At a recent seminar on “Understanding How Operations Affect a Firm’s Ability to Build Value,” the Philadelphia chapter of the Legal Marketing Association (LMA) explored the link between a law firm’s business decisions and its ability to deliver client value. The program was given by two seasoned law-firm administrators drawing on decades of experience at several Am Law 100 firms: a marketing director with an MBA in international business, and a business and finance director with an MBA in entrepreneurial ventures.
The stumbling blocks for “collections of great lawyers” to organize effectively and increase client value stem largely from attorneys’ training and practice, according to Maister. These include problems with trust, teamwork and ceding power to leadership; suspicions of overarching principles (witnessed by agreement on a firm’s theoretical values, but unwillingness to enforce them); and professional detachment.
