retirement would be the answer.