Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It: First Steps for the New Managing Partner

You are about to have the most interesting, frustrating, energizing, challenging, rewarding and creative period of your career. So let’s get you launched with a short list of savvy first steps—from taking stock and getting help to developing your plan and leading with grace.

Managing Partner Q&A

Seven passionate firm leaders talk about their management style and philosophy and, in their own words, give us their best advice for new MPs.

• Nancy Geenen, Foley & Lardner
• Gregory Jordan, Reed Smith
• Linda Klein, Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz
• Bradley Miller, Ball Janik
• Richard Racine, Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner
• Mark Tamminga, Gowling Lafleur Henderson
• Keith Vaughan, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice

A Welcome Letter From the Firm's Administrator (Your New Best Friend)

Straight talk from the person who can keep you out of the rough on the business side.

Day One: What You Need to Know

Handed the management reins, wouldn’t you love pointers from the leaders of some of today’s premier firms? Lucky you—Angelo Arcadipane, John Bouma, Brian K. Burke, Ben F. Johnson, III, John R. Sapp, Keith B. Simmons, William J. Strickland and Harry P. Trueheart, III would like a brief word.

Six Styles of Leadership

Are you a visionary leader or a pacesetting leader? Affiliative or commanding? Here’s a primer on which styles work best, and worst, for leading a law firm.

Want to Be a Great Speaker? Then Keep Your Mouth Shut

To really reach an audience, you must figure out what people are thinking and speak directly to their priorities. You do that by listening.

Best Practices for Setting Managing Partner Pay

Law firms generally don’t get that they have to pay for management—or they have a hard time figuring out how to do it right. Here’s a rundown of the ways many managing partners are paid—and a methodology that actually works.

On the Glory of Being Managing Partner

Compared to practicing law, being a managing partner places very different demands on you.

Tips for Effective Law Firm Planning

In today’s firms, strategic planning is a management imperative. Here are key goals, characteristics and how-tos for a process that gets it right.

First Person

Strong Leader, Strong Firm

Successful law firms advance and prosper not because they have the best lawyers, but because the firms have strong leaders.

Product Watch

A trio of low-to-no-cost Web applications for conferencing remotely.

Tips & Tricks

Tweaking Excel: How to Exploit Your Options

Want your spreadsheets to behave exactly as you wish? Try making these practical and useful changes to your default settings.

nothing.but.net

Taste-Testing Some Lesser-Known Google Offerings

From ad feeds for your blog to a new browser for Windows, here are six products to add to your Internet adventures.

Managing

A 21st Century Approach to Law Firm Talent Management

Deloitte’s “Mass Career Customization” model offers an alternative to the straightand- narrow climb up the ladder.

Marketing

Building Relationships with Non-Clients: 20 Next Steps to Take

You meet someone new, have a nice conversation, get a business card and return to your office. Now what?