Birketts - a top 50 UK law firm -
with over 500 lawyers in 5 locations.
Starting point.
The legal profession is a traditional business where the need to adapt and think differently is becoming more important in an industry that can be labeled as old fashioned, particularly in its leadership. This forward-looking law firm was keen to give their leaders of the future a different set of skills and a way of thinking, that would not only equip them to grow the business, but have people and culture at the center of their attention.
What we did.
People Academy set in motion a collaborative process with the business to understand where they were and where they wanted to go. Our experience of other organisations enabled us to support this firm with current thinking on leadership and, of course, the principles of the People Dimension. The ‘Emerging Leaders’ programme was born, which takes a cohort group of future leaders through a series of interventions lasting 18 months. It covers subjects that include the self-aware leader, creating a coaching culture, performance management, emotional intelligence and high performing teams. The interventions comprise a mixture of group sessions, one-to-ones, coaching groups, thought leadership review, reflection and presentations. This programme over the last three years has gone from strength to strength.
The result.
Today, such is the success of the programme that we are now working with cohort group 6. Many of the lawyers in previous cohorts have gone on to become partners and all are now on the right track, with the right set of leadership skills, to continue to work towards senior leadership roles in the company.
The law firm has embraced what is a new way of thinking for many. The feedback has been exceptional and applications to attend the emerging leaders programme continues to grow each year.
Key takeaways.
People Academy designed and delivered a company-wide Emerging Leader Program to support, develop and embed the key leadership behaviours required to enable future growth.
The lifeblood of a law firm is ‘chargeable time’ - a partner’s main focus. The firm recognised that whilst time is money, effective leadership is the key attribute to sustained growth.
Aimed at busy Junior Lawyers and Legal Directors who balance their time between fee earning and leadership, at the same time transitioning to Partner (140+ individuals) Crucially, these people helped shape a new culture, growing the firm to 900 colleagues. In 2013, Birketts became the first UK legal firm to boast 40% female partners.