HIT THE GROUND RUNNING: A Virtual Master Class for the NEW Practice Group Leader
A Virtual Master Class for the NEW Practice Group LeaderAgenda
DAY 1
In addition to this formal Agenda, we will as a group, identify those supplemental issues that you feel most important and need to be addressed during the course of this workshop in order to help you be effective as a practice leader.
Overview
Patrick McKenna will begin with a discussion of how practicing together in a group can make a measurable difference to our firm’s quality, service, profitability, skills, professional morale, motivation and enthusiasm.
One-on-One Leadership Skills
We will examine, in depth, the critical elements to becoming an effective practice / industry group leader, including:
- determining, together, what precisely is the job and what does it require of the individual holding the position;
- identifying how, as a practice leader, you add value and what specifically is it, that you can do, that is likely to actually affect the success of the group you lead;
- exploring under what circumstances people accept counsel, how to get people to accept your influence and why someone would follow you; and
- identifying the various options you have available to you and what you need to do, to develop personal credibility with the professionals in your group
When you bring together a group of lawyers who have different substantive skills, diverse experiences, a variety of work styles, and sometimes, conflicting priorities the process of managing the interactions can be challenging. In this session we will learn how to avoid personality clash and achieve instant rapport and effective communication skills for understanding and appealing to your team members
Group Collaboration Skills
Good practice leaders recognize that in order to get your group working together effectively, you must invest in some conversations with your team to determine:
- why we should work together as a group;
- what is in it for each of us to collaborate together;
- how much time is going to be required to participate in a meaningful manner; and
- what kind of behavior we think we have the right to expect of each other.
This session will equip practice leaders with the tools and techniques to explore with their group - what kind of group you want to be, what benefits you want to get, and whether you are prepared to do what it takes to truly function as a team.
Exploring How We Can Differentiate in A Highly Competitive Marketplace
The most unnerving question that any prospective (or existing) client may pose is: “Why should I choose you (your group / your firm), what makes you distinctive, and what specific added-value do you bring to my particular business matters . . . that I can’t get anywhere else?” This session is intended to explore, as a group, the various ways you might address that question in a manner that resounds favorably with clients.
Full Description
You have just been appointed as one of your firm’s newest practice group leaders and you now have the care and custody of a group of your peers. This may be your first experiencing in managing or leading a group or business unit. To be effective you must now forge a team out of a group of autonomous individuals - most of whom are now working from home…
Only one small problem . . . you were never trained or given any guidance on how to go about organizing and managing a group of your fellow professionals—let alone remotely.
So where do you turn?
Why Attend:
This intensive, skills-building workshop is an investment in your ability to make a measurable difference to your group’s quality of service, profitability, and professional morale. Every aspect of this experience is designed to provide hands-on checklists, interpersonal techniques and exercises to make it completely applicable for you to use immediately.
Who Should Attend:
NEW Department Chairs, and Practice/Industry Group Managers/Leaders in law firms who want to learn how to be effective in their new roles, learn how to motivate their peers (even those attorneys who may be more senior than you), and explore where to direct your limited and precious (non-billable leadership) time in order to maximize your investment.
Top industry speakers

Patrick J. McKenna
Internationally recognized author, lecturer, strategist and seasoned advisor to the leaders of premier law firms, Patrick has the honor of working with at least one of the largest firms in over a dozen different countries. He is the author of eight books most notably his international business best seller, First Among Equals, currently in its seventh printing and translated into nine languages. His most recent work, The Changing of the Guard, Second Edition (Ark Group, 2017), provides in-depth guidance on the leadership selection process in professional firms. Patrick’s three decades of experience led to his being the subject of a Harvard Law School Case Study entitled: Innovations In Legal Consulting (2011). One example of that innovation was his launching the first instructional program designed to specifically address the issues that new firm leaders of larger firms face in their First 100 Days – which has thus far graduated over 80 new leaders many from AmLaw 100 and 200-sized law firms. Patrick serves as Contributing Editor to Of Counsel, The Legal Practice and Management Report based in New York City; is the recipient of an “Honorary Fellowship” from Leaders Excellence of Harvard Square; was voted by the readers of Legal Business World as one of only seven international Thought Leaders (2017); and is founding member of the Legal Institute For Forward Thinking a legal think-tank comprised of leading academics and consultants from three countries.