Brian Burke Helps Launch Service To New Managing Partners

News

posted 16 Apr 2008

Brian K. Burke of Baker & Daniels LLP has been named to the Leadership Advisory Board for a new service to law firm managing partners.

After co-facilitating the "First 100 Days for the New Managing Partner" seminar in New York City last January, Burke and Patrick J. McKenna, a principal of Edge International, helped develop an innovative program where new law firm managing partners have access to advice through the Leadership Advisory Board (LAB).

The program was launched by Edge International in concert with Managing Partner Magazine. Experienced and knowledgeable managing partners offer new law firm leaders a forum in which to ask questions about issues of greatest importance to them. Any managing partner can seek advice (anonymously, if preferred) by logging onto http://us.mpmagazine.com. Once there, managing partners may pose questions, challenges or issues.

Burke and McKenna circulate managing partner inquiries to all members of LAB to collect individual guidance, views and examples; gather and synthesize the group's feedback; and draft a cogent response to the individual presenting the inquiry.

"While teaching the 'First 100 Days' seminar with Patrick, it became evident that these leaders of law firms have very limited resources from which to draw guidance," Burke said. "While their firms might belong to a network of law firms or they might get together with other managing partners in their local markets, it can be awkward for managing partners to ask questions in such settings about the more sensitive strategic, interpersonal or operational issues that they find themselves confronting."

Burke served as Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Baker & Daniels for 15 years from 1993 through 2007. He led the firm's expansion geographically across Indiana and around the globe, as well as doubling the number of lawyers and consultants practicing from offices in Indiana, Washington, D.C. and China. B&D Consulting, a division of Baker & Daniels, also grew in numbers and services, providing strategic and implementation consulting to growing sectors of the U.S. economy, including management planning, government relations, industry-based technical skills and focused communications from its office in Washington, D.C.

In 2008, Burke returned to his law practice at Baker & Daniels as a civil litigator and mediator. He also remains active in civic activities, including serving on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee for the Boy Scouts of America, Crossroads of America Council. He is the Past President of the Indianapolis City Market Corporation's Board of Directors.