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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Daily Report Online

Moments From the McIver Trial: Slideshow

By Jonathan Ringel | March 16, 2018

Here are photos from the end of jury selection and the first days of testimony.

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Law.com

The Law Firm Disrupted: What Does Litigation Finance Do for Big Law's Capital Cravings?

By Roy Strom | March 15, 2018

Burford Capital's big income and profit figures could give managing partners room to maneuver.

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The American Lawyer

When CEO Resignations Put Law Firms in the Hot Seat

By Miriam Rozen | March 15, 2018

The aftermaths of corporate ousters at Uber and Wynn Resorts highlight the turmoil outside law firms can face when a client's CEO goes down.

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The American Lawyer

Record Profits, Revenue for Schulte Roth in 2017

By Scott Flaherty | March 15, 2018

The firm built on steady years in 2015 and 2016, increasing its revenues and profits to their highest-ever levels in 2017.

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National Law Journal

Smaller Wilmer Partnership Enjoys Record Profits

By Ryan Lovelace | March 15, 2018

Average partner profits reached more than $2.1 million last year at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr.

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International

Offshore Law Firm Crippled by Hack to Close Its Doors

By Brian Baxter | March 15, 2018

Panama's Mossack Fonseca is poised to shut down at month's end, almost two years after suffering a massive data breach. Its founders are facing money laundering charges.

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International Edition

'Shillito speaks for the disgruntled litigators' - why is James Palmer being challenged for the HSF senior partner role?

By Rose Walker | March 15, 2018

Is Mark Shillito's senior partner run indicative of long-running resentments at HSF?

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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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