Virtually every week brings news about law firm expansion. The news is exciting and of great interest in and out of the legal services industry. Although the firms that report lateral hires, mergers and acquisitions and new office openings are pleased with their news to share, the passage of time proves that not all
Law Firm Succession Planning-Things Small Firms Can Do Just Like the Big Firms
Is the grass greener on the other side? Some small firm leaders envy perceived advantages enjoyed by bigger firms. Leadership at big firms likewise can be found yearning for simpler times when their firms were smaller and the issues seemed simpler. Regardless of size, all law firms must work hard to succeed, especially in a
Scoping Out Future Law Firm Upheaval-Four Places to Look
Law firms perpetually are in transition. In our changing legal environment, transition can arise when business strategy requires adjustment, merger is considered, layoffs are implemented, lateral hiring is pursued, leadership succession is at hand (see Cultivating the Next Generation), crisis arises or firm wind-up is decided and implemented.
In addressing any transitional event
Finding Your Next Law Firm Leader-What to Look for?
The legal services industry is awash with profitability challenges, calls for innovation, and non-traditional entrants. Long-time law firm clients are expecting more from their law firms at the same time they weigh the option of moving work in-house or assigning it to alternative providers. Since 2008 flat demand and financial stress have fueled reactive
No Law Firm Succession Plan? Five Options
A Forbes article entitled Law Firm Leadership Survey: Top Strategic Initiatives of 2017 shared some interesting information about the burning and not so burning issues for today’s law firm leaders. The information was assembled through the work of David J. Parnell (the author of the Forbes article) and noted legal consultant Patrick J. McKenna.
Four Signs Your Law Firm is Not Ready for Leadership Succession
At many law firms that recognize the need for succession planning, preparation for leadership succession receives too little attention. Succession planning can languish for various reasons. In some instances, the press of regular law firm business distracts existing leadership from the issue. In other cases, the topic is an uncomfortable one so discussions are avoided.
Law Firm Succession-A Future Leader’s Job Description
The topic of law firm succession is a hot one-discussed daily by commentators and law firm leaders alike. Of course, succession comes in two primary forms; client relationship succession and leadership succession. For many firm leaders, client relationship succession seems to have a heightened priority. But given the changing nature of the legal industry, a
Law Firms in the Year Ahead-Is a Good 2017 That Much of a Good Thing?
Georgetown Law Center for the Study of the Legal Profession and Thompson Reuters released their annual report on the state of the legal market last week and it is, as always, informative. The 2017 Peer Monitor Report is chock full of data and analysis respecting the tendencies in the legal market. While one might conclude
Small Law Firms and Rough Seas-Navigating the Years Ahead
As December ends and January dawns, report cards on the legal profession are issued and crystal balls are studied. This year is no different with many articles offering assessments of the industry’s current state and its prospects.
Two pieces recently written about the industry’s present and the future are worth review. Mark A. Cohen’s Something’s
Law Firm Departures 2016/2017: A Likely Source of Disputes
(As many law firms see their fiscal year close simultaneously with the calendar year-end, the risk of partner departures rise. The lessons identified in the March 2015 blog Law Firm Departures: A Likely Source of Disputes have not lost their relevance as 2016 closes and 2017 begins. That blog is reprinted here in its entirely)