How to delegate as a lawyer

Many lawyers aren't great at delegating. Most of us were expected to pick it up as we got more senior, without proper training — or we learned it from people who weren't good managers and accepted those behaviours as normal.

Delegation Cheat SheetTap to open the PDF

What happens to lawyers who don't delegate well?

Having been a lawyer for the past 8 years, I've seen the impact poor delegation has on both managers and juniors. You've probably come across some of these:

• The overburdened partner who does most of the work themselves because "only I can do it properly".

• The micromanager who checks every piece of work and needs everything over-reported and amended in real time.

• The senior who doesn't make delegation a priority, sits on morning tasks, then bombards the team with 'urgent' instructions late in the afternoon.

• The person who doesn't see delegation as investing in others, has no patience for feedback, and complains that "this cohort of juniors are useless".

• The mid-level who passes off tasks they don't want, doesn't check the work, and blames juniors to seniors when there are delays or issues.

What proper delegation looks like

I've also seen plenty of good delegation. It takes more upfront work and investment, but yields real results:

• "John" takes the time to work through a task with a junior the first time, explaining his process. Within 6 months the junior handles most of those tasks with minimal supervision, freeing John to review the technical work, spend time with his family, and get to the business development he never had time for.

• "Jane" works with capable, ambitious juniors, so she looks for chances to include them in challenging tasks and gives timely feedback — and some processes have improved because her juniors found better ways of doing them.

• "Alex", three years in, emulates the good examples of delegation he received and moves away from the bad ones, getting secretaries and paralegals involved while passing on what he learned doing those tasks.

A lot of juniors feel they haven't done enough to start delegating. But it's one of those skills to develop early, or we risk not having it when we're assessed on it as mid-levels and seniors.

Guiding principles

Five principles guide my delegation style:

• Clear communication — be clear about tasks, deadlines and expectations.
• Skill matching — assign tasks to strengths (or to support a learning area).
• Regular check-ins — be available and monitor progress.
• Own it together — you share responsibility for the task, not pass it off.
• Empowerment and support — trust your team and provide support where needed.

When should you delegate?

Assuming a colleague has the time, a few ways to think about it:

• 70% rule — if someone can do a task at least 70% as well as you, delegate it.
• Competitive advantage — delegate if it frees you for tasks you're better at.

• Eisenhower matrix (adapted) — weigh the personal input required from you against the task's urgency.

Longer term, delegation reduces your workload for high-value work, develops the delegate, creates growth opportunities, builds the relationship, and can improve processes. Try not to think too short-term.

Approach to delegation — step by step

1. Confirm whether you can delegate

As a junior it's usually assumed you'll do the work yourself unless told otherwise, but keep an eye out for things worth delegating for time or cost reasons (e.g. formatting, or working with your secretary).

2. Estimate how long the task will take

Factor in the time you'll need to review and amend, then check the other person has capacity in what's left. Don't sit on tasks; give yourself review time (and them fix-up time); update your team if deadlines move.

3. Give clear instructions

• Background — who you're acting for, and the key documents / facts.
• Deliverables — what you need, and in what form (email, memo, mark-up, quick chat).
• Timing / budget — when you need it back to review.

• Expectations — what you expect them to get right, and what you'll review.

Explain how the part fits the whole and provide an example (e.g. populate the first rows of a table). For complex tasks, email written instructions rather than relying on a conversation. Consider the delegate's skill and will — the "Skill / Will matrix":

• High skill / high will → delegate with light-touch oversight.
• Low skill / high will → guide and coach closely.
• High skill / low will → motivate and re-engage.
• Low skill / low will → direct and monitor closely.

4. You're responsible for the final work product

Delegation is a responsibility, not a way to shift responsibility. Got help with formatting? Scroll through to check it. Changing party names in a precedent? Spot-check nothing was missed. Do a comprehensive review where you add the most value, spot-check within their skill set, and give them a chance to fix.

5. Take the blame, give the credit

If a delegated task isn't done well, it's still your work product — no finger-pointing to a senior. Feedback to the delegate is a separate conversation.

6. Give feedback

Offer feedback, especially where you made significant changes — focus on what you changed and why. Give high-level feedback quickly (up to 3 things done well, 3 to improve). For complex tasks or weaker work, a detailed session comparing their draft to the final really helps.

Final thoughts

Delegation is a skill. The sooner we train it, the better the results when we move from juniors to supervisors. It's not always easy, but it's an investment that pays off if you follow a good example and a reasonable process.