Question:

I am the sole owner of a five lawyer firm in Indianapolis, Indiana. The other lawyers are associates. Our firm focuses entirely on estate planning and probate and trust administration as well as elder law. I am 60 and do not plan on retiring for another ten years. Two of my associates have been with me for 8-10 years and are vital to my practice as well as my eventual succession and exit strategy. I do not want to lose them so I am considering making them non-equity partners and giving them the title of partner. I am not ready to have any equity partners at this time. I have a production bonus system in place for the associates so I don’t plan on changing their compensation or the system under which they are compensated. How can I make their promotion to partner meaningful?

Response: 

Here are some things you might consider:

  1. Really build up their promotion to partner.
    1. Press releases announcing their promotion to partner to the local media.
    2. Mail out announcements announcing their promotion to partner to clients, past clients, other lawyers and law firms, judges, referral sources, and family and friends of the new partners.
    3. List them as partners on the firm’s website, letterhead, and other promotional materials. (Some firms have even listed them in the firm name – I don’t agree with this)
  2. Include them in firm management and at least begin sharing some, even if limited, financial information with them.
  3. Consider providing them with additional perks.
    1. If your present bonus system is based on working attorney collections, provide a delegation component for fee collections/receipts from other attorneys or paralegals on matters that the partner is responsible for and is managing.
    2. Additional life insurance.
    3. Country or other club membership.
    4. Firm paid automobile.
    5. Gas card.
    6. Firm credit card.

The title of partner in itself is more important than you might think but it requires that a big a buildup. If you only do one thing – do the buildup announcement and secondly include them more in firm management.

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John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC

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