Law Firm Transition

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Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision. – Peter Drucker

We have previously written  about the unique nature of the law firm turnaround and how commitment from owners is one of the keys to turnaround success. In Part 2 we will look at resource management (or cost management) as a second key to success.

Cost Management – Relieve the Pressure

Turning-around a troubled law firm, or any business for that matter, is difficult. To give the challenged firm the greatest chance of success it is critical to relieve the organization of as much financial pressure as possible.

Although there are other steps that we will discuss, managing a firm’s cash commitments to as low a level as practical is the first and most important step in minimizing financial stress. Typically, the two largest demands on the financial resources of law firms are:

• The cost associated with personnel

• The cost associated with lease space.

Managing People Cost
Continue Reading Relieving Pressure in the Law Firm Restructure/Turnaround

Law firm mergers are a regular occurrence in today’s American legal landscape.  Large or small, they happen because law firms and their leaders see merger has meeting a perceived need.  Whether seeking greater market share, pursuing untapped lucrative markets, responding to a demographic challenge, or fixing inadequate succession preparations, a merger can represent the right…

In the case of many law firms competing in today’s legal environment, growth is important.  Some growth is done quietly while other expansion is discussed widely.  Growth in the form of law firm merger gets everyone’s attention-indeed announcements about law firms joining together in merger seem to be made weekly.

For every merger announced there…

“A discord of personalities” sometimes describes the genesis for marital divorce.  It also can be an apt way to explain law firm break-ups when partners decide to go their separate ways.  Although law firm break-ups happen regularly, the low level of publicity surrounding most can be due to partners acting rationally even though they can’t…

One ought never to turn one’s back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half. Never run away from anything. Never!    Winston Churchill

Law Firms, like all

…

Despite today’s times being better for many law firms, the positive trends do not signal a return to the gilded pre-2008 days; unfortunately, those days are gone for good.  Law firms are fighting for market share in 2017 in an arena vastly more competitive than the one that existed a short decade ago.

Competition is…

Succession planning of client relationships at law firms requires a thoughtful examination of a law firm’s past, present and future.  Managing the transition of a senior lawyer’s practice to younger counterparts is not easy.  Poorly understood and executed, it can result in a loss of both valuable business and a cherished colleague.  The stakes are…

Law firm crisis can surface at any time.  Its roots can be deep within the firm, or can be the outcome of unforeseen developments. However, or whenever it arises, the affected law firm must react promptly and strategically. A tardy reaction, or a misstep in action, can leave a firm in great danger and on…