Law Firm Management

Managing a Law Firm: The talent show

By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | December 5, 2007

He was recruited as a very senior director in a very large City law firm. His work went well but the thing that really bugged him was the pass he had to show every time he went into the staff restaurant. The words 'non-lawyer' were printed on the face of it (for non-lawyer, read 'second-class citizen').

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Managing a Law Firm: Tough strategy

By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | December 5, 2007

Open any book about strategy and you will read how product-focused companies have succeeded. You can learn, for example, about how Japanese cars beat the US giant auto manufacturers at their own game or how Microsoft came to dominate the market for PC software. The trouble is, though, most of the economy is driven by service businesses, which are almost always harder to manage than the sorts of organisations described in strategy books. It is particularly difficult to develop strategy in a law firm where everyone is intelligent, articulate and where, all too often, people have conflicting ideas about where the firm should be heading.

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Managing a Law Firm: A networked world

By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | December 5, 2007

Five key factors are driving today's economy: client sophistication; connection; transparency; governance; and modularisation. These forces are steering the professional services sector towards commoditisation, where clients perceive minimal differences between most offerings and often squeeze their suppliers on fees. Only legal services suppliers that actively engage their clients in deep, collaborative relationships are able to differentiate themselves.

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Hanging on the telephone

By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | December 5, 2007

Conference calling has become an integral part of the legal world. Lawyers routinely schedule calls for everything, from new client consultations to transaction negotiations to arbitration hearings with a judge in attendance.

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Desktop decisions

By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | December 5, 2007

Desktop automation has been around for years. Ghost was written in 1996 to enable IT support people to clone a computer. ZENworks was introduced by NetWare in 1998 to help manage server and desktop configurations across the network: it is very far from being a new idea. What is interesting about it, however, is that it never stops evolving.

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Keep your cool

By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | November 28, 2007

In today's legal services market it is important to keep abreast of the changing needs and concerns of companies involved in disputes. In this way we can develop the supportive role that both in-house and external legal advisers play in guiding clients towards the resolution of disputes.

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Equal Opportunities, Employment and Diversity: Trust in me

By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | November 21, 2007

"We aim to become a trusted adviser". A hackneyed phrase, much used in the mission statements of professional services firms, but there is often little real understanding of what it really means. Like "putting clients first", it sounds good and is designed to make clients feel they are at the centre of things.

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Consolidating communications

By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | November 21, 2007

What started out as a necessary upgrade to our business-critical telephony systems soon became an opportunity to achieve much more. In the past two years we have achieved 50% organic growth and, with similar ambitions for the future, our key business goals are improving customer experience and productivity while managing costs.

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Banking on experience

By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | November 21, 2007

Outsourcing is one of the major trends in the legal industry at the moment. Whether it is moving peripheral administrative tasks to a third-party provider or moving your entire IT department to a subsidiary in India, accessing low-cost workforces is the flavour of the month for the legal manager.

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Code comfort

By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | November 14, 2007

"Errors, like straws, upon the surface flow; he who would search for pearls must dive below." So wrote John Dryden in 1678. And so, too, every solicitor makes minor mistakes in his day-to-day work - inconsequential errors and misjudgements. But so what, you may ask, if beneath the surface the client is getting the pearls of a first-rate job? And let us not forget that the standard is generally very high. Clients are, by and large, well served.

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Legaltech News

Ask the Legal Marketer: What's Your Lead Magnet?

By LTN Staff | March 15, 2018

Lead magnets are marketing tactics such as downloadable content, e-books, checklists, how to's, etc., that get potential clients interested in your organization. And finding the right ones make a difference.

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Pro Mid Market

Boutique Firms Gain Momentum in the Legal Industry

By Michael A. Tanenbaum | March 14, 2018

As the legal industry searches to find solutions to its historical inefficient delivery of services, corporate counsel are evaluating approaches to the engagement of outside counsel best suited to meet their legal and business needs.

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Pro Mid Market

Is Your Firm Really a Firm? The 'Firmness' Scale Can Help

By Jeff Coburn | March 14, 2018

Over many years working with smaller and midsize law firms throughout the country, I've experienced a wide range of firm typologies. Much of the difference among such firms can be attributed to the degree of “firmness” that smaller and midsize firms exhibit.

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The American Lawyer

Burford Investors Get Rich as Financier Deepens Am Law 100 Ties

By Roy Strom | March 14, 2018

The litigation finance giant announced Wednesday that it had tripled its investment commitments on new cases.

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The American Lawyer

Dentons Touts Seven More Tie-Ups in Africa, Asia and Caribbean

By Rose Walker | March 14, 2018

Firms in the Cayman Islands, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia and Mauritius are among those being absorbed by Dentons in its latest round of global expansion.

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New York Law Journal

Chadbourne Settles Sex Bias Case That Shined Light on Big Law Pay Gap

By Christine Simmons | March 14, 2018

The deal resolves discrimination claims brought by Kerrie Campbell and two other partners against Chadbourne & Parke and its successor firm, Norton Rose Fulbright.

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International Edition

Dentons announces seven more tie-ups as global expansion continues apace

By Rose Walker | March 14, 2018

Expansion continues via deals with law firms in Africa, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia

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International Edition

The death of the law firm partnership vote - will more firms eschew tradition for a more corporate approach?

By Gina Passarella | March 14, 2018

With an eye on efficiency, firms are ditching consensus-based methods in favour of more centralised management

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Daily Report Online

Fisher Phillips Witnesses Detail Pay Cuts for Tex McIver Before Wife's Shooting

By R. Robin McDonald | March 13, 2018

Fulton County prosecutors contend that Tex McIver shot and killed his wife to maintain his diminishing wealth and secure his beloved ranch that he had mortgaged to her for a $350,000 loan he couldn't pay. Fisher Phillips executives detailed the extent of the salary cuts to a jury in McIver's ongoing murder trial.

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Pro Mid Market

Tarter Krinsky & Drogin: How to Stay True to Entrepreneurial Roots

By David Gialanella | March 13, 2018

"As we change, we are very conscious to stay true to our values and maintain our close-knit and collaborative culture," says Alan Tarter, managing partner of Tarter Krinsky & Drogin, in describing how his young, midsize firm strives to stay true to its entrepreneurial roots while continuing to grow.

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