Leadership / Books
A great Leadership Conference. The MPIEs always excel.
I look forward to this Conference every year. It really helps me to be a more effective firm leader.
A very organized and well-run conference. Great food. Great hospitality.
Thank you for allowing me to participate. Your team is masterful at making all feel valued at your event and I dare say helping attendees see the value in attending.
Thank you for the invite to speak on the Managing Partner panel. Even though I have now attended 7 MPFs, I always bring back substantive and helpful information for my partners.
Hands down the best leadership conference for managing partners I've ever attended.
I highly recommend the MPF Leadership Conference. I've participated many times, as have several of my partners. We leave with new ideas and fresh perspectives every time.
I thoroughly enjoyed participating in this year's Conference. Thank you for your enthusiasm and leadership.
Thank you for what you do for our industry. I go to a lot of conferences, and your event is the one I look forward to and gain the most from each year.
Thank you for putting on another outstanding MPF Conference. I came away, once again, feeling reassured and encouraged.
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Read MoreCollaboration among highly autonomous partners is essential and still too rare. Learn the six psychological secrets behind people's powerful impulse to comply, how to put them to work on your behalf and how to defend against them. Entertaining and useful on many levels.
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According to HBR, 70% of all change initiatives fail. Don’t let yours be among them. This collection of ten must-read articles helps firm leaders understand that change involves a long-term, multi-faceted approach in order to be genuine, meaningful and lasting. Among the titles:
- “Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail”
by John Kotter
- “Change through Persuasion”
by David Garvin and Michael Roberto
- “The Hard Side of Change Management”
by Harold L. Sirkin, Perry Keenan and Alan Jackson
We highly recommend this easy-to-digest compilation of articles written by the world’s thought leaders on change management and organizational behavior.
- “Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail”
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Lessons in Leadership: Essential Skills for Lawyers
Read MoreOver the past few years, MPF Faculty member Tom Grella has written numerous articles and several books on law firm leadership and strategic planning. Through a series of practical lessons, Tom draws on his own experiences and applies time-tested leadership principles to lawyers and law firms, including:
- Understanding your unique leadership style,
- Learning about emerging trends in law firm leadership,
- Leading in times of crisis, and,
- Creating a legacy though succession planning.
Lessons in Leadership ($79.95, American Bar Association) is now available in paperback through the ABA’s Website.
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This meticulously researched book puts into plain language an undeniable fact: The modern workplace, law firms included, is beset with assholes. Sutton argues that assholes – those who deliberately make co-workers feel bad about themselves and who focus their aggression on the less powerful – poison the work environment, decrease productivity, induce qualified employees to quit and therefore are detrimental to businesses, regardless of their individual effectiveness. He also makes the solution plain: They have to go.
Although occasionally campy and glib, Sutton's work is sure to generate discussions at water coolers around the country and deserves influence in law firm hiring and firing strategies.
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The Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) holds a treasure trove of great information about the business side of running a law firm. This groundbreaking book – written especially for law firm management professionals – provides practical and proven ideas and suggestions to help firm administrators excel in this challenging role. It’s well-organized and features numerous articles, surveys and case studies. We’ve arranged a special deal with ALA, so our readers can purchase this great book for just $35.
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John Kotter is widely regarded as the world’s foremost authority on leadership and change. Leading Change ($26.95, Harvard Business School Press) outlines in just over 200 pages an actionable 8-step process to initiate and sustain organizational change….even in a law firm environment. Another “must-read” for managing partners.
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As the legal profession evolves, competition heats up and law firms continue to grow, an increasing number of firms are choosing to run themselves more like businesses and less like loose confederations of sole practitioners. Many lawyers are appalled by this creeping “corporatization” of the profession, while others believe it’s time to adopt more streamlined structures and management practices
Managing the Modern Law Firm ($40, Oxford University Press), edited by Laura Empson, provides a rich blend of historical perspective, scholarly analysis, and practical insight by an impressive group of professionals and academicians. At 264 pages, it gives law firm leaders plenty to think about.
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If we could only recommend one book to a lawyer in private practice, it would be True Professionalism ($26, Simon & Schuster)! Maister’s lesson is clear: believe passionately in what you do and never compromise your standards and values. Act like a true professional, aim for excellence and the money will follow. The challenge for leaders is to find the strength and courage to do what we know is right. A must read.
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If we've heard it once, we've heard it 1,000 times. Leading a law firm is by no means an easy task…and they certainly didn't teach you much about it in law school. Thank goodness for the MPF faculty members Brian Burke and Patrick McKenna, who have once again joined forces to provide an invaluable resource for today's firm leader. Serving at the Pleasure of My Partners ($49, West Publishing) is packed full of real-life scenarios and provides proven, practical guidance for today's exceptionally busy managing partner.
We've partnered with West/Thomson Reuters to extend a 20% discount off the cover price to our readers. Click here for more information and to download the table of contents and a free chapter.
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At 184-pages, The Extraordinary Managing Partner ($65, ALA) is a must-read for anyone serving or aspiring to serve as a managing partner in a law firm. In 2010, John Michalik stepped down as Executive Director of the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) after serving in the role for 15 years. He has also just published this book based on extensive interviews and research involving 75 exceptional law firm managing partners and their management teams. The top four key traits according to these leaders? Trustworthiness, communication skills, firm-first decision-making and decisiveness.
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There has never been a book quite like this one. First Among Equals ($26, Free Press) is among the foremost books ever written on leadership within a professional services firm and is essential reading for law firm leaders. The book is easy to follow, as the authors draw upon their extensive experiences working with professional services organizations throughout the world. They also include insights and valuable examples culled from some of the top leaders in this field. Originally published in 2002, FOE is now in its sixth printing and has been translated into nine languages. It has also been among the top selling business books for many years in the US, Canada and Australia. The lessons and learnings presented here will give you insights and action tips to help you provoke and inspire your people to their full potential
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In talent driven firms, stars, say the authors of Aligning the Stars ($39.95, Harvard Business School Press), make the difference between winning and losing – and they walk out the door each day. Outstanding firms align stars across business lines, geographies, even generations. Building a successful firm is akin to building a brick wall: You may want to add many bricks at once, but it’s tough to do without toppling the wall.
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The Knowing-Doing Gap ($32.50, Harvard Business School Press) confronts the challenge faced by many law firms and their leaders. They know what to do, but they just don’t do it! This book is a candid, uselful and realistic guide for improving your firm’s organizational performance.
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If you had to pick just one book to read to be more a more effective managing partner, this is it. Managing the Professional Services Firm ($26.00, Free Press), written by David Maister, covers a wide array of topics ranging from strategy to profitability, marketing to motivating employees. This should be in every managing partner’s library.
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The Tipping Point ($39.95, Hachette Book Group) is another international best-seller from Malcom Gladwell, whose other books include Blink and Outliers. Gladwell examines the phenomenon of social change – that magical, defining moment when an idea, trend and behavior really takes hold and spreads throughout a society or an orgnaization. Gladwell argues that big changes often occur as the result of a series of small events. It’s a lively and engaging read.
