Recruiting Chief Executive for Chambers - Recipe for Success

The legal profession and the Bar in particular are undergoing significant change.  Many sets are considering recruiting a Chief Executive to help them meet the challenges this brings. A Chief Executive can undoubtedly help Chambers take a more strategic and holistic view of its business and profile and usher in a more targeted approach to fee generation.

Such a role requires a rich mix of adroit leadership in an inherently democraticenvironment, of rigour and inspiration in marketing and business development, and thoroughness in strategic business planning and strong administrative management - all coupled with softer mentoring and advisory skills. The cohesion within Chambers must be maintained, whilst recognising that individual members may feel uncomfortable trading off some of their individual independence.

A leap of faith?

Recruiting a Chief Executive for a set is always a huge leap of faith. Even assuming that everyone is in agreement that a Chief Executive is just what Chambers needs, there is rarely unanimity of views on what the Chief Executive should do or what skills he or she should have. The recognition that making the wrong appointment could seriously unbalance the equilibrium of Chambers and have a profoundly negative effect on its reputation often leads to paralysis of decision making at this early stage.

We have learned some important lessons from our recent work with barristers’ chambers and believe we now have a blueprint for success in these difficult yet critical appointments. Our ten point methodology ensures that Chambers asks the right questions of itself before embarking on a time-consuming recruitment process.

The process itself is designed to produce the right candidate with the skills and experience to succeed.

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