OnLive Learning
1 Contributions by OnLive Learning
PRACTICE NOTES
This Practice Note offers guidance on preparing an appraisal form that can be used to evaluate and review an individual’s performance against both objectives and core skills (competencies). It supports assessment against goals and the core capabilities needed to deliver them.
Why are appraisals important?
An effective performance management process typically focuses on the following:
aligning your workforce closely with the strategic aims of the business
improving overall employee performance
supporting employee development and ongoing retention
driving improved overall business results
Creating a competency based appraisal process
It is important to recognise the appraisal form is not a script to be followed slavishly, but a tool that underpins and steers the conversation and creates a structure for capturing what was discussed. The dialogue matters more than the paperwork. Competencies describe the behaviours employees require to carry out a role to a high standard. They concern how objectives are
Practice Management
163 Contributions by OnLive Learning Experts
PRACTICE NOTES
This Practice Note provides guidance on:
the basic content of an offer letter
taking up references
keeping in touch before the start date
preparing for a new employee’s first day
induction programmes
Basic content of an offer letter
The majority of applicants will refrain from handing in their notice until they hold a formal written offer of employment. After you have identified your preferred hire, move quickly, particularly if you have been fortunate enough to secure an outstanding prospect who might be considering more than one opportunity. Make sure the written offer reflects everything promised verbally, and verify that all requisite approvals and authorisations have been obtained before issuing it, to avoid confusion, delays, or the risk of losing them to a competitor at the final hurdle...
Practice Management
PRACTICE NOTES
Risk management sits at the heart of a firm’s governance, culture and business strategy. It involves applying principle to particular situations. The issue for law firms is that they must determine their own principles. Many lawyers readily spot weaknesses in day-to-day practice, yet strategic control of risks across the whole practice is less intuitive. This Practice Note presents practical steps and considerations for law firms in handling their risks.
What is risk?
There is a widely recognised definition: Risk = probability x impact. For any risk facing your business, ask two things:
How likely is it that the risk will materialise — what is the probability?
If it does materialise, how serious will it be — what is the impact?
Where to start
Robust risk management begins by identifying the risks your firm faces. It can help to group them into familiar
Practice Compliance
PRACTICE NOTES
Robust risk control underpins the commercial success of legal practices across the sector, in practice each day. To handle risk effectively, you must first pinpoint the threats that could affect your business.
This Practice Note highlights common risks confronting law firms, helping you to craft a risk management policy. See also Practice Note: How to formulate a risk management policy—law firms.
What is risk?
There is a widely accepted definition of risk, i.e.: Risk = probability x impact
Accordingly, for any risk faced by your business, consider two key questions:
how likely is it that the risk will materialise, i.e. what is the probability?
if the risk does materialise, how severe will it be, i.e. what is the impact?...
Practice Compliance
PRACTICE NOTES
This Practice Note outlines why influence matters, a core leadership capability, and why effective communication is essential. Leaders must shape others without crossing into manipulation, which is usually recognised swiftly and resented. Leadership is not solitary; clear, accessible messages that everyone can grasp are vital. Communication is reciprocal, and strong channels across the firm are necessary. Attentive listening and acting on suitable feedback are also fundamental to strong leadership...
How to influence others without being manipulative
When considering how to sway colleagues, leaders often fixate on the wording, for example:
what exactly should I say?
how best to phrase this email?
what should the intranet post convey?
In truth, a leader’s behaviour carries far greater weight than any words could...
Practice Management
PRACTICE NOTES
Organisational change is demanding, yet law firms that stand still risk falling behind a rapidly shifting world. Leading change well in the workplace can re-energise teams and lift creativity and productivity. This Practice Note sets out Kotter’s eight-step change management approach and how firms can use it. It addresses securing buy-in, why people respond differently to change, what to do when change falters, and how to mark successes...
Kotter’s eight-step change process and how to use it
There are many theories for implementing change in an organisation, but the most widely recognised and frequently cited is John Kotter’s eight-stage model. These stages provide a logical route for embedding change and engaging employees. Practice Notes: Continuous improvement—law firms—step 5—embed the process—making changes firm-wide and Continuous improvement—law firms—step 5—embed the process—anticipating the response to major change explore this further; below are practical pointers for each
Practice Management
PRACTICE NOTES
Practice Note
This Practice Note outlines the challenges a manager encounters when driving change and offers practical guidance on leading the team effectively throughout, grounded in the varied ways people may respond. People can react in many different ways, influenced by:
whether the change is their choice or imposed upon them
the scale of the change
the extent of their input into how it will affect them
whether past changes were experienced and if they succeeded
whether they agree with the change
whether the change presents any threats to them
Typical emotions include anxiety, excitement (it seems great on paper), denial (they will never do it), hopefulness and fear of the unknown. For many in in-house legal teams, changes are arriving thick and fast in continuous waves, so a person may not have fully adjusted to one shift before the next is
Local Government
PRACTICE NOTES
L&D encompasses all learning opportunities across the organisation. It includes, though is not limited to:
taking part in training courses
completing online tutorials
watching webinars
on-the-job coaching
mentoring
reading
researching
Regulatory requirements SRA
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) views learning as vital. Solicitors no longer have to tally continuing professional development (CPD) hours each year. Under the SRA’s competency regime, they must reflect on the quality of their practice, identify any learning and development needs, and then address them to ensure their knowledge and skills are current and they are competent to practise. For more information about the competence regime, see: Continuing competence—in-house lawyers—overview.
Before the SRA competence statement, the SRA made no distinction between technical legal skills development and personal development. The competence statement addresses this, defining what solicitors must be able to do to deliver a proper
In-house Advisor
PRACTICE NOTES
There are five key steps to improving efficiency:
define which process requires improvement (see Practice Note: Improving efficiency: Step 1—identify and define the problem)
measure the issue (covered in this Practice Note)
analyse the information (see Practice Note: Improving efficiency: Step 3—analyse what’s causing the problem)
enhance the process (see Practice Note: Improving efficiency: Step 4—improve the problem)
control, ie embed the new approach so it becomes business as usual (BAU) (see Practice Note: Improving efficiency: Step 5—embedding changes)
Management consultants typically label this the ‘DMAIC framework’. This Practice Note concentrates on Step 2—measuring the problem or inefficiency identified during Step 1, the ‘define’ phase.
Every form of waste or inefficiency imposes a cost on the department. Some are direct, for example excess equipment, while others arise from lost time (opportunity cost) and the use of
Local Government
PRACTICE NOTES
In recent years, the idea of Legal Project Management (LPM) has gained real momentum within the legal sector. This Practice Note offers an introduction to LPM and explores:
what LPM is and how it can assist in-house lawyers
the phases of legal project management and what occurs at each stage
how to begin with LPM
This Practice Note can be read alongside Practice Note: Legal project management: A step-by-step guide, and further guidance on project management generally is available in the Project management subtopic.
What is Legal Project Management (LPM)?
Put simply, it is the application of project management principles to legal work. Project management first emerged in the 1950s, with roots in engineering and construction. Over the decades, its value was recognised beyond heavy industry, and it was taken up across numerous business sectors, including IT, finance and professional services. Today, project management is regarded as an
In-house Advisor
PRACTICE NOTES
In this Practice Note, we will navigate the five principal stages of legal project management (LPM) through an illustration drawn from an in-house legal team at a multinational drinks manufacturer. It may initially feel long‑winded; however, the virtue of LPM is that once the process is set and the tools are in place, everyone can follow the same process and rely on the same tools, scaling up or down to suit projects of varying size.
Stage 1: Defining the scope
This stage is the point at which you should devote time to gaining a complete understanding of the project’s scope and to mapping all relevant stakeholders. You can find further guidance on this in Practice Note: Project management: Project lifecycle and set‑up.
Example: Suppose the marketing team come to you wishing to launch a limited‑edition flavour and have teamed up with a celebrity for
In-house Advisor
PRACTICE NOTES
This guide was first created in partnership with Cranfield School of Management and later refined by Beth Pipe, OnLive Learning. Starting a project can be thrilling, bringing fresh ideas and reinvigorating ageing systems and processes, yet it must be managed. This Practice Note provides guidance on:
kick off: launching your project safely
managing risk: what is it and how could it impact?
using tools such as Critical Path Analysis and Gantt Charts
project implementation: how to stay in control
closing the project: what to do when it is all over
Kick off: launching your project safely
The aim of this phase is to become far more precise about how the project will be implemented, and to use that output to launch the work and keep it moving. The approach and management needed to achieve the objectives should be defined in a
In-house Advisor
PRACTICE NOTES
This Practice Note
Initially created in partnership with Cranfield School of Management and later reworked and expanded by Beth Pipe of OnLive Learning, this Practice Note explores the essential phases of the project lifecycle and effective set up. Investing time up front in solid planning is arguably the most critical step, yet it is the one most often bypassed as excitement to start takes over. As Abraham Lincoln famously observed: if given eight hours to cut down a tree, he would devote six to sharpening the axe. Projects flow far more smoothly when the parameters are clarified from the outset. In this Practice Note we guide you through:
the project lifecycle—what unfolds at each stage?
set up: how to frame and define the project
stakeholders: who they are and why they count
roles and responsibilities: who is accountable for what
planning time, resources, and
Public Law
PRACTICE NOTES
Across law firms and in-house legal teams, generational diversity has never been greater, spanning early-career entrants through to long-established experts. Veteran practitioners, newly qualified solicitors and trainees now collaborate daily, working side by side as multiple age groups contribute a broad blend of viewpoints, capabilities and expectations. By recognising these generational contrasts, you can pinpoint each cohort’s values, preferred ways of communicating and working, and harness this insight to build teams that are more effective, cohesive and inclusive across the workplace. In this practice note we will cover:
an overview of generational cohorts
core distinctions from one generation to the next
how these differences affect the legal workplace
approaches for managing generational differences
a case study review
a look ahead
Overview of generational cohorts
No one should be assessed solely by their year of birth. In this Practice Note, our goal is to
Practice Compliance
PRACTICE NOTES
Many managers worry about leading teams they do not see face to face on a regular basis, yet countless success stories show that remote teams can deliver very high levels of productivity. In short, not seeing people every day does not prevent strong performance. What follows highlights the key areas to focus on.
This Practice Note looks at:
getting the basics right
finding the right balance for keeping in touch
building team bonds
agreeing a flexible way of working
managing by task rather than time
setting goals and measuring outcomes
supervision versus micro-management
points to consider when running virtual one-to-ones (121s) or handling difficult conversations, and
agreeing suitable boundaries
Getting the basics right
The most common mistake many managers make when managing remote teams is the belief that it is the same as leading a group who work side by side in the same office environment. It is not the same. The
Practice Management
PRACTICE NOTES
When an organisation is compelled to make significant redundancies, attention quite rightly centres on those losing their positions. Yet, once the dust settles, focus must also shift to colleagues who remain after the cuts and may be navigating a broad mix of emotions. This Practice Note explains how to identify and manage survivor syndrome within your team. We will explore:
what is survivor syndrome?
how different people might react
how it affects the organisation
what the causes are
what the remedies are at an organisational level
what the remedies are at a local management level
What is survivor syndrome?
This term captures the range of negative responses often felt by people whose roles remain after a redundancy programme. Comparable feelings have been noted among those who live through other traumatic events and, although some may believe employees who keep their jobs
Local Government
PRACTICE NOTES
Practice Note on Unconscious Bias
This Practice Note provides guidance for law firms on unconscious bias, including what it is, how it can affect diversity and inclusion (D&I), and ways it can be tackled.
Further information on D&I can be found in the following Practice Notes:
Diversity monitoring—law firms
Attracting diverse talent—law firms
Retaining diverse talent—law firms
What is unconscious bias?
How people think is shaped by their socialisation, life experiences and exposure to others’ perspectives. At times, individuals hold preferences, beliefs or views about others that are not accurate or reasonable; this is unconscious bias. Such bias influences a person’s judgement, behaviour and perceptions.
Each of us has a distinctive set of experiences from which we form our values—eg what matters in life, work and our beliefs. This creates a personal sense of what feels familiar, and therefore comfortable and safe. What lies outside that frame is
Practice Management
PRACTICE NOTES
You can run virtual meetings by phone, on a video call or through dedicated online platforms and software, often saving considerable time and money compared with in-person sessions. Yet chairing (or merely joining) a virtual meeting is not the same as doing so in a face-to-face setting. Treat it like a conventional meeting and you risk, at best, irritation and, at worst, disorder and delay. This Practice Note sets out advice on planning and running virtual meetings, highlighting tricky areas and practical ways to navigate them effectively. It concentrates on the most problematic elements and the smartest ways to work around them in practice.
This includes:
why they differ from in-person meetings
the value of nailing the fundamentals
how to craft an agenda
essential chairing skills for virtual sessions
the technology behind virtual meetings
preventing frequent
Practice Management
PRACTICE NOTES
This Practice Note supports people receiving coaching or mentoring, helping you make the most of the partnership. It sets out the distinctions between coaching and mentoring, setting goals, what to do before a coaching/mentoring session, plus how to prepare, and what to expect when a coaching/mentoring session ends. It also covers what happens when the session concludes.
The differences between coaching and mentoring
The labels coaching and mentoring are frequently treated as the same. Common ground includes:
a concentration on job-related goals and enhancing performance
structured meetings progressing towards those aims
The key distinction usually lies in the expertise of the person leading the conversations. A mentor is generally a more senior figure in the same discipline as the mentee, offering advice and guidance that is role-specific and often
Practice Management
PRACTICE NOTES
Improving efficiency in a continuous improvement context typically follows five core steps:
identify (define) which process requires enhancement
measure the issue
analyse the information
improve the process
control, ie embed the revised process so it becomes business as usual
Management consultants often describe this as the DMAIC framework. This Practice Note underscores the need to measure the impact of the changes you have introduced to raise efficiency (through steps 1–5) and to demonstrate the degree of success. Also see Practice Notes:
Continuous improvement—law firms—step 1—identify and define the problem
Continuous improvement—law firms—step 2—measure the problem
Continuous improvement—law firms—step 3—analyse what's causing the problem
Continuous improvement—law firms—step 4—improve the process
Continuous improvement—law firms—step 5—embed the process—making changes firm-wide
Continuous improvement—law firms—step 5—embed the
Practice Management
PRACTICE NOTES
There are five key steps to improving efficiency:
identify (define) the process that requires improvement
measure the issue
analyse your data
enhance the process
control, ie embed the new process so it becomes business as usual
Many management consultants describe this as the DMAIC framework.
This Practice Note focuses on step 2—measuring the problem or inefficiency highlighted in step 1—see Practice Note: Continuous improvement—law firms—step 1—identify and define the problem. It proceeds on the basis that the step 1 issue is an inefficient client onboarding process. For further detail on continuous improvement and the phases of raising efficiency, see Practice Note: Simplifying continuous improvement—law firms.
Every form of waste or inefficiency carries a cost to the firm. Some, eg surplus equipment, create a direct expense, while others relate to lost time (opportunity cost) and
Practice Management
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