Network, network, network. Robert Bennett, who at age 77 is one of Hogan Lovells’ most well-known litigation partners, says that he encourages younger partners to publish articles, join business groups and practice marketing themselves so they become better known. He says he forgoes billing some tasks so younger lawyers can build trial experience. Maintaining contacts from college and law school are key, he adds, because they’re a litigator’s future clients. “You walk around with a big bag of seeds on your shoulder. You throw them around, and you never know where the wind will blow them,” Bennett says. “Sometimes they come home, sometimes they develop into pieces of business.”
Beware of jerks and silos. Say your mercurial rainmaker generates loads of business but can’t remember to treat colleagues with respect. That partner may drift away from the team and can wreak havoc if he leaves or retires. Make sure your key partners aren’t distanced from others at the firm, and get them thinking about who might inherit their business. Expect them to be teachers as well as lawyers, Bennett says.
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