Why Law-Firm Partners Are Responsible for Decisions They Do Not Control

Law-firm partners are often accountable for outcomes that depend on decisions held by relationship partners, practice leaders, staffing partners, pricing teams and firm leadership. The responsibility remains personal even when the authority required to produce the result is distributed. Gordon Houseman explains the responsibility–authority gap, why greater personal effort can hide an institutional constraint, and how influence begins by understanding the decision another person is actually responsible for making. Gordon has been a partner at A&O Shearman, DLA Piper and Shearman & Sterling, and has spent nearly two decades inside leading international law firms advising major clients, building practices, winning work and leading cross-border teams. Learn more about the Full Potential for Lawyers Partner Program: https://fullpotentialforlawyers.com Subscribe for practical guidance on generating work, developing client relationships, leading effective teams and building a commercially successful practice. Build your business like a business. Chapters 0:00 Accountable for decisions you do not control 1:40 Decide, influence or accept 3:35 Hard work can hide the real constraint 5:24 Understand the other person’s decision 6:59 When the answer remains no