This month Clara has invited me, Vikki from Skylark, to answer a query from a junior partner in a law firm with the following concern at work, which we know many others are also apprehensive about:

This can seem a daunting situation, which is faced by us all in today’s climate. And particularly with the recent announcement to return to working from home, where possible.

However, if we change our mindset from one of ‘management’ to ‘leadership’ then we can invest our time in developing ourselves as leaders instead, which is – after all – what most modern law firms need in their senior teams.

By developing our mindset, equipping ourselves with a process and brushing up some key skills, the somewhat daunting task of leading our team remotely can suddenly seem within our reach.

Create a vision

A key starting point is to get clear on what your vision is. Ask yourself “Who do you want to be as a leader and want do you want your team to look like” ([LINK] see the full article for steps to help you do this).

You can then create steps towards achieving this, which can be broken down for each individual within your team.

Get explicit

Spend some time digging into your vision and think about what you really mean. Think about how you will clearly explain what is required from each team member so there is no ambiguity.

Keep on track

Brush up on some key skills:
Assertiveness: You will need to maintain your approachability whilst ensuring your team stay on track (which can often feel like you’re a broken record!).
Resilience: Consider how you’ll maintain your own resilience to build momentum and keep direction. You will face challenges and barriers so how will you deal with that yourself?
Feedback: Practice giving positive conditional and negative conditional feedback and, most importantly, the skill of receiving feedback!

Face to Face v Remote working

Once you’ve created your vision as outlined above and brushed up on your key skills, you’ll already have a clear understanding of what your team needs. This will already take into account the lessons learned from the last six months of remote working.

To really explore this further and for more guidance on actions to take, access the full question and detailed answer here.

If you have any questions you would like answered next month then drop me a line.

I last talked about the market in April when firms were still settling into/ struggling to adapt to home working. Since then we have seen things move forward.

The majority of firms that I talk to are now operating in their offices to some extent. Many have a 20-25% workforce presence at the office, some have just enough staff in to answer the phones and handle the post with all fee earners working from home unless there is a reason to meet people at the office. There has certainly been a shift towards the acceptance of home working and a realisation that output and results are the best indication of dedication and effort. Hopefully we will see a permanent shift away from ‘presenteeism’ (the need to be seen at the office come what may) as the norm.

This month: Legal jobs market overview

In terms of job roles, we are seeing more and more firms return to recruiting for key roles where they are busy. Interviews both face to face and remotely have resumed as firms push into the future.

We are seeing roles in family, employment law, commercial property, litigation and private client and whilst the numbers are not where they were at the early part of the year there are some great options out there. We are also talking to some in-house organisations who are still doing well within their own industries.

Across the board the world still turns and you might be thinking, like many others, that you are keen to move your career forward. We are still happy to help and have ongoing online sessions to support you. We have helped solicitors, legal execs and fee earners alike who are in less than ideal circumstances. Whilst we can never promise that your perfect role is around the corner, we can certainly keep a watch on the market and make sure that we keep you informed of what is out there; to help you move your own career plans forward.

2020 might yet give you something positive!

With such an extended period of change this year you may have found yourself working without the usual breaks. Now more than ever it is important to take time away from work, whatever that looks like now for you. With travel limited and changing daily, leaving the country is increasingly hard and staycations or UK holidays are popular options. It can be tempting to push through and think it is not worth taking a break but in times of change and stress we all need to actually down tools even if that only means not switching on the laptop for a week!

Don’t forget to take time out and make the most of the options available to relax and enjoy the summer. We are talking to more firms who are finding themselves settled and keen to start recruiting so there are options in the market and I think that come the Autumn we will see more roles coming on and more movement. So we will be taking a break whilst we can!

You might have been working flat out all the way through this pandemic. Perhaps you have been put on furlough as soon as lock down occurred. You may have been told that redundancy might be an option. You may be going back to work already following a period of furlough whilst your firm sorted out the logistics.

Hopefully somewhere along the line you have taken the time to enjoy the sunshine a little too.

We are still here to support you

What we are finding is that most people are feeling the uncertainty that surrounds us in our working lives, in fact across our whole lives. We know that during these next few months the extent of redundancies will come to light. But it is not all doom and gloom!

We are still here to support you in your legal career. I have been talking to lots of people who are thinking about their future, or who are just taking stock of how they plan to move forward in their career. I’m very happy to put a time in the diary to have a conversation with you about your career concerns or thoughts at this time. It is a good time to look forward and ensure your career is working for you.

Along with our online events, where we team up with Skylark Coaching, we are also offering our client firms the opportunity to host a “lunch and learn” in house for your firm based around similar themes to the individual sessions. Have a look and if you think your firm might benefit from one of these then please do put me in touch with the appropriate contact.

We are seeing some jobs too which is great news! Some firms are realising that their long term goals are still important and that the work is still there, so they are getting back to looking at their growth and development. Details of these are below so there is definitely some light at the end of the tunnel!

Keep in touch and keep going, whatever your situation!

Have you found yourself relying on online communication more and more?
It seems we may continue to do so for some time to come.

You might work for a firm or organisation that utilised the power of online connection before lockdown started, or you may have been with an IT reluctant firm, either way things have certainly changed in terms of the acceptance of online communication.

How many grandparents have used facetime, zoom, whatsapp, skype or similar for the first time and realised that it is better than not seeing people at all?
We have all had to adapt.

This month: New ways of working in lockdown

Here, we are promoting hosted zoom sessions which allow us to introduce individuals to a hiring partner or HR contact online before they select for interview. Allowing both parties to ask all important pre-interview questions.
Don’t worry, we would fully brief you before any zoom introduction!

By offering this online service we can give you a real platform to promote yourself and we are hoping to reduce the time it takes for firms to make the decision to interview. The additional benefit would be that we can take some of the stress of waiting out of the process. Something which can only be a positive, whether or not we are in lockdown!

Online networking is also starting to take shape and personally I have attended a few events which have all moved to online platforms to great effect. It is not quite the same but in the absence of the ability to meet face to face it is nice to have these opportunities to meet people still.

1. If you are nervous about professional online communications here are few tips.
2. Dress smart/ casual, not full office attire. Suit and tie in your home office is overkill!
3. Be aware that people are looking only at your face so body language cues are reduced. Make sure you show when you are listening and that you are actively paying attention.
4. Have a camera that you look directly at. Second screens are great for working, but you want to be looking at the people you are talking too not off into the distance.
5. Have good lighting. With a window behind you, you will appear in spooky silhouette, others will struggle to see your features and facial expressions.
6. Speak clearly but naturally, when you do commit to speaking follow through. There can be a delay and there is nothing worse than lots of people apologising over the top of each other for interrupting each other.
7. Make a contribution, but don’t monopolise. A bit like in normal conversation, but even more obvious online!

I hope that this is helpful. Let me know your own top tips, or your horror stories; they do happen with technology!