The Ownership Gap: Unlocking Initiative in Junior Lawyers

Senior lawyers want associates who do more than check the boxes. They want team members who see the whole matter, anticipate issues, exercise judgment, and take responsibility for outcomes. Instead, many leaders see junior lawyers as doing exactly what they are asked, and no more. From the associate perspective, this is deeply frustrating; they are already working at full capacity, responding quickly, and putting in long hours, yet they still hear they need to “take more ownership.”

The best lawyers understand that ownership is not about maximizing hours. It is about shifting from a task mindset to an ownership mindset—that is, from executing assignments to taking responsibility for what truly moves the matter forward. But this is easier said than done.

In this one-hour briefing, Ben Sachs, a law professor, consultant, and author of the best-selling management book for lawyers, “All Rise: Practical Tools for Building High-Performance Legal Teams,” will unpack ambiguous concepts of ownership into a concrete toolkit to deliver more value without burning out. Drawing on behavioral science and examples from law and business, this session will provide specific tips for accelerating one’s ownership and give supervising lawyers tools for encouraging ownership in others. This is the roadmap for teams to deliver best-in-class work, maximize engagement, and sustain a happier, high-performance culture.

You will learn:

• The difference between a task mindset and an ownership mindset, and why hard-working lawyers can still be seen as lacking ownership (15 minutes)

• The most common reasons ownership breaks down on legal teams, including misaligned expectations between senior and junior lawyers (15 minutes)

• Practical ways lawyers can demonstrate ownership without burnout, including anticipating issues, managing up, and exercising judgment on matters (15 minutes)

• How supervising like partners can create conditions that encourage ownership, leading to higher-quality work, smoother matters, and more engaged teams (15 minutes)