co-mentoring: the new wave for law firms in the 21st century
A little while back, James Hassett of the Law Firm Business Development blog discussed his takeaways from a recent talk consultant Paul Clifford gave at a New England Legal Marketing Association meeting. Considering trends for “Law Firms in the 21st Century,” Clifford offered insights into “what clients want, and what lawyers need to provide to succeed in this challenging market.” Among the success touchstones Clifford cited were: accessibility, listening skills, responsiveness, understanding of the client’s business, and a team approach to meeting the client's needs. The last of these markers – the call for lawyers and other firm staffers to collaborate on client relationship management - caught my attention and got me thinking about how the traditional law firm milieu will have to change to facilitate this kind of teamwork. One change I envision is that firms will need to strongly embrace not just mentoring, but co-mentoring. Co-mentoring is a term and process I learned about through Janet Hanson of the acclaimed 85 Broads network. Partners in a co-mentoring relationship (think young associate and seasoned lawyer/rainmaker) see themselves as equals who both bring tremendous value to the mix. After all, current clients, client-prospects and lawyer-prospectors come from both sides of the generational divide that often stymies lawyer business relations today. Co-mentors can help each other bridge this gap to forge meaningful and lasting client relationships.
