About
Practice management in law firms has steadily evolved over the past 30 years. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the largest firms had people embedded in their practice areas who helped the leaders of those groups handle the increasingly large administrative burden required to run these practice areas like corporate business units. These individuals were referred to as “Practice Professionals.” As these firms continued to grow and their practice areas became increasingly more specialized, they realized they needed a dedicated staff of business professionals to help partner leaders drive initiatives, keep their practices organized and relieve some of the administrative pressure. Thus, “practice management” was born. Today, many large firms have practice management teams working for their practice areas and some even have a centralized practice management team that works for firm leadership as well. The practice management teams help practice groups deploy and execute strategy, manage timekeeper staff and do many other non-billable tasks required to help their groups operate. However, many non-mega firms do not have embedded practice management teams or practice professionals to help relieve the required non-billable management burden required to keep teams operating efficiently and cohesively. Or, existing practice professionals and practice managers do not have the bandwidth to handle all of the desired or necessary projects and operations to be successfull. This is where Practice Pro can help. Think of Practice Pro as your firm’s outsourced practice management professional and consultant on practice management, operations, and other non-billable initiatives your firm and practices need help with. Even if your firm is considering building a practice management team in-house, Practice Pro can help advise on the structure and tasks that team may handle.
Meet the Practice Pro
Brian Watson has been a law firm operations professional in top AmLaw firms for 25 years.
He started his legal industry career at a Philadelphia firm as a marketing and communications specialist handling press releases, media relations, desktop publishing of various firm materials as well as internal meetings and client events. He also coordinated the firm’s charitable donation and sponsorship program ans well as the firm’s client entertainment program. He then took this experience to a global top 20 firm where, as a coordinator, he led and developed the firm’s client event protocols and helped roll out two new online event management and hosting platforms. Due to how this firm also worked cross-functionally, Brian had the opportunity to work with the firm’s small team of practice professionals who were embedded in certain practice groups.
Through interaction with the practice professionals and learning more about the financial and performance side of the firm, Brian started to learn about industry metrics and the value the firm put on financial performance and peer firm data. He decided to go back to school for an MBA and shortly after asked the firm for a chance at becoming a practice professional. The firm gave him an opportunity to work as a practice professional for their national real estate practice. After that and a brief stint working directly for firm leadership on special projects during the 2008 financial crisis, Brian was asked to take on the Director of Business Operations role for the firm’s corporate group – a team of 400 lawyers covering mergers & acquisitions, private equity, securities and institutional funds, structured finance and bankruptcy.
Brian then took his experience to two other firms: first working in a similar capacity for a national IP practice and then being hired as another firm’s first ever Practice Group Director for their corporate group.
Brian’s most recent internal practice management role was for the 400-lawyer and $600 million in revenue private equity group at a global, top 10 AmLaw firm.
Brian’s experience covers all aspects of law firm practice management. His experience and approach has enabled him to work cross-functionally with firm executives, partner leaders and operational leaders on the many business processes that help firms become more efficient, more innovative, and positioned to drive more revenue. He has been consistently recognized for his ability to take on special projects where a high-level touch and execution are needed for success. Brian has also been involved in at least two significant firm combinations, playing lead roles in those onboarding and integration processes.
Brian earned his B.A. in Communications/Public Relations from Shippensburg University and an M.B.A. from Penn State. In his spare time, Brian can be found engaging in various health and fitness activities, hiking with his German Shorthair Pointer, trying to keep up with house projects, and spending time with his wife and two children.
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