Potentates, presidents and other poobahs usually have a plan of succession once they exit. But that apparently doesn’t hold true for a majority of law firms recently surveyed by Robert Half Legal.
Some 53 percent of attorneys polled said that their law firms or legal departments didn’t have a formal succession plan in place for key positions.
“It’s understandable that succession planning may sometimes take a back seat to billable work or urgent legal matters, but law offices should not wait until a leader departs to begin the process,” said Charles Volkert, executive director of Robert Half Legal. “Creating and implementing a succession plan is not a quick task , it can take many years to identify and groom an attorney for an advanced leadership role.”
His recommendation: Law offices should start choosing high-potential employees, mentoring them and including them in strategy discussions.
Julie Allison, division director for Robert Half Legal in San Diego, said that the survey reflects the San Diego market as well , especially when it comes to small- and medium-sized practices.
“Most law firms don’t have any plan in place,” she said. “In general, they tend to be focused on getting in their billable hours, and tend not to think as far into the future as they should. The danger is, that if someone high level leaves, they may not have someone prepped and ready to take on that position.”
Robert Half Legal, a Menlo Park-based staffing agency, received responses from 300 attorneys at the 1,000 largest law firms and corporations in the United States and Canada.
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An Office With A View:
The San Diego law firm of Herron & Steele LLC has signed a five-year lease for 1,750 square feet at DiamondView Tower in downtown San Diego, and will be occupying a portion of the eighth floor. The lease’s dollar amount wasn’t disclosed due to a confidentiality agreement.
Among the other tenants in the 15-story Class A office tower, located just outside of the right field fence at Petco Park, are Cox Communications, CB Richard Ellis, Comerica Bank and the San Diego Training and Conference Center. Retail tenants include It’s A Grind coffeehouse, Prato Cleaners and Well Heeled Spa.
The first Class A office tower to be built directly next to a major league baseball facility, DiamondView sports a skybox, where people can watch the game, bar and other perks on the top floor.
There goes the workday.
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Bilbray Tabbed:
Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Escondido, announced Jan. 5 that he had been appointed to serve on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and the House Committee on Science and Technology.
The oversight committee is the main investigative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives and focuses on such issues as national security and international relations, domestic policy and government management and organization.
The science and technology panel is responsible for overseeing research and development programs at a number of federal agencies, including NASA, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Contact Pat Broderick at
pbroderick@sdbj.com
or call her at (858) 277-6359, ext. 3136.
