Washington Lawyer - July/August 2024 - 24

FEATURE
Harvard Law School's
David B. Wilkins founded
the world's first lawschool-based
executive
education program for
lawyers.
Photo courtesy of David Wilkins
for people to get training, to learn leadership skills, and to adjust to being
a partner when everyone was 100 percent remote. " The program has
been such a success that the firm plans to continue it indefinitely, Fleishhacker
says.
" The program was born out of the sense that, as new partners and new
counsel, people go through a multifaceted integration process, " says
Andy Colón, the firm's chief legal talent officer. " They are now . . . required
to delve deep into understanding the business of the firm, and
part of the objective of the program is to give them a sense of the firm's
financial structures, to give them a sense of how to build and manage
existing and potential client relationships. "
" There are compensation changes and benefits changes. It's a period of
transition, and we recognize that. We want to be there with them and to
support them during that period of transition. You could think of it as a
long-term orientation, " Colón adds.
During the two-year program, participants receive training on topics
such as business development, team management, and disrupting unconscious
bias. The firm also provides both individual and group coaching
sessions focused on leadership and management skills.
" One of the firm's core values is excellence in the practice of the law, "
Fleishhacker says. " Many of these trainings are about how to continue
to be excellent in the practice of the law now that you're the one who's
leading the team. "
In addition to communicating the firm's values and providing practical
tools for success, the program also fosters professional and personal relationships
within the cohort. " There's a mentoring and social component
that we think is important, " Fleishhacker says. " The program creates a builtin
affinity group. All of the participants were made partner or counsel at
the same time. They will hopefully be colleagues for a really long time, so
the program is a nice way to establish connections at the beginning. "
BASICS OF FIRM ECONOMICS
APEX also introduces participants to the firm's senior leadership and the
professional staff who can support new partners' practices. " They get a
chance to work with our chief marketing and business development officer
and get to know the marketing team, " Fleishhacker says. " They hear
from our chief financial officer to understand law firm economics better.
They hear from our general counsel to learn about risk management and
conflicts. They start to understand who they can go to in these specific
subject matters because, when you are an associate, you don't have
much of a reason to interact with the CFO, but as a partner that can be
very important. "
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The first APEX cohort, which graduated this past December, has given
the program high marks. " We collect feedback from all of our participants
at every turn and, frankly, the feedback has been overwhelmingly
positive, " Colón says. " Participants truly appreciate that the firm is investing
in their transition into these roles. They actively participate. They enjoy
the social events and the opportunity to network. "
APEX also sends a strong message to associates and lateral recruits about
the firm's values. " They can see the investment the firm makes in their
career, " Colón says.
Partner Ryan Hartman, who joined the firm's commercial litigation practice
in 2021, agrees. " This program offers ideas, guidance, and perspectives
on the many practical challenges of being a law firm partner, allowing
participants to focus on delivering outstanding results for clients,
growing their practices, and leading their teams most effectively. There
is something in it for everyone. "
EXECUTIVE EDUCATION FOR LAWYERS
David B. Wilkins, Harvard Law School's Lester Kissel Professor of Law,
vice dean for Global Initiatives in the Legal Profession, and director of
the school's Center on the Legal Profession, has spent the past 38 years
studying the legal profession and teaching students how to navigate the
rapidly changing marketplace. He has also authored scholarly articles
and books on the topic.
" When people ask me what I do, I tell them that I study lawyers the way
Jane Goodall studies mountain gorillas, " Wilkins says. " Why does Jane
Goodall study gorillas? Because she loves them. I love lawyers. Lawyers
are in the middle of all the most important issues in society. "
At the turn of the millennium, Wilkins observed an increase in senior attorney
attendance at executive training programs at business schools.
Law firm partners were looking to build the skills necessary to navigate
the management challenges posed by the transformation of law firms
into large-scale, multinational operations with thousands of partners and
tens of thousands of employees.
" It seemed to me that there was an opportunity to create something
that would speak directly to the leadership challenges of law firms, "
Wilkins says. " In 2007 I started what, I'm proud to say, is the first [lawschool-based]
program on executive education aimed at lawyers, not
just in the United States, but in the world. "
The program opened with its flagship course, " Leadership in Law Firms, "
aimed at individuals in senior leadership roles at law firms. " That could be
the managing partner, a senior partner, or a chair, but it could also include
people who run practice groups, people who run offices, people
who serve on executive or compensation committees . . . people who
have senior leadership responsibilities, including those who are not lawyers, "
Wilkins says.
The issues confronting law firm leaders are becoming increasingly complex,
Wilkins points out. " And they're not just, or even primarily, legal
problems, " he says. " In fact, I tell my students, your clients don't have legal
problems. They have problem problems, and from their point of view,
they'd like to take the legal portion and make it as small as possible so
that they can concentrate on the part of the problem they actually care
about - the business part. Therefore, they need lawyers and law firms
that understand how to integrate law into a larger, multidisciplinary solution
to the complex problems that they are facing. "
Washington Lawyer - July/August 2024

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