How To Delegate Work As A Lawyer
A guide to effective delegation for lawyers: why it matters and how to do it well
Contents
Most lawyers are bad at delegation.
We think it has something to do with the fact that most are perfectionists who like to control every detail of the things they work on and have a primal fear of mistakes.
This drive for excellence can lead to a reluctance to let go of tasks, driven by a fear that mistakes might slip through the cracks.
The mindset becomes: “If it’s going to be done right, I have to do it myself.”
Having worked in private practice and also on the business side, this mindset is one of the biggest weaknesses we see in lawyers.
It impacts productivity, limits team growth and burdens senior lawyers with more than they need to take on, which is often the first step on the road to burnout.
In contrast, what you notice in large corporate organisations is that delegation is seen as a key skill to help teams deliver more work, more efficiently. It is actively encouraged and mastered by the highest performers.
The same applies in law firms. We’ve all seen the expert delegation skills of the best partners - it’s something that great lawyers are really good at.
Equally, we’ve all been on the receiving end of the terrible delegation skills of partners who haven't mastered it - poorly communicated deadlines, unclear instructions, practically non-existent support on the work you’re given. It’s not a nice place to be.
This guide looks at why good delegation matters for high-performing lawyers, and how to do it well.
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Why good delegation matters
Fundamentally, delegation matters because law firms are businesses and your time as a lawyer has a real cost attached to it.
- Cost - Clients should not be paying partner rates (north of £1,500 an hour at the elite firms) for a partner to carry out work that could be done by someone junior for half the price. The same principle applies all the way down the hierarchy.
- Productivity - From a lawyer’s perspective, delegation increases your team’s productivity and allows you to focus on the types of tasks that are commensurate with your experience level.
In summary:
Your team will get more done, more profitably, by being good at delegating work.
When to delegate
This will depend on your seniority.
As a trainee solicitor, for example, your default mode is obviously not to delegate everything on your to-do list. At this level, you are the one being delegated to.
A senior associate or partner, meanwhile, should clearly be thinking about delegation.
Whatever your level, if delegating a task means that it will get done sooner and to the required standard, then you certainly should think about delegating it.
For junior lawyers, here are some simple steps you should follow to decide if you should delegate something:
- Do you have capacity? - Depends on the task, but you should only really be delegating tasks that you don’t have time to do yourself as a junior.
- Apply the 70% rule - This is a widely used rule of thumb. Ask yourself: could someone else perform the task at least 70% as well as you? If it’s a yes, think about delegating it.
- Ask your manager - Ask your supervisor or the relevant partner first if they’re happy for you to delegate the task to someone else in the team.
If all of these are satisfied, then your task is eligible for delegation.
How to delegate
The moment you delegate something, you become a manager. Never forget this.
Good managers don’t manage by abdication. They don’t pass the task off and walk away because now it’s someone else’s responsibility.
Proper delegation is about giving someone else the responsibility to complete the task to your standards, but with overall responsibility and accountability staying with you.
This is a really important point to remember. You are responsible for the final work product.
So whenever you’re delegating something, follow these steps to get it right:
1. Give clear instructions
This is the biggest determinant to the success of your delegation.
You must give the other person a scope of work for the task or project that's as complete as possible.
- Background - Give background, explain the task and provide context on the matter, the client and parties involved. Explain the ‘why’ behind the task and how it fits into the wider project.
- Deadline - Agree a precise deadline for completion of the task.
- Deliverables - Give specific deliverables for the task and agree the format you want them in e.g. email, letter, memo, the length and level of detail you expect.
- Resources - Supply the other person with all the resources they need to get the job done e.g. client file details, precedent documents, know-how guides and intros to other team members needed to complete the job.
- Ask - Always finish by asking the other person if anything isn't clear.
2. Manage accordingly
How hands-on you need to be managing the task depends on the skill level of the other person.
Line managers will often use a so-called 'Skill/Will matrix' to think about this. It’s a really helpful management tool.
The matrix places ‘will’ (motivation, essentially) on the vertical axis and ‘skill’ (their capability) on the horizontal axis.
Your management style should depend on where the other person sits in the matrix:
- High skill, high will: top right. These people have the skills and they’re committed. You can trust them to do a good job and give them the most autonomy.
- Low skill, high will: top left. These people lack the necessary skills but are committed. Show these people what to do, give regular feedback and be hands-on.
- Low skill, low will: bottom left. These people lack skills and easily get discouraged. Set clear expectations and deadlines and closely monitor their progress. Encourage them to reach out for help when they need it.
- High skill, low will: bottom right. These people have the skills but they get easily discouraged. Figure out what excites them, provide regular position feedback.
This is just to give you a general idea of the type of support the other person might need from you.
Really it’s just about being aware that different personality types demand different management styles.
3. Give feedback
Tell the other person how they did.
Here are two simple rules to follow whenever you give feedback:
- Tell them what they did well - you want the other person to continue doing what’s working so tell them what they did well.
- Tell them what needs improvement - focus on the future (what they can do better going forward), be specific and explain the ‘why’ behind your feedback (don’t just say “Don’t do this”, say “Don’t do this because…”).
4. Pass the credit and take the blame
This is what team players do.
If you get praised for the work, pass the credit: “Thanks, X was a massive help on the board minutes and did a really good job.”
On the flip side, you’re the one that needs to take responsibility if something goes wrong: “Sorry, I should have checked the board minutes more carefully. That was my mistake. It won’t happen again.”
Visualising good delegation
Here's another way to think about great delegation:
It’s known as the 10-80-10 rule and its premise is very simple.
It says that in relation to any task or project you delegate to someone else, be hands-on for the first 10% of the project, allow the other person to handle the next 80%, then return for the final 10% to review and refine the work to make sure the output meets the required standard.
You can visualise it like this:
- First 10%: This is step 1 we just covered: give clear instructions.
- Middle 80%: This is the ‘doing phase’ and where you need to manage the other person as we covered in step 2.
- Final 10%: This is where you review the work, provide any feedback, and make any changes to bring it up to the required standard. This is you making the final finishing touches, you putting the cherry on top.
Law Firm | Trainee First Year | Trainee Second Year | Newly Qualified (NQ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Addleshaw Goddard | £52,000 | £56,000 | £100,000 |
| Akin Gump | £60,000 | £65,000 | £174,418 |
| A&O Shearman | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Ashurst | £52,000 | £57,000 | £125,000 |
| Baker McKenzie | £56,000 | £61,000 | £140,000 |
| Bird & Bird | £47,000 | £52,000 | £98,000 |
| Bristows | £46,000 | £50,000 | £88,000 |
| Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner | £50,000 | £55,000 | £105,000 |
| Burges Salmon | £47,000 | £49,000 | £72,000 |
| Charles Russell Speechlys | £50,000 | £53,000 | £88,000 |
| Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton | £57,500 | £62,500 | £164,500 |
| Clifford Chance | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Clyde & Co | £47,000 | £49,500 | £85,000 |
| CMS | £50,000 | £55,000 | £110,000 |
| Cooley | £55,000 | £60,000 | £157,000 |
| Davis Polk | £65,000 | £70,000 | £170,000 |
| Debevoise | £55,000 | £60,000 | £173,000 |
| Dechert | £55,000 | £61,000 | £165,000 |
| Dentons | £50,000 | £54,000 | £100,000 |
| DLA Piper | £50,000 | £55,000 | £110,000 |
| Eversheds Sutherland | £46,000 | £50,000 | £100,000 |
| Farrer & Co | £47,000 | £49,000 | £88,000 |
| Fieldfisher | £48,500 | £52,000 | £95,000 |
| Freshfields | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Fried Frank | £55,000 | £60,000 | £175,000 |
| Gibson Dunn | £60,000 | £65,000 | £180,000 |
| Goodwin Procter | £55,000 | £60,000 | £175,000 |
| Gowling WLG | £48,500 | £53,500 | £98,000 |
| Herbert Smith Freehills | £56,000 | £61,000 | £135,000 |
| HFW | £50,000 | £54,000 | £100,000 |
| Hill Dickinson | £43,000 | £45,000 | £80,000 |
| Hogan Lovells | £56,000 | £61,000 | £135,000 |
| Irwin Mitchell | £43,000 | £45,000 | £76,000 |
| Jones Day | £56,000 | £65,000 | £160,000 |
| K&L Gates | £50,000 | £55,000 | £115,000 |
| Kennedys | £43,000 | £46,000 | £85,000 |
| King & Spalding | £55,000 | £60,000 | £165,000 |
| Kirkland & Ellis | £60,000 | £65,000 | £174,418 |
| Latham & Watkins | £60,000 | £65,000 | £174,418 |
| Linklaters | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Macfarlanes | £56,000 | £61,000 | £140,000 |
| Mayer Brown | £55,000 | £60,000 | £135,000 |
| McDermott Will & Emery | £65,000 | £70,000 | £174,418 |
| Milbank | £65,000 | £70,000 | £174,418 |
| Mills & Reeve | £45,000 | £47,000 | £82,000 |
| Mischon de Reya | £47,500 | £52,500 | £95,000 |
| Norton Rose Fulbright | £50,000 | £55,000 | £135,000 |
| Orrick | £55,000 | £60,000 | £160,000 |
| Osborne Clarke | £54,500 | £56,000 | £94,000 |
| Paul Hastings | £60,000 | £68,000 | £173,000 |
| Paul Weiss | £55,000 | £60,000 | £180,000 |
| Penningtons Manches Cooper | £48,000 | £50,000 | £83,000 |
| Pinsent Masons | £49,500 | £54,000 | £97,000 |
| Quinn Emanuel | n/a | n/a | £180,000 |
| Reed Smith | £50,000 | £55,000 | £125,000 |
| Ropes & Gray | £60,000 | £65,000 | £165,000 |
| RPC | £46,000 | £50,000 | £90,000 |
| Shoosmiths | £43,000 | £45,000 | £97,000 |
| Sidley Austin | £60,000 | £65,000 | £175,000 |
| Simmons & Simmons | £52,000 | £57,000 | £120,000 |
| Skadden | £58,000 | £63,000 | £173,000 |
| Slaughter and May | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Squire Patton Boggs | £47,000 | £50,000 | £110,000 |
| Stephenson Harwood | £50,000 | £55,000 | £100,000 |
| Sullivan & Cromwell | £65,000 | £70,000 | £174,418 |
| Taylor Wessing | £50,000 | £55,000 | £115,000 |
| TLT | £44,000 | £47,500 | £85,000 |
| Travers Smith | £54,000 | £59,000 | £120,000 |
| Trowers & Hamlins | £45,000 | £49,000 | £80,000 |
| Vinson & Elkins | £60,000 | £65,000 | £173,077 |
| Watson Farley & Williams | £50,000 | £55,000 | £102,000 |
| Weightmans | £34,000 | £36,000 | £70,000 |
| Weil Gotshal & Manges | £60,000 | £65,000 | £170,000 |
| White & Case | £62,000 | £67,000 | £175,000 |
| Willkie Farr & Gallagher | £60,000 | £65,000 | £170,000 |
| Withers | £47,000 | £52,000 | £95,000 |
| Womble Bond Dickinson | £43,000 | £45,000 | £80,000 |
Rank | Law Firm | Revenue | Profit per Equity Partner (PEP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DLA Piper* | £3,010,000,000 | £2,400,000 |
| 2 | Clifford Chance | £2,300,000,000 | £2,040,000 |
| 3 | A&O Shearman | £2,200,000,000 | £2,200,000 |
| 4 | Hogan Lovells | £2,150,000,000 | £2,200,000 |
| 5 | Freshfields | £2,140,000,000 | Not disclosed |
| 6 | Linklaters | £2,100,000,000 | £1,900,000 |
| 7 | Norton Rose Fulbright* | £1,800,000,000 | £1,100,000 |
| 8 | CMS** | £1,620,000,000 | Not disclosed |
| 9 | Herbert Smith Freehills | £1,300,000,000 | £1,300,000 |
| 10 | Ashurst | £961,000,000 | £1,300,000 |
| 11 | Clyde & Co | £844,000,000 | £739,000 |
| 12 | Eversheds Sutherland | £749,000,000 | £1,300,000 |
| 13 | BCLP* | £661,000,000 | £748,000 |
| 14 | Pinsent Masons | £649,000,000 | £793,000 |
| 15 | Slaughter and May*** | £625,000,000 | Not disclosed |
| 16 | Simmons & Simmons | £574,000,000 | £1,076,000 |
| 17 | Bird & Bird** | £545,000,000 | £696,000 |
| 18 | Addleshaw Goddard | £495,000,000 | Not disclosed |
| 19 | Taylor Wessing | £480,000,000 | £915,000*** |
| 20 | Osborne Clarke** | £456,000,000 | £771,000 |
| 21 | Womble Bond Dickinson | £448,000,000 | £556,000 |
| 22 | DWF | £435,000,000 | Not disclosed |
| 23 | Fieldfisher | £407,000,000 | £966,000 |
| 24 | Kennedys | £384,000,000 | Not disclosed |
| 25 | DAC Beachcroft | £325,000,000 | £700,000 |
What do City lawyers actually do each day?
For a closer look at the day-to-day of some of the most common types of lawyers working in corporate law firms, explore our lawyer job profiles:
Putting delegation into practice
So that’s why delegation is important and how to do it well.
Now, let’s keep things in perspective. This guide is meant to give you a foundational understanding of what good delegation looks like - not to turn you into an expert overnight.
The relevance of delegation will vary depending on where you are in your legal career. For trainees, it may feel less applicable since you’re at the early stages, without direct reports or managerial responsibilities.
But here’s why it matters: delegation is a skill you’ll need sooner than you think.
Before long, you’ll be a few years qualified, overseeing trainees, and managing workloads that require you to rely on others. Building these skills early will give you a major advantage when that time comes.
We speak from experience.
When we moved into supervisory roles, we wished we had started honing these skills earlier. Learning how to delegate effectively - what works, what doesn’t, and why - would have made that shift much smoother.
| Firm | London office since | Known for in London |
|---|---|---|
| Baker McKenzie | 1961 | Finance, capital markets, TMT |
| Davis Polk | 1972 | Leveraged finance, corporate/M&A |
| Gibson Dunn | 1979 | Private equity, arbitration, energy, resources and infrastructure |
| Goodwin | 2008 | Private equity, funds, life sciences |
| Kirkland & Ellis | 1994 | Private equity, funds, restructuring |
| Latham & Watkins | 1990 | Finance, private equity, capital markets |
| Milbank | 1979 | Finance, capital markets, energy, resources and infrastructure |
| Paul Weiss | 2001 | Private equity, leveraged finance |
| Quinn Emanuel | 2008 | Litigation |
| Sidley Austin | 1974 | Leveraged finance, capital markets, corporate/M&A |
| Simpson Thacher | 1978 | Leveraged finance, private equity, funds |
| Skadden | 1988 | Finance, corporate/M&A, arbitration |
| Weil | 1996 | Restructuring, private equity, leverage finance |
| White & Case | 1971 | Capital markets, arbitration, energy, resources and infrastructure |
Law Firm | Trainee First Year | Trainee Second Year | Newly Qualified (NQ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A&O Shearman | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Clifford Chance | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Linklaters | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Slaughter and May | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
Law Firm | Trainee First Year | Trainee Second Year | Newly Qualified (NQ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A&O Shearman | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Clifford Chance | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Linklaters | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Slaughter and May | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
Law Firm | Trainee First Year | Trainee Second Year | Newly Qualified (NQ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashurst | £52,000 | £57,000 | £125,000 |
| Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner | £50,000 | £55,000 | £105,000 |
| Herbert Smith Freehills | £56,000 | £61,000 | £135,000 |
| Macfarlanes | £56,000 | £61,000 | £140,000 |
| Travers Smith | £54,000 | £59,000 | £120,000 |
| Firm | Merger year | Known for in London |
|---|---|---|
| BCLP | 2018 | Real estate, corporate/M&A, litigation |
| DLA Piper | 2005 | Corporate/M&A, real estate, energy, resources and infrastructure |
| Eversheds Sutherland | 2017 | Corporate/M&A, finance |
| Hogan Lovells | 2011 | Litigation, regulation, finance |
| Mayer Brown | 2002 | Finance, capital markets, real estate |
| Norton Rose Fulbright | 2013 | Energy, resources and infrastructure, insurance, finance |
| Reed Smith | 2007 | Shipping, finance, TMT |
| Squire Patton Boggs | 2011 | Corporate/M&A, pensions, TMT |
Law Firm | Trainee First Year | Trainee Second Year | Newly Qualified (NQ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashurst | £52,000 | £57,000 | £125,000 |
| Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner | £50,000 | £55,000 | £105,000 |
| Herbert Smith Freehills | £56,000 | £61,000 | £135,000 |
| Macfarlanes | £56,000 | £61,000 | £140,000 |
| Travers Smith | £54,000 | £59,000 | £120,000 |
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