Managing the self-limiting lawyer: New perspectives on professional development

Perfectionist lawyers who crave unblemished success and endless positive reinforcement are likely never to reach their full potential and are at serious risk of burnout and loss. Law firm and law department leaders owe these lawyers and their organizations solutions to their self-limiting behavior.

Productivity is on the minds of legal leaders and managers these days, whether they reside in-house, are law firm captains, or serve as practice group leaders charged with getting optimal output from the troops. Firms and legal departments are going to extraordinary lengths to maximize lawyer efficiency, including implementing Legal Project Management, shelling out for the latest software tools, or retooling leverage ratios and client service teams.