Law Firm Management – Characteristics of an Effective Administrator

Question:

I am the managing partner of a twelve-lawyer business litigation firm in Toledo, Ohio. There are four equity partners, six non-equity partners, and two associates in the firm. Until three years ago I handled all of the administrative matters in the firm and was assisted by the firm’s bookkeeper. My practice and clients were suffering due to the amount of time I was spending handling the administrative concerns of the firm. So, the firm hired a professional legal administrator. Three years later it seems as if I am spending more time than before on administration and my practice is still suffering. Based on my readings it appears that our administrator is functioning more as a glorified office manager rather than an administrator. What are the characteristics of an effective (real administrator)? We are paying our administrator more than some of our non-equity partners and I don’t think we are receiving the value that we should be receiving. You comments and thoughts are welcomed. Thanks.

Response:

Being the first administrator for a law firm is tough. In additional to proving themselves to the partners the new administrator will have the additional task of justifying the position itself. After a few months when the honeymoon is over some partners will start questioning whether the position is necessary and worth the expense. Often law firms have not really thought through what their expectations were for the position prior to hiring the administrator. Successful administrators don’t wait for the firm to manage them – they take a proactive role – initiate discussions regarding expectations and identify priorities, projects, etc. They look for low hanging fruit where they can enhance revenue or reduce costs in the short term and track any results achieved.

It sounds like you have not clarified the role and documented role, responsibility, and authority in a well documented job description, don’t have agreement among the partners as to the administrators role and authority, or you hired the wrong person.

Skills and competencies are important but so are results. In order to maximize their value to their law firms, administrators must help their firms implement changes and improvements and improve performance. This requires selling ideas to partners in the firm and having them be accepted and actually implemented. To succeed administrators must:

– Provide innovative solutions or methods
– The firm must achieve measurable improvement in its results by adopting the solutions
– The firm must be able to sustain the improvements over time.

Based upon my experience working with firm administrators over the years and my discussions with managing partners, the following characteristics define successful firm administrators:

The more successful administrators understand their role, authority and responsibility, in accordance with the partners’ expectations.
The more successful administrators understand the firm’s current and evolving culture, and are capable of integrating and changing their behavior as required.
The more successful administrators have the capability of shifting their management style as conditions and relationships in the firm change.
The more successful administrators have intuitive personal characteristics and professional skills that enable them to perform their roles to satisfy the partners’ objectives and expectations.
The more successful administrator have the ability to successfully implement and manage projects, over an extended period of time.

An administrator’s success with a given law firm will have a direct correlation to his or her level of acceptance by the partners. The firm’s culture will determine the value that the managing partner and members of executive committees place on their administrator. An administrator whose personal style may be characterized by partners as “too laid back” may be inappropriate for a fast-pace entrepreneur firm and an administrator with a “Type A” personality may not succeed in a firm characterized by partners as “low key” or “laid back.”

In today’s law firms, partners place a much higher value on those administrators who understand, and are able to relate to the firms’ immediate and longer-term priorities. They seek to retain those administrators who perceive the firm from a “partner’s” perspective, not from an “employees’ point of view.” Partners’ value those administrators who are innovative and willing to question the status quo, and suggest changes for improving productivity and profitability.

The more effective administrators relieve partners of managing day-to-day administrative matters and save the firm’s lawyers time that can be directed to client billable work. These administrators have the ability to communicate with the managing partner and members of executive committees about management issues that should be brought to the partners’ attention. They have the ability to handle and resolve most administrative problems with minimal guidance from their managing partners or members of executive committees.

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John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D., CMC

Posted at 08:10 AM in Human Resources, Leadership, Management

Sep 16, 2026

Law Firm Management – Characteristics of an Effective Administrator

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