In law departments, titles are important for showing where someone stands in the hierarchy, for morale, and for status (See my posts of Jan. 27, 2006: titles should reflect and explain the work staff does; Jan. 24, 2006: try to match lawyer grade/titles to client grade/titles; Dec. 10, 2005: titles are positional goods; Oct. 29, 2005: morale in a law department affected by a hodgepodge of titles; and Feb. 28, 2006: value to an in-house lawyer of an officer title.).
Those who have a title and those around them read significance into the title (See my posts of Nov. 8, 2005: “Associate” over “Assistant” General Counsel; March 23, 2006: hierarchy below Associate and Assistant General Counsel; Aug. 21, 2005: titles for paralegals or legal assistants; Dec. 9, 2005: new title at Barclays of Chief Operating Officer; and March 16, 2006: A-positions may not match titles.).
Titles and changes in titles (promotions) are a key part of talent management (See my posts of Jan. 4, 2006: hallmarks of a progressive performance management system; March 23, 2005: title simplification is passé; Nov. 1, 2005: title simplification, but “Corporate Secretary” still needed by law; March 6, 2006: dual-track career paths for generalist managers and specialist experts; and Nov. 8, 2005: human resources representative for the law department.).