Law Firm Management

Route to the top

By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | October 15, 2008

For many lawyers, reaching partnership is the realisation of an ambition harboured since law school, if not even earlier. It cements years of hard work and underlines a dedication to the firm. Partnership also brings kudos and attractive financial rewards.Yet before opening the champagne, there is the small matter of the selection process to get through - one which many lawyers, despite their sharp technical skills, often fail to get right.

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New spaces

By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | October 8, 2008

In stark contrast to the trading floors of banks or the quirky workspaces of the creative industries, the offices of law firms are often perceived to be fusty and outmoded places.However, the need to present a modern image which distinguishes a firm from its competitors - both in the eyes of clients and potential new recruits - has never been stronger.People associate modern offices with openness and equality, where communication flows easily and the hierarchy within the space is broken down. But lawyers need quiet spaces where confidential conversations and work that demands high levels of concentration can take place. Designers need to be wary of undermining those aspects of law firm offices that have made them effective workplaces for hundreds of years. This was the challenge facing Swanke Hayden Connell Architects (SHCA), which was chosen to design interior spaces for Kennedys - at 25 Fenchurch Avenue, a Sir Norman Foster-designed office building in the City - and Bristows, which has taken space in the revamped Unilever Building, now known as 100 Victoria Embankment, next to Blackfriars Station."Designing offices for law firms is about creating an atmosphere that is studious and collegiate, while also ensuring that you are building active spaces that do not feel dead and lifeless," says Angela Sasso, a senior associate at SHCA.

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You're fired

By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | October 1, 2008

When dealing with underperforming partners, emotions can run high. The remaining partners may resent carrying dead weight, the outgoing partner may feel betrayed. However, in a difficult market, weeding out underperforming partners could be vital for survival. How painful and disruptive the process is depends upon the skill of the lawyers advising the partnership and the ability of those in charge to manage the outgoing partner's exit with dignity.Before going down the route of expulsion, it is worth considering other options, such as reduced profit share or de-equitisation. If expelling an equity partner, the remaining partners will have to work out if they can afford to repay the outgoing partner's equity share.

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Profit prophecies

By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | September 24, 2008

Gaining business intelligence (BI) can be likened to lifting the lid off your business and seeing its internal mechanics. It is not a new idea - BI has its roots in decision support systems (DSS), which began in the mid-1990s. However, the legal sector has been relatively slow to absorb such techniques.Business intelligence is an umbrella term used to describe a set of concepts and methods designed to improve business decision-making. It uses fact-based support systems that provide law firms with a higher quality of information than they can get from their standard financial systems. Gaining business intelligence enables a law firm to access, interact with and analyse data to manage their operations, improve performance and generally function more efficiently.

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How insurers and clients can make sure they click

By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | September 17, 2008

Time-consuming quibbles over insurance contracts may soon be obsolete as more people turn to online digital database facilities. Andy Bellinger explains Historically, the insurance industry has provided protection for business customers without finalising the precise contract details until a much later date after a formal agreement has been struck. Unsurprisingly, this practice led to disputes over what precisely had been agreed.

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Defend against the sick leave bug

By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | September 10, 2008

Absence management is a challenge for all employers, with numerous potential pitfalls. There are various types of absence, but sickness absence is probably the most significant in terms of costs to employers. These costs include salary, overtime and temporary replacement expenses. It is also important to consider indirect costs, brought about by the drop in quality of service that sick leave can result in. By implementing mechanisms, costs can be reduced and a firm's overall profits can be maximised. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) 2008 annual survey report on absence management states that on average sickness absence costs employers £666 per employee per annum, which equates to eight days per employee and 3.5% of an employee's working time.A report from People Count Law into absence in 90 law firms, published in November 2007, found that sickness absence in the legal sector was lower than the UK average, although the survey did not include absence levels for all types of employee.

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Driven to despair

By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | September 3, 2008

As a psychotherapist with a practice within easy reach of the City of London, it is hardly a surprise that I receive a lot of enquiries from lawyers. What I do find slightly shocking is that lawyers make up one of the largest single occupational groups among my clients, despite the fact that there are better represented occupational groups in the area. Although they have specific individual problems like any other group, I began to realise that there were common factors which make lawyers prone to psychological problems, particularly depression. The first thing I noticed was how difficult it is for lawyers to find the time to attend sessions. Some can only manage appointments on Saturday. Others arrive by taxi at 9pm - having left the office early - and in some cases return to work after the session.

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Time to get ethical

By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | August 27, 2008

"The UK's legal profession is one of the finest in the world. The expertise, the professionalism, the dedication to delivering justice is unrivalled. But as venerable and well-respected as the legal profession is, we have to accept that the profession cannot be immune to change. The way solicitors and barristers do their job, the manner, the style, the environment has changed significantly over the last decade. And so we have to consider how best we can still give effect to the values which underpin the profession, but in a way which enables it to meet the demands of the markets in which the profession operates."This bold call to arms came from the Right Honourable Jack Straw MP, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice speaking on legal services reform, diversity and legal aid at the launch of the Law Society's campaign on 'markets, justice and legal ethics' in March this year.

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Legal solutions for a whole new MTV generation

By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | August 27, 2008

Robert Cummins could be the most important lawyer on the current roster of MTV legal staff - he is the head of business and legal affairs for emerging markets.The Viacom-owned entertainment company, which is well established in the US...

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The confidentiality hole

By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | August 27, 2008

Every day law firms treat client communication with unwitting disdain. Confidential or sensitive material is passed around on email, completely unprotected; law firms might as well commit the contents to open postcards for the world to read.The legal profession has been woefully slow to consider, let alone embrace email encryption, although security measures proliferate in IT environs. The position is reckless, not to say potentially negligent.Recent research has revealed an alarmingly apathetic approach to the whole issue of email encryption. Many firms take the view that, unless clients specifically ask them to tackle the issue, they are not going to bother. Indeed, some have admitted they hope that clients do not ask them to encrypt email because they would have no idea how to do it.

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New Jersey Law Journal

The Intersection of Law 2.0 and the Lawyer as Trusted Adviser

By Laurence M. Smith | April 2, 2018

Blind reliance upon cost-savings solutions conceived by technologists, who may have never practiced law, is fraught with danger.

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National Law Journal

Howard Protests; Conway's Missing Tweets; More Trump Churn

By Ryan Lovelace | March 30, 2018

Washington Wrap is a weekly look at the biggest legal industry news and Big Law moves shaping the legal business in Washington, D.C.

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The American Lawyer

How Boston Became a Beacon on the Hill to Big Law

By Meghan Tribe | March 30, 2018

As Boston undergoes a renaissance, law firms are being drawn to its shores, ready to capitalize on a booming market.

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Pro Mid Market

Midsize Firms Better Positioned Than Big Law to Attract, Develop Diverse Lawyers

By Zack Needles | March 30, 2018

The opportunities to quickly get into the fold when it comes to hands-on legal work is one of the many factors giving midsize firms an edge in retaining diverse talent.

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Pro Mid Market

Packing a 'Big Punch' Key for Midsize Firms, Becker & Poliakoff's Rosen Says

By David Gialanella | March 30, 2018

Managing shareholder Gary Rosen talks about how the firm has "benefited from the post-recession trend and seen a growing number of large clients coming to us who can no longer justify paying Big Law rates."

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Pro Mid Market

Mid-Market Recap: Firms Flock South to Texas

By Lizzy McLellan | March 30, 2018

Everything's bigger in Texas, right? So it only makes sense that law firms are looking to the Lone Star State for growth.

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Connecticut Law Tribune

Good Practices for Sharing Space With Other Attorneys

By Alanna G. Clair and Shari L. Klevens | March 30, 2018

While co-working spaces may cure the discomfort of isolation, allow attorneys to save on overhead costs, and provide an opportunity for peer feedback, they are not without risk.

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Daily Report Online

Behind Every Good Lawyer Is a Great Assistant

By Robin Hensley | March 30, 2018

The essential value proposition of a legal assistant is time management.

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The American Lawyer

McDermott Touts $100M Haul as Raid on DLA Piper Grows

By Roy Strom | March 30, 2018

McDermott Will & Emery's chairman said in an internal memo that he expects to hire around 50 lawyers from DLA Piper that will add about $100 million in annual revenue and open a new San Francisco office for the firm.

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Daily Report Online

Ogletree Keeps Up Momentum With Revenue, Profit Gains

By Meredith Hobbs | March 30, 2018

Ogletree reported an almost 10 percent revenue increase while opening three new offices in the U.S. and Europe last year.

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