As business organizations go, law firms are different because they can face greater stability challenges. Sure, law firms with iconic names seem to rock along year after year. But for every bedrock firm there are others that struggle to survive. And even some of the firms regarded for their steady state are like the proverbial
Law Firm Leadership
Merging Your Small Law Firm into a Bigger One-Five Additional Things Smart Firms Think About
Law firm mergers happen-a lot. While the mega mergers get the publicity, many mergers stay under the radar because they involve smaller firms being absorbed by larger firms. Whether for reasons of market dynamics, succession, or battling for growth, some smaller firms simply conclude that life will be better as part of a bigger shop.…
Avoiding Post Law Firm Merger Culture Wars-Six Things to Consider Before Getting Married
Law firm mergers have been in the news with combinations being announced seemingly every week. So far in 2018, the many mergers closed have drawn the attention of the media and law firm leaders alike. The rationale for any of the announced mergers depends on the specific transaction and the firms involved. Whatever the reason,…
What Does Partner Mean in Your Law Firm?
If you change partners every time it gets tough or you get a little dissatisfied, then I don’t think you get the richness that’s available in a long-term relationship. Jeff Bridges

Another year and more turmoil in the legal profession!
Although for some law firms the economy has led to marginally improved performance, for many…
Getting a Bigger Piece of the Client Pie-Positioning Your Firm for More than a Sliver
To control costs and improve legal service, more client legal work has been brought in-house in recent years. As clients have achieved those twin goals, the proximity of readily available legal services to business decision makers has spawned greater institutional reliance on the captive legal departments. The increased access to legal services for company business…
Succession Planning as Financial Planning: Five Critical Components
Succession planning is an important issue for many law firms, especially as the Boomers and Generation Xers age and the human resource pyramid becomes an irregular shaped box. When you add in the assault on the industry from client competition, alternative service providers, and artificial intelligence, the necessity of doing succession right is more critical…
Will Your Law Firm Survive?
I have been thinking a lot about the state of change within the legal profession, and wondering what the ultimate consequence will be for firms as the pace of change continues to accelerate. A few weeks ago, Altman Weil released their 2018 survey of law firms; the survey, its results and commentary are excellent.…
Is it Time? Five Developments That Demand Action from Law Firm Leaders
Running a law firm successfully is no easy task. It is a multi-dimensional effort that requires leadership, discipline, vision, and some luck. Getting all firm lawyers to row a boat in unison can be tough. Even if some of the oars irregularly go into the water, progress is still possible.
When attentive leaders work hard…
Rethinking Law Firm Succession-Five Reasons to Focus Differently
Law firm succession is a top of mind issue for today’s law firms. Making sure one generation of leadership can hand the reins off to the next generation is a key concern. Of course, it is not just having the right people in place to develop and execute sound strategies, but it also requires transitioning…
Law Firm Merger-A Way to Solve the Succession Dilemma
For many law firms, succession to the next generation presents a formidable and daunting challenge. Leadership may have been too busy to plan ahead for succession. Turnover at the firm may have dealt a blow to the goal of grooming someone to step in as the next leader. Sometimes the next generation’s business development abilities…