Every partner wants a more connected and effective team to serve their clients. This won’t happen by accident. The occasional pizza lunch is a great way to bond and catch up, but it’s not what’s needed to help associates take their performance to the next level.
A more impactful approach is to schedule frequent and constructive feedback conversations. During this season of annual performance reviews, consider how to establish a culture of feedback within your practice in the year ahead.
Think about the potential for a more connected, dynamic, and thriving team, where feedback becomes an integral part of the work routine. Sounds like a win-win proposition, right?
Beyond Annual Review
While formal performance reviews in law firms provide a structured platform for feedback, they often miss the mark in both frequency and substance, resulting in more of a check-the-box exercise than a useful developmental tool. Despite the time and energy devoted to these processes, the end result is usually lacking. This is often because many partners, though experts in law, aren’t trained in how to provide useful feedback.
For instance, during a formal review, a partner might tell an associate that they need to improve their legal writing or client interactions. But without specific examples or guidance, the associate is left wondering how to improve.
The impact of this shortfall in feedback extends beyond the individual. If an associate isn’t sure how to improve, their work product might remain stagnant and their motivation and morale may falter. Their colleagues and teammates could be impacted by the quality of work. And the emotional impact can be contagious—with low motivation spreading or breeding resentment among those who may have to pick up the slack.
By investing time in learning how to provide meaningful, constructive feedback, partners can significantly enhance an individual associate’s performance, thereby elevating the team. Everyone wins when there’s better feedback.
Elevating Feedback
High-quality feedback in law firms involves more than the occasional “good job” or “needs improvement.” It’s about delivering precise, constructive, and actionable insights. Feedback should be customized to challenge and support the growth of each associate, considering their unique abilities and aspirations.
To elevate feedback from a generic platitude to a powerful developmental tool, consider integrating these techniques:
Encourage self-assessment. Invite associates to assess their performance first. For instance, ask them to consider, “What did you do well on that recent project?” and “Where do you see opportunities for improvement?”
This practice encourages associates to engage in thoughtful self-evaluation, fostering greater self-awareness and receptiveness to external feedback. If you get anxious or apprehensive about giving constructive feedback, understand that asking first often prompts the associate to volunteer feedback that you were worried about sharing.
Situation-behavior-impact model. Once you’ve gotten the associate’s perspective, share your feedback. Whether positive or constructive, begin by describing a specific situation, the behavior observed, and the impact of that behavior. For example, “In yesterday’s client meeting, you answered questions with the perfect amount of detail so that the client understood our reasoning but wasn’t bogged down in the weeds.”
Be future-focused. While past work should be used as an example and illustrate the feedback you’re giving, the associate can’t go back in time. And as lawyers, it’s rare that we’re doing the exact same thing for the same client under the same circumstances.
So, guide feedback toward future improvement rather than past mistakes. Suggest actionable steps, such as “On your next research assignment, start with a broader review of related case law before zeroing in on specific precedents. This approach will give a more comprehensive view of the legal landscape.”
Offer actionable steps and resources. Offer clear suggestions for improvement and resources for development, such as recommending specific internal resources, external seminars, or reading material for skill enhancement.
Provide regular, informal feedback. Make it a practice to share feedback with associates after every project or milestone. Let associates know that feedback conversations will be a regular part of your work together to reduce the anxiety and fear that can come with the thought of receiving feedback.
While these techniques should be used in the formal review process, they become really powerful when deployed frequently and in real time.
The result: Associates are clear on what’s needed to grow, their work product is constantly improving, and people feel motivated and engaged. This enhances the professional development of associates and elevates the quality of work across the firm, leading to more satisfied associates and clients—a true win-win scenario for all.
This article does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg Industry Group, Inc., the publisher of Bloomberg Law and Bloomberg Tax, or its owners.
Author Information
Katie Aldrich is director of coaching and program strategy at Fringe Professional Development.
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