Don’t just produce results, unleash potential.

Radical disruption in the legal sector has meant increased pressure on lawyers to be strategic business enablers and innovators. Today, leaders of law firms and legal functions must steer change more effectively to create client-centric solutions for the businesses they serve. But this requires a new set of leadership skills focused on delivering success through vision and values, purpose over profits and positive impact on people.

The Conscious Lawyer is a simple, powerful roadmap for professionals seeking a more meaningful way of leading high-performing teams through change. Discover a fresh perspective on how you can reshape your leadership to advance the future of law.

As an international lawyer, general counsel and law firm COO, Kiran Chawla Scarr has spent a global career leading transformational change in the legal sector. Widely recognized and awarded for transformative leadership, process innovation and contribution to the legal community, she is a prominent voice on the future of law.

This book is brilliant. The closest anyone has come to answering the question ‘how do I lead change in the legal sector?’ Jeremy Small – CEO and Founder, Jameson Legal

We are amidst a sea change in the legal sector. Global pressures, digitisation, and a departure from traditional billing and resourcing mean lawyers and those who lead them need to adapt fast. This book, full of real-life examples and practical tips, shows us how. Scarr’s CARE model demonstrates how to create an optimum environment for growth at every level. Through connecting with a deeper organizational purpose and relating meaningfully with those around us, we can all become more conscious lawyers and leaders. Justin D’Agostino – Chief Executive Officer and Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills LLP

This is a great reminder that times of change present opportunities, and that our teams, more than ever, need leadership rather than management. The Conscious Lawyer is full of nuggets on how to maximize the opportunities in front of us and ensure that our teams are fully motivated and engaged in the journey. Tim Casben – Managing Partner UAE, Gowling WLG.

This book is a game-changer. It caused me to look inside myself to uncover my purpose, ask myself the honest question of what kind of legacy I want to have as a leader and remind myself that it’s okay to be human and to show humility, empathy and compassion. Catherine Workman – Partner and Head of Middle East, Pinsent Masons

The Conscious Lawyer makes us think about our approach to leadership and the impact we have in both the legal and business world. It affirms the importance of being human, having empathy and allowing the heart to play an essential role in our decision making. A must read for senior leaders and aspiring leaders of the future! Rania Tadros – Managing Partner, Stephenson Harwood Middle East

In The Conscious Lawyer, Kiran Scarr shares a unique insider’s view of the legal profession. Her vision of the profession’s future is both compelling and timely, as we take stock of shifting generational preferences and the tough lessons dealt out by the Covid-19 pandemic. A must-read for those in leadership roles within the legal sector or, indeed, any industry sector. Patrick Earl – Chief Operating Officer, Al Tamimi & Co

Law firms are coming under increased pressure from global economic challenges, technological disruption and generational shifts in the workplace. We are in new frontiers of growth and purpose where measures of success expand beyond financial indicators. The Conscious Lawyer tells us how we need to change as leaders to respond to this urgent call to action. An essential read for any professional ready to lead through change in the legal sector. Nick Roberts – Head of Legal Delivery and Innovation, Clyde & Co

For centuries, we have lived in a world where a leader’s status has eclipsed the needs of those they lead. Ongoing geopolitical turmoil, persistent inflation and economic uncertainty are testing a leader’s ability to navigate uncertainty. In this new era of purpose, trust and inclusion, new leadership is required. Kiran Scarr takes us on a journey from our own limitations to choosing greater impact. This book will guide you to become an authentic change agent and help you create the positive impact that is so needed in this world. Iris Van der Veken – Executive Director and Secretary General, Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030

Kiran’s ‘CARE’ model is a simple guide in how to step up to a higher standard of responsibility for people and performance in the businesses we serve. A must for every leader facing disruption, challenge and uncertainty in today’s globalised economy. Sophie Moloney – Chief Executive Officer, Sky New Zealand

With The Conscious Lawyer, Kiran Scarr sets a vision for the future of the profession: a vision of leadership, humanity and courage. A vision in which values and impact drive results. And one in which lawyers can take down their mask to build a stronger brand. The book is essential reading for lawyers and all those thinking of becoming one, providing a framework for a better future. Mark Beer OBE – Professor of AI and the Law, Shanghai University of Political Science and Law

This book is aimed not just at legal practitioners but us all. Change is all around us as new technologies emerge, as existing business models are upended and as the war for talent becomes even more fierce. Doing what we always did, and expecting the same outcomes is not enough. Change we must, and this book gives us ample food for thought and reflection on how to do just that. An excellent read. Gautam Sashittal – Chief Executive Officer, King Abdullah Financial District

Kiran understands the urgent need for a change in mindset and approach among legal leaders. This book provides a range of deeply-researched and thoughtful observations on leadership, and will be of use to any lawyer interested in developing themselves, the team they lead and the institutions they serve. Andrew Cooke – General Counsel, TravelPerk

This is a must-read for any lawyers looking to distinguish themselves as a leading in-house counsel, or for those looking to fully understand the needs of an in-house counsel as their client. The Conscious Lawyer is full of wonderful insights and thought-provoking perspectives on the current failing in the legal sector, and the behavioral change needed to be a great leader. Justin Dowding – Head of Legal Middle East, Africa, Turkey and Pakistan, TikTok

This book is a journey into redefining values, purpose, and success. Kiran gracefully takes us on the courageous path to challenging the myths that pervade our profession to shift our focus from doing high-performance to being a people enabler. An essential read for those who want to know how to embrace change. Filippo Cossalter – Head of Legal, Johnson & Johnson Emerging Markets and Italy and member of the board of directors, Association of Corporate Counsel Middle East and North Africa

The Conscious Lawyer fully captures the raw challenges facing lawyers in private practice and in-house roles today. Packed with practical solutions to everyday leadership problems, it gives a clear roadmap in how to drive our transformation journey from controlling results to focusing attention on people. Read this book if you want to unleash your potential to be an influential leader of your team and your business. Dr Yasser Aboismail – General Counsel, Schindler

A unique perspective on how to change mindset and behaviour in high performing teams. What it reveals about lawyers’ ability to change how they lead themselves and their businesses is both exciting and hopeful. Mark Hultum – Regional Head of Legal, International Bank

With The Conscious Lawyer, Kiran Scarr has taken leadership in the legal sector to a new, inspiring level. If you want to lead change in your law firm or legal function, you must read this book. Allison Hosking – Director of New Law, PwC Legal Middle East

Digital transformation for any law firm or corporate legal department is a long journey that goes far beyond purchasing the right legal technology solution. It requires lawyers to take a holistic approach to change, prioritising how to lead change within their organizations. The Conscious Lawyer guides us on how to do just that. It is an essential read for any lawyer ready to lead through radical change in the legal sector. Ibrahim Abdel Rehim – Regional Head Middle East Africa Russia/CIS and India, Thomson Reuters

Preface

• Where it began

• Why it is time to change

• What it means to be a conscious lawyer

• My approach

Chapter 1: Doing high performance

• How we are taught to behave

• How we are measured

• How high performers perceive themselves

• The power gap

• Being the Conscious Lawyer

Chapter 2: Leading through change

• The changing role of the in-house lawyer

• What law firms face

• The new generation of lawyers

• Barriers to change

• Leadership skills for leading through change

Chapter 3: Choosing I CARE

• The need to be client-centric

• The need to be human

• How I CARE can help

LEAP I: CONNECT to the leader in you

Chapter 4: Why egos crush souls

• When ego serves us

• How you see yourself is not how others see you

• Shades of The Dark Triad

• When ego stops serving us

• The Authenticity Gap

Chapter 5: Being your leadership brand

• Your leadership brand

• The problem with being a brand

• Nourishing your brand

Chapter 6: Letting your values speak

• The case for values-based leadership

• Know your values

• Aligning behaviour with values

• Know what your values look like in action

• Control your choices

Chapter 7: Taking down the mask

• Finding connection to greater consciousness

• Starting with submerging ego

• Letting go of perfection

• Finding compassion

• Dealing with blind spots

• Having courage to take down the mask

LEAP II: AWAKEN your purpose

Chapter 8: Why results limit us

• Competition is scarcity mindset

• Abundance is limitless

• Resentment in past limits our future self

• Detach yourself from results

Chapter 9: Shifting your mindset from results to impact

• What fixed mindset looks like

• What holds us back

• What frees us

• Moving into growth mindset

• Believe in impact

Chapter 10: Choosing greater impact

• Go in search of purpose

• Focus on process not destination

• Being prepared to fail

Chapter 11: Focusing on experience every day

• Using flow to deliver outcomes

• All we have is the present moment

• Letting your thinking get in the way

LEAP III: RELATE to the people around you

Chapter 12: Why impact on people matters

• Awareness of impact

• Impact on people

• The cost of impact

• Shift to sphere of influence

• Harnessing potential

Chapter 13: Being the Conscious Lawyer

• Choosing conscious leadership

• Identifying a conscious lawyer

• From results to people

• From profits to purpose

• The state of being rather than doing

Chapter 14: Transforming your impact

• Motivating the new generation

• Transforming the experience

• From tasks to flow activities

• From outcome to process

LEAP IV: ENTRUST others to fulfil their potential

Chapter 15: Why trust matters

• The problem with fixed mindset

• Without trust, there is no leadership

• What builds trust in the workplace

• How growth mindset allows trust

Chapter 16: Making learning your success criteria

• Why inclusion matters

• Harnessing collective wisdom

• Making room for growth

• Mentor a shift to growth mindset

Chapter 17: Creating change leaders of the future

• Whose potential do you own?

• Decentralise your decision-making

• Less Authority, more Autonomy

• Make succession your success

Chapter 18: Drawing this together

• Conclusion

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

References

FORMAT / ISBN / PUBLICATION DATE / RRP

Paperback / 9781788604437 / June 27, 2023 / £29.99

Ebook / 9781788604451 / June 26, 2023 / £7.99

Paperback and eBook Bundle / £31.99

Kiran Scarr

As an international lawyer, general counsel and law firm Chief Operating Officer, Kiran Chawla Scarr has spent a global career leading transformational change in the legal sector. Her experience has been widely recognized: she has been multi-awarded individually as General Counsel of the Year and with her teams for legal technology innovation, compliance innovation, championing diversity and contribution to the in-house legal community. A prominent keynote speaker and thought leader on leading through change, she is a regular contributor to legal and business publications on the future of law.

Kiran holds an LLB (Hons) from University of Glasgow and worked 25+ years as a lawyer in UK, Australia, Singapore and the Middle East. She is a 30% Club mentor to senior female leaders and a qualified executive coach, helping law firms and legal departments transform the way they lead themselves and their businesses through global challenge and disruption.