Leadership Development

Jane Hamshaw, of Ashtons HR Consulting, talks about the in-house Leadership Development programme she has developed for the firm.

In recent years, the majority of roles within professional services have changed and this is true of Solicitors, Associates and Partners in all Law Firms. After spending years gaining the knowledge they need to undertake their chosen career, they are often thrust into the world of managing other people, having not been given the skills to do so.

On joining Ashtons, one of the priorities for me was to build a training programme centred round Leadership Skills, to be delivered internally to those Solicitors or Team Leaders who wished to move into, or were already undertaking, a junior management role as an Associate of the Firm.

Having gained experience in designing and delivering Leadership Programmes previously, I was able to draw on this in constructing the Ashtons Legal Associate Programme. The programme is centred on some fundamental principles of Leadership, including the need to be able to manage yourself before managing others, and then take on increased involvement and responsibilities as a leader within the Firm.

So far 26 employees have successfully completed the programme, which has been reviewed and developed each year. In addition, a more in-depth version of the programme has also been delivered for those moving from an Associate to a Partner role at Ashtons Legal.

Ashtons Commercial Property team said of the Programme:

“The dedicated associate programme delivered by the Ashtons’ HR team exemplifies the firm’s strong commitment to the development of its people. The monthly workshops you undertake during the course of the programme teach so many excellent leadership and management skills, and most importantly, the firm actively seeks to enable you to apply those skills in your role, in developing others, as well as your client handling skills.”

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