This is one of management's key responsibilities. On a practice group basis, specific roles can be divided up according to the lawyers' capabilities, interests and contacts. Management can help to motivate and support the group and individuals within it by requiring annual plans and projections and basing compensation partly on how well each member meets his or her own targets and commitments. Different people may have different targets and roles, but all the bases should be covered among the group. Look for Opportunities While all attorneys should be expected to cultivate their own sources and contacts,management can act as a referral source for opportunities throughout the firm because the committee or individuals assume the position of taking a firmwide view.
Management is responsible for knowing each group's capabilities and each individual's talents.
Those opportunities should be communicated to individuals and supported by the firm. The market for particular kinds of legal services tends to be changing and cyclical. A usually productive lawyer willing to work hard can be rendered unproductive by changes in economic and political factors and marketplace needs. It is management's role to be sensitive to marketplace changes and encourage retooling to a more viable area for the current and future market. Not every lawyer will be flexible enough in outlook as well as skills to make a switch, but a firm should be willing to support for a reasonable amount of time, agreed upon in advance, those who make an honest effort.