Collaboration has been a major strategic theme within law firms over the past several years. While some have made progress, there seems to be a ceiling on how far these efforts can actually go. My sense is that it comes down to incentives and motivation. I propose an approach to driving collaboration that uses the natural motivations of lawyers within a firm to stimulate better results.

How Good an Idea Is Collaboration?

In her terrific book, “Smart Collaboration,” Harvard Law School’s Heidi Gardner makes a compelling case for greater collaboration within law firms, detailing how more, smarter collaboration leads to substantial benefits for law firms and law firm partners alike:

  • Outsized revenue growth;
  • More engagements per client;
  • Lower discounts on billings;
  • More practices serving each client;
  • Stronger client relationships;
  • Greater success rate in lateral integration and retention;
  • And significantly bigger books of business for individual lawyers.