What Keeps Managing Partners Awake at Night?

by | October 21, 2004 | About the Site, Articles, Leadership, Strategy

I am happy to report that I will have an opportunity to write for the
"Management" column that appears monthly in The
American Lawyer.  The column’s target audience is managing
partners/managing committees, executive directors, practice group leaders,
and to some extent all "C"-level executives. 

Thus the question I pose to you all:  What keeps you awake at night?  What
topics should I make an effort to address?  For example (and please
tell me I’m off-base, if so):

  1. Partner personnel issues:  Laterals, underperformers, special
    problems?
  2. Associate personnel issues:  Recruiting, training, professional
    development?
  3. Conflicts?
  4. Short-term profitability issues:  Collections, receivables,
    alternative billing (project or value-based)?
  5. Long-term profitability issues, a/k/a strategy:  Open/close
    offices, grow/shrink practice groups, etc.?
  6. Business development issues:  Beauty contests, cultivating client-development
    skills in junior partners, etc.?

Feedback is great!  (A technical note, however:  Since upgrading
my Movable Type platform recently, the "comments" feature has been buggy;
although I’m working on it, the good old low-tech email route always
works.  See link top right, cunningly titled "Email Me.")

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and counsel.

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