Executive Summary

The survey whose results are summarized here was conducted in January 2008 and published in the May 2008 issue of Professional Development Quarterly. Click here for an order form for the full report.

This report updates a survey last conducted in 2003. It reports what the responding law firms are currently doing to support the professional growth of their partners. The full report, published in in the May 2008 issue of Professional Development Quarterly, contains 5 tables of comparative data on the topics surveyed and quotes and anecdotes from the participating firms.

I. Survey Respondents

20 private U.S. law firms responded to this part of our two-part survey on partner development (Part 1, on upward evaluation programs, was reported in February 2008). The firms range in size from under 200 to over 1000 lawyers, and together employ over 13,000 lawyers. All have more than one office, and 65% have offices in more than one country

The "average" respondent employs 663 lawyers in 10 offices in 4 countries.

II. Survey Findings

Summing up our survey results, here’s a snapshot of partner development programs in 2008 at the twenty responding firms:

• Status of Partner Development Programs. Three out of four responding firms (75%) have established developmental programs and resources specifically for their partners. Several of those programs are new and "in a building state."

• Partners Targeted for Development. In those firms with partner programs, the partners most often targeted for developmental attention are new partners (by 80%); the second most-targeted group are partners with significant management responsibility (by 60%).

• Topics Addressed in Partner Development Programs. The subject matter addressed by these programs recognizes the different role and learning needs of partners (vs. the role and needs of associates). It also reflects that in 2008 firms are putting top priority on practical business issues (the top 3 topics for partners, offered by almost 90%, are business development, client relationships/client service, and technology applications) and on employee relationships and legal compliance in the context of those relationships (the next three, covered by 80%, are anti-harassment, diversity, and mentoring/development of subordinates). By contrast, supervision and management skills are receiving less emphasis than in 2003.

• Delivery Media. Of ten alternative delivery media for partner development, the only medium used by 100% of the responding firms continues to be classroom-type group instruction, both in- and out-of-house, which is used in 100% of these programs. ( We note that that instructional format does not recognize the needs of partners, as advanced practitioners, for learning that is individually tailored and collaborative or self-directed.) The formats used least often are peer reviews and collaborative resources such as discussion/user groups, communities of practice, chat rooms, internal wikis, etc.

• Level of Participation. Perhaps as a consequence, partners’ average participation in the programs specifically addressed to them is no higher than 50%.

• Upward Evaluation. At more than half the firms, associates are invited to give feedback on partners’ supervisory skills via upward evaluations, but a lack of follow-through on improving partners’ skills in this area is cited by most respondents as a major failing. Moreover, associates have little or no input into the planning and delivery of partner development programs on any subject, including supervision.

The best aspects of today’s partner development programs, each cited by 20% of the respondents, are:

• the firm's support for the program, and
• its ability to promote partner interaction, idea sharing, and mutual reinforcement.

What the respondents would most like to change about their programs, cited by 33% each, are

• the delivery format and/or subject matter, and
• firm culture and partners' attitudes regarding the program.

Copyright © 2008, Evelyn Gaye Mara. All rights reserved. This document may be printed for personal use only. Any reproduction, retransmission, or republication of all or part of this material is expressly prohibited without prior written consent from the copyright holder. Contact maraeg@profdev.com for reprint permission.