Roles of managing partners in mid-size and large law firms – evidence from the DACH-region

ABSTRACT While there has been ample research on the roles of managers, no similar studies have been conducted regarding the roles of Managing Partners in law firms – a subgroup of professional service firms (PSF). However, the many differences between PSFs and industrial or other service providers suggest that the existing research on the role of managers cannot be applied to law firm Managing Partners. In order to fill that gap and analyze the roles of law firm managers, evidence was collected in 34 interviews with 36 Managing Partners from large and mid-size law firms in the DACH-Region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) regarding their function as their firms’ top managers. Analysis shows that while the Managing Partner function varies considerably between law firms, the activities of Managing Partners can be clustered into 15 distinct roles. This study adds empirical evidence to the existing practice literature and supports our understanding of the Managing Partner function in law firms and other PSF.