Recent commentary on trends among law firms has highlighted the increasing popularity of requiring greater capital contributions from owners. As Law.com‘s Nell Gluckman notes, instead of capital requirements in the 20-25% range as was common for years, law firms more frequently are jacking up the owner capital requirements into the 30-35% level. In some
Kirkland’s Attrition is a Case Study for All Law Firms, Big and Small
The American Lawyer article about recent attrition at Kirkland & Ellis gained attention in no small part because Kirkland’s reputation for success runs counter to the idea that people want to leave. While 
departures from even the most successful firms is inevitable, the depth of attrition at Kirkland reported by The American Lawyer was surprising.
Another Record Year for Law Firm Mergers-Reasons Your Law Firm Should Not Be Next
In a newly posted piece, Casey Sullivan‘s Law Firm Mergers Reach Highest Point in Nearly a Decade reports that 2016 is to be yet another record year for law firm mergers. As the cascade of announcements show (as well as the Altman Weil research compiled in its Mergerline), merger as a law firm
No Muss No Fuss Law Firm Closure
Growth among law firms generates headlines. Legal publications report on a merger here, a planting of a law firm flag there and the lateral moves of significant practice groups. The thing about growth is that it is a planned exercise-an initiative that is a matter of choice based on strategy. The opposite of growth, a
Law Firms that Focus on Growth-Where is the Focus?
Dentons and McKenna Long recently announced the intent to merge. Media reporting of the merger was substantial, including an April 8, 2015 article written by Sara Randazzo in The Wall Street Journal. In her Dentons, McKenna Long to Merge, Ms. Randazzo quoted Denton’s global chairman Joseph Andrew as stating, “[O]ur goal was not
Law Firm in Crisis-Five Things to Know and Remember
Law firm crisis can pop up at anytime during the year, but if it had a “season” it would be early on in the calendar. As I wrote in Like Divorce, Law Firm Crisis is More Likely as the New Year Starts
, the beginning of each year is when key lawyers cut and run,
Like Divorce, Law Firm Crisis is More Likely as the New Year Starts
In his January Divorce Rush Dates Back to the Middle Ages, Frederik Pederson examines the annual spike in English divorces every January and traces the phenomenon back to the Middle Ages. His research into the records of medieval church courts is interesting and supports his thesis. Mr. Pederson’s article backs the view that whatever
Law Firm Succession Planning-The Unfunded Pension Plan
For more than a few AmLaw 200 law firms, non-qualified retirement plans exist that are largely unfunded. Although “a good idea at the time” when established, the plans now can represent a significant burden. As James Cotterham wrote in his Retirement Basics for Law Firms a decade ago, the unfunded pension plans can be a
The Troubled Law Firm-A Bold Move and the Five Truths
Recently, in Staring Down the Catastrophic Claim, Part One and Part Two, I wrote about the difficult issues presented to a firm when a claim of catastrophic dimensions is asserted or threatened. Those posts identified the characteristics that factor into the ability of a firm to survive such a claim. With strong leadership,
The Troubled Law Firm-How Much Time to Turn it Around?
Spectacular law firm failures like Dewey, Brobeck and Howrey (to name a few) provide many lessons. They also evidence leadership’s failure to timely recognize or act on problems so as to avoid disaster. Due to the fragile nature of law firms, it is imperative that prompt action be taken lest a troubled firm’s problems