How do you know if you share a common vision with a prospective partner ? It ’ s all about frank and honest conversations up front . Before deciding to bring another attorney in as a partner , both of you need to sit down and have some direct conversations . Discuss what each of you see as the primary vision for the law firm . Discuss in detail the kind of law firm you both want to build . Identity the kinds of cases , clients , and practice areas you desire . You cannot determine if you are on the same page as the other lawyer unless you take the time up front to have these open and honest dialogues . It ’ s not about who is right or who is wrong ; Instead , it ’ s about alignment .
Core Values
It ’ s the same with core values . Core values are the fundamental beliefs that guide a person ’ s behavior and decision-making . They are the principles that a person believes in and lives by . If at the heart of the matter , you and a prospective partner don ’ t agree on both personal core values and firm values , you will be forever out of sync with one another . There will be unnecessary conflict , stress , and angst . For example , if one of you views staff as second-class worker bees and the other sees each staff members ’ intrinsic value to the firm as paramount , you will be continually at odds . If one of you is extremely honest and hard working while the other is all about taking shortcuts , you will be in continual conflict , or at least one of you will be frequently frustrated . If one of you views building a strong firm culture as essential while the other views culture as “ fluff ”, you will have innumerable problems . If one of you wants to sign as many cases as possible and settle them as quickly as possible , avoiding trials altogether , while the other partner is all about taking more time and building the value of each case , trying cases whenever it is necessary for the client and highest case value , you will be butting heads over and over again .
Think of it this way : When two lawyers enter into a partnership , they are essentially combining their reputations and their brand . If one lawyer has the reputation for being borderline unprofessional , this can negatively impact the other lawyer ’ s reputation and the reputation of the firm as a whole . If one ’ s core value is that they really don ’ t care about their employees and are all about the bottom line , this could negatively impact the law firm ’ s culture . If one is all about client service and the other is all about the money , then these core values will clash in the end .
As with vision , without core value alignment both you and the prospective partner will be constantly frustrated and law firm growth will be slow and arduous , at best . To ensure that both lawyers are aligned in terms of their values , you must take the time up front to have some open and honest discussions . You each must communicate your beliefs about the practice of law and your ethical obligations as lawyers . If you do not have alignment at this level , your partnership is unlikely to be successful . 20 x The Trial Lawyer
Complementary Strengths And Weaknesses
In addition to shared vision and core values , it is important that both you and your prospective partner bring complementary strengths and weaknesses to the partnership . No lawyer is perfect , and each lawyer will have areas where they excel and areas where they struggle . As I ’ ve always said , you want to leverage your strengths and delegate your weaknesses . Once you identify your weak areas , then look to bring in a partner who is strong in those areas . By choosing a partner who has complementary strengths and weaknesses , the partnership is stronger as a whole .
For example , one partner may be great at trying cases and technical work but abysmal at or uninterested in management . The other partner may be great at management and marketing , but not as good at or interested in trying cases . By combining their respective strengths and delegating their individual weakness , the partnership can provide clients with a comprehensive and complete set of professional and top-rate legal services . The partnership can accomplish far more than the lawyers would have been able to do individually . Some of the most successful law firms I have worked with have succeeded in large part because a lawyer with vision recognized their own strengths and weaknesses , and sought out a partner who complimented them , by being strong in the areas in which the first partner was weak . Frankly , in many ways , a successful partnership is like a successful marriage , which oftentimes succeeds because each is different from the other , while sharing a common vision and core values .
One of our PILMMA Mastermind firms in Illinois is a perfect example of a complementary partnership . One of the partners is a highly effective manager . He handles managing the day-to-day operation of the law firm , creating processes , procedures , looking at KPIs and so forth . In contrast , the other partner loves marketing and excels at it . This partner is key to helping them grow their practice , and he ’ s always looking for new and cutting-edge ways to get more clients in the door . This is a partnership made in heaven .
But for every one of these ideal partnerships , I see ten others that are complete chaos . The partners don ’ t get along ; They complain that one ’ s doing more of the work ; They complain they ’ re not getting the money that they deserve ; They complain that the other partner wants to grow too fast , or he doesn ’ t want to grow fast enough , and on and on …. These are the kinds of conflict that can kill a law firm .
Sometimes partners become fixated on whether each is generating equally large fees . While bringing in fees is crucial to a firm ’ s success and survival , it is not the only component a firm needs in order to prosper . A partner who doesn ’ t bring in the big fees , but who is great at marketing or management can be just as vital to the firm as the high-income producing partner . Lawyers contemplating entering into a partnership should agree on the importance and intrinsic value that a non-income producing partner may bring to the table . If this dynamic exists ,