From today’s Chicago Tribune Business Section: Seven partners have left Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell (catchy name, eh?) to create a new firm representing insurance companies in litigation. The reason? Pressure to increase hourly rates in this practice area by as much as 50%. Locke Lord etc., etc. and so forth was formed by the… Continue Reading
Monthly Archives: April 2008
A Short Discussion Of Today’s Headlines: Any Reason For Lawyers To Smile Yet?
Posted in CommentaryEver since Gerry Riskin wrote his "Doom and Gloom" post last August, I have been paying much closer attention to the economy that I have before, especially to the factors Gerry highlighted in his post. Regular readers know I have posted frequently on this topic, not only because I think the topic is generally important… Continue Reading
The Unique Relationship Between Clients and Lawyers: The Lawyer’s View
Posted in Client Communications, Client Surveys and AuditsTrust me, for a moment at least, that all of the following points eventually will come together. Every time I have the opportunity, I ask in-house counsel about whether their lawyers conduct formal or informal satisfaction meetings. Almost invariably, the answer is no. I always follow up by asking whether the client would find such… Continue Reading
Valorem Offers Its Thanks To Many
Posted in CommentaryMy partners and I have been touched–and surprised–by the many kind emails we’ve received from so many about our new website. The substantial majority have been encouraging. Many have offered constructive input, and we already have made many changes to the Valorem Law Group website based on input we’ve received. It continues to be a… Continue Reading
Valorem Website Goes Live. Comments Requested.
Posted in GeneralValorem’s website is now live. I really haven’t had to put together a website before–it is a lot harder than I imagined. Anyway, we are trying to be clear about our message and communicate a bit more personality than the ordinary law firm website. I’m too close to the thing to know if we achieved… Continue Reading
Valorem Grows! Nicole Nehama Auerbach Joins Valorem.
Posted in People, Places and BlawgsI am thrilled to announce that Nicole Nehama Auerbach will be joining Valorem as a member as of April 14. Nicole is currently a partner at Katten Muchin Rosenman in Chicago. Nicole concentrates her practice on all facets of complex commercial litigation, focusing on the strategic development of complex cases in order to posture… Continue Reading
Recession And Law Firm Revenue
Posted in CommentaryYou have to love the headline writers at the New York Times and the fun they have with Fed-speak. Fed-speak is the language the Fed Chairman must use since he can’t utter the R-word. So Bernanke says today, "It now appears likely that real gross domestic product, or G.D.P., will not grow much, if… Continue Reading
More Evidence Of Corporate America Rallying Against The Billable Hour
Posted in Hourly Rates and AlternativesOn Monday and Tuesday of this week, I attended (and spoke at) the American Conference Institute program on Controlling Legal Expenses. Both the speaker roster and the attendees were predominantly inside counsel, with a heavy emphasis on those involved in litigation. The panels on the entire first day were of a like mind that alternative… Continue Reading