On May 7th 2019, a selection of the Private Client Global Elite arrived at Home House, Marylebone, London to participate in the first Leadership Day.

The day combined a mixture of keynotes from leaders within the government and the highest judicial office and practical leadership tips from prominent academics, consultants, Managing Partners and Single Family Offices.

Jonathan Conder, Macfarlanes, UK Emma-Jane Weider, Maurice Turnor Gardner, UK Glen Atchison, Harbottle Lewis, UK

Who better to talk about leadership in law than a managing partner? The Global Elite welcomed Harbottle Lewis’ managing partner, Glen Atchison, newly emerging managing partner Emma-Jane Weider of Maurice Turnor Gardner and existing head of private client at Macfarlanes, Jon Conder, to discuss the drivers and challenges behind leadership within private client.

First of all, what makes lawyers want to lead? Is it nature, or nurture?

The answer resoundingly seemed to be nature, with the guest speakers in agreement that leadership was rooted deep within. The panel all grew up within a variety of leadership positions during childhood, at university and so forth, which made the concept of juggling “two full time jobs – private practice and management” more understandable (and agreeable).  Alongside “nature,” another key reason in becoming a part of the management was to become an instigator of change, whether that be to recruit new talent to the private client business, re-engage those post-NQs looking to leave or create a new culture which enabled lawyers to flourish.

When asked how the panel prepared for the role, panelists attended courses in London and at Cambridge Judge Business School prior to beginning or early on in the role. However, with hindsight, some thought that attendance on such courses may have been more fruitful after being in the role for some time, to apply their experience in the role to the studies practically.

The panel concurred that the most important tip to be a successful leader within a law firm was “buy in.” Panelists emphasised the lengths they went to in order to gain buy in from other partners, including individually inviting them over to dinner for the first year of management. Additionally, the old adage of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer was echoed, with those most critical of their management kept within the inner circle of confidantes. However, “buy in” is not all that you need in order to be deemed as “successful.” Close attention is also paid to profits, employee engagement/ retention and new business initiatives.

The panelists were very honest when asked if they had failed to reach one or more of these criteria, stating that whilst “buy in” is not all you need to achieve success, it is closely interlinked with departmental profits, engagement/ retention and new initiatives. If you believe in taking risks with a project, 99% of the time you will be able to gain the consensus of others to achieve your goal. After all, “fear of failure is not a reason not to do it.”