Law firms and the economy
Many or even most law firms are coming off their best year ever. It may be a time to celebrate, but I continue to think about the inevitable bursting of the bubble. Yesterday I was catching up on some long-overdue reading and came across this Forbes article by Mark Cohen
Although many law firms are enjoying increased demand, revenues and profitability, not all firms are so fortunate. For the firms seeing a sustained slackening of demand, there is no shortage of ideas on how to combat the problem. “Work harder,” “get out and hustle,” and “reconnect with your relationships,” are but a few of the
Let’s get real for a moment.
Most law firms are woefully unprepared for any significant economic downturn — let alone a prolonged, decrease in demand.
This is a startling reality; but here are a few undeniable facts:
The concentration of law firm financial strength narrows as fewer AmLaw 200 law firms can be counted among the fortunate. As Mark A. Cohen argues in his The AmLaw 200 Is Down to 50 – Maybe 20. What does It Mean? a fiscal separation among bigger firms has occurred and continues. Cohen concludes that the
Law firm succession is a huge issue for many of today’s law firms. Not surprisingly, more firms than ever before are focusing on succession by adopting written succession plans that address leadership succession and client relationship transfer. Despite the importance of succession, many firms have no written plan and remain unprepared for transitioning leadership or
Most law partnerships begin with a sense of shared aspirations, enthusiasm and trust. The founding partners and those subsequently added presumably maintain a fiduciary commitment to conduct consistent with the welfare of the other partners, as well as clients.
The fact is that this is often not the case.
Although the final numbers are not in yet, 2018 has been touted as a good year for law firms. Based on various reports including the 2019 Citi-Hildebrandt Client Advisory, revenues were up, billing rate increases held, and client demand increased. These improvements are not shocking as law firm performance has been ascending in recent years.
Just because industry performance this past year was on the whole very good, not all law firms can look back on 2018 with such positive thoughts. Indeed, the overall industry uptick is pulled along by strong performances among the AmLaw 100, especially the top 25 firms. Performance among the second AmLaw 100 (or 101 to 200) generally was not as positive. Similarly, firms outside the second 100 did not, as a class, enjoy the kind of robust financial performance logged by the bigger firms. Specialty firms (obviously focused in the right specialty) were the exception among smaller firms.
Don’t waste your time trying to control the uncontrollable, or trying to solve the unsolvable, or think about what could have been. Instead, think about what you can control and solve the problem you can solve with the wisdom you have gained from both your victories and your defeats in the past. – David Mahoney
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
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
