A look at what we're watching in the changing legal landscape, and what our reporters and editors will be discussing at Legalweek 2023.
Christine Simmons | April 28, 2022
The environment is ripe for law firms to trim partnership ranks and keep close control of the equity tier, for large lateral groups to be cherry-picked, and for new firms to spin off.
Zach Warren | October 29, 2020
Markets that were previously the purview of only the largest law firms are beginning to see competition that isn't only local firms, but also fellow multinational firms presenting alternative structures.
Zach Warren | October 01, 2020
The first Law.com Barometer breaks down how alternative legal service providers are gobbling up talent—and what that means for law firms.
Lizzy McLellan | August 26, 2021
The most recent leadership changes across the legal industry provide a sampling of how firms are breaking the mold in choosing who will take the reins.
Christine Simmons | December 10, 2020
Each week, the Law.com Barometer newsletter, powered by the ALM Global Newsroom and Legalweek(year) 2021, brings you the trends, disruptions and shifts…
Christine Simmons | November 05, 2020
Welcome to our Law.com Barometer newsletter, powered by the ALM Global Newsroom in advance of Legalweek 2021. Each week this newsletter will bring…
Gina Passarella Cipriani | April 21, 2022
Law firm partnerships are on a proverbial hamster wheel as equity partners leave and firms scramble to elevate new lawyers into the partner ranks.
Lizzy McLellan | February 24, 2022
No matter who leads and who follows, the message is clear: Young talent is worth investing in, and proven young talent is worth even more.
Heather Nevitt | February 10, 2022
The 'Great Resignation should be called the 'Great Reflection' due to the fact that we’re not seeing lawyers question whether they should be practicing law, but rather reflecting on how, why, and for whom they practice it.
Lizzy McLellan | January 13, 2022
Outside the Am Law 200, a great proportion of midsize firms benefited from increased demand and decreased expenses in 2021, and they’re investing in targeted growth.
Ben Seal | December 09, 2021
From Kirkland to Cravath to Sidley, firms are making adjustments that could significantly impact their structure going forward.
Ben Seal | October 21, 2021
Flexible in-person work appears to be the new standard, and lawyers are returning to the office at a time when the market still hasn’t caught up, leaving firms with attractive leasing options.
Lizzy McLellan | September 30, 2021
For people who work in law firms, it’s time to prepare for what could be a mentally, emotionally and logistically difficult return to commuting, working in a shared space and meeting with colleagues and clients regularly.
Ben Seal | September 02, 2021
The trust and goodwill firms worked so hard to build with their staff now hangs in the balance, and a slip could have serious ramifications.
Christine Simmons | October 22, 2020
Welcome to our Law.com Barometer newsletter, powered by the ALM Global Newsroom in advance of Legalweek 2021. Each week this newsletter will bring…
Lizzy McLellan | November 19, 2020
Welcome to our Law.com Barometer newsletter, powered by the ALM Global Newsroom in advance of Legalweek 2021. Each week this newsletter will bring…
Heather Nevitt | October 28, 2021
How do you build a culture of wellbeing? For those of us out there talking to legal leaders, the secret sauce is prioritizing DEI in the workplace and allowing workplace flexibility.
Heather Nevitt | August 12, 2021
While diversity and inclusion has increasingly topped the priority lists of corporations, corporate legal departments are calling upon their outside counsel to keep up with their expectations. But progress is a two-way street, and legal departments have their own room to grow.
Christine Simmons | February 04, 2021
Each week, the Law.com Barometer newsletter, powered by the ALM Global Newsroom and Legalweek(year) 2021, brings you the trends, disruptions and shifts…
Christine Simmons | January 07, 2021
Among law firm clients and in corporate boardrooms, a different set of diversity standards is taking shape.
Heather Nevitt | March 24, 2022
These past two years have certainly brought unforeseen challenges to legal departments on top of a growing list of responsibilities, and it doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon.
Heather Nevitt | September 16, 2021
The onset of the Delta variant is not only altering office return policies, it is also changing the chief legal officer role—again.
Heather Nevitt | June 17, 2021
An increase of workload and responsibilities on in-house counsel is begging the question: Is going in-house no longer a greener pasture?
Heather Nevitt | December 17, 2020
Each week, the Law.com Barometer newsletter, powered by the ALM Global Newsroom and Legalweek(year) 2021, brings you the trends, disruptions and shifts…
Heather Nevitt | October 15, 2020
Welcome to our new Law.com Barometer newsletter, powered by the ALM Global Newsroom @LegalWeek21. Each week this newsletter will bring you the trends,…
Zach Warren | May 12, 2022
Gone are the days when law firms could say "I have this e-discovery tool" or even "we're using AI" and have that be enough for clients. Embracing technology is table-stakes for many firms today, which means that to truly be innovative, something more is required.
Rhys Dipshan | March 31, 2022
While more necessary than ever, technological competency has also never been so challenging. As the legal market becomes more welcoming to innovation, it’s boldly moving into emerging technology areas faster than ever before.
Rhys Dipshan | January 06, 2022
What worked last year may now not be enough to ward off infection as cyber scams become harder to detect and more sophisticated.
Zach Warren | November 04, 2021
The most successful organizations are finding that cross-functional teams are the way to handle tech decisions, with multiple (and even non-technical) viewpoints represented in the room.
Rhys Dipshan | September 23, 2021
Despite a fertile climate for tech adoption and modernization, age-old problems are still holding the industry back from a broader transformation.
Zach Warren | August 19, 2021
There have long been calls for law school curriculums to be more "practical." But the pandemic may have been just the push for legal educators and their students' future employers to get on the same page.
Rhys Dipshan | July 29, 2021
Over a year after what was likely the fastest legal market transformation in history, the writing on the wall is clear: Going remote was the easy part. Learning to live with it is another story.
Zach Warren | July 01, 2021
Far from the promise of artificial intelligence-laden solutions, today's law firm tech budgets in reality look very, well, practical.
Rhys Dipshan | June 03, 2021
The rising demand for legal technologists speaks to just how much the legal ecosystem has shifted over the past year—and the possible directions it’s heading in the future.
Zach Warren | May 07, 2021
Corporate legal departments want results, not differentiation.
Rhys Dipshan | April 08, 2021
While the legal industry has embraced automation in the past, it’s never done so at the pace or scale we’re seeing today.
Zach Warren | March 11, 2021
The upcoming patchwork will be a difficult one to navigate. So it's a good thing you have a privacy expert on tap to sort through all of this. Wait, don't you?
Zach Warren | February 11, 2021
Amidst this new rush to measure diversity, it's also worth asking the question: What data should the legal industry actually be measuring?
Zach Warren | January 14, 2021
Each week, the Law.com Barometer newsletter, powered by the ALM Global Newsroom and Legalweek(year) 2021, brings you the trends, disruptions and shifts…
Zach Warren | December 03, 2020
Today's law firms that are trying to marry law and technology through alternative legal services are finding it's important to not choose one or the other.
Heather Nevitt | July 15, 2021
Corporate culture is the shared beliefs, norms, traditions and values of the members of an organization. Simply put, it is “how we do things around here.” But getting to that point requires implementation, leadership and buy-in.
Heather Nevitt | May 20, 2021
Real digital transformation means the use of digital technology in every aspect of the department, not just “going paperless.”
Heather Nevitt | April 22, 2021
To say that this past year has created a lot of “challenges” is a bit of an understatement for those in the trenches. The truth is that the challenges this past year presented have been immense, particularly on corporate attorneys' mental health.
Heather Nevitt | March 25, 2021
GCs are expected to lead by example and help establish an ethical culture that is deeply embedded and embraced throughout the company.
Heather Nevitt | February 25, 2021
Each week, the Law.com Barometer newsletter, powered by the ALM Global Newsroom and Legalweek(year) 2021, brings you the trends, disruptions and shifts…
Heather Nevitt | January 28, 2021
When the pandemic began to shut down much of the U.S. in March, it forced many legal departments to transform their operations—and do so very quickly. Who did they call on to lead this effort? Legal ops.
Christine Simmons | February 03, 2022
How will large law firms respond in the event deal volume significantly slows, clients cut back demand and the cost of doing business rises? Will large pay packages for partners and associates become a big liability? For some, 2022 is a gamble of sorts.
Heather Nevitt | December 16, 2021
because of all the challenges many faced due to the pandemic, another thing is certain: skills that were maybe once thought of as "soft" or "nice to have" are now required and highly valuable for both personal and professional success.
Lizzy McLellan | November 11, 2021
Frenzy and even paranoia are dominating the atmosphere of the legal talent market.
Lizzy McLellan | July 22, 2021
Robust protection against cyberthreats is a big investment. Like a spare tire or a smoke detector, better to have and not need it, rather than need and not have it. But chances are, you’re going to need it.
Lizzy McLellan | June 24, 2021
The pandemic came with immense challenges, but for businesses that were able to continue their work, it also came with opportunities to reassess how things are done. And last year’s protests brought another opportunity—one to listen and respond meaningfully.
Lizzy McLellan | May 27, 2021
Billable hours are no doubt an effective way to measure how busy a lawyer is, and, if your revenue comes mainly from billing hours, to measure a person’s contribution to the firm’s top line. But some firms are increasingly looking for other ways to quantify the work they do for clients.
Lizzy McLellan | April 29, 2021
Law firms have been inching their way toward a new normal since the Covid vaccine became a when, rather than an if.
Christine Simmons | April 01, 2021
The high churn of deals and focus on short-term profits are creating long-term talent management and retention problems. Big Law has partly responded by throwing money at associates in the form of bonuses.
Christine Simmons | March 04, 2021
By failing to readjust expectations for employees and provide more flexibility, the investments some firms made during the pandemic could be viewed as short-sighted and missing the key target
Ben Seal | March 17, 2022
If you’re looking for the future of the legal industry in the United States, as they say, go West, young man.
Christine Simmons | August 05, 2021
Each week, the Law.com Barometer newsletter, powered by the ALM Global Newsroom and Legalweek New York, brings you the trends, disruptions and…
Christine Simmons | July 08, 2021
So far, corporate legal department reaction to increased associate salaries have been mixed, with some general counsel and in-house observers calling the pay raises “tone-deaf” or wondering if the pay raises will actually lead to billing rate changes.
Christine Simmons | June 10, 2021
Take a closer look at some law firm return announcements, even those that have zeroed in on a specific number of days in the office, and they leave plenty of room for adjustments later on.
Christine Simmons | May 13, 2021
The pandemic has raised a host of questions about the migration of legal industry talent, and how firms are distributed and priced across the country. And it’s just starting to shake out.
Christine Simmons | April 15, 2021
Getting to know a client’s business has become much more than just reviewing their contracts with suppliers. It now means speaking out with them on the most pressing social issues of the day.
Lizzy McLellan | March 18, 2021
Despite the shift to remote work, office openings have continued, one right after the other. Firms of various sizes have been popping up in new cities, and they’re putting down roots.
Christine Simmons | February 18, 2021
This year, firms will be under pressure to keep the same profit margins, despite an expected rise in expenses.
Christine Simmons | January 21, 2021
The need for law firm-client pricing cooperation and innovative billing will only intensify from here.
Nate Robson | April 14, 2022
A constantly shifting landscape has law firms sending out a flurry of client alerts on the latest updates and what they mean for corporations. And through it all, law firms are helping their clients decide whether to pull their business out of Russia, and to understand the risks if they stay.
Nate Robson | March 03, 2022
The record seizure of bitcoin and the arrest of a married couple accused of trying to launder the assets created ripples throughout the legal community last month. Of note was that it showed law enforcement’s ability to trace digital assets through the blockchain despite complicated efforts to launder the funds.
Zach Warren | February 17, 2022
Each week, the Law.com Barometer newsletter, powered by the ALM Global Newsroom and Legalweek brings you the trends, disruptions, and shifts our…
Nate Robson | January 20, 2022
The U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission want to revamp their guidelines for reviewing corporate mergers, and they are asking for the public’s feedback.
Nate Robson | November 18, 2021
The Justice Department is making critical policy changes for white-collar enforcement, including reinstating the so-called “Yates Memo” from 2015.
Nate Robson | October 07, 2021
Lawyers are advising clients that M&A work should expect enhanced scrutiny going forward, and that deals already approved could be fair game for the administration to reconsider.
Alaina Lancaster | April 07, 2022
As courts attempt to return to full capacity, some litigators and courts report struggling to handle the onslaught of deadlines and new procedures rolled out to expedite cases amid the pandemic.
Alaina Lancaster | March 10, 2022
Attorneys are facing fresh judicial ire for failing to comply with protocols earlier in the pandemic. Meanwhile, some top trial lawyers are warning that court backlogs could create an existential crisis for the profession.
Alaina Lancaster | January 27, 2022
While some members of the legal community are wondering whether continuing to limit court operations is necessary or sustainable, some attorneys are creating new approaches to deal with the long-term uncertainties of the global health crisis.
Alaina Lancaster | December 02, 2021
As courts await relief through traditional channels, the additional pressure to fill vacancies and chip away at case backlogs could spark new mechanisms for administrative efficiency in courts.
Alaina Lancaster | October 14, 2021
Based on preliminary data, pandemic-era jury makeup and attitudes could lead to more defense verdicts or hung juries, but it could also mean jurors are having more extreme responses to cases involving science.
Alaina Lancaster | September 09, 2021
It’s not just law firms and corporate counsel who might have to abide by COVID-19 vaccine mandates to return to their offices. As coronavirus cases explode due to the Delta variant, some courts are requiring that judges, staff, and, in some instances, court goers get inoculated.
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