True story. I was interviewing a potential admin assistant. She was asked why she was thinking of leaving her position as a very prestigious firm. Her answer didn’t surprise me since I had heard rumors of this–the firm was not that busy and she was the kind of person who liked being busy. Good answer. … Continue Reading
Monthly Archives: August 2008
The Truth: You Get What You Pay For
Posted in Commentary, Hourly Rates and AlternativesThis message is directed solely to in-house lawyers and any business people who might happen along. If you’re an outside lawyer, press the back arrow on your browser. I’ve said many, many times that real change on legal fees, on the economic relationship between lawyers and clients will come only when clients insist on it… Continue Reading
Rating Lawyers
Posted in Client Service, CommentaryWhen I started practicing law, lawyers would spend their days busily chiseling their briefs into stone tablets. I remember several times when a client needed a lawyer in another city, I would be told to go to Martindale Hubbell and review the firms in the City and find "the biggest" or one with a great… Continue Reading
Change Is Inevitable
Posted in CommentaryOn Friday afternoon, I played hooky. I joined my family at Chicago’s fabulous Navy Pier. The thought started while I was at the top of the Ferris Wheel with a clear view of the skyline. But it really hit me on the boat ride, where we heard a bit about Chicago’s history. The captains of… Continue Reading
Finding Value: Hopefully We Won’t Need To Build A New Hubble Telescope
Posted in CommentaryMike Dillon, the General Counsel of Sun Microsystems, writes a blog called the legal thing … by Mike Dillon. Recently, Mike participated in a focus group meeting held by the Association of Corporate Counsel. These focus groups were pulled together to discuss ACC’s return to value program that will be launched this fall. Mike wrote… Continue Reading
A Followup On Truth
Posted in CommentaryCan I admit that I occasionally ready Above the Law, a blog about law firms? It’s like The Enquirer, which I only read while standing in supermarket lines. On alternate Tuesdays. Okay, enough self-disclosure. ATL has a great entry about Citibank’s recent analysis of the economic decline at large law firms. One of the points made… Continue Reading
The Lie Of Litigation Budgeting
Posted in Commentary, Hourly Rates and AlternativesA client walks up to a litigator and says, "I have a lawsuit I need you to defend. I don’t expect there to be more than 5 depositions. The contract involved has just three provisions, and there are probably only 500 pages of relevant documents. There is a single legal issue. If I give you $5… Continue Reading
Telling the Truth
Posted in Marketing, Branding and SalesDuane Morris laid off 18% of its marketing and business development staff yesterday. Ed Schecter, the head of marketing, apparently said cost-cutting was "secondary" and the real intent was to build a more experienced, leaner team. Of course, this is reported the day after Citibank’s Dan DiPietro is quoted as saying the profits of Amlaw… Continue Reading