The Responsible Partner™

The Responsible Partner™ methodology is a simple and yet effective means of managing the professional and to an extent personal working relationships between Partners/Directors, designated senior staff or senior support services managers, on the one hand, and individual members of their legal or support teams who report to them, on the other.

In terms of the role, a partner, senior professional or support services manager is appointed to be personally responsible and accountable for the personal and professional development of one or more designated professional or support staff members in the organisation. The RP builds confidence, expands skills, and generally creates an environment in which the person will develop to their full potential. A Role Description outlines the key responsibilities. Experience has shown that what is really important to staff in professional service firms is that an interest is taken (individually and institutionally) in their personal and professional development. The role insures that this happens.

The role can have powerful benefits for a firm:

• Properly implemented, it will raise partner/director and staff engagement levels; the person will strive (go the extra mile for the firm), stay (build a long-term working relationship with the firm) and say (speak well of the firm to potential recruits and clients) and therefore be a fully engaged member of an organisation, with all its off-shoot benefits.
• Successful firms have high levels of engagement amongst partners/directors/managers and staff, and as a result inevitably achieve financial success.
• It provides a structure through which to 'get things done' and through which an organisation can thread its culture and values and thereby give them practical life. This contributes to a happy work environment.
• In these ways it achieves significant differentiation for a firm.
• Properly implemented, it ensures no-one is overlooked and 'falls through the cracks', which is otherwise not uncommon in professional service organisations.
• Nothing is left to chance in regard to developing staff to full potential.

Properly implemented, this methodology has the potential to act as a true differentiator that will not be matched by competitors.  It gives practical, credible life and application to a firm's vision, values and desired cultural attributes, all of which are threaded into the methodology. Over time it contributes to higher levels of staff engagement, which is pivotal to professional firm success.

It can contribute to lower staff turnover, greater recruitment success and the ability to keep and develop staff to full potential. High calibre people want to be part of a successful organisation which takes an interest in them. The opportunity cost savings here can be significant. It can be one of the few ways of meeting the challenges presented to existing professional service firms by the seemingly ever-changing requirements of 'Generation X', 'Y' and now 'Z'. 

Furthermore, undertaking this Responsible Partner™ role successfully is very rewarding and satisfying for those in the role. Experience has shown that a majority of partners and managers in a firm will take great pride in how they undertake this important role.

The role provides senior lawyers with personal and professional growth development opportunities to assist them in expanding their leadership, management and coaching skills and thereby prepare for progression to partnership. The skills developed through this role have off-shoot benefits for client relationship development and business building, both for the RP and the person.

Ultimately, once implemented, it is the best possible way to 'get things done' in a professional services organisation, and spreads the leadership, management and coaching responsibilities amongst all key leaders and managers. In essence, it makes an organisation manageable, turning 'hard-to-herd' cats into creative, independent and responsible guide-dogs.

There is flexibility as to how an individual RP undertakes the role, but not in relation to the fundamental responsibilities and accountabilities. For both these reasons, it works. Furthermore, each firm or even divisions within a firm, may adapt or evolve the methodology in certain ways to suit their practice; this adds to the dynamic nature of the methodology and is quite acceptable. It has proven to be very adaptable with some firms extending its ambit to include responsibility for key clients and other priority firm management issues.

The conduct of the role is managed with ongoing monitoring and support through the Development Discussion ('DD') [provide link here] process and the appointment of a Career Development Partner/Person (from partner or senior staff ranks) but also the development and implementation of a complementary Partner Support and Performance Management framework. There is also annual review by the Responsible Partner organisation.

It takes time and patience. It requires constant monitoring and evolution and  passionate, committed leadership & management from key people. It also requires some form of performance and accountability management of partners, with the undertaking of this role a key factor in assessing performance. It involves a joint responsibility – both parties to the relationship need to take responsibility to see that it functions well. Finally, it requires the implementation of the Development Discussion regime to act as a useful check and balance to the conduct of the role.

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