As the old maxim goes, “good things come in small packages.” Recently, the Appellate Division, First Department, issued a one-page decision, Le Bel v. Donovan,1 which, despite its pithiness, addresses a number of fundamental and interesting issues that affect law firm partnerships and their partners.

This month’s column first analyzes the decision and then concludes with some practical suggestions concerning law firm partnership agreements and practices among law firm partners.

‘Le Bel v. Donovan’