On Dec. 3, Texas Lawyer brought together managing partners from four Texas firms of various sizes to discuss the legal environment and the big issues they deal with on a daily basis. In a wide-ranging discussion, the firm leaders talked about their firms’ financial performance in 2010 and touched on just about everything that takes up their time, such as billing, how to incentivize every lawyer and employee at their firm, and how and why they should grow their firms. The managing partners also talked about the hot practice areas in the Texas market, how to deal with lateral hires who just don’t fit in or meet expectations, and how social media can be useful to their firms.
The managing partner roundtable took place in Dallas. The participants were Terry Conner, managing partner of Haynes and Boone in Dallas; Pollard Rogers, managing partner of Cantey Hanger in Fort Worth; Susan Schwartz, managing partner of Henslee Schwartz in Dallas; and J. Allen Smith, president of SettlePou in Dallas. A transcript of part of the discussion, edited for length and style, follows. The second installment will appear in the Jan. 3, 2011, issue of Texas Lawyer.
