It has never been more important for law firms to plan for the future. A highly competitive market, an aging profession, the changing ambitions of younger generations, many of whom place greater importance on work-life balance than reaching top leadership levels, and a long-held reluctance to discuss retirement and succession, all combine to create what some are calling a succession crisis. It is time to face the issue head-on and start putting systems in place to ensure the long-term success and health of lawyers and their firms: succession planning is the answer to this.

A successful succession encompasses two core elements: transitioning firm management to a new generation, and transferring client relationships. This title provides guidance not only on how these two transitions can be achieved effectively, from the perspectives of both individual partners and the firm, but also on the plethora of issues involved in preparing for the departure of retiring partners and transitioning in new leadership, including compensation, the role of diversity and inclusion and financial considerations. It also considers situations where more specific and specialised plans may be required, such as managing the succession of a rainmaker or a founding partner.

A strong and effective succession plan ensures that clients are retained over the long-term, retiring partners leave optimistic and satisfied, future leaders are in place and prepared for their roles, and the firm continues to grow and flourish. The shift to a more remote work environment has also made the institutionalising of processes such as succession planning even more important. By providing a thorough understanding of its many elements, this title explains how effective succession planning can be implemented and ensure smooth leadership and client transitions, securing and enhancing the current and future success of partners and their firms.

This book is excellent in raising the many issues around retirement and succession planning.
Victoria Tomlinson
Chief executive and founder, Next-Up

Succession Planning: Ensuring Smooth Transitions for Lawyers and their Firms provides the invaluable perspectives of nine distinguished experts and practitioners on various aspects of this challenging topic.
Philip Rodney
former chairman of leading law firm headquartered in Scotland, NXD and consultant

A very helpful guide.
David Pickup
The Law Society Gazette

Succession Planning is a volume that belongs on the shelves not only of law firm leaders, but also of lawyers seeking to chart their careers in a thoughtful and deliberate manner. This book speaks eloquently to institutions about strategies for their long-term survival, and to individuals about facing the future with confidence.
Robert C Bata
WarwickPlace Legal, LLC

Succession planning may be regarded almost as a contradiction in terms at some law firms, but this concise and well-written book shows why that is such a mistake.
Clive Howard
ELA Briefing

AUGUST J AQUILA

https://www.linkedin.com/in/augustaquila/

August J Aquila, CEO of AQUILA Global Advisors, LLC, specializes in compensation plan design, mergers and acquisitions, partner accountability issues, and succession planning for professional service firms. He has advised PSFs for more than 30 years. He is the author of more than ten books on professional service firm management, marketing, pricing and partnership issues. He has worked with clients in India, the United Kingdom, Canada and the US and has written hundreds of articles. He was a former partner in a top 50 accounting firm in Chicago, Illinois and an executive with American Express Tax and Business Services, Inc.

JAAP BOSMAN

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bosmantgo/

Jaap Bosman is an award-winning strategy consultant and an investor. After having spent 15 years in legal practice, he founded TGO Consulting, a highly successful consulting boutique that works globally with elite law firms and premier legal departments. Jaap is a seasoned consultant and widely considered one of the world’s thought leaders on the business of law.
His achievements have been recognized in 2013 by the Financial Times with the first ever Innovative Lawyers Award for International Strategy. He is also a winner of the Thomson Reuters Excellence in Legal Marketing Award.
Jaap has published three books and many articles: Death of a Law Firm (2015). This book is about the business of law and the human dynamics that drive it. Death of a Law Firm has become an influential global bestseller.
Data & Dialogue – a relationship redefined (2019); co-authored by Vincent Cordo. This book is about the relationship between law firms and clients. It introduces revolutionary new concepts such as the Value Matrix© and the Creation-Production Divide-Concept©.
A New Dawn (2020). This book outlines in hands-on practical terms how the legal industry could emerge better and stronger after the COVID-19 induced economic crisis.
He regularly contributes articles to leading publications around the world.

SANDRA J BOYER

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-j-boyer-b568207/

Sandra J Boyer is the founder and president of Legus International. Described as “a key visionary in the legal industry”, she works closely with the Advisory Board to provide forward-thinking education, management, administration, and marketing programs that help the organization go above and beyond the traditional network model.
She is the co-author of Associate Retention: Keeping Our Best and Brightest (June 2002), and The Effective Associate Training Program, Revised Edition (2006). Both books are published by the American Bar Association’s Center for Continuing Legal Education. She is the co-author of The Survival Guide to Implementing Effective Law Firm Management Strategies, published by the Law Practice Division of the American Bar Association (2015). She is also published internationally regarding timely law firm management topics. For almost 30 years, Sandra has consulted with small to mid-size law firms in all areas of law firm management. In 2003, Sandra was inducted as a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management in recognition of her outstanding contributions and sustained commitment to the highest standards of professionalism in law practice management. She received the Olivet College 1844 Award for outstanding commitment and success in her professional life as well as her commitment to Olivet College and its goals and strategies.

SHELLEY DUNSTONE

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelleydunstone/

Shelley Dunstone is an Australian lawyer and the founder and principal of Legal Circles, a consultancy practice that helps lawyers achieve their business and career aspirations. Shelley is a past chair of the Senior Lawyers Committee of the International Bar Association. She was admitted to legal practice in 1981 and is a former law firm partner. She also holds qualifications in marketing. She provides coaching and professional development services for lawyers throughout Australia and internationally.

RONNIE FOX

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronniefoxcitysolicitor/

Ronnie Fox of London law firm, Fox & Partners, specializes in the law and practice relating to employment and partnership. In 1998 he founded and became the first chairman of the Association of Partnership Practitioners, which helped win recognition for partnership law as a distinct area of expertise. Major independent guides to lawyers and law firms have said, “Unparalleled in his experience”, Ronnie Fox “has seen it all and done it all many times before, and knows the path of least resistance out of every situation”. In relation to employment law, “Ronnie Fox commands a strong reputation for his work on senior executive departures and restrictive covenant matters”. Ronnie’s name continues to command instant recognition in the partnership sphere as an “admirable, vastly experienced practitioner who never loses his energy”, and a “perfect choice for major issues and big, bet-the-partnership disputes”.
Ronnie has written a book on termination payments, edited another on Partner Retirement in Law Firms, and contributed chapters to six other law books. Dozens of his articles have been published. He is a past chairman of the IBA Senior Lawyers’ Committee.
Law firms and individual solicitors turn to Ronnie for advice, particularly lawyers whose love of practicing law makes difficult any meaningful discussion of retirement and succession.

HERMANN KNOTT

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hermann-knott-6308b214a/

Hermann Knott is an experienced transactional and dispute resolution lawyer based in Cologne, Germany. He is a member of both the German and the New York Bar and a partner with KUNZ Lawyers, where he leads the international practice. After attending law schools in Germany, Switzerland, and the US, Hermann started his professional career with a New York law firm where he was involved in US investments in the post iron-curtain world. After some time with a German internationally-oriented firm practicing corporate litigation he was a founding member of Andersen Legal, the law firm associated with the global Arthur Andersen organization. Aside from his transactional practice, Hermann has developed a focus on alternative dispute resolution, i.e. mediation and arbitration. He also has considerable experience in law firm management issues, having been the co-chair of that Committee of the IBA and the ABA International Section.

PAM LOCH

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pam-loch/

Pam Loch is the managing director of Loch Associates Group and has been a specialist, award-winning employment law solicitor for over 20 years. Unusually, she is a dual qualified solicitor, with degrees in accountancy and economics as well as law. She has combined her business experience and her legal expertise to set up a group of businesses that includes Loch Employment Law and HR Advise Me. Alongside her team of lawyers, HR consultants and wellbeing experts, she provides strategic and creative solutions for clients, managing the tougher side of their business operations for them so that they can sleep at night, knowing they are in good hands.
Pam is a seasoned commentator on the TV and radio, regularly called upon to discuss employment law and HR issues as they emerge. As well as contributing to books, she writes articles for many publications and media outlets including International Workplace, People Management and HR Director. She is also ranked as a Leading Individual in employment law and her firm is a Leading Firm too.

VERONICA MANN

https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronicamann251253/

Over the last 30 years, Veronica Mann has built up vast expertise in all aspects of wealth creation, including retirement and protection. This, coupled with her in-depth knowledge of lifestyle planning, has helped her clients to secure their own financial independence.
This is particularly important for people going through life-changing events – such as retirement, bereavement, or divorce. Veronica focuses on helping her clients understand what they want from life. She also helps them to answer the crucial question, “Will I run out of money?”. Knowing this enables her to develop plans so her clients know what needs to be done in order to achieve and maintain a comfortable and financially secure position, particularly in their later years. Veronica is both a chartered and certified financial planner and an accredited member of the Society of Later Life Advisers. Prior to this she has been the owner of a family company which developed a unique road safety product, a chartered surveyor, and director in her own independent financial practice.

SUSAN SALTONSTALL DUNCAN

https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-saltonstall-duncan-34164011/

Susan Saltonstall Duncan is the founder and president of RainMaking Oasis. For over 35 years she has provided management consulting and coaching services to more than 160 law firms, professional service organizations, and hundreds of individual professionals.
Her consulting firm works with firms, practice groups, and individual lawyers on firm and practice/sector strategy, succession planning, client relationship management and development, client feedback and needs assessment programs, leadership coaching, business development training, coaching and strategy, lateral integration strategies, firm values, visions and culture and innovation.
Susan has served in in-house roles including director of professional development, director of business development and as chief strategy officer for a Global 25 law firm. She was inducted as a fellow into the College of Law Practice Management (COLPM) and into the Legal Marketing Association’s Hall of Fame. She has widely published in legal publications, is regularly quoted in the press, and speaks for national and international associations. She is the author of Building Enduring Client Loyalty: A Guide for Lawyers and Their Firms (Globe Law and Business, 2021).

Katerina Menhennet