Leading Lawyers distils 25 years of Sally’s experience at helping people do just that into one easy-to-read, practical toolkit. Based on her successful ABCDE approach, used by thousands of lawyers globally, this guide will help you identify your natural leadership style, identify the various needs and personalities in your team of lawyers, and align everything to become a truly impactful and supportive leader.
Packed with real-life inspiring examples, ready-made tools and memorable tips, Leading Lawyers will help you reflect on your own communication preferences, and use what you learn to get different stakeholders and different personalities on board.
From scoping the project with a client to reviewing progress and success, from on-boarding a new team member to tackling a stubborn problem, there are examples each step of the way and opportunities to plan how to use the approach in practice, so you can become an even more effective team leader.
To order
Leading Lawyers was published on 16 November 2021 and ranked no 1 in Amazon’s hot new releases for law and business and management. To order multiple copies please contact [email protected] for discounted rates. Copies can also be purchased direct from Publisher for ebook and print bundle, from local bookshops in the UK or from Amazon print version or e book.
Early reviews for Leading Lawyers
‘The beauty of the ABCDE model and toolkit is that it is simple but not simplistic, it’s user-friendly and works in practice.’ Joanne Gubbay, Former Head of Learning and Development, Slaughter and May
‘More than ever before, law firms need good leaders. However, leadership skills don’t always get the attention they deserve, especially in early years of practice. I’m delighted to see how Sally has provided a simple and effective template to get every lawyer, junior or senior, thinking about the development that would make them a better leader of people. Having seen Sally run many development courses in the past, it is no surprise that the approach outlined in this book is very practical but also draws on theory and many years of observed behaviour in professional services, to make it a valuable tool in real life.’ Ben Tidswell, Chairman, Ashurst LLP
‘I loved this book. It is so helpful to find a leadership book focused on the behaviour, personalities and scenarios found in law firms and with lawyers. The book is both thought provoking and highly practical with many realistic, tried and tested suggestions. It is useful for anyone who wishes to get the best out of others as a leader, coach, mentor or HR/Talent professional working with lawyers. This book is on our recommended reading list for all of our leaders.’ Yvonne Garricks, Head of Talent Development, Dentons UK, Ireland and Middle East LLP
‘Good lawyers must make good leaders – or, so the old lie goes. Leadership, just like law, requires a framework that you can apply to situations, circumstances and individuals. Leading Lawyers is unique in that it provides both a complete toolkit and framework you can apply to your leadership, team and clients’ position; and also a reference that you can dip into quickly for specific and effective advice and help on how to deal with a particular situation, client or team member based on how you and they work together. Lawyers should have this on their desk next to their favourite text book / internet legal search link.’ William James, Partner, Addleshaw Goddard LLP
‘Amongst many books on leadership, this is a highly practical guide on how to work effectively with the different personalities. Sally elegantly extracts and combines the essence of various behavioural psychometric tools and gives you a simple 5 step process for leading others, managing up and down, giving feedback and managing projects. Without enormous effort, this can become part of your day routine, and will help you form better relationships and deliver with the least friction.’ Neil May, Chief Operations Officer, Thackray Williams LLP
‘Sally generously shares in her book a range of practical tools to support lawyers in their efforts to become effective leaders. Her unique insight into the leadership challenges faced by those in the legal world are derived from years of experience supporting and coaching legal practitioners in all stages of their career. Any lawyer who aspires to become a truly effective and inspiring leader should keep a copy of Sally’s toolkit on their desk as a key resource when facing daily leadership challenges.’ Veronique Faucher, General Counsel & Global Head of Legal, REDEVCO
‘I really enjoyed this book. It was obvious to me that Sally has worked with lawyers and understands the pressures and conflicting priorities that we face. The book provides sound practical advice for team and task management. Identifying your own style and that of the members of your team is an enlightening and extremely useful process allowing you to get the best out of yourself and others. I now use the ABCDE approach to plan my meetings.’ Simon Knott, Partner, Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP
‘I have already followed the ABCDE toolkit this morning during my discussion with my Partner and it worked!’ Senior Associate, Magic Circle Firm
‘Self-awareness is essential for effective leaders and ‘Leading Lawyers’ provides excellent guidance on achieving that state.’ Tony King, Lexington Consultants
‘It is a painful truth for lawyers to discover, later on in their careers, that learning to lead other lawyers is every bit as demanding as learning the Law. This book saves time for busy lawyers by crystallising the key points in a framework that’s easy to use and re-use and helping to rehearse the tricky conversations that all good leaders need to hold.’ Roger Wyn-Jones, Associate Fellow, Said Business School, Oxford University
‘Much has been written about leadership in law firms, but few have been able to nail it down to the essentials and describe it in practical and pragmatic terms. Sally Sanderson of Profex Consulting has been coaching and training lawyers for more than 20 years throughout Europe. I had the pleasure of working with her while at Clifford Chance. In her new book and based on several – very recognizable – case studies she provides a practical toolkit for leading lawyers. Her ABCDE-model is achievable, beneficial, and very clear. A compelling and great book with practical insights, tips, and tools. An excellent guide for law firm leaders and those in leadership positions!’ Gerard Tanja, Partner, Venturis Consulting Group
‘Sally adeptly links her experience in the legal profession with her knowledge of multiple psychometric tool, articulating how leadership development in this field can be enhanced through the self-awareness that psychometrics provide. I enjoyed how practical and accessible the recommendations were, helping to show how easy it can be to link theory to practice in the real world.’ Jayson Darby, Head of Science, Thomas International