Bear with me on this one. I came upon three different articles that, in my mind at least, fit perfectly with each other. Sort of like getting the Rubik’s cube right. First is this list of the 13 Worst Things About Hourly Billing, brought to you by The Greatest American Lawyer. Thanks to my friend… Continue Reading
Monthly Archives: December 2008
News Flash!! Pat Lamb Is Speechless
Posted in People, Places and BlawgsI’m not sure it’s ever happened before. I received an email this morning attaching Dan Hull’s post, "The man, the firm and the blog to watch in 2009." Dan is the prime author of What About Clients?, consistently voted one of the best law blogs. Those who know Dan or read his blog know why… Continue Reading
It’s About What You Give
Posted in GeneralHere is the Christmas prayer said for those who have paid the ultimate price in our defense: Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Rest easy, sleep well my brothers. Know the line has held, your job is done. Rest easy, sleep well. Others have taken up where you fell, the line has… Continue Reading
Leading Legal Innovation, The Change Agenda and Legal On Ramp
Posted in CommentaryI began my legal career before I went to law school. In 1978, after graduating from college, I joined Kirkland & Ellis. I was a "project assistant" and was paid by the hour. One of my first assignments was to the "Plywood Antitrust Litigation" team headed up by Fred Bartlit. The case went to trial, Fred… Continue Reading
My now daily trip to the car dealer
Posted in CommentaryI took my dear old Lexus in for an oil change this morning. Five minutes of check-in and out the door with a freshly washed car in less than an hour. The McGrath Lexus dealership has remodeled itself, and the customer waiting area is one part luxury hotel, one part Starbucks. Wireless Internet. A… Continue Reading
Surviving The Economic Free-Fall: Experts Offer Insights
Posted in Leadership and ManagementThe on-line version of LawPro Magazine, a publication for the Canadian Bar, contains a wonderful roundtable discussion about what firms should and should not do to ride out the economic storm. The panel includes my good friend Gerry Riskin, always a sure sign that the panel is noteworthy. Here’s the link.
9 Predictions For 2009 (no law involved)
Posted in GeneralI like this guy and I never met him. Tom Asacker describes himself as "author, renowned speaker, provocateur." Tom Peters describes him as a "marketing guru." He just wrote an article that contains 9 predictions for 2009. Here’s a taste: #1 The Earth will complete its 584 million mile, 67,000 mph trip around the Sun… Continue Reading
Newspapers …. and the Law. Any Parallels?
Posted in CommentaryI saw a link to a blog post on the most overrated and underrated people of 2008, and I had to check it out. It’s pretty predictible, but one "winner" got me thinking. Let’s start with the paragraph that triggered my brain cells: Most underrated phenomenon: Newspapers. Here’s a weird paradox. If you include the… Continue Reading
Average Hourly Rate or Ratio Analysis To Thwart Work Hoarding
Posted in Commentary, Hourly Rates and AlternativesMy eyes were drawn to the bolded Law21 on my list of blogs. A new post from Jordan Furlong. Mind vitamins, to be sure. I got my money’s worth in the first couple of paragraphs: First is this National Law Journal article about how law firms are responding to the recession (short answer: myopically). Among… Continue Reading
Are Associates Worth $600 Per Hour?
Posted in Commentary$600 (bleeping) per hour? (Sorry, I’m from Illinois. It’s our water.) Blago humor aside, let me draw your attention to this Wall Street Journal Law Blog post. From the Journal: Yesterday, Judge Chin, in a polite and judicious order, asked Dewey to provide a bit more information on its fees: It is difficult to evaluate… Continue Reading
Extending An Invitation: Arguing Against The Inevitability Of Change
Posted in CommentaryI ran across an article by Paul Lippe in The AmLaw Daily titled "Welcome To The Future: Brains That Can Change." Paul, CEO of Legal On Ramp, provided a taste of changes that had occurred in the past few days: • Goldman Sachs reported a $2 billion loss • Google cut spending • The American… Continue Reading
Change Made Easy. Well, at least easier.
Posted in CommentaryCaption from a cartoon in this week’s New Yorker: "There’s a lot I want to experience, but not a lot I want to actually do." (thanks to Seth Godin) From Tom Peters’ list of 27 things that will transform every organization: "Walk the talk. ("You must be the change you wish to see in the… Continue Reading
“The Market Doesn’t Care”
Posted in CommentaryOutstanding post by my friend Jordan Furlong, who posts at Law21.ca (Dispatches from a legal profession on the brink). The post that really captured my attention was "the market doesn’t care." Jordan draws from posts by "two of the smartest people writing on the web these days," Seth Godin and Scott Karp. While I haven’t… Continue Reading
Associate Bonuses and Value Billing
Posted in Commentary, Hourly Rates and AlternativesIt’s that time of year for the associate set. The payoff for surviving a year of crazy partners and even crazier hours. We’re past Thanksgiving, when every associate who still has a job gave thanks for still having a job. Now we are into payoff season. Bonus time. And this annual seasonal frenzy has yielded… Continue Reading
Survey Results Confirm Vitality Of The 10% Solution
Posted in Client Service, Commentary, Hourly Rates and AlternativesI recently posted on the 10% game that clients and their law firms play. The client representative wants to feel like he or she has achieved a real discount with the law firm. So the representative insists on a "10% discount." Lawyers, being the smart people they are, can do the 10% math, so they… Continue Reading
Survey Results–Hourly Rates Going Up
Posted in Client Service, Commentary, Hourly Rates and AlternativesThe American Lawyer’s annual survey of Managing Partners to AmLaw 200 firms (112 respondents) is out. In light of my recent posts on the economy and hourly rate increase, two survey questions jumped out at me. What will you do with billing rates for 2009? Percentage Increase them by more than 5 percent 35%… Continue Reading