The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/96072
nonetheless. However, the legal construct of a law firm can take various forms, such as a sole practitioner, general partnership, professional corporation, limited liability partnership, limited liability company, etc. Still, the basic premise is the same that a law firm consists of attorneys practicing law together, with one or more being owners of the firm. Practice Structure The type of law practiced by a firm often dictates how a firm is structured. Small firms can consist of "general practitioners" or can be "boutique" firms, which concentrate on one particular area of law. Larger firms often have many practice departments, practice groups, client groups, etc., that focus on areas of the same type of law or complementary areas, such as estate planning or labor and employment. Practice departments and practice groups usually have a partner who is the leader of that department/group. Other types of leadership roles among attorneys have taken the form of operational roles involving knowledge management, legal project management and so forth. Leadership The partners of the firm usually share the costs and the profits of running the firm. Being the owners, they feel they should have some say in running the business, and they usually do. A typical company or corporation will usually have a clear hierarchical structure such as CEO/president, vice president, directors, managers, supervisors and so on, where a clear chain of command is easy for most people to grasp and navigate. However, law firm leadership can take many different forms since there are so many owners. Most firms have a managing partner who manages the direction of the firm. The managing partner can sometimes be the most senior partner, but is often elected by the other partners. The primary duties of the managing partner usually center on the practice of law and business development. As for the day-to-day operations of the firm, a firm administrator, office manager or executive director usually handles those duties. Size Matters For many people new to working in a law firm, one of the most vexing aspects can be the organizational structure of the firm itself. When you understand how law firms are organized and structured, and the roles various individuals play within the firm, you can better understand how to navigate your career within the legal profession. What kind of company? Here is a loose definition of a law firm: lawyers practicing law together. That's a rather simple explanation, but generally accurate The size of the firm has a direct correlation to how many different partner leaders there might be. For example, a small firm of a few partners usually only needs one managing partner, whereas a very large firm of hundreds of partners could require many functioning in the most senior management roles. Midsize to large firms will often make use of various committees of attorneys, such as an executive or management committee, that focus on management of the firm, a technology committee that focuses on use of technology in the firm and a hiring committee that focuses on hiring law school graduates or lateral attorneys. The portion of firm management handled by those who are not attorneys is often dictated by size as well. A small firm might Peer to Peer 43