Mother in Law: Q&A with my managing partner

This week I was lucky enough to get my managing partner to agree to answer some questions for this column.

MIL: My brother’s neighbour’s cat is unwell – can I work from home for the next three weeks?

MP: I am more of a dog lover, and the link seems a bit tenuous to me, but if it means that much to you, and your colleagues and clients can be fully supported during that period, I see no reason why not.

MIL: A family of five such as yours will require 15 meals a day (three each). Over, say, 20 years that is 109,200 meals. How many of them did you make?

MP: Under 5%.

MIL: Discuss your workings.

MP: My wife has been a housewife since our children were born and so cooks the vast majority of meals and is an excellent cook. My infrequent cooking is often criticised! I should cook more, as I am sure my wife would appreciate a break. I shall try harder.

MIL: Roughly what proportion of our equity partnership is female? Roughly what proportion of our trainee lawyers are female?

MP: 40% and 75% respectively.

MIL: Discuss your workings.

MP: Number of females/total number x 100%.

MIL: That’s not what I meant.

MP: The gender diversity at partner level reflects promotions and the diversity in the profession in firms of our size from 30 years or so ago. It has been slow to change to reflect the diversity in new recruits, which has been heavily biased towards females for many years, but as these colleagues progress through the firm and men retire, it will change. The current figure of 60/40 is a big improvement upon the position of only a few years ago, thank goodness. If we appointed no new partners over the next 10 years, all but one retiring partner (assuming they retire at 65) would be men. We were told by a consultant 10 years ago that our gender imbalance at partner level was not unusual for a firm of our size, although it was more acute but was the result of decisions made 20 years ago. The only way of accelerating it would be positive discrimination, which nobody agreed to, or to be fortunate to be able to recruit outstanding new female partners. We have had more success with the latter!

MIL: What proportion of your day is spent managing, fee-earning and BD-ing? Has the split been a conscious choice?

MP: 80% managing and 20% client work. If I retained more client work now, it would be at the expense of a colleague.

MIL: Is there a correct split for a managing partner?

MP: Depends on the size of the firm, number of offices, departments and people. The correct split is probably 100% management, but for those who have practised law, it’s difficult to give up the work and, more importantly, the clients.

MIL: How is 2025 shaping up for us?

MP: By our high standards, disappointing, but we feel close to firing on all cylinders. Like many businesses, profitability has been squeezed as increases in income have failed to keep up with increases in expenses.

MIL: What you do think of The Legal 500?

MP: It’s a great marketing coup by the publishers. They have convinced lawyers to commit hours of their valuable time and money to a publication only really read by other lawyers. Great to feed the egos of some but of no material value to anyone. Genuine client feedback and testimonials are so much more powerful and persuasive.

MIL: As you move away from fee-earning, but having had such easily measurable targets for so long, is it hard to justify your existence (in your own head – I think you are great)?

MP: You receive very little feedback and much of what you do is intangible and difficult to measure. Occasionally I wonder whether I am working hard enough, but counter that with the times I think I never switch off. It’s important to have a network of people you can talk freely to, and I have developed invaluable friendships with managing partners in other firms. This helped me retain my sanity and focus during the Covid lockdowns, in particular.

MIL: In about 2018 someone told me that the employment market had changed: employees are in the driving seat, loyalty plays a smaller part in a decision to stay in a job and, essentially, those employees will just be continually striving for their own (version of) happiness whether that means staying or going. I think that has got even worse since 2020. Do you agree?

MP: I have heard similar comments, such as your loyalty to colleagues will count for nothing and they will leave for the price of a KitKat! I am an optimist and would be disappointed and deflated if this were true. Colleagues are better and more mobile than ever but I don’t think they are less loyal. I don’t believe we did enough years ago to show colleagues how important or valued they were, and I speak from experience. Everything was a battle to secure remuneration and recognition. We have never done more than we do now to reward and support colleagues in every way. We must never stop striving to improve. In return we will be repaid with tremendous loyalty and commitment. It pains me when someone decides they don’t want to continue a career with us, but sometimes external factors, or the draw of the City and huge salaries are understandably too tempting.

MIL: Where are all the 3-5-year-qualified staff? There always seem to be lots of applications for training contracts and lots of people wanting to be a partner, but why the shortage in between?

MP: If I knew the answer to that I would have a lot of happy heads of department. Perhaps in the City, as during that period of their career, work-life balance may be worth sacrificing for huge six-figure salaries.

MIL: How unnerved are you by the fact that I keep this sideline so quiet so easily?

MP: Not at all. Confidentiality and discretion are fundamental for a lawyer and I think clients and the public sometimes forget that.

MIL: Lastly, how do you feel about people writing motivational quotes on small whiteboards and posting photographs of themselves holding them on LinkedIn?

MP: As a journalist said, is there anything worse than the global thought leader on LinkedIn? It is a home for desperadoes or those desperately seeking affirmation. That said, I find LinkedIn very informative from a sector, management and recruitment perspective.