OnLive Learning
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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
PRECEDENTS
Learning and development (L&D) plan
Coverage period: [ Insert period ]
1 Responsibility
Accountability for this L&D plan rests with: [ Insert the name of the individual accountable for this plan, e.g. head of L&D/head of HR/training partner/other ]
2 Business objectives
What are the firm’s business objectives? [ Insert business objective(s) drawn from the business plan, e.g. to attain net profit of 30% of turnover within the year ] In what ways can L&D enable the firm to realise its business goals?...
Practice Management
PRECEDENTS
1 Executive summary
Insert a concise overview capturing the primary recommendations set out in this document.
2 What is the business need?
Provide specifics on the performance adjustments required to meet the organisation’s needs.
Describe how targeted training offers the most effective route to achieving these performance improvements.
3 What external factors are affecting the firm?
Set out the external influences impacting the firm that should be addressed through L&D...
Practice Management
PRECEDENTS
1 General information
Date of review [ Insert date ]
Person(s) conducting review [ Insert name(s) ]
2 Review and findings
Is your L&D policy current and suitable for purpose? ☐ Yes ☐ No—please outline any required changes and ensure you create an action at section 3 below to update the policy accordingly
Have there been changes to regulatory requirements affecting the firm and/or any staff? ☐ Yes—please describe what needs to change and ensure you set an action at section 3 below to (i) update your policy accordingly and (ii) communicate these changes to your managers and affected staff ☐ No
Is your L&D plan current and fit for purpose?...
Practice Management
PRECEDENTS
Service level agreement between L&D and the firm
The learning and development (L&D) function undertakes to assist the firm in the following ways:
acknowledging every request for training within [ insert time, eg one day ]
addressing all matters raised concerning training courses and/or L&D within [ insert time, eg one day ]
supplying a report on training courses and/or L&D that fall short of expected standards at [ insert when report will be made, eg at the monthly managers’ meeting ]
reporting all instances of delegate non-attendance at [ insert when report will be made, eg at the monthly managers’ meeting ]
committing to only allowing people...
Practice Management
PRECEDENTS
1 Organising the meeting
Send the RTWI invitation to the employee.
Add the appointment to both your diary and the employee’s.
Reserve a suitable meeting room.
Put measures in place to avoid interruptions.
2 Check absence records and complete section A of the RTWI meeting proforma
Confirm and record the first day of absence.
Verify and note the final day absent.
Enter the return-to-work date.
Work out the total days absent for this instance.
Confirm the firm’s absence reporting procedure was followed.
Record certification needs: seven days or fewer—self-certification; eight days or more—GP fitness note provided.
Note the stated reason for absence.
Record how many occasions of absence there have been in the past 12 months.
Record the total number of days absent in the past 12 months.
Practice Management
PRECEDENTS
Overproduction
Paperwork printed unnecessarily — Problem? Yes/No | Priority: Low/Medium/High
Paperwork printed, then altered and reprinted — Problem? Yes/No | Priority: Low/Medium/High
Excessive email attachments circulated — Problem? Yes/No | Priority: Low/Medium/High
Emails printed as hard copies — Problem? Yes/No | Priority: Low/Medium/High
Hard-copy handouts produced for training courses — Problem? Yes/No | Priority: Low/Medium/High
Documentation created for a client before final instructions arrive — Problem? Yes/No | Priority: Low/Medium/High
Work duplicated by two people or departments — Problem? Yes/No | Priority: Low/Medium/High
Comments: State how significant the issue is, how frequently it occurs, who is affected, the impact on the client, and whether it can be resolved...
Inventories
Type of waste — Problem? Yes/No | Comments: Indicate the scale of the issue, how often it arises, who it affects, the effect on the client, and if it is
Practice Management
PRECEDENTS
1 Candidate
Individual being evaluated [ Insert name ]
Assessment date [ Insert date ]
Assessor(s) [ Insert name(s) ]
2 Partnership promotion criteria
2.1 Financial and technical skills
Required skill or indicator | Measurement | Does the individual meet this criteria?
Billable hours [ State the benchmark for this skill/indicator, e.g., 1,500 chargeable hours per annum ] ☐ Yes ☐ No
Billable hours conversion rate [ Indicate the proportion of chargeable time expected to convert into billed work, e.g., 85% ] ☐ Yes ☐ No
Legal knowledge [ Insert the required measure for this skill/indicator, e.g., specific areas of specialism ] ☐ Yes ☐ No
Matters handled [ Insert the required measure for this skill/indicator, e.g., volume and consistency—commendations and complaints ] ☐ Yes ☐ No
Ability to understand and interpret financial reports [ Insert the
Practice Management
PRECEDENTS
This framework defines the essential skills expected across all positions in the firm. Keeping a single, shared set of core skills supports openness and uniformity in how we set performance expectations for different roles across the firm. Your progress against the applicable core skills will be reviewed within our annual appraisal process. If you are unsure which core skills relate to your role, please discuss this with your line manager directly...
Practice Management
PRECEDENTS
1 L&D events/courses delivered this month
Official L&D programme/session title
Lead facilitator
Delegate headcount
Mean feedback rating
Participant comments
2 Scheduled L&D events/courses
Reporting month
L&D programme/session title
Event location
Booked delegate numbers
Any further notes
3 L&D events/courses in development
L&D programme/session title
Concise overview
Intended audience
Anticipated launch date
Current status
4 L&D issue log
Identified issue
Suggested action
Current status
Next scheduled review
Record owner
5 Requests not yet scheduled
L&D programme/session title
Requested by
Business rationale
Current status
...
Practice Management
PRECEDENTS
L&D policy—staff survey
Your views are extremely important to us, helping us to further improve our learning and development (L&D) offering. Please kindly complete and return this form.
Question
Score
Feedback
How would you assess our current learning provision?...
Practice Management
PRECEDENTS
L&D costs
Costs associated with
Source of cost £
In-house courses delivered by employees
Trainers’ time to plan sessions
Trainers’ time to deliver
Trainers’ time for post-course review
In-house courses delivered by external providers (face-to-face on-site or virtual)
Delivery charges
Preparation costs
Travel and subsistence
Post-course evaluation and feedback
Courses held off-site
Venue hire
Day delegate rates (refreshments and meals included)
Equipment hire (data
Practice Management
PRECEDENTS
BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL TEAM
Sets direction — clarifies why the team exists and why it matters (eg a clear charter or mission); steers the creation of precise, measurable targets.
Shapes structure — defines member roles and duties; ensures the right steering, review and support mechanisms operate.
Enables delivery — suggests effective procedures and workflows to hit team goals; secures resources and clears barriers to progress.
Brings others in — listens carefully and actively involves colleagues in choices and actions; appreciates diverse strengths; sustains strong connections with remote and hybrid team-mates.
Keeps the team informed — passes on timely, relevant updates to everyone.
Demonstrates commitment — follows team norms and standards; meets obligations; shows personal dedication to collective success.
BUILDING TRUST
Acts with integrity — is honest; keeps promises; behaves consistently.
Shares own stance — communicates thoughts, feelings and reasoning appropriately so others grasp where they stand.
Stays receptive — hears people out; weighs
Practice Management
PRECEDENTS
1 Your details
Your name
Job role
Number of direct reports
How long you have been in your current position
2 Skills analysis
The purpose of this Learning needs analysis (LNA) questionnaire is to pinpoint any skills gaps that we can help you address through learning and development (L&D).
2.1 Skills required for your role
Please complete the table below:
Skill or activity
Relevance and confidence level
Do you need to do this to carry out your job effectively?
...
Practice Management
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1 About you
Forename
Position
Division / Group
Contact information
2 About the course you want to attend
Course name
Training provider
Course fee
Anticipated travel / accommodation expenses
Venue for the course
☐ Virtual
☐ In-person
Session date
Who recommended that you attend this course?...
Practice Management
PRECEDENTS
Purpose of performance appraisal and personal development
Our appraisal and development approach aims to:
build a highly focused, effective and motivated team by supporting and valuing every person in the firm
make sure everyone understands the firm’s strategic aims and how they can individually help deliver them
Rating system
It is important to understand the appraisal ratings:
Exceeded all expectations — Consistently surpasses objectives, core skills and values; is seen as a role model or go‑to colleague, showing the critical success factors valued by the firm.
Exceeded some expectations — Reliably meets and often surpasses objectives, core skills and values; exceeds certain key elements, though not all.
Met all expectations — Fully meets, and at times exceeds, key expectations on objectives, core skills and values; performs successfully across the role; needs only moderate supervision and guidance, as
Practice Management
PRECEDENTS
1. Does an attendance review meeting (ARM) mean I’m being disciplined for my absence?
No. An ARM isn’t disciplinary action and typically isn’t included in any disciplinary procedure.
2. What’s the purpose of an ARM?
An ARM aims to talk through the health issues behind a high absence rate and consider steps that could support your wellbeing, lower your absences, and enable a safe return to work if you’re on long-term sick leave.
3. Will everyone in the firm have an ARM?
The firm’s policy is to arrange an ARM when an employee has been away on long-term sickness beyond [ four weeks’ OR [ insert duration ] ] duration, or where there is a high level of sporadic absence adding up to more than [ four weeks OR [ insert duration ] ], where the absence stems from an underlying health problem.
4. Who will conduct my ARM?
In most
Practice Management
PRECEDENTS
1 Absence management policy
[ Provide details, e.g. introduce a formal framework for managing absence with clear processes, including absence reporting steps, to minimise the effect on service delivery and to improve oversight of absence rates. ]
Operational objectives
[ Set up an Absence Management working group to evaluate leading practice, the firm’s needs, and to agree a draft policy and processes. ]
[ Confirm budget provision to seek legal advice, as appropriate, on the draft policy and processes. ]
Task owner
[ Add name(s) of the task owner(s) ]
Completion date
[ date ]...
Practice Management
PRECEDENTS
This presentation is intended for law firms.
It serves as a resource to support you in coaching your team on how best to prepare for appraisals and what to expect from the appraisal process. The materials are customisable. The pack is provided in PowerPoint and is not available for download to Word from this page. Please use the link below to download the PowerPoint file now...
Practice Management
PRECEDENTS
Periodic L&D report
Report compiled by [ Add name and role ]
Timeframe addressed in this L&D report [ Specify the span this report covers ]
L&D provided during this timeframe [ Outline every L&D activity provided in this timeframe, such as in-house learning sessions, online modules, and third-party programmes ]
Review of delivered L&D [ Enter evaluation ]
Participation rates [ Add attendance figures ]
Barriers or matters hindering delegates attending or completing training [ Note obstacles and related issues ]
Library and online resources utilised [ Where feasible, include metrics on usage ]
L&D plans for the forthcoming period [ Describe which training will be offered and/or needed in the next period ]
Additional remarks [ Insert comments ]...
Practice Management
PRECEDENTS
Your personal brand should consistently and reliably mirror who you genuinely are and what you represent in practice day to day. Use this self-review and action plan to capture essential information about yourself, helping you to develop a strong, authentic brand that resonates. As you progress through it, you may identify actions to pursue or areas that need further development and focus.
1 What are your core aims?
What outcomes are you specifically seeking to accomplish?
[ Insert clear details of what you are trying to achieve, e.g. to attain partnership by December 2027 ]
2 What is your product, eg you?
What are your fundamental values and guiding beliefs? [ Insert what principles or beliefs truly matter to you and influence your choices, behaviour and actions each day ]
What qualifications and credentials do you hold? [ Insert relevant details ]
What are
Practice Management
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