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	Slater's Dozen A collection of Simon Slater's most downloaded articles now available in one publication.

	Interim management - no time for a novice Looking back at 2008, two political slogans reflect the zeitgeist of our times. Gordon Brown’s words “this is no time for a novice” were pivotal in resurrecting his career and the Labour party’s fortunes in the opinion polls at that time.

	A Foot in the Past, a Finger on the Pulse, and an Eye to the Future: What it Takes to be an Exceptional Global Law Firm Leader

	M&A: merger search, facilitation and implementation Consolidation in the legal market is inevitable. It has become almost a cliché. The truth is that whilst there are not only too many law firms in the UK, there are also too many solicitors...

	When you just need it done…now The UK interim management industry has nearly tripled in size in the last seven years and is now worth over £1 billion per annum. All too often, though, situations where a senior interim could solve a sticky problem, quickly, drift on, mainly because of client misconceptions about recruiting interims. Allow us to illuminate…

	Jimi Hendrix and the law firm Jimi Hendrix. Great guitarist. Some people argue that he was several decades ahead of his time. What is incontrovertible, however, is that his influence over the last 35 years has been nothing short of astonishing both in its reach and its durability. What I like about Hendrix is that he let his "axe" do the talking. He also seemed to thrive on breaking the mould. Boundary was a word that didn’t appear in his vocabulary.

	Ensuring a successful future Whilst 70% of the top 1,150 UK law firms claim to have a strategy, just 20% of these admit to implementing it. That’s just 160 practices (14%). Execution is everything in the pursuit of success.

	Interim management – for results that are anything but Many employers might baulk at spending £200,000 on an interim manager for 15 months. But if it resulted in cost savings of £23.7 million, then the investment starts to look like a wise one. This is what happened at one FTSE-100 company after it employed an interim finance director. While not every interim can deliver such impressive savings, the right one can add real value to a business.

	The Procurement Paradox Has it ever seemed odd to you that law firm partnerships remain so obsessed with their overheads and yet are still so ill-equipped to manage them? Having sat in dozens of law firm board meetings over the last 10 years you might imagine that I no longer find this pre-occupation strange, but you’d be wrong. I find it more surprising now than ever.

	Apocalypse Now The next few years will see an unprecedented shake-up of the legal market. There will be winners and losers. Simon Slater takes a look at what it will take to survive and thrive in a post-Clementi, post-Carter world.

	Legal Services Act Dis the know-how of powerful new entrants to the market at your peril. Simon Slater argues that if small and medium sized law firms embrace the opportunities presented by the Legal Services Act they will not only survive, but thrive.

	When hiring a coach you expect results, right? Executive coaching is arguably one of the world’s youngest professions. It is an adolescent service and yet a prodigious one. It owes much of its burgeoning success to the application of many of the principles of sports coaching – a profession focused solely on maximising talent and producing results.

	Efficiency – your starter for 10 The Legal Service Reforms will pave the way for new entrants to the market and competition the like of which law firms have not yet seen. For many firms the key to survival in the new legal landscape will be investment in efficiency, but where exactly should that investment be made?

	In praise of the humble monologue During the summer of 2005 I read a remarkable book that had a profound effect on me. It was written in 1940 by Carson McCullers. Her acclaimed first novel, she was just 23 at the time of its publication. “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” is set in a small town in the deep South (of America) and is the story of John Singer, a deaf-mute, and a disparate group of people who are drawn to his kind, sympathetic nature.

	Who put the CRM into acronym? What is it with Law firms? When viewed subjectively they can seem curiously complex organisations, but on any objective basis, they are simple businesses. So why do they find it necessary to complicate matters by jumping on every management band-wagon that comes along?

	Pie in the sky? It’s the summer of 2012. The London Olympics are about to begin. New Governments have been elected in the USA, Japan and the UK. The world’s leading economies are emerging strongly from a prolonged period of shallow recession. And major law firms around the world are responding to significant changes in law firm ownership, governance, regulation and competition. It’s a new frontier.

	Law Firm HR – from motherhood and apple pie to strategic asset management Linklaters’ managing partner elect, Simon Davies, has vowed to put people at the heart of the firm’s long-term strategy.

	Lawyers: Les Miserables? Simon Slater is not so sure. Here he shows that it doesn’t have to be that way.

	Who needs a coach? I run an interim management consultancy. Law firms and other professional service organisations come to us when they need an important interim resource for the short-term. This might be a financial controller or a head of HR. Either way it’s a sensible commercial decision. Large companies - your clients - do the same. They make good resourcing decisions. But here’s another thing they do: they invest in coaching their people.

	What makes coaching successful? As most of those who have undergone a programme of coaching and all of those experienced professional coaches out there can attest, coaching works! There is certainly a growing body of evidence that coaching is a very effective intervention for high intellect professionals.

	What can Jack Welch and a world renowned concert violinist teach law firms about leadership and succession? Contrast the approach to succession management of Jack Welch and our present Government (or any government for that matter). The former chief executive of GE made succession his key priority during the last five years of his tenure at the company he devoted so many years transforming. No other imperative came close in terms of importance.

	Retention, brand differentiation and profitability – a virtuous circle Lose a partner, a senior associate and a good manager and you’ll obviously see a drop in revenue; not to mention the cost of recruiting replacements and the administrative headache of juggling teams. But have you ever thought about the impact of your firm’s brand on those costs and the difference it could make to your bottom line? Possibly not.

	Life after partnership Professionals at the top of their game often rise to positions of leadership. Increasingly, these high achievers are provided with additional support when they take on new responsibilities. That support is most effectively delivered through high level executive coaching, one to one.

	A question of strategy Law firm strategy and law firm marketing - how integrated is your firm? The most effective marketing strategy for all professional service firms is a people strategy and this is particularly true of law firms.

	Law firms try some back to front thinking As many firms examine the role of business services, they contemplate moving the back office closer to the front line.

	Build a lasting profile The Chartered Institute of Marketing and, more latterly, The Marketing Council have spent the last few years encouraging UK Plc to put marketing at the centre of its business. In short, this means that the customer assumes his rightful position at the heart of an organisation.

	Helping your stars to shine When the words “Our people are our greatest asset”, trip off the tongues of CEOs and managing partners – as all too frequently they do – they seem to lack conviction. Jane Simms writing in Director magazine (December 2003) says, “… what they really mean is: ‘Our top 50 to 150 people are our greatest asset and the rest are a disposable commodity’.” Buy one, get one free!

	The committed enterprise There are just three things I want you to do. First, buy three copies of this book; secondly - keeping one for yourself - give one to your HR director and one to your Managing Partner; thirdly, read, browse, dip in and out of, dwell upon, absorb and generally enjoy it at leisure. But don't keep it to yourself!

	Thank your lucky stars First Counsel's Simon Slater, sees service delivery in a different light to many. Rather than focus on the services a firm can deliver to new and existing clients, he suggests that firms should turn the spotlight inwards to ensure their partners are happy and given every opportunity to shine. Only then, he argues, can law firms look forward to a truly productive and profitable business for all.

	Stand Out From The Crowd Recent events at Hollinger International, publisher of The Daily Telegraph, and the travails of Lord Black of Crossharbour, its former chief executive, have highlighted the crucial role of the chairman and chief executive in shareholder communications. Senior and managing partners of City law firms could be forgiven for feeling a sense relief that their onerous remit does not yet encompass external shareholder relations. But, with the rise of the limited liability partnership and the potential access to external finance, that scenario may not be as far-fetched as it seems. Most City law firms acknowledge that communications has a part to play in the marketing of their business. A recent survey of law firms in Legal Week magazine showed that the role of public relations in law firm marketing had finally come of age. Lawyers no longer regard communications as a black art practised by Machiavelli and firms have embraced PR.

These articles have already appeared in publications including Managing Partner magazine, Legal Week, The Gazette, The Times, Solicitors Journal, First Comment, Professional Marketing, Legal IT and the Professional Personnel Forum Newsletter, who have kindly granted us permission to publish them on our web site.