Richard Susskind uses a graph in his book, The End Of Lawyers?, and in his speeches that shows the pace of change as a "knee curve." The graph shows that we have experience comparatively little change until now, but we stand on the cusp of a period of great change. What does this mean? Try… Continue Reading
Monthly Archives: November 2009
To Be Blind To Changes In the Legal Profession
Posted in Leadership and ManagementFrom AmLaw Daily: We used our annual survey of the heads of The Am Law 200 to ask questions about the changes they’re seeing; 142 responded. . . . More than half the law firm heads report seeing a "fundamental shift" in the legal marketplace; only a quarter said they didn’t. This result is staggering. … Continue Reading
A day of thanks.
Posted in GeneralI woke up this morning thinking how very lucky I am. Valorem is almost two years old, and my worst day in those two years is still significantly better than my best day in the previous 25 years, at least from the standpoint of practicing law. So I want to take a moment to thank… Continue Reading
Rules of Attachments: How not to use email
Posted in Client ServiceAs National Litigation Counsel for a number of clients, I receive emails from local counsel around the country. A few, but enough that I have noticed, send me emails that contain nothing other than an attachment of their status letter. So I have to click through the attachment, wait and then read a report on… Continue Reading
Alternative Fees: So how’d you come up with that number? Part II
Posted in Commentary, Hourly Rates and AlternativesFollowing up on my last post on how clients can determine whether the alternative fee quoted is a good one or not, I invite you to read this article from Corporate Counsel, United Technologies Takes a Stand, Puts Billable Hour ‘On Life Support.’ Here’s the punchline from the story: These days it’s easy to find… Continue Reading
Alternative Fees: So how’d you come up with that number?
Posted in Commentary, Hourly Rates and AlternativesWhen giving a speech a few months ago, I was asked by an in-house lawyer how a client was supposed to distinguish a good alternative fee from a bad one. Great question. My answer? Ask the firm to explain in detail how it came up with its number. I recall the first time I quoted a… Continue Reading
United Breaks Guitars. A Classic Lesson In Client Service
Posted in Client ServiceSometimes, you see something that is just a wonderful poignant reminder that you cannot win a battle with a customer, whether the customer flies your airline or purchases services from you. Here’s the story: A musician named Dave Carroll recently had difficulty with United Airlines. United apparently damaged his treasured Taylor guitar ($3500) during a… Continue Reading
DejaVu all over: bad habits are hard to break
Posted in Leadership and ManagementACC’s Susan Hackett just posted Are Firms Tone Deaf? Why Push For Rate Increases In 2010? Almost exactly one year ago, I asked the same question in my post The Economy And Rate Increases: Someone Is Not Listening. I had raised the issue in early October 2008. As Susan’s post makes clear, law firms are… Continue Reading
Are best practices really best?
Posted in CommentaryLaw firms frequently strive to identify and adapt "best practices" in whatever area is under examination. I used to think that this approach was laudable. Not anymore. The Harvard Business Review just posted Why Do We Ignore Best Practices?, which suggests some reasons why companies (firms) ignore best practices. I take issue with the fundamental… Continue Reading
Richard Susskind interviews Rio Tinto Managing Attorney: A Look Into The Future?
Posted in CommentaryDuring today’s panel discussion with Richard Susskind, he mentioned that he had recorded an interview with Leah Cooper, the Managing Attorney of Rio Tinto. Fantastic discussion of Rio Tinto’s outsourcing of a significant amount of work. Well worth a listen.
Designating Someone To Argue “Con”
Posted in Commentary, Leadership and ManagementDid you ever notice how decisions seem to gain a momentum of their own? A managing partner becomes enamored of an idea, and no one else spends time thinking about it. Or, as is more frequently the case, a tough question, such as "Are we at the top of our game, or are we in… Continue Reading
Change and organizational risk
Posted in Commentary, Leadership and ManagementOne of the explanations often offered by managing partners to explain why lawyers (really, their organizations) are so slow to change is lawyers’ well-establish aversion to risk. Change involves risk, to be sure, though the assumption implicit in the statement–that the status quo does not involve risk–is demonstrably untrue. That debate, however, can be had… Continue Reading
Self-critical analysis is needed now more than ever
Posted in Commentary, Leadership and Management"When you are at the top of the world, the most powerful nation on earth, the most successful company in your industry, the best player in your game, your very power and success might cover up the fact that you’re already on the path to decline. So, how would you know?" This question is the… Continue Reading
Example of WWGD? in action
Posted in Commentary, Marketing, Branding and SalesI strongly endorsed a new book by Jeff Jarvis, What Would Google Do? If you want to see Googley thinking in action, check out Michelle Golden’s post, Think Your Clients Use Your Firm’s Website? Here’s the advice: Firms also talk about putting valuable content and tools behind this client-only wall. This is exactly opposite of… Continue Reading
The Chain Of Command Does Not Need “Yes Men”
Posted in CommentaryI am hired by my client to represent them. Doing so to the best of my ability requires me to give them my best judgment on the issues related to the matter I am handling. There is nothing in the lawyer-client relationship that requires them to follow my advice. They are the client, I am… Continue Reading
Preservation Of The Past Is Not A Strategy
Posted in CommentaryIn my recent post, Want To Think About The Future Of Law?. I referenced Jeff Jarvis’ fantastic new book, What Would Google Do? Listening to my tape of the book this morning, Jarvis made two great points. One is what the calls the "cash cow in the coal mine," a play on the idea of… Continue Reading
Zeughauser Group’s Attack On ACC Value Index Misses The Boat
Posted in CommentaryThe ACC Value Index, a new tool for in-house lawyers to rate law firms, has caused endless consternation among law firms. First, it was the marketers, thinking it unfair that the system was closed to the firms. "What if someone says something bad about us?," they worried. "How will we market around that negative ranking?" … Continue Reading
Want to think about the future of law?
Posted in Commentary, People, Places and BlawgsIf you want to stimulate your mind to think about the future of the practice of law, read (or listen, as I am) What Would Google Do? by Jeff Jarvis who also writes the blog, Buzz Machine. And if you really want to expand your mind, read Small Is The New Big by Seth Godin… Continue Reading
The Difference Between Ownership and Management
Posted in Commentary, Leadership and ManagementI was recently having a discussion with a friend of mine who is the Managing Partner of a firm I love and greatly respect. We were talking about Valorem’s Advisory Board and what a great experience its been for us. She lamented that she would love to create a similar board for her firm, but had… Continue Reading
Dissecting an email on alternative fees: Firm Has A Long Road Ahead
Posted in CommentarySomeone sent me an email yesterday passing along a blast email she had received from a listserv: Our firm’s clients are regularly pressuring us to enter into alternative fee arrangements. It is quite an undertaking to consider a model for this approach, and I am wondering whether anyone has already begun the process. We already… Continue Reading
Ed Reeser, Bruce Lee and the Corsican Mouse
Posted in Commentary, People, Places and BlawgsEd Reeser is a fantastic lawyer and a great guy. We were teammates during Professor Bill Henderson’s FutureFirm 1.0 contest last April. Largely because of Ed’s insights and wisdom, our team prevailed. Ed, Jeff Carr, Patrick McKenna and I recently co-authored 4 articles together, largely because Ed played the role of the rancher, sitting on… Continue Reading