This article was prepared by Sue-Ella Prodonovich for the Singapore Law Society’s monthly journal - The Law Gazette (May 2023 Issue).

While issues of AI, technology and innovative business models have dominated discussions about the changing landscape for legal practices, another significant factor is the movement of talent. In more traditional and multi-generational practices, the founding or senior partners of law firms expected, and even demanded, a level of loyalty and commitment from their lawyers and confidently relied on a long career of service.

But times have changed, and so have the expectations of clients, referrers, experts, decision influencers and, of course, lawyers.

We have moved from the heroic model of David Maister’s (2000) personal relationship Trusted Adviser ideal, to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and self-sustaining networks – or Ecosystems. As Stokes J, Dopson S (2020:pg 6) observed in their research of leadership challenges …

“It is not a new idea to suggest that leaders are no longer as powerful as they once may have seemed. Talk to leaders today and they will tell you that their role is constrained, and at the same time undermined, as never before. They are exposed: accountable for results and yet not really in control of them. In a world which appears to be changing fast and in unpredictable ways, leaders are obliged to try to make sense of the context people are working in, and to lead their people and organisations to respond effectively.”

While some law firms might have been caught by surprise by the swiftness of change, many are not standing still. They are updating their approaches and adroitly adapting management lessons from other professional and financial services businesses.

In 2021, The Law Society of Singapore, alive to these changes, launched their first programme for small to mid-sized law firms called Raising The Bar (RTB). RTB is a four- to five-month acceleration programme customized to help law firms transform their business journey.

In 2023, the RTB workshops will be held in-person for the first time from 6 July to 27 July 2023.

In this article, course facilitator and law firm business development expert Sue-Ella Prodonovich looks at six ways in which RTB “graduates” of the 2021 and 2022 programmes are getting ahead of changes …

About ‘Raising The Bar’: An Intensive program for Singapore Law Firms

Raising The Bar is a 4-5 month acceleration programme customised to help Singapore Law Practices (SLPs) compete and thrive in a digital-first world. Armed with the new knowledge gained from the programme, SLPs can expect to reap the benefits of improved client satisfaction, greater profitability and a competitive edge within the industry.

Unlike other traditional programmes, Raising The Bar enables firms to go beyond the hypothetical, putting theory into practice. A carefully curated group of industry experts will work with SLPs to develop firm-specific strategies, implement them efficiently and accelerate their business journey.