TinkerX

This question reminds me of the great Woody Allen line, "I wouldn’t want to be a member of any club that would have me." But seriously, folks…

I’ve observed three types of successful lawyers in terms of practice group mentality:

1. This is where I am. I will do the work-type that characterizes my group. I will be an expert. I will make my expertise in this area known and will be helpful to people who want insight into the areas we cover.
2. I am interested in how my group can interact with others. I see the connections between what we do in my group and what happens in other areas of the law. I will proactively seek out members of other groups to cross-sell, educate, inquire and generally develop interactions.
3. I am only a member of a group because I have to be. I actually do work in many of our groups, as the client and case demands. My interest is in doing work for a particular type of client or industry, or in a type of work (investigation, personal defense, pro bono) rather than the types of law that distinguish practice groups.

Here’s what a practice group leader needs to focus on: If there are only #1s in the group, you won’t get much work from the rest of the firm. You’ll get clients who are interested in your area of the law, but you won’t be able to actively cross-sell them. This is fine if you’re the absolute market leader in this area, but not if you need to build business.

I would suggest that every group needs at least 20% of the #2s to be truly healthy from a growth perspective. If you’ve got guys out there figuring out how Sarbanes-Oxley (corporate) relates to healthcare issues, you can make some nice friends and get some more biz going. More than 50% #2s in the group, though, and you run the risk of not being able to drill down and do the work when it comes in.

Which is not to say that some folks don’t play at #2 and #1 on a back-and-forth basis.

#3s are ungovernable. Let them do their thing and make sure that at least one #2 follows them around to make the connections they’re not looking for. Like many marketing issues, what makes a good practice group leader or member depends on the goals of the group, the firm, and the individual lawyers.

Dynamics for the smallest group at the firm will be different than the largest. Dynamics for the one group that does plaintiff-side work at a predominantly defense-side firm will be very different. It’s like asking what makes a good ball-player. Depends on who’s sitting on your bench already, eh?