Leading Law Firm Strategist

McKenna Associates Inc.

Ashridge House
11226 - 60 Street
Edmonton, Alberta T5W3Y8
Canada

Contact: Mr. Patrick J. McKenna
Tel: (800) 921-3343 / (780) 428-1052

 Website: www.patrickmckenna.com
 Email: Send an email

Expert Witness - Litigation Support - Speaker Bureau

Patrick J. McKenna, an internationally recognized authority on law practice management, was the founder of Edge International and is currently the co-Chairman of the Managing Partner Leadership Advisory Board ("the LAB"), a forum for new firm leaders to pose questions about their burning issues.

Patrick was identified, in 2008, through independent research compiled and published by Lawdragon as one of "the most trusted names in legal consulting".

Services

Patrick, since 1983, has worked with the top management of premier law firms around the globe to discuss, challenge and escalate their thinking on how to manage and compete effectively.

The Financial Post labels McKenna “a professional firm management and marketing guru, with a client base stretching from Britain to the United States.” Jim Kouzes, Chairman emeritus, tompeters! company described him as “a highly seasoned and extraordinarily credible professional.” And GlobalLawReview.com identified him as one of twenty International Visionaries in the legal profession for “their vision, sheer hard work, professional eminence, and humanity.”

McKenna has served at least one of the top ten largest law firms in each of over a dozen different countries on issues associated with strategic differentiation, improving profitability, client service excellence, and effective firm management.

McKenna has lectured on professional service management and marketing for the Canadian, American and International Bar Associations; the Canadian Tax Foundation, the International Union of Lawyers, the Institute For Law Firm Management, The Institute For International Research, Northstar Conferences, TAGLaw, World Services Group, US Law Firms Group, the Society for Marketing Professional Services, Centaur Conferences Europe and the Financial Times Of London. He is a frequently requested speaker, having appeared in London, Geneva, Vienna, Munich, Marrakech, Istanbul, Singapore, Hong Kong, New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Toronto for professional conferences and symposiums during the past five years.

Areas of Expertise:


Profile

Patrick is the author of a pioneering text on law firm marketing, Practice Development: Creating a Marketing Mindset (Butterworths, 1989), recognized by an international journal as being “among the top ten books that any professional services marketer should have.” His subsequent works include Herding Cats: A Handbook for Managing Partners and Practice Leaders (IBMP, 1995); and Beyond Knowing: 16 Cage-Rattling Questions To Jump-Start Your Practice Team (IBMP, 2000), both of which were Top 10 Management bestsellers.

One of the profession's foremost experts on firm leadership, his book (co-authored with David Maister), First Among Equals: How to Manage a Group of Professionals, (The Free Press, 2002) topped business bestseller lists in the United States, Canada and Australia; has been translated into nine languages; is currently in its sixth printing; and received an award for being one of the best business books of 2002. Leaders across various professions like Kenneth LeStrange, Chairman of Aon Risk Services; Douglas McCracken, CEO of Deloitte Consulting; Claudio Fernandez Araoz, Executive with Egon Zehnder and Partners; and Allan Koltin, President of the Practice Development Institute have described the book as the essential guide to practice group leadership.

In 2006, McKenna’s e-book First 100 Days: Transitioning A New Managing Partner (NXTBook) earned glowing reviews and has been read by leaders in 63 countries. This publication culminated in Patrick being asked to conduct a bi-annual one-day master class for new managing partners currently held at the University of Chicago. Thus far, over 50 new leaders from law, accounting and consulting firms have attended the program.

According to Richard Nix, the new managing partner at McAfee & Taft a full year following his attending this master class: “Your sessions really did help me to prioritize my goals and objectives for the first 100 days. As I look back, I really didn’t know what I didn’t know leading up to taking on this new responsibility as the Managing Partner. The guidance and suggestions I took away from the seminar (and reading materials) were extremely helpful. I had a much better understanding of what to expect. I really do appreciate all of your help.”

In 2005 the book Management Skills (John Wiley) named McKenna among the “leading thinkers in the field“ together with Peter Drucker and Warren Bennis; and in 2008, the book In The Company of Leaders included his work amongst other notable luminaries like Dr. Marshall Goldsmith and Brian Tracy.

Legal Experience & Services

"LawDragon is thrilled to have included you among those published in the first guide to the nation's most exclusive consultants, which was selected through a combination of online balloting and old fashioned reporting. We asked law firm leaders who they turn to and they responded with a list of strategic professionals that is truly the crème of the crop.”
Katrina Dewey, CEO, Lawdragon Inc.

Affiliations

The following are esteemed colleagues that Patrick has collaborated with on professional and client projects over the years and who he considers as an integral part of his consulting network:

David H. Maister (Boston) - www.davidmaister.com
Robert Sawhney (Hong Kong) - www.srchk.com
Professor Dennis Sherwood (London) - www.silverbulletmachine.com
Karen Sobel Lojeski (New York) - www.virtualdistance.com
Dr. August J. Aquila (Minneapolis) - www.aquilaadvisors.com

Qualifications

"I served as the leader my firm, Baker & Daniels LLP, for 15 years. During my tenure, I became acquainted with many, many consultants to the legal profession. Without question, Patrick is among the best informed, most effective consultants I have encountered. His advice is practical, candid, and clearly delivered. Patrick engenders trust, an essential ingredient in any professional relationship. I would recommend Patrick to any law firm leader, especially for high-level, difficult assignments requiring well-developed analytical and communications skills and seasoned experience. In short, Patrick is a 'pro' in every sense of the word."
Brian K. Burke, Chair Emeritus - Baker & Daniels LLP

Awards & Honors

• Identified by GlobalLawReview.com as one of the twenty international visionaries in the legal profession for their “vision, sheer hard work, professional eminence and humanity” (2000)
• Co-authored (with David H. Maister) one of the best business books of 2002
• International Professional of the Year (Management Consulting to Professional Service Firms, 2005) - IBC, Cambridge England

Seminars & Training

Co-Leader - First 100 Days: NEW Managing Partner's Master Class
Gleacher Center, University of Chicago, August 17, 2010

Leader - Hit The Ground Running: NEW Practice Group Leader's Master Class
Gleacher Center, University of Chicago, August 18, 2010

Program information may be obtained by calling (780) 428-1052

Publications

Patrick's published articles have appeared in over 50 leading professional journals, newsletters, and online sources; and his work has been featured in Fast Company, Business Week, The Globe and Mail, The Economist, Investor’s Business Daily and The Financial Times.

"McKenna knows a thing or two about the concerns of managing partners. He has written a book about law firm leadership transition. In addition for the last two years, he has conducted seminars to prepare incoming leaders about their what they should expect of their new roles and how they might best meet those demands."
Of Counsel, April 2008

Initiated and subsequently served as Article Review Board Chairman for the 'Edge Awards' - given to commemorate the best articles published each year in the ABA's Law Practice Magazine (1998 - 2009)

Articles Published on HGExperts.com

• Law Firm Management: Critical Questions & Answers for New Managing Partners
• Law Firm Marketing: Getting Unbeatable Testimonials
• The Disruptive But Inevitable Move to Alternative Fees
• Law Firm Strategy
• Law Firm Leadership
• First 100 Days - Transitioning A New Managing Partner

Professional References

"I have worked with several legal consultants over the years. One of the very best is Patrick J. McKenna. Patrick has consulted with Briggs from time to time and was invaluable in educating us on some key law firm management issues and guiding us through some significant matters."
Alan Maclin, President - Briggs and Morgan

"Patrick is a leader in the field on whom I rely for strategic advice."
Michael B. Ray, Managing Director - Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox PLLC

"Your contributions are huge and have benefited me greatly."
Mary Cranston, (former) Chair - Pillsbury Winthrop

"Good morning Patrick. Thank you for helping us advance our strategy sessions in Santiago. All the people I spoke with indicated that your presentation was exceptional. It more than met our expectations and the members are still talking about some of the thought leadership items you suggested."
John E. Wolfgang, Chairman – UHY International
UHY is one of the world’s leading business advisory, consulting and accounting firms, with over 7000 professionals operating across 211 offices in 72 countries.

Education

McKenna did his MBA graduate work at the Canadian School of Management, is among the first alumni at Harvard’s Leadership in Professional Service Firms, and holds professional certifications in both accounting and management.

More Information:

Thought Leadership
The LAB (for New Managing Partners)
Blog: Leadership Rants
Best Keynote Speaker
Firm Retreat Offerings
Contact Patrick J. McKenna