Coaching for partners and leadership teams in law firms
When professional excellence calls for shared leadership.
I work with partners in law, tax and audit firms. Leadership looks different here, because the people who work together are co-owners at the same time. Decisions need the agreement of equals, interests have to be balanced, and tensions between partners cannot be resolved by instruction. I know this constellation from two directions. I helped build Lichtvision as one of five founding partners and experienced for many years what it means to lead among co-owners. And I have worked with and facilitated several partner teams in professional firms. You therefore do not need to explain this logic to me at length. I create a clear frame in which different perspectives become visible and difficult topics stay open for discussion. The decision on content stays with the partner group.
Leadership in partnerships follows a logic of its own
Partners are professional performers, co-entrepreneurs and part of a shared leadership body all at once. Decisions need acceptance, even when interests diverge. Responsibility is distributed, and classic hierarchy carries only so far. Unresolved tensions quickly affect collaboration and the development of the firm. From my own years as a founding partner and from working with partner teams, this dynamic is familiar to me. My contribution is to structure complex topics, facilitate conversations with composure and make the differences behind the positions visible. Which professional, commercial or strategic decision the firm takes stays with the partner group.
- Lichtvision, one of five founding partners, leading among co-owners over many years
- Coaching individual partners in law, tax and audit firms
- Working with and facilitating several partner teams
What partner teams and firm leaders bring to me
Clarifying roles and responsibilities within the partner group. Making differing interests explicit while staying able to decide. Holding difficult conversations before tensions shape the collaboration. Integrating new partners and shaping succession within the partner group. Reflecting on the collaboration between partners, employed leaders and teams. And facilitating a process so that the partner group arrives at its own binding agreements.
Leadership has a level, law firms a context of their own
I work with individual partners, with partner teams and with leaders in professional firms. Depending on the situation the focus is personal sparring, joint work within the partner group or the facilitation of a development process. Work with the partner group takes place on site, individual coaching also online.
A piece from my Insights that fits this field of experience: Conflict Coaching: Thomas-Kilmann Model
“Precise, composed and unreservedly recommendable”
Thomas Knoop impresses with his ability to structure complex issues precisely and get to the point. Combined with his composed facilitation skills, he creates a clear frame for far-reaching development processes. I unreservedly recommend him as a coach for demanding leadership questions.
Questions about the field of law firms and partner teams
- What experience with partner structures does Thomas Knoop bring?
- Thomas Knoop helped build Lichtvision as one of five founding partners and knows leadership among co-owners from his own experience. In addition he has worked with and facilitated several partner teams in professional firms. The focus has been on leadership, decision and development questions in organisations run as partnerships.
- Who is the coaching in law firms intended for?
- For individual partners, partner teams and leaders in law, tax and audit firms who want to clarify leadership questions, reflect on the collaboration within the partner group or work through a demanding development process in a structured way. Work with the partner group takes place on site, individual coaching also online.
- Does Thomas Knoop also work with complete partner teams?
- Yes. Alongside personal coaching for individual partners, Thomas Knoop also works with and facilitates partner teams. At the start it is clarified which format fits the situation and which goal the process pursues. He structures and facilitates. The professional, strategic and commercial decisions are taken by the partner team itself.
Does my background fit your situation?
In a free thirty-minute orientation call we clarify what your topic is, what support you are looking for, whether coaching or facilitation makes sense in your situation and whether the collaboration fits both sides. In Berlin in person or online, confidential.
Book an orientation call