Alicia Fortinberry – författare

Behavioural science comes into play in every aspect of running a legal business, from the way strategic decisions are made, to the way good or bad news is delivered, through to how lawyers interrelate and communicate with clients.Law firms are now implementing human science initiatives to gain a competitive edge as they compete against each other for market share.Leading the Future: The Human Science of Law Firm Strategy and Leadership - provides practical how-to advice and guidance on how human sciences are interacting with the different aspects of leading, managing, and marketing in a law firm. It highlights how law firm leaders can harness human sciences to:+ Develop new skills and autonomous ways of working for staff+ Examine the best ways of going about formulating strategies+ Ensure a high level of staff engagement, flexibility, and innovation+ Improve decision making in the legal profession+ Build the right culture to drive innovation and facilitate change+ Create and inspire high performing teams (HPT)+ Listen, discover and communicate what clients' real needs are, persuade and influence them, and target them more accurately+ Build and sustain trust and cooperation throughout the firm.+ Encourage cross-selling, resolve conflicts, and build collaborative relationships with clients+ Hire, promote, inspire, and reward to drive staff performance and engagementCase Studies, Practical Tools and Tips...Each chapter in Leading the Future is supported by illustrative case studies from a broad range of international and regional firms, with tools and tips that you can immediately put into practice.The authors Dr Bob Murray and Dr Alicia Fortinberry (www.fortinberrymurray.com ) have deep experience in applying the latest science to business challenges and are uniquely qualified to guide law firm leaders to shape a successful strategy and drive positive change through the right leadership, culture, business development, and customer relationships for your legal business.“This book will make you think. For those active in the legal sector or with an interest in it, this looks at a number of familiar issues through a different lens. It looks at the various behavioural and physiological elements relevant to people and law firms and how these intersect with getting things done and making change happen in law firms. I found that lightbulbs went off as I reviewed the unfolding chapters – around particular issues that we (and no doubt many others) wrestle with in our businesses.Volatile and changing times call for different ways of thinking to solve and make progress against both the perennial issues and new emerging issues for legal businesses. Some of the lessons in this book can help, especially in terms of interacting with the people that make up our businesses. The authors draw upon both their technical knowledge and their practical experiences to provide helpful insights into things like implementing strategy to make them work; leading clever committed people; implementing change; and unlocking the conundrum of collaboration."Mark Rigotti, Global CEO and Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills

Successfully managing a change initiative is no simple feat, regardless of the size of the firm - distilling the process of change into a workforce takes careful planning and support. Change is stressful and difficult for people to process and accept, as we often cling to what we know. This is especially true of lawyers, who are notoriously averse to change. However, the legal sector has begun to rapidly transform - and the firms that don't change with it are going to struggle to stay relevant. In these turbulent times for firms, change initiatives must be properly managed to ensure the whole firm can successfully shift to the new norm and stick to it. Without the proper support and management, a firm runs the risks of alienating their workforce - who will not take well to sudden and imposed change. Managing Legal Change Initiatives looks to illustrate the best methods of introducing and managing change in a sector that is known for being adverse to it. The book highlights the critical obstacles and pitfalls that law firms will face during transitional periods, and outlines some of the best methods of approaching organizational change; from building a change framework to follow, to encouraging a shift in partner behavior through the compensation strategy. This new book also explores why change is so difficult for individuals - with discussion of the neuroscience behind change, and the role of emotional intelligence in leaders to help garner a transformation. With the disruptions to legal services predicted to continue for some time, it will be those firms who adapt, put into place, and act upon a change management strategy that will be the ones capitalize on changes to come.