Shared Leadership in Law Firms

TV series make us believe that managing partners act as all-powerful lone wolves. Well, apart from being far from omnipotent they often don’t steer their firms alone but rather work in leadership dyads. This kind of leadership has great potential but can also cause trouble if not implemented correctly.

Key words: leadership dyad, leadership, triad, shared leadership

Image: Vlad Alexandru Popa / Pexels

What is a Leadership Dyad?

TV series such as ‘Suits’ or ‘The Goodwife’ make us believe that the managing partners (even of a major law firms) are lone wolves ruling as kings and queens over their kingdoms of cubicles, office spaces, libraries, conference and copy rooms as well as his or her army of officers (partners), soldiers (lawyers & paralegals) and support troops. Well, this is definitely not how this works.

Managing partners don’t ‘rule’ over their law firms as is sometimes suggested in these TV series. This, however, will be the subject of future articles. In this article I want to address the fact that many if not most of them aren't ‘lone wolves’ but rather part of a so-called leadership dyad, which is a type of organizational structure in which two leaders (or three leaders in the case of a triad) share responsibility for the leadership of a team or organization such as, in our case, a law firm.

Leadership dyads in professional service firms such as law firms have been subject to a variety of studies. These studies, however, don’t always focus on the same kind of dyad. The term is used for dyads between a lawyer managing partner and a non-lawyer management professional, for a duo of a managing partner and a senior partner (both lawyers; comparable to a CEO/Chairman dyad) as well as the occurrence of two managing partners. This article will focus on the latter.

Pros and Cons of Leadership Dyads

Leadership dyads can be very effective, albeit don’t come without their own challenges. Some of the advantages of leadership dyads include the following:

• Shared workload: By dividing responsibilities and tasks between two or more leaders, a leadership dyad can help to distribute the workload and prevent one individual from becoming overwhelmed or overburdened. This ensures that the firm is effectively led and that important tasks are completed in a timely manner.

• Diverse perspectives: A leadership dyad can provide a diverse range of perspectives, experiences, and expertise, which can be valuable for making informed decisions and solving complex problems. As a result, the law firm benefits from a broader range of perspectives and insights.

• Improved decision making: With two leaders working together, a leadership dyad can facilitate a more collaborative and inclusive decision-making process. This fosters the inclusion of more opinions and therefore helps making the best possible decisions for the firm.

• Enhanced accountability: A leadership dyad can help to improve accountability within a group, as both leaders are responsible for ensuring that the law firm's goals are met and that its members are working towards common objectives. Doing so ensures that the firm as a whole remains focused and working productively towards the common goal.

• Improved communication: A leadership dyad can help to improve communication within a law firm, as the two leaders with their own networks can act as intermediaries between different subgroups, individuals or locations. This can help to make sure that information is shared effectively and that all members of the group are informed about important decisions and developments.

Leadership dyads, however, don’t come without costs or disadvantages. Some of the more prevalent ones include the following:

• Unclear authority: One disadvantage of a leadership dyad is that it can lead to confusion among the troops about who is ultimately in charge of a decision. This lack of clarity about decision-making structures can lead to conflicts within the law firm.

• Inefficient and ineffective collaboration: Depending the situation it might be difficult for the two leaders to effectively collaborate and coordinate their efforts. Rather than profiting from improved leadership this leads to inefficiencies and can hinder the law firm's ability to move forward.

• In-dyad conflicts: A leadership dyad can create an imbalance of power, with one member of the leadership dyad potentially dominating the decision-making process and leaving the other managing partner feeling marginalized. This imbalance may lead to resentment and conflict within the leadership team, which in turn can affect the entire firm.

• Succession planning: Last but not least, a leadership dyad can also create challenges when it comes to succession planning. If one leader leaves the dyad, depending on the continuation efforts it may be difficult to fill the leadership void or if filled, the new team doesn’t work as swiftly as the last would have. Also, in many firms, the position of managing partner is not actively sought after. While a leadership dyad my decrease the burden and therefore increase the willingness to take over the job, it also requires not only one willing and able candidate, but at least two.

Make your Leadership Dyad work

With the above-mentioned pros and cons in mind, how can you make your leadership dyad work? First, it is important for the two managing partners to establish clear roles and responsibilities as well as agree on decision-making processes as well as conflict resolution tactics. With these ground rules set, an ongoing communication is paramount, especially when tasks and roles have been very clearly divided among the two. Otherwise the two might lose sight of what’s going on in the areas managed by the other member of the dyad.

These dyads work best when there is a lot of mutual respect between the two leaders and there has been collaboration in the past. In many firms, managing partners run for their offices as tickets, which helps making sure that the two leaders – if and when elected – don’t start off with personal issues dividing them.

Finally, once an effective collaboration based on trust, mutual respect and clear rules has been established, it is helpful for the leadership dyad to regularly seek feedback from the rest of the team. Be open to input and suggestions or rather actively look for it. This will help to ensure that the leadership team is not only focusing on itself but meeting the needs of their partners and the entire firm. Because while smooth collaboration within the dyad is paramount, the ultimate goal of an effective leadership remains an engaged and prosperous law firm.