The Four Cardinal Virtues of Law Firm Culture
Law firm “culture” isn’t that hard to define. Culture is what people at the law firm actually do every day — or, less sunnily, what people get away with doing. I’ve worked in organizations that struck committees to study and define the organizational culture, but that failed to appreciate that the most accurate definition of […]
Superstar or Renegade? Keeping Toxic Lawyers Out of Your Partnership
“Superstar employees are the obsession of the corporate world,” a recent article in the Harvard Business Review (HBR) begins. “They’re highly sought after, given the most attention and the best opportunities, generously rewarded, and expressly reassured after setbacks.” Does this remind you of any members of your law firm’s equity partner class? Especially those recruited laterally […]
Bigger vs Better: Should your firm merge?
First, see if it can answer “yes” to one essential question. So law firm mergers are back in the news again, to the continued fascination of the legal press. For every combination that’s completed and announced, you can count on several others bubbling under in conversations within executive committees and at luncheon gatherings of senior […]
Law Firm Innovation and the Bad Bank
I’m starting to see more large law firms seriously consider, or actually create, the role of “Chief Innovation Officer” or the like. This position is often responsible, among other things, for creating a strategy and framework for leading change within the firm, coordinating and managing all the firm’s current and future innovation initiatives, developing a […]
5 Pressing Priorities for Professional Providers (This is more than just another PR exercise)
If you like lists and you love alliteration, then you’re probably a legal management consultant. It seems that practically every article these days by people in my line of work features a numbered list of entries that all begin with the same letter. I admit that I often do the same thing in my presentations. […]
Why Are You Growing?
Mergers are tactics that should support a law firm’s strategy. But some firms fall into the trap of using mergers as a substitute for strategy. Before you grow your firm, make sure you know what you hope to achieve.
The business, professional and human case for law firm diversity
In the wake of the recession, law firm diversity numbers that had begun to inch upwards have stalled or even begun to drop again. Instead of complaining about their diversity obligations, law firms ought to understand and act on the business, professional and human reasons why they should improve diversity. Here is where they can […]
7 business development tactics in a down economy
The global economy is in rough shape and will get worse before it gets better. That means law firms must sharpen their business development efforts if they hope to improve profitability over the next 12 to 24 months. Here are seven ways in which your firm can increase its chances for major business victories. At […]
The talent portfolio: New options for where, how and by whom your work is done
The old “talent wars” were fought over top law students or laterals with big books of business. Tomorrow’s talent competition will be about systems first and people second. Here’s a preview of the new players and new rules of the forthcoming “legal talent portfolio.” Hey, remember the “Talent Wars”? Five years ago, you were probably […]
The Law of the Pencil
There’s an urban myth, thoroughly debunked but instructive nonetheless, involving the Ameri- can and Russian space programs in the 1960s. The legend goes that NASA needed a pen that would write in the vacuum of space, in extreme conditions, without breaking or freezing or otherwise malfunctioning at critical times. Scientists set to work and spent […]