Last week’s indictments of four individuals formerly involved in Dewey LeBoeuf’s management reverberated through the legal industry. The reactions were varied. Some commentators surmised that the indicted were destined to such fate given the spectacular demise of Dewey. Others noted that the indictments were different since the alleged perpetrators gained no financial reward but
Closing the Troubled Law Firm: When is it Time to Say When?
History is littered with failed law firms. Dewey, Howrey, Thelen and most recently, the Canadian law firm Heenan Blaikie, succumbed for various reasons. In the case of most of these failed law firms, the decision to cease as a going concern was largely reactive as they fell apart at the seams. While
Law Firm Growth: Maintaining a Sensible Strategy (Part Two)
Last week’s blog Law Firm Growth: Maintaining a Sensible Strategy (Part One) reviewed the uneven success from the non-organic growth tactics of lateral hiring and mergers. Also reviewed were some of the unspoken motivations behind lateral and merger growth. Despite noting these non-strategic reasons, last week’s blog concluded that these two popular means of growth
Law Firm Growth: Maintaining a Sensible Strategy (Part One)
Law firm growth over the last thirty years has been constant. Through economic ups and down law firms have pursued growth, by growing organically, hiring laterally, doing mergers. For all the effort by law firms to grow, it is surprising that the resulting law firms are not much larger today. Setting aside the franchise like
Heenan Blaikie: How to Avoid the Same Fate
History tells us that Heenan Blaikie’s failure was not an isolated event. It was preceded by more publicized failures, like Dewey, Howrey and Coudert Brothers, which failed due to a combination of their own unique reasons and maladies found in all law firms. For good reason, many in Canada and the US note
Warning: This is about Culture and the Lawyer Churn
A house divided against itself cannot stand. A. Lincoln
When you see the word “Culture” used in a discussion about today’s law firm environment, what comes to mind? A metric defying intangible that, though referenced in reverent tones in firm literature, bears little relevance to the bottom-line? Or, as a palpable reality that
Heenan Blaikie: “There but for the grace of God, go I” –John Bradford
Last week’s decision by major Canadian law firm Heenan Blaikie to dissolve received a lot of coverage in the Canadian press as well as among legal commentators. Yet discounting its demise as being peculiarly Canadian is unwise. The market and competitive dynamics that contribute to a Canadian law firm’s success or failure are very similar
Focus – A Key to Law Firm Success
“Focusing is about saying No!” Steve Jobs
I was reviewing an article regarding the 13th Annual America’s Best Corporate Law Firms study and was struck with how consistent the same names appear on this list — year in and year out. Even if you haven’t seen it, chances are you can name many
Heenan Blaikie: The Latest Law Firm in Transition
The media reports about Canadian law firm Heenan Blaikie present a classic case of a law firm facing transition. The well-known and regarded Canadian law firm has seen its foundation shake as lawyers depart, reports of dropping business abound and speculation mounts about merger or dissolution. Without being on the inside it is difficult
The Churn – Shrinking Law Firms – Part 1
Recently, I was asked if I was going to fire an employee who made a mistake that cost the company $600,000. No, I replied, I just spent $600,000 training him. Why would I want somebody to hire his experience? THOMAS J. WATSON SR.
How many lawyers have you watched move from one firm