Practice Group Management
Building High-Performing Practice Groups That Drive Firmwide Success
In most law firms, practice groups are the fundamental operating units of the business. Yet many groups struggle with unclear direction, inconsistent leadership, uneven performance, and limited accountability. Even the strongest firmwide strategy will fall short if it is not effectively executed at the practice group level.
Mantra Legal Consulting helps law firms build high-performing practice groups and departments by aligning strategy, structure, leadership, profitability, and culture. Our work focuses on turning practice groups into cohesive, well-led teams that contribute meaningfully to the firm’s overall goals.
Practice group planning increasingly requires leaders to consider how AI-enabled workflows, pricing pressures, and changing client expectations affect staffing models, leverage, and profitability. We incorporate the role of AI into our practice group management advisory services.
Practice Group Management
Effective practice groups operate with a clear sense of purpose and direction. We work with practice group leaders and firm leadership to develop practice group–level strategies that align with the firm’s broader strategic plan while addressing the specific market, client, and talent dynamics facing each group.
This planning process helps practice groups clarify:
- Strategic priorities and growth objectives
- Target clients, industries, and market positioning
- Service offerings and differentiation
- Short- and long-term goals with measurable outcomes
The result is a shared roadmap that guides decision-making and resource allocation
Structure, Roles & Accountability
Unclear roles and informal leadership structures are common sources of frustration and underperformance within practice groups. We help firms design clear, functional practice group structures that support accountability, collaboration, and results.
Our work often includes:
- Clarifying the role of practice group leaders, managers, and members
- Defining expectations, decision rights, and responsibilities
- Establishing governance and communication frameworks
- Aligning leadership roles with compensation and evaluation systems
Clear structure creates consistency — and frees leaders to focus on leading, not firefighting.
Leadership Development for Practice Group Leaders
Strong practice group leadership rarely happens by accident. Many practice group leaders are selected for technical excellence rather than leadership readiness, and they are often given little guidance or support in their roles.
We provide targeted leadership training and development for practice group leaders, focused on the real challenges they face — leading peers, managing performance, driving collaboration, and balancing practice leadership with client work. This may include coaching, facilitated workshops, and ongoing leadership support.
Profitability & Performance Analysis
High-performing practice groups understand their economics. We help firms analyze practice group profitability and performance using financial and operational data to identify strengths, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
Our work may address:
- Revenue and margin performance
- Leverage and staffing models
- Pricing and realization issues
- Capacity, workflow, and utilization
- Investment decisions and growth opportunities
These insights inform practical, data-driven decisions at both the practice group and firmwide levels.
Practice Group Culture & Team Dynamics
Culture is not abstract at the practice group level — it shows up daily in how lawyers collaborate, share work, develop talent, and engage with clients. We help practice groups build cultures that support performance, accountability, inclusion, and professional development.
This includes addressing:
- Collaboration and cross-selling behaviors
- Communication and trust within the group
- Expectations around contribution and participation
- Alignment with firm values and leadership expectations
A healthy practice group culture strengthens retention, engagement, and long-term success
Integrated, Practical Support
Our practice group leadership and management work is highly practical and tailored to your firm’s structure and culture. Whether supporting a single group or rolling out a firmwide initiative, we focus on building capabilities that leaders can sustain over time.
When execution support is helpful, we assist practice group leaders by coordinating with appropriate internal or external resources to ensure plans are executed effectively and consistently.
The goal is not simply better-managed practice groups — but practice groups that consistently deliver results for clients, lawyers, and the firm as a whole.