Women’s Leadership for Linklaters

Level in organisation

Up to 2 years pre-partner

Background We have worked with the firm’s senior female lawyers for over ten years, helping the firm develop its pipeline of women through to partner. The results have been excellent with the proportion of women at partner level across the firm increasing from <20% to nearly 30%, with further increases being targeted over the coming years.

Programme Structure A cohort is formed each year comprising 30-36 senior women who work in five or six coaching groups coming together for a series of webinars during the programme and for opening and closing events when action plans and experiences are shared across the group.

The groups of 5-6 participants each ensure the women get to know each other well and gain from each other as well as the external perspective of the coach. Our experience shows that this is a very powerful way of changing mindsets and behaviour. Often the relationships formed last long after the programme and both the firm and the individuals in the group benefit from these relationships and the learning.

We supplement the group work and webinars with one or two 1:1 coaching sessions to give each participant additional input and support in preparing action plans and making targeted behavioural changes.

Themes
The following themes have emerged as recurring topics on the programme:
• Understanding the politics in a professional service firm so that they can engage effectively and efficiently.
• Mapping their internal and external network so that they can be strategic about the networking they do.
• Working more broadly on BD so that they are thinking commercially about their contribution to the firm.
• Helping to improve confidence and combat any imposter syndrome.
• Thinking strategically about impression management, who needs to know the current truth about what they are doing at work and how can they give that information in a way that is authentic so that it becomes a habit and not a chore. The aim is to ensure that those who are making decisions about the coachee have all the information they need to make good decisions. Thinking commercially.
• Delegation and motivation of teams and individuals working for them.
• Managing upwards.
• Working smarter not harder, and resilience.

Outputs
We identify and work on individual and organisational challenges within a group creating action plans and a network to share experience, support and challenge

“It has been a true pleasure to work with you over these last few years: the positive impact you’ve had on our firm cannot be overstated, and your knowledge, expertise, authority, warmth and humanity have all made you a role model for me.” Linklaters Programme Manager