With the October extension deadline behind you, you probably have a few issues in mind for the partner retreat: returns held up in review, staffing gaps, or decisions that kept getting postponed.
The 2026 Rosenberg Report can bring perspective to your partner retreat by showing how your firm’s results compare with those of similar firms. A few relevant comparisons, shared before the retreat, give partners a starting point for examining what happened and what needs to change.
The question comes before the measures
A productive discussion begins with a specific question. “Improve profitability” is a reasonable objective, but it leaves a lot open. “Why did revenue grow without producing more firm income?” gives partners something to investigate. So does “What needs to change so the managing partner has time to lead?”
The measures you select will depend on what you’re trying to resolve. A growth and profitability discussion might include revenue growth, income per partner (IPP), revenue per person, and the staff-to-partner ratio. For partner capacity, partner billable hours provide a comparison, while your own records can show how partners spend the rest of their time.
I’d start with four to six measures tied to the retreat’s main questions, with the full report available for reference.
Partners need context before the discussion
A simple comparison can show each selected measure alongside your firm’s prior-year result and the relevant Rosenberg benchmark.
The dates matter here. The 2026 report reflects 2025 financial data, so your firm’s 2025 results provide the corresponding comparison. Adding 2024 results shows your firm’s direction over time. A separate 2026 update helps partners see what has changed since the period covered by the report.
Consistent definitions and an appropriate revenue group make the comparison more useful. Partners also need to know about changes that could affect the results, such as an acquisition, a new equity partner, or hiring ahead of demand. Differences in service mix may help explain why firms of similar size report different results.
Sending the comparisons and discussion questions in advance gives partners time to consider which results deserve attention and what additional information would help explain them.
A gap can have several explanations
If your firm’s IPP falls below the peer benchmark, one partner may point to pricing while another points to staffing costs. Neither explanation is established by the IPP figure alone.
The firm’s records can help test those explanations. Repeated write-downs on particular engagements may warrant a closer look at fees, scope, or how the work was performed. New hires with less work than expected may explain some staffing costs. Partners may also be handling work that others could do.
You may not have enough information to resolve the question during the partner retreat. In that case, agreeing on what to investigate, who will do it, and when they’ll report back is a useful outcome.
Priorities need actions and follow-up
Two or three priorities are usually enough to carry out of the retreat. Their financial impact, the firm’s ability to address them, and its goals for 2027 should guide the choice.
A below-average result won’t always require corrective action. Lower IPP may reflect hiring the partners approved to support future growth. An above-average result can also deserve attention: high revenue per person may depend on workloads the firm can’t sustain.
Each priority needs an agreed action, someone responsible for carrying it out, an expected result, and a review date. For example, giving a manager more review responsibility requires agreement on which work they’ll review and what training or authority they’ll need.
Partner hours, turnaround time, and rework can then show whether the change frees partner time without creating delays or more corrections.
Scheduling the follow-up before leaving the retreat gives partners a date to assess the results. When they reconvene, they can compare what happened with what they expected and decide whether to continue or adjust.
