Leadership Academy for Women | Profiles
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Janet Mueller, Dannis Woliver Kelley
“I discovered we were ahead of the game... I now have a greater perspective
on what most or many female partners face in law firms.”
Janet Mueller, Managing Shareholder Elect, Dannis Woliver Kelley
Janet Mueller was already an equity partner and practice group leader when she attended the Leadership Academy in 2008. She knew she was likely to be tapped for broader firm leadership, and was hoping to learn skills that would make her a better leader — how to motivate people, lead teams, and successfully resolve conflict.
What she learned was that she had a much easier road to leadership and success than many of her peers. Dannis Woliver Kelley had moved in and out of women-owned status for many years and currently is one of the largest women-owned law firms in the country, with 35 attorneys in three offices.
”I discovered we were ahead of the game. It was good for me to know and share that information with other shareholders, and have a better feel for the context in which we operate,” Mueller said. ”I now have a greater perspective on what most or many female partners face in law firms.”
”It was fascinating to hear how other firms were structured, what they were doing, what opportunities people had, what frustrations these people needed to overcome” to meet their personal goals, she said. ”I think there was a really good energy among the participants. It was a very nonthreatening environment in which to share stories and frustrations.”
Mueller realized while attending the Leadership Academy that her firm was doing many things right, but sometimes accidentally. ”We were doing things because they felt right, but without a lot of structure or consistency. We became much more intentional about our policies” following the Leadership Academy, she said. What she learned, for instance, sparked the firm to adopt a formal alternative work arrangements policy. Though the firm had previously had attorneys on reduced hours schedules and work-at-home arrangements, the arrangements were ad hoc. Now it has a firmwide set of standards that can be applied consistently and makes decision-making easier.
Mueller said the Leadership Academy was also a chance to think more intentionally about leadership, particularly succession issues, which are always paramount in a small firm. ”Our firm is very focused on ‘going with people’s gifts,’” she said, and playing to their strengths. The shareholders consider seriously whether it makes sense to have the firm’s biggest business generators serve as practice group leaders, for example. ”Sometimes other attorneys make the best managers, those who take an interest in the more relational aspect of the law, and take an interest in their peers’ personal growth,” she said.
Mueller takes over this July as firmwide managing shareholder. Her time at the Leadership Academy has prepared her mentally for the rigors of management, particularly learning how other firms approach different issues and learning from their challenges and approaches. ”I do feel much more fortunate than many women attorneys. Overall, we are doing things well. Let’s use that as a selling point.”
View the program design, curriculum and faculty list.
To register by mail, print out the registration form and mail if with a check to the address at the bottom of the form.
For additional information about the Leadership Academy call 415-565-4640 or send us an email.
