Managing partners often have to balance running their firms with practicing law, but Drew Eckl & Farnham has shifted the balance heavily toward running the firm.

Joe Chancey, who took over as managing partner at the beginning of the year, said that for the past 15 years the firm had an ”intensely democratic” method of rotating its chairman's position among members of the board of directors every two or four years. But the chairs had to fit their administrative business around working for clients.

“It bred an inefficiency” for a firm the size of Drew Eckl, which grew from about 70 lawyers to more than 100 now. The firm also moved from offices in Midtown to downtown.

Last year the board of directors—which is elected by the partners—decided to choose a managing partner whose primary mission is running the firm. It chose Chancey, who will serve a two-year term, but there are no term limits.

Chancey said he spends about 80 percent of his time on managing partner business and the rest working with existing clients on employment counseling. Given his new responsibilities, he does not expect to work on litigation.

“It's been very much a learning operation,” he said, as he's trying to become the person in the firm with a comprehensive knowledge of human resources, information technology, accounting and other areas.

This knowledge allows him to be more forward-looking, he said.

Chancey took over from workers' compensation partner Julie John, who was the firm's last chair. She could not be reached to discuss the change.