Preparing for Transition: Building the Leadership Pipeline
When it comes to leadership transitions, there are no easy answers. Unlike corporate organizations, many law firms deploy models more akin to political spheres, switching out leaders on predetermined term limits rather than based on performance.
November 20, 2023 at 10:31 AM
11 minute read
Marcie Borgal Shunk, president and founder of The Tilt Institute. Courtesy photo
Smart Strategy
The recent rash of leadership transitions may have just recently caught the eye of the media, yet this conversation has dominated executive and policy committee discussions for some time. There is a dearth of up-and-coming leaders due in large part to the baby bust, or significantly smaller size of Gen X, sandwiched between the Baby Boomers and millennials. This generational phenomenon has left many firms with two choices—allow senior leaders to hold the reins longer than planned (or desired); or encourage younger leaders to take on roles for which they may not yet have the training and experience.
When it comes to leadership transitions, there are no easy answers. Unlike corporate organizations, many law firms deploy models more akin to political spheres, switching out leaders on predetermined term limits rather than based on performance. This approach is rarely in the best long-term interest of the firm (Imagine a board ousting a Fortune 500 CEO at the height of her career simply because the clock ticked to four years) and relies more on longevity and influence as the selection criteria than an objective evaluation of aptitude or potential as a leader.
In fact, according to recent research co-produced by ALM and The Tilt Institute,
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Penn State Dickinson Law Dean Named President-Elect of Association of American Law Schools
With Chair Regularly on the Road, Duane Morris Names First Phila. Office Managing Partner
4 minute read
Trending Stories
- 1Buchalter Hires Longtime Sheppard Mullin Real Estate Partner as Practice Chair
- 2A.I. Depositions: Court Reporters Are Watching Texas Case
- 3Second DCA Greenlights USF Class Certification on COVID-19 College Tuition Refunds
- 435 Years After CT's Affordable Housing Act, Progress Remains a Struggle
- 5Bankruptcy Judge Clears Path for Recovery in High-Profile Crypto Failure
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
