A strong law firm leadership transition requires a well-thought-out strategic communications plan that reflects the firm’s internal culture and enhances its external market positioning.

Law firm leadership transitions are among the most significant-and most mishandled-moments in a firm’s growth. Whether the new leader is charged with continuity or firm transformation, how that succession planning is handled and how any transition is communicated will shape perceptions for years. Strategically launching a new managing partner, chair or any other significant leader builds trust, energizes talent, reassures clients and signals to the market that the firm is moving forward with strategic purpose. Done poorly, it creates uncertainty and potentially fuels partner departures and client losses.

Step One: Strategic Clarity, Not a Press Release

The most common mistake firms make with a leadership transition is treating it primarily as a media moment. Before a single announcement is drafted, firm leadership must answer a set of strategic questions: Is this transition about continuity or change?

Is the firm growing, repairing or evolving? Are there internal issues that need to be acknowledged, even if not publicly?

Answers to these questions will determine the strategic communications plan around the transition. A firm that is strong and simply passing the baton as a matter of course will communicate very differently than one that has experienced partnership or business problems such as stalled growth or attorney departures.
Both internal and external communications should also explain the bigger picture. What was the selection process and was timing part of the firm’s bylaws? What will the outgoing leader’s new role be? What are the incoming leader’s top priorities? How will the firm measure the new leader’s success? Will the new leader continue to practice law, and if so, what percentage of their time will be devoted to leading the firm?

Developing a Lasting Narrative

In alignment with the firm’s new leadership, the communications team should develop key messages about strategic direction, market differentiation, commitment to talent, investment in client service and, in the current environment, a dedication to innovation. These messages should be woven into every communication, from internal memos to media interviews to client letters. Keeping the message consistent and clear is crucial.

Supporting materials should include core talking points for the new leader, talking points for the outgoing leader that reflect their legacy and the firm’s path forward, FAQs partners can use in client and peer conversations, a media Q&A preparation document and an internal memo that ensures all firm leadership is speaking from the same script. Inconsistent messaging, particularly in a firm with multiple offices and practice groups, is one of the most common and damaging failures in a leadership transition.

Preparation also means anticipating difficult questions. Having well-considered, preapproved answers to questions before the first media interview is important for managing the story. Formal media training for the new leader, including video media training, should be considered essential.

Internal Communications First-Always

The top priority of any leadership transition must be communicating the news internally, to both business staff and fee earners before it reaches the outside world. The announcement sequence must be deliberate, following what is usually a partnership vote: The firm chair or executive committee communicates first to partners, followed by an all-attorney message and then notification to staff, all before any press release is distributed.

The internal announcement itself should explain the selection process clearly, define the term, express confidence in the incoming leader and acknowledge the outgoing leader’s contributions. An incomplete announcement will generate more questions than it answers. More and more firms are splitting firm leadership duties, going to two or even four attorneys at the helm. In those instances, the announcement needs to clearly define who is responsible for what.

The transition plan’s first 30 to 90 days should include a structured listening tour with office visits, practice group meetings, associate roundtables and staff town halls. A firm leader who takes office with a fully formed agenda and begins announcing decisions before understanding the firm’s current climate and concerns will struggle to gain acceptance. A listening tour is an act of leadership, not a formality. (And in a good succession plan, there might even be some overlap of leadership duties before a new leader takes the helm, garnering information and building trust before a new leader’s platform is rolled out.)

Alejandra Ramirez, founder and CEO of Ready Cultures, says firms too often treat a leadership transition like a messaging exercise. “The biggest risk to the incoming leader’s credibility is when a listening tour is really just a celebratory tour. It should be an opportunity to ask the uncomfortable questions: Where do people feel disconnected from the firm’s direction? What promises has the firm made that it hasn’t delivered on? And then follow through on what they hear. The communications plan has to account for that from day one.”

The goal during these opening tours is not to roll out a comprehensive strategic plan presentation but to introduce the leader in a new way that leaves attorneys and staff feeling confident and included.
“Our firm’s leadership election happened shortly after I joined the firm, so I was lucky to build a communications strategy from the ground up for a new chief managing partner, all while maintaining the momentum from our former chief as he integrated back into full-time practice,” stated Ice Miller Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer Rebecca Wissler. “As a result, I was able to dive right into discussions about succession and the future of the firm, including client financials and strategic adjustments based on where we want to go. Those are impactful conversations that also served as reinforcement across leadership levels at the firm.”

Building the External Communications Strategy-Clients and Only Then, Media

Once internal communications are underway, the firm can turn its attention to the external announcement.
The centerpiece is client communications which deserve a personalized approach via a matrix of clients and relationships. Top clients should receive direct, personalized outreach, ideally from the new leader and relationship partner or accompanied by a call from both the new managing partner and the client’s primary relationship partner. The message should emphasize continuity of service and enhanced value under new leadership-and should occur in many instances before a media announcement goes out. This is especially true from a legal ethics perspective for clients directly represented by the new firm leader.

Next is a well-crafted press release that frames the transition around the firm’s strategic plan with messaging centered on stability, growth, innovation and client focus.

Firms should consider whether to offer an exclusive to a top-tier legal publication prior to broad distribution. An exclusive can generate a more substantive profile and jump-start coverage, although it may reduce the depth of coverage from competing outlets. The decision should be made deliberately, keeping in mind the firm’s media relationships and strategic goals.

Broad distribution should include a newswire, targeted outreach to legal and business media in every market where the firm has a presence, and submissions to business journal “People on the Move” listings across the firm’s geographic footprint. Consider local, regional and national business and legal outlets when developing your media list.

Digital presence must be updated as well: with a refreshed biography for the incoming leader emphasizing leadership credentials, a video message posted to the firm’s website and social channels, and a coordinated LinkedIn announcement that the firm distributes across its own platforms. Video in particular is an underutilized tool in law firm leadership transitions. A brief, well-produced video humanizes the new leader and creates a shareable asset that extends the reach of the announcement.

Concurrently with the office visits and town halls, the new leader should go on a “press tour” and be introduced to legal and business reporters in key cities to provide deeper discussions that spur additional media coverage. These in-person efforts should be considered year after year, as the new leader’s schedule allows, with relationships developed further by phone and video.

The new leader and the firm’s chief marketing officer or communications lead should meet regularly to review upcoming media opportunities, discuss topics the leader would like to see pitched, and align on how media opportunities to speak on behalf of the firm will be presented and prioritized going forward.

Establishing a Thought Leadership Platform

After the initial announcement and within the first six to nine months, the new managing partner should establish a visible thought leadership presence. Internally, this means regular communication-whether via email or the firm’s intranet-on changes, new momentum and successes. Externally, this means bylined articles, speaking engagements, podcast interviews, roundtable discussions with peers and clients, and perhaps even a stronger social media presence.

Awards and rankings submissions, including those such as ALM’s “How I Made Managing Partner” that are tied to firm leadership specifically, should be identified early and built into the communications calendar. These opportunities extend the leader’s profile and reinforce the external narrative established at launch.
Sustaining the Momentum: An Ongoing Visibility Cadence

A leadership communications plan should be sustained and ongoing throughout a leader’s term. This consistency signals stability and keeps the leader active in the conversations that matter most to both internal and external audiences.

The firms that get a leadership launch right understand that this is not a single event to be managed but a long-term opportunity to define where the firm is going, build client relationships, assist with recruiting and maintain strong confidence in leadership.

Beth Huffman, a managing director at Poston Communications, has more than 40 years of experience in communications, media and marketing. She has spent the last two decades helping major law firms, legal organizations and their global clients create strategic narratives that elevate their reputations and work.

Dave Poston is the CEO and general counsel of Poston Communications. A licensed attorney, he has worked as a legal business development, marketing and communications professional for the last 30 years.

Reprinted with permission from the April 22, 2026 edition of The Legal Intelligencer © 2025 ALM Media Properties, LLC. All rights reserved. Further duplication without permission is prohibited, contact 877-257-3382 or reprints@alm.com.