Executive summary vii About the author xi Part I: The Anatomy of Decision Making 1 Chapter 1: Common illusions in the decision-making process 3 Dismantling the mythology – how decision making really happens in law firms 3 Debunking decision-making myths – the reality behind the façade 3 Four illusions concealing the truth 6 Chapter 2: A true map of the decision-making journey 7 The decision-making pyramid 7 The internal conflict of partner roles 9 Who really makes decisions in a law firm 12 How decisions are made 16 Informal alliances and backroom decisions in partnerships 21 Multidimensionality – when partnerships have multiple layers 24 Partners and managers – two worlds, one decision 29 Chapter 3: External and internal forces influencing decisions 37 External pressure – when the market dictates decisions 37 Competitors – the race no one declared 42 The decision and its cost – who goes all in 49 Part II: Why Smart People Make Strange Decisions 53 Chapter 4: The psychology of how lawyers decide 55 Individual psychology and decision-making styles in partnerships 55 The myth of the rational lawyer 57 Five decision-making styles – who is who 60 What drives decisions beyond styles 77 Chapter 5: When decision making gets complicated 85 The myth of the pure type 85 The DMA Matrix – where styles collide and combine 86 Finding your own DMA 91 Chapter 6: When synergy + conflict = firm’s identity 107 Team synergy – when 1+1=5 107 When styles collide – the anatomy of partnership conflicts 111 How decision-making styles shape a firm’s identity 117 Part III: Deconstructing the Concept of “Consensus”: How to Achieve Genuine Buy-In, Avoiding Firm Paralysis 125 Chapter 7: The mechanics of partner buy-in 127 The cultural code of“consensus” 127 The partner hierarchy 130 The game of agreement 134 Chapter 8: What true consensus actually means 139 From Cicero to partner meetings 139 Four phases of consensus life 145 The main trap of groupthink 151 Consensus in crisis 157 TRUE consensus – a practical framework 164 Part IV: How Law Firms Choose Their Strategy 179 Chapter 9: The philosophy of partnership 181 The architectural decisions that determine everything – and whether you can change them 181 Meta-choices – the philosophy of partnership 188 Strategic positioning – who we are in the market and for whom 192 Service model – what and how we sell 205 Chapter 10: Organizational model – how the firm is built from within 221 Partnership vs corporation – brotherhood or hierarchy? 221 Personal brands vs the corporate brand 226 Individual achievements vs team results 232 Structural constellations 238 Part V: Decision-Making Timeline 243 Chapter 11: Architectural decisions life cycle 245 Time and transformation – the map of the life cycle 245 The timeline of key decisions 249 When the system stops working 251 Chapter 12: The real time of decisions 257 When decisions should happen – and how to prepare for them 257 The decision calendar in a partnership firm 259 Decision-making matrix – who decides what and when 264 Speaking the language of decision-making styles 272 Appendices 277 Appendix 1: Complexity navigation checklist 277 Appendix 2: Decision cost calculator 279 Appendix 3: Decision maturity self-assessment 280 Appendix 4: Red flags 281 Appendix 5: The 16 types of legal decision makers 282 Appendix 6: Perfect duos and trios 284 Appendix 7: Navigating style conflicts 287 Appendix 8: Team composition optimizer 293 Appendix 9: Ten distortions of consensus 300 Appendix 10: Four phases of consensus life 302 Appendix 11: The 14 strategic dichotomies 305 Appendix 12: Architectural coherence checker 309 Appendix 13: Decision types classification matrix 312 Appendix 14: Firm lifecycle timeline 315 Appendix 15: The annual decision calendar 319 About Globe Law and Business 323