Stop Promoting Your Best Attorney Into Leadership
It happens in law firms every day.
The attorney builds a tremendous book of business.
Clients love them.
Their legal work is exceptional.
They're one of the highest producers in the firm.
So naturally, when a leadership position opens, they're promoted.
After all, who better to lead the firm than the firm's best attorney?
Sometimes that works beautifully.
But many times, it doesn't.
Not because they're a poor attorney.
Because being an exceptional attorney and being an exceptional leader require two very different skill sets.
Legal Excellence and Leadership Excellence Are Not the Same Thing
One of the biggest assumptions I see law firms make is that technical excellence automatically prepares someone to lead people.
It doesn't.
Great attorneys are often exceptional at:
solving complex legal problems
advocating for clients
generating business
producing high-quality work
Leadership, however, requires a completely different set of muscles.
Things like:
coaching others
holding people accountable
making difficult personnel decisions
resolving conflict
creating alignment
building systems
developing future leaders
Those skills aren't learned simply by becoming a great lawyer.
Rainmakers Don't Always Make Great Leaders
I've worked with attorneys who could generate millions of dollars in business.
They were phenomenal rainmakers.
They were exactly the people you wanted sitting across the table from a prospective client.
But inside the firm?
Leadership wasn't where they created the most value.
Some struggled with:
delegation
follow-through
difficult conversations
developing junior attorneys
operational discipline
None of those things diminished the value they brought to the firm.
They simply highlighted that their greatest strength wasn't leadership.
It was rainmaking.
And that's okay.
Leadership Is Its Own Profession
One of the healthiest shifts I see in growing firms is when they stop treating leadership as a reward for great legal work.
Leadership isn't a trophy.
It's a responsibility.
The best firms intentionally develop leaders because they demonstrate leadership qualities—not simply because they've billed the most hours or originated the most business.
That's an important distinction.
Don't Confuse Influence With Leadership
Rainmakers often have tremendous influence.
They should.
They've earned respect.
They've built client relationships.
They've contributed significantly to the firm's success.
But influence and leadership aren't interchangeable.
Leadership means making decisions that are best for the entire organization—even when they aren't personally convenient.
It means developing other people instead of always being the person clients rely on.
It means thinking about the firm's future, not just your own practice.
The Compensation Structure Matters, Too
One of the most rewarding engagements I've had involved helping a firm rethink how one of its highest-producing attorneys was compensated.
This attorney was an outstanding originator.
Clients loved them.
Business development came naturally.
But servicing the legal work wasn't where they created the most value.
Rather than continuing to reward them primarily for servicing matters, we shifted the compensation structure to better align with their strengths.
The result?
They focused more heavily on bringing in new work.
Senior attorneys handled more of the legal servicing.
Clients received more consistent communication and attention.
The senior attorneys gained valuable experience.
And the firm's profitability improved because much of the legal work was completed by salaried attorneys instead of being driven by variable service compensation.
Everyone operated in the role where they created the most value.
That's exactly what good leadership and good compensation design should accomplish.
The Wrong Leader Can Slow an Entire Firm
When leadership responsibilities are given to someone who doesn't enjoy—or excel at—them, the impact extends far beyond that individual.
Decisions slow down.
Accountability becomes inconsistent.
Managers stop feeling supported.
Junior attorneys receive less coaching.
Operational improvements stall.
The firm begins to feel heavier than it should.
Not because the leader lacks intelligence.
Because they were placed in a role that didn't align with their strengths.
Leadership Should Be Intentional
One of the biggest opportunities law firms have is recognizing that there is room for different kinds of attorneys to thrive.
Some are exceptional rainmakers.
Some are exceptional servicing attorneys.
Some become outstanding leaders.
Some successfully blend two or even all three of those roles.
The key is identifying where each attorney creates the greatest value—and aligning responsibilities and compensation accordingly.
When firms force every successful attorney into the same leadership path, they often diminish the very strengths that made those attorneys successful in the first place.
The Real Question
Instead of asking:
"Who's our best attorney?"
Ask:
"Who has demonstrated the ability to lead people, build alignment, and move the organization forward?"
Those answers aren't always the same person.
And they don't have to be.
Controversial Truth
Your best attorney isn't automatically your best leader.
In fact, promoting someone into leadership simply because they're an outstanding lawyer can unintentionally hurt both the individual and the firm.
The best organizations don't assume great attorneys become great leaders.
They intentionally develop leaders—and allow exceptional attorneys to excel in the roles where they create the most value.
Building a high-performing law firm means more than hiring talented attorneys. It means placing the right people in the right roles, aligning compensation with strengths, and creating leadership structures that allow everyone to contribute at their highest level.
I help law firms design organizational structures, leadership teams, and compensation models that maximize both individual performance and firm-wide profitability.