Best Practices in Succession Planning for Business Support Staff in a Law Firm by Inga Masjule - Walkers

Best Practices in Succession Planning for Business Support Staff in a Law Firm By Inga Masjule - Walkers

Developing law firm “business support staff” (i.e. the non- legal staff that work in Marketing, IT, HR, Operations or Accounting) and ensuring that succession opportunities exist for them is a challenge for law firms of any size in any market.

Law firms traditionally focus squarely on the only where key work was being done but Lesson 3: Develop global leaders. Antonia Hardy careers of their lawyers, the fee-earning staff where the key knowledge was being held. Provide your key business support staff Managing Partner, who serve clients. Unless you are in a large secondment opportunities to allow to Cayman Islands firm or a rapidly growing market, there are By thoroughly assessing the talent in each experience living and working overseas. Office fewer career progression opportunities for of the key positions, focusing mainly on Working for a global firm like Walkers support staff and in many law firms, support knowledge and skill levels, we aimed to provides many opportunities to interact with “Despite our global staff development can be limited to self- determine the current baseline areas for colleagues from other offices remotely by expansion over recent managed learning, such as reading industry these positions and then raise it with training. email or phone and work on exciting global decades, Walkers publications and attending an occasional projects. However it is understood that remains proudly headquartered in the conference outside the office. We then developed a relevant training 70% of support staff will never be given the Cayman Islands. As a result, our Cayman programme that would meet not only the chance to work outside of the country they based support staff are absolutely critical to On the other hand, law firms tend to attract individual’s needs but also those of the firm. are born in. The global leadership roles in the smooth running of what is now a much the best and the brightest business support Achieving ‘buy-in’ from stakeholders is vital a firm such as Walkers, on the other hand, more complex global business operating employees in the market. Law firm support to ensure training is continuous and not require the experience of working in various across multiple time zones. This makes roles therefore are highly in demand due just a ‘one-off’. These are key positions and countries and being able to competently development of our Caymanian staff to the superior working environment and individuals for our succession plan and their interact and deal with various cultures. How and ensuring proper succession planning attractive reward packages. So, how do you continued development is fundamental to do we enable our Caymanian staff to get within this office a key HR priority for the ensure that high potential employees the firm’s growth and success.” that experience? This is where international global firm. you have recruited stay with your firm secondments come in and alongside our and remain motivated and committed well-developed programme for attorneys I am incredibly proud of our HR team for the long-term without a promise of a Lesson 2: Offer learning and to get a taste of working overseas is our who have successfully led some fantastic rapid career progression? development experiences to accelerate Support Services Secondment Programme. initiatives designed to better equip our staff leadership growth of individuals in a to compete in the global market place, in A Three Way Test talent pool. particular, the training offered through An important part of the succession the Management Training Programme and To assess how well a firm’s succession Nicholas Bell planning exercise involves providing tailored IT Trainer, the secondment opportunities which have planning is working, I usually do this small management development of people in the Information been created in our overseas offices. These test. I ask senior management to identify organisation so that there is a talent pool Technology programmes have required a significant three top performers by name. Then I ask available to meet the demands of the firm as investment of time and energy on the part of the same senior management to imagine they arise. Such an approach allows Walkers “I have been with the organisers, presenters and participants that all three of these top performers to develop tomorrow’s leaders today. Walkers for six years and it has been very pleasing to see the suddenly leave their organisation and ask now, working as positive impact this has had on the personal them to name another three people who an IT Trainer and had always thought development of the individuals concerned. are able to succeed the individuals who Sarah Broad about relocating to work in one of the I look forward to seeing these programmes departed. I then repeat the question two Global Head international offices. There was a real need continue over the years to come. more times. Generally, very few firms are of Marketing to extend the firm’s IT training to London able to name replacement people after Communications, and everything really came together in June Next on the agenda for our intrepid HR three rounds of questioning. Most, in fact, Marketing 2013. I was actually given the choice of any team? Developing competency frameworks end up saying “we need to hire someone” our European offices, which also includes to enable support staff at all levels to better on the first round! “Last year I was one Dublin and Jersey, however London was the understand what is expected of them to of 15 managers from logical choice as I could easily visit the other progress to the next level.” For the last two years Walkers has been Walkers’ Cayman regional offices from there, so I embarked focussed on succession planning involving Islands office presented with the opportunity on a one year secondment. key Caymanian business support staff. to join the Walkers Management Training Inga Masjule Programme. The programme covered a I wanted to give my career a jump start and Following are some of the lessons learned Global HR broad range of management disciplines – working in London did that. I managed IT along the way: Executive Director from Myers Briggs assessment and conflict training for that region, which was something management to understanding global legal I was confident and comfortable doing. I was Inga has worked in market trends, financial management and pleased to get the opportunity to step-up Lesson 1: Review all positions and the field of Human communications skills training. develop job hierarchy and job structure. and certainly now have a much more global Resources for over perspective to problem solving. I understand 20 years and has The management training programme what people need in our international offices broad experience was comprehensive, well-executed and and implement solutions that improve in recruiting, developing and managing Rebecca Phillips very relevant to the daily challenges faced Head of HR efficiency for the firm.” personnel in professional services by managers across business support Operations, across the international domain. Inga departments. It re-affirmed many of the Human Resources is responsible for all people-related skills I have learnt along the way and also Ensuring succession planning for the matters at Walkers, including recruiting, introduced me to some of the psychology “We started with the business support staff in a law firm is a training and professional development, behind various personalities in the work review of our current long- term multi-dimensional process. It secondments, compensation and benefits, place, including my own. structure, with a requires the clarification of key positions HR administration and HR systems for focus on the staff in our Business Support and roles, providing structured learning and partners, lawyers and business support The programme provided a complete staff across Walkers global network. teams. For each position we examined the development opportunities and exposing tool kit of practical skills and methods for required level of functional and business staff to new cultures and ways of doing dealing with a wide array of work-related knowledge, decision making, degree of things by offering stretching assignments at scenarios. Most importantly it has made www.walkersglobal.com impact and strategic analysis. Then we home and overseas. However, none of that me a better manager.” were able to develop a job hierarchy of key would be possible without the support from positions across the firm, which showed not the partnership.