Why Law Firms Keep Promoting the Wrong People Into Leadership Roles
In many law firms, leadership promotion follows a familiar pattern:
They’re excellent lawyers.
Clients love them.
They bill a lot.
They’re reliable under pressure.
So they get promoted.
Team lead.
Practice group head.
Managing partner.
And suddenly… things get harder.
Not because the person isn’t capable — but because the role they’ve been promoted into was never designed for success.
Great Lawyers Are Not Automatically Great Leaders
This isn’t a criticism of talent.
It’s a mismatch of expectations.
Law firms often assume leadership is an extension of legal excellence.
In reality, leadership is a different job entirely.
It requires:
prioritizing others’ work over your own
making decisions with incomplete information
giving feedback — even when it’s uncomfortable
managing performance, not just matters
thinking in systems, not tasks
When firms promote without redefining the role, they set people up to struggle.
Promotion Without Redesign Is the Real Mistake
Most leadership promotions fail for one reason:
The firm changes the title — but not the structure.
The newly promoted leader:
keeps a full billable load
inherits vague “people responsibility”
has no clear authority
is expected to manage issues reactively
receives little to no leadership training
So leadership becomes:
an extra obligation
an afterthought
something done between matters
That’s not leadership.
That’s overload.
This Is Why Leadership Performance Feels Inconsistent
Firms often conclude:
“They’re just not a natural leader.”
But what’s really happening is:
priorities conflict
authority is unclear
success isn’t defined
feedback is delayed
accountability feels personal
Strong people underperform when roles are poorly designed — leadership roles included.
Why Firms Keep Making the Same Promotion Mistake
This pattern repeats because:
top performers feel like the safest choice
leadership needs emerge quickly
no one owns leadership design
firms assume people will “figure it out”
promotions feel like recognition
But recognition is not role clarity.
And leadership roles without clarity create friction — not progress.
The Hidden Cost of Poorly Designed Leadership Roles
When leadership roles are vague, firms experience:
uneven team performance
decision bottlenecks
partner rework
feedback avoidance
burnout in newly promoted leaders
frustration from teams who don’t know who owns what
The firm doesn’t just lose leadership effectiveness.
It loses momentum.
Leadership Is a System, Not a Trait
This is where many firms get stuck.
They look for leadership traits:
confidence
decisiveness
presence
But leadership effectiveness is largely structural.
Effective leaders need:
clear ownership
defined authority
reduced competing priorities
explicit success metrics
support and coaching
Without those, even strong leaders stall.
Why This Promotion Pattern Hurts Culture
Poor leadership design also creates downstream culture issues.
Teams experience:
inconsistent expectations
unclear decision-making
feedback that arrives too late
leaders who feel stretched or unavailable
Trust erodes — not because leaders don’t care, but because the system doesn’t support them.
Culture problems often start with role design, not intent.
What Firms That Get Leadership Right Do Differently
Firms that promote well:
redesign the role before filling it
reduce billable expectations intentionally
clarify decision rights
define what success looks like
train leaders on how to lead — not just manage work
provide ongoing support
Leadership becomes a function — not a side project.
How COOs Prevent Leadership Role Failure
Operational leaders don’t just help firms promote people.
They help firms design leadership roles that actually work.
They:
clarify ownership boundaries
rebalance workloads
align authority with responsibility
define performance expectations
support leaders through the transition
Leadership stops feeling like a burden — and starts creating leverage.
The Better Question Firms Should Ask
Instead of asking:
“Who should we promote?”
Ask:
What does this leadership role actually require?
What work needs to shift off this person’s plate?
What authority must come with the role?
How will we measure leadership success?
Who supports this leader once promoted?
If those answers aren’t clear, promotion is premature.
If leadership roles in your firm feel heavy, inconsistent, or frustrating, the issue may not be the people — it may be the way leadership roles are designed.
I help law firms redesign leadership roles so promotions create momentum instead of overload — and leaders can actually lead.