BAD FOR BUSINESS - News of a six-person marketing team moving from Cooley to Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson has many in the legal industry saying this could be a bellwether of things to come, including more group moves of law firm business professionals. If so, law firms — if they want to keep their best talent in the staff ranks — will need to have a deeper understanding of what their marketing and other professionals want out of a work environment, industry observers told Law.com’s Patrick Smith. As it turns out, one thing they’d very much like is to not be treated like jerks. “There are certainly those who look on the business services people as second-class citizens,” said John Lamar, managing director at The Alexander Group, a consulting and recruiting firm. “And those are the ones that will find that they need to change their tune.” And make no mistake, that caste system persists at many firms. A marketing professional at one Am Law 100 firm told Smith that “being treated equally … goes a long way to feeling like you have a purpose and are not just a cog in a machine.” “When I saw attorneys being given stipends for office supplies during the pandemic and staff weren’t getting that … yes, the caste is alive and well,” they said.
OPS OPPORTUNITY - As legal tech has evolved from a niche market into one that large portions of the industry rely on, legal departments and law firms have taken different approaches to company-wide tech adoption. Now, a liaison between the two may be emerging. Earlier this month, global law firm Linklaters and its contract negotiation platform CreateiQ partnered with legal operations consultancy TLB in an effort to provide a “holistic approach” to serving clients’ needs—combining legal advice with tech solutions, according to the press release. While such partnerships have existed in other industries, they are new, and rare, at law firms. But not for long, consultants and legal experts told Law.com’s Isha Marathe. As clients’ legal needs evolve along with growing tech options, legal operations consultancies might be an ideal partner for law firms seeking to cater to a wider customer pool. Greg Baker, Linklaters’ global head of practice management, said such partnerships yield a two-way support system. “From working closely with our clients, it has become increasingly evident that the multi-faceted demands being placed on in-house legal teams are driving the need for outstanding legal advice to be delivered in combination with how best to structure their internal documents and processes,” Baker said. “This support is not just for their financing and M&A transactions, or providing regulatory and ESG-related guidance, but also on the implementation of processes and supporting technologies.”
ON THE RADAR - BP has agreed to acquire Archaea Energy for a total enterprise value of approximately $4.1 billion, including $800 million net debt. The transaction, announced Oct. 17, is expected to close by the end of 2022. London-based BP is advised by a Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer team led by partners Jenny Hochenberg and Ethan Klingsberg. Counsel information for Archaea Energy, based in Houston, was not immediately available. Stay up on the latest deals and litigation with the new Law.com Radar.
EDITOR’S PICKS
You Might Like
5 minute read
6 minute read
Trending Stories
More From ALM
With this subscription you will receive unlimited access to high quality, online, on-demand premium content from well-respected faculty in the legal industry. This is perfect for attorneys licensed in multiple jurisdictions or for attorneys that have fulfilled their CLE requirement but need to access resourceful information for their practice areas.
View Now
Our Team Account subscription service is for legal teams of four or more attorneys. Each attorney is granted unlimited access to high quality, on-demand premium content from well-respected faculty in the legal industry along with administrative access to easily manage CLE for the entire team.
View Now
Gain access to some of the most knowledgeable and experienced attorneys with our 2 bundle options! Our Compliance bundles are curated by CLE Counselors and include current legal topics and challenges within the industry. Our second option allows you to build your bundle and strategically select the content that pertains to your needs. Both options are priced the same.
View Now
Dynamically explore and compare data on law firms, companies, individual lawyers, and industry trends.
Law.com Compass includes access to our exclusive industry reports, combining the unmatched expertise of our analyst team with ALM’s deep bench of proprietary information to provide insights that can’t be found anywhere else.
Law.com Compass delivers you the full scope of information, from the rankings of the Am Law 200 and NLJ 500 to intricate details and comparisons of firms’ financials, staffing, clients, news and events.
April 29, 2024 - May 01, 2024
Aurora, CO The premier educational and networking event for employee benefits brokers and agents. Learn More
May 15, 2024
Philadelphia, PA The Legal Intelligencer honors lawyers leaving a mark on the legal community in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Learn More
May 16, 2024
Dallas, TX Consulting Magazine recognizes leaders in technology across three categories Leadership, Client Service and Innovation. Learn More Atlanta s John Marshall Law School is seeking to hire one or more full-time, visiting Legal WritingInstructors to teach Legal Research, Anal... Apply Now › Shipman is seeking an associate to join our Labor & Employment practice in our Hartford, New Haven, or Stamford office. Candidates shou... Apply Now › Evergreen Trading is a media investment firm headquartered in NYC. We help brands achieve their goals by leveraging their unwanted assets to... Apply Now ›
04/15/2024
Connecticut Law Tribune MELICK & PORTER, LLP PROMOTES CONNECTICUT PARTNERS HOLLY ROGERS, STEVEN BANKS, and ALEXANDER AHRENS View Announcement › |
