Hartford Business Journal

HartfordBusiness.com | January 25, 2021 | Hartford Business Journal 7 The Big Picture By Liese Klein lklein@hartfordbusiness.com W hen Alan Lieberman announced his retirement as managing partner of Shipman & Goodwin in October, Hartford's legal world waited to hear which senior partner would take his place as head of the region's largest law firm. The news came in December: A team of three mid-career attorneys would lead Shipman & Goodwin as of Jan. 1, 2021, marking a ground- breaking new phase in the structure of the 101-year-old firm. "Managing a law firm is more complex than ever, with changing technologies, navigating COVID- 19's lasting impact, and focusing on constantly evolving or developing practice areas," leadership team member Kent Nevins said. "But it is also a very exciting time to be a part of leadership, especially when leading a firm that is focused on fostering the next generation." Several weeks into the new leadership structure, Leander Dolphin and James Ruggeri ‒ the other two members of the managing trio ‒ took time to reflect on the changes afoot in the legal industry. "This seemed like the right time to try a new leadership model," said Dolphin, who started with Shipman & Goodwin her first year out of law school in 2004 and returned to the firm after two years at the Girl Scouts of Connecticut. She served for three years on the management committee before getting named to the managing team. "It felt good to have this long-term experience with the firm and leading the firm and then doing it together in this new way," Dolphin said of the team model. "It really is a novel idea; it made sense for us." Sharing the burden Going with a three-person leadership team made sense for Shipman & Goodwin due to the shifting legal landscape brought on in part by the COVID-19 pandemic, the partners said. Clients expect their attorneys to keep up with all of the latest developments and maintain their client relationships even while taking on management roles. As part of the need to stay current and connected, all three of the management partners will maintain their practices and expect to transition out of the top roles after a period of time. "We want to make sure our leaders are practicing lawyers so they understand what is happening with our clients," Dolphin said. "We are able to be better leaders and better lawyers by not giving up our practices." The pandemic has restricted travel so picking leaders from the firm's main geographic areas was also important, Ruggeri said. "Making sure we are one firm is really important," Ruggeri said. Shipman & Goodwin's 150 attorneys work out of offices in Connecticut, New York and Washington, D.C., and the pandemic has resulted in geographic "bubbles" that rarely interact in person, intensifying the need for coordination across locations and practice areas. "Not embracing the siloed approach I think is really important in the ever-changing legal landscape, particularly as we move forward," Ruggeri said. With three managing partners maintaining active practices, the firm is relying more than ever on a strong roster of administrative staff including a chief talent officer and technology officer. With the triad model so new, additional changes may have to be made to ensure the smooth running of operations. "Because we are focusing on making sure that our management style is more strategic, more forward- thinking so that we can continue to practice, our vision is to make sure that our chiefs are really running our business on a day-to-day basis on our behalf," Dolphin said Diverse perspectives Shipman & Goodwin's new leadership team also reflects the firm's commitment to showcase the diverse talents and perspectives of its attorneys, the managing partners said. The three come from different practice and geographic areas, and Dolphin is one of the few African- American women leading a major law firm in the region. "Our clients care about diversity, we care about diversity and I think this shows that the firm cares about diversity," Ruggeri said. A range of experiences in law practice allow the team to draw on each other's strengths to face the challenges brought on by the pandemic, the partners said. As a member of the school law practice group, Dolphin is helping clients at educational institutions deal with issues from vaccination mandates to special-education requirements. Ruggeri focuses on litigation and is chair of the insurance and reinsurance practice. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, his clients have been seeking help with Zoom privacy, online security and bankruptcy issues. Like many attorneys in commercial real estate practice, Nevins is dealing with the economic upheaval brought about by pandemic lockdowns and the work-from-home revolution. All three have been working all-out since the start of the crisis. "Nothing has slowed down; it's actually increased the pace of all these issues," Ruggeri said. Even if things do calm down and return to something like pre- pandemic normal, multi-attorney leadership teams are likely to be a growing trend as clients seek value in their legal representation. It may already be catching on: 2020 saw several major law firms nationwide switch to multi-partner leadership teams, according to the American Lawyer, the monthly legal magazine. Yet despite the growing popularity of the multi-partner team, observers say the model can encourage dissatisfied attorneys to "forum-shop" and sow division in a firm, weakening cohesiveness in the long term. A team structure also requires high levels of trust among the managing partners, which is best built through close collaboration on major cases, experience difficult to ensure when managers come from different practice areas. Some firms may be using management teams as a short-term transitional solution when a dominant leader retires, or actually as a tryout for a future leader. Dolphin said law firms are reflecting a larger trend in business toward teamwork in leadership. "I think that's reflective of how companies are running themselves as well," Dolphin said of the new model. "Having one person who is responsible for everything isn't the way of the future." The Big Picture is a feature focused on evolving business strategies. If you have a story idea please contact HBJ Web Editor Liese Klein at lklein@hartfordbusiness.com. Shipman & Goodwin switches leadership model in response to changing law landscape (From left to right) Leander Dolphin, Kent Nevins and James Ruggeri are the new co-managing partners of Hartford law firm Shipman & Goodwin. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

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