JAMES LOVELOCK LL.B, B.App Mgmnt

MANAGEMENT SERVICES AND CONSULTING

WHO AM I

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WHO AM I

After gaining a law degree at Otago University I began my career as a commercial lawyer and worked in that capacity for Webb Farry (Dunedin) in the late 1990's, before moving on to become a Partner with Preston Russell Law in Invercargill. After initially ‘dabbling’ in management as part of my traditional Partnership role, I then decided to make a definitive career shift to focus directly on business leadership. I returned to Dunedin and Webb Farry in 2004, initially working as the firm's General Manager and completing an applied management degree, before becoming Managing Partner in 2008.

While Managing Partner my role was CEO rather than lawyer in nature, with no fee budget applicable. I had overall responsibility for the firm's management which involved leading the operational staff and directing all aspects of Webb Farry's strategic planning.

In August 2016 I stepped down from the Managing Partner role at Webb Farry to undertake wider governance and management consulting roles on my own account. While specialising in mentoring and advisory work for law firms, I also undertake similar roles for a wide range of other businesses. My primary areas of expertise as a law firm practice management consultant are strategic business planning completed within a framework of high operational understanding, conversion of strategy to practical and accountable action plans, effective team structuring and leadership coaching / mentoring.

In addition to my Consulting roles I am a member of the Institute of Directors and an independent Chair or Board member for a number of private entities. Outside of work I have a strong interest in cricket and have previously been a Team and Selection Manager for the Otago Volts, as well as Chairman of Otago Cricket. I am now a match referee for New Zealand Cricket.

SERVICES FOR LAW FIRMS

Governance and Management

  • Independent Chair / Board member services (transitionary or longer term)
  • Practice reviews
  • Business structures / division of powers
  • Specific Coaching and Mentoring for Governance and Management leaders
    (Chairperson, CEO, Practice Manager etc)
  • Decision making processes / business efficiency

Vision and Strategy

  • Retreat and meeting facilitation focused on practical strategic planning
  • Succession planning advice
  • Identifying change steps and manageable action plans
  • Follow up services to assist execution accountability

Partnerships / Incorporated firms

  • Partnership / Shareholder agreement facilitation
  • Exit / Entry advice and assistance
  • Establishing partner role expectations
  • Review and management of partner performance
  • Conflict management

Partners / Directors

  • Leadership coaching
  • Coaching and Mentoring across all non-legal areas of practice
    (supervision, delegation, planning, file management, contribution to firm business etc)
  • Firm finance fundamentals

Non-Partner fee earners

  • Coaching and mentoring in relation to all non-technical areas of practice
  • Establishing role expectations
  • Formulating job descriptions and KPIs
  • Partnership offer considerations / advice

Finance

  • Budgeting processes
  • Benchmarking
  • Reporting
  • Staff remuneration
  • Profit sharing

Operations

  • Specific or wide-ranging reviews / second opinions on all firm operational matters

GENERAL BUSINESS SERVICES

Governance

  • Independent board member appointments offering broad commercial, legal and governance expertise
  • Contracted Project Lead roles to assist strategy execution
  • Strategic review processes

Vision and Strategy

  • Retreat and meeting facilitation focused on practical, future focused strategic planning
  • Identifying change steps and manageable action plans to enable execution and accountability
  • Succession planning advice
  • Partnership / Shareholder agreement facilitation
  • Owner role expectations

Coaching and Mentoring

  • Leadership coaching for Owners and Managers
  • Effective business planning
  • Mentoring across key HR areas including supervision, delegation, workload management, staff role expectations, job descriptions and annual review processes
  • Business finance and legal fundamentals
  • Regular “sounding board” assistance

Legal

  • Contracted in house counsel services to provide background practical guidance and facilitation of the right external legal services

General

  • Business Structures / Division of Powers
  • Decision making processes / business efficiency

TESTIMONIALS

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“Having worked with James over a number of years, I highly recommend him as a very experienced governance and management practitioner, particularly attuned to the needs of law firms. James has a unique perspective on the challenges facing professional and other service businesses in today’s environment, having previously worked for over eleven years as a commercial lawyer and subsequently for more than twelve years as the GM of a mid-size law firm (both in New Zealand and through to full Partner/Owner level in each capacity). He has excellent communication/relationship skills which in combination with his extensive practical experience, make him a high-quality candidate if you’re seeking an external perspective to add real value to your governance and/or business improvement project.”

John Farrow, Partner, Anderson Lloyd

“We engaged James to assist us in undertaking strategic planning for our long-term future as a firm, something we had not done before as a partnership. This took place over two lengthy weekend sessions. This type of planning can be challenging as it is necessary to work through some tough issues as we prepare for change in the future. James’ personable and practical approach helped us to squarely confront and talk about the hard topics in a constructive manner. By the end of our sessions we had developed a detailed plan for our future of which we were all supportive.”

Katy Barker, Partner, Eagles Eagles and Redpath

“We were referred to James by another of our professional advisors and subsequently met with him a number of times over a period of months. He helped us develop a stronger general decision making framework and as part of that, specifically assisted us to work through what were a variety of important management issues at the time. We really appreciated the qualities James brought to the table – he was practical, easy to talk to, able to challenge in a constructive manner and willing to offer clear advice based on broad knowledge and experience. As a result we found him to be a very effective and helpful sounding board and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend his services to others.”

Brian McMillan, Owner,

“The senior directors and managers in our firm have long appreciated the benefits obtainable from regular interaction with a suitable business mentor. The hardest part is often finding the right person, someone independent and objective who can genuinely relate and quickly get a feel for what we do and the challenges we face. I have been fortunate to regularly work with James in this capacity for some time now – he is a strong and clear communicator with excellent empathy and understanding. I have found his support and ability to offer ideas and insights very beneficial; as desired he has helped me be more accountable to setting appropriate development goals and achieving desired outcomes in our business.”

Stephen Bunting, Director, Morrison Low

CONTACT

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

I most commonly work either on an hourly rate or a contracted daily (or longer) basis with a scope of service and fees/disbursements agreed in advance. My daily rate varies depending on the level of preparation required and the other relevant factors as are outlined in my formal terms of engagement (which can be viewed here). While this is intended to provide a general guide, please contact me to discuss your particular needs and possible options for assistance on a more individualised basis.