Great Article, But It Should Be Datelined 1994

The UK-based "Managing Partners Forum" (MPF), chaired by the managing partner of DLA, describes itself as the association for leaders and management teams in professional service firms.  In other words, the group for Executive Directors, CEO's/COO's, and all their reports including finance, marketing, IT, facilities, and HR professionals. 

In a clarion call overdue by, say, a decade, they have identified these people as the "unsung heroes" of their firms and, in what is so far as I know a worldwide first, has produced the first statistical tables sizing the phenomenon of non-practicing managers finding, among other things, that the UK's 100 largest firms comprise 37,022 lawyers serving clients and 32,564 practice management professionals (1.0 lawyer to 0.88).  And my how you've grown:  15 years ago there were only five non-lawyers in marketing functions in the top 100 UK firms; today there are over 1,300.

Why do all these people, per the MPF [and per yours truly], deserve recognition?

• Outdated language disparaging "non-fee-earners," and the caste-schism thinking it exposes, undermines the enormous contribution practice management professionals bring to a firm.
• Complex businesses employing thousands of people globally can no longer be run by "enthusiastic amateurs" (read:  lawyers in their non-chargeable moments).  Hiring experienced finance, marketing, IT, and HR professionals "ceased being a luxury and has become a necessity"—for survival low on the food chain and for distinctive and sustainable competitive advantage higher up on the chain.
• Professional management exists to "let lawyers be lawyers:"  To let them focus on what they do best, serving their clients (and earning those $650 hours).

The MPF recommends three concrete steps to begin giving these people the recognition they have earned:  (1)  Publicize their hiring and promotion, just as you publicize hiring and promotion of partners.  (You might even reveal on your website that these people actually exist as do your partners—but let's not get ahead of ourselves.)   (2)  Send a message of respect and high expectations to potential recruits.  (3)  Praise and reward success.

A corporation hiring a CEO or a CFO would not denigrate her contribution upon arrival if she did not man the production line or take customer-service calls.   Why should the Executive Director of a law firm be viewed differently?