Leading the Future: The Human Science of Law Firm Strategy and Leadership

Behavioural science comes into play in every aspect of running a legal business, from the way strategic decisions are made, to the way good or bad news is delivered, through to how lawyers interrelate and communicate with clients. Law firms are now implementing human science initiatives to gain a competitive edge as they compete against each other for market share. Leading the Future: The Human Science of Law Firm Strategy and Leadership - provides practical how-to advice and guidance on how human sciences are interacting with the different aspects of leading, managing, and marketing in a law firm. It highlights how law firm leaders can harness human sciences to: + Develop new skills and autonomous ways of working for staff + Examine the best ways of going about formulating strategies + Ensure a high level of staff engagement, flexibility, and innovation + Improve decision making in the legal profession + Build the right culture to drive innovation and facilitate change + Create and inspire high performing teams (HPT) + Listen, discover and communicate what clients' real needs are, persuade and influence them, and target them more accurately + Build and sustain trust and cooperation throughout the firm. + Encourage cross-selling, resolve conflicts, and build collaborative relationships with clients + Hire, promote, inspire, and reward to drive staff performance and engagement Case Studies, Practical Tools and Tips... Each chapter in Leading the Future is supported by illustrative case studies from a broad range of international and regional firms, with tools and tips that you can immediately put into practice. The authors Dr Bob Murray and Dr Alicia Fortinberry (www.fortinberrymurray.com ) have deep experience in applying the latest science to business challenges and are uniquely qualified to guide law firm leaders to shape a successful strategy and drive positive change through the right leadership, culture, business development, and customer relationships for your legal business. This book will make you think. For those active in the legal sector or with an interest in it, this looks at a number of familiar issues through a different lens. It looks at the various behavioural and physiological elements relevant to people and law firms and how these intersect with getting things done and making change happen in law firms. I found that lightbulbs went off as I reviewed the unfolding chapters around particular issues that we (and no doubt many others) wrestle with in our businesses. Volatile and changing times call for different ways of thinking to solve and make progress against both the perennial issues and new emerging issues for legal businesses. Some of the lessons in this book can help, especially in terms of interacting with the people that make up our businesses. The authors draw upon both their technical knowledge and their practical experiences to provide helpful insights into things like implementing strategy to make them work; leading clever committed people; implementing change; and unlocking the conundrum of collaboration." Mark Rigotti, Global CEO and Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills