Ida Abbott has been helping employers develop, manage and retain legal talent since 1995. She also serves as a mentor and coach to high achieving individuals seeking professional success. Her clients are located throughout the world. They include firms and companies of varying size and complexity, from small and mid-size local offices to global law and accounting firms. 

Ida has long been recognized as a leader in the fields of mentoring, leadership development and professional development, and is a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management. She is a founder and former board member of the Professional Development Consortium, served as Vice-Chair of the Academic and Professional Development Committee of the International Bar Association, and has held many other leadership positions in bar associations and legal organizations.

For many years, Ida has been at the forefront of efforts to promote women in the legal profession. She is co-founder and Director of the Hastings Leadership Academy for Women at the University of California Hastings College of the Law, where she is also a Faculty Fellow. She is Bay Area Co-Chair of the Women in Law Empowerment Forum and on the Advisory Board of the New York Women’s Bar Association Foundation.

Before starting her consulting firm, Ida practiced law for 20 years. She specialized in complex litigation at Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe, where she also ran the firm's professional development and pro bono programs. She often served as a judge pro tempore in the San Francisco Superior Court and as a private and court-appointed mediator and arbitrator.

Ida is a prolific writer and a popular speaker at local, national, and international conferences. You can see her books, articles and all issues of her newsletter, Management Solutions, on this website.

Ida received her J.D. from Hastings College of the Law, M.A. from the University of Miami, and A.B. from Smith College.