The Coronavirus is causing broad-based law firm disruption.  Reports of law firms reducing draws, decreasing salaries, furloughing or laying off of lawyers and staff, and modifying summer associate programs appear daily.  Besides creating concern for health and well-being, the pandemic presents real and substantial challenges for law firms.  All firms will feel it, and some

A law firm in crisis is in a different world—a world in which leadership must learn to adapt.  It is a place that requires thinking differently, acting decisively, and making choices count.  In battling crisis mistakes inevitably happen, but successful crisis leaders keep the number and magnitude small.  A law firm leader flexes brain muscles

Recent years have been good for law firms of all kinds and sizes.  But good days can’t last forever.  Whether the next downturn hurting law firms gets traced to a world-wide virus, political disruption, or just a plain old recession, it doesn’t really matter. What matters for law firms having to ride the looming bumpy

For a lot of law firms, “business as usual” is like a favorite pair of shoes-they seem to fit and sure feel comfortable. When that is the case, falling back on usual practices continues as long as there is no pressure to change.  But once a watershed event occurs that shakes the foundations of management

In an earlier blog, Law Partner Retirement in Place—Solving Won’t Work/Won’t Leave (Part One), we presented the vexing problem of having a partner that slows down workwise but still draws a full partnership share.  Unfortunately, this upsetting situation exists at more firms than are willing to admit. While eliminating the awkwardness the abuse represents

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 face it, the hugely important issue of law firm succession has a lot to do with senior attorney retirement.  Recognizing that, more law firms have prepared for coming retirements by infusing new leadership, transferring existing client relationship responsibility, and coaching the next generations to be business developers. When succession is done right, a firm

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 disasters are almost always of the man-made variety…. Once a storm is brewing, add the fact that as business organizations go, a law firm is among the most fragile, and you have the climate for a series of catastrophic events.”

            from Decisions That Matter: Tales of Law Firm Leadership in Moments of Consequence