You start a new matter and the emails fly in. So you open a folder in Outlook for the ABC Matter. Eventually, you get around to creating some sub-folders. Six months later, an issue arises and you have this nagging thought in the back of your mind that you have seen something about that… Continue Reading
Monthly Archives: June 2010
Value Tip Of The Day: No. 1
Posted in Value TipsAt the request of Paul Lippe, I have begun posting periodic "Value Tips of the Day" on Legal OnRamp. These Value Tips of the Day (TOD) are directed to inside counsel, but sometimes to outside counsel too. I thought they might of some interest to those who read my blog but aren’t LOR members,… Continue Reading
“Law Firms Say Alternative Billing Won’t Dent Profits.” More Evidence Firms Just Don’t Get It
Posted in Commentary, Hourly Rates and AlternativesLaw360 today reports in an article Law Firms Say Alternative Billing Won’t Dent Profits (sub req.). Hmmm. So let’s see. We know the virtually no firm has restructured its business model. We know that few firms have made a real commitment to project management. We know that few firms have made even a pretend commitment… Continue Reading
More on Kodak–Worst Service in History
Posted in Client ServiceIf you’re not familiar with my Kodak saga, you might want to read about it first. Kodak sent me an email. Here is the pertinent part, along with my comments: I am sorry to hear that your order confirmation email was delayed. Please be informed that all orders over $100 are automatically being reviewed by… Continue Reading
Kodak: Worst Customer Service In History
Posted in Client Service, CommentaryAll I wanted to do was order a Kodak zi8 video camera. How hard can that be, right? I went to the Kodak website and ordered it. At the end, I didn’t get an order confirmation. I got a cryptic statement that my order was "under review." No information on how long it would be "under… Continue Reading
Blended Rates Are “On Their Way Out.” Shocking.
Posted in Commentary, Hourly Rates and AlternativesIn a headline I saw this morning, Law360 reports that blended rates "may be on their way out." Finally. One of two things is true about blended rates. Either people do not understand how blended rates help prove the truth of P.T. Barnum’s most famous quote that "there is a sucker born every minute," or… Continue Reading
The Stages of Change, courtesy of Richard Susskind
Posted in CommentaryOne of the things that makes a great speaker great is his or her ability to communicate memorably. A simple statement can either be quickly forgotten or can be communicated in a way that makes it stick in your memory. Richard Susskind is just such a "sticky" speaker. Here’s how he describes the stages of… Continue Reading
Adding value by deconstructing
Posted in Client Service, CommentaryI was talking about how Valorem works, saying that we do things where we add value and try to avoid things where we don’t. I was pressed for an example, and here is one that jumped to mind. We needed to analyze a mitigation issue under California law. The normal practice is to have your… Continue Reading
“But what if he’s right?”
Posted in CommentaryYesterday, I was honored to serve as a facilitator at DataCert’s Generals of the Revolution program in Houston. This series of programs features Professor Richard Susskind, author of the brilliant book, The End of Lawyers? I have worked with Richard on panels and have heard him speak many times. He makes a compelling case for… Continue Reading
My Book Is Here! Lamb On Alternative Fees
Posted in People, Places and BlawgsI am thrilled to announce the publication of my book, Alternative Fee Arrangements: Value Fees and the Changing Legal Market. While Shakespeare has nothing to worry about, I do think I have managed to add to the relevant knowledge on value fees. At least I hope I have. The table of contents and… Continue Reading
ACC To Provide Executive Education In Use of Value Fees
Posted in People, Places and BlawgsOne of the hardest things about Value Fees is getting beyond the theory and into practice. How do price a case? No inside counsel wants to be taken advantage of. The Association of Corporate Counsel has recognized the problem and is offering a two day Executive Education program that will be limited to in-house… Continue Reading
McCormick and Schmick’s: Example of Poor Service
Posted in Client Service, CommentaryMy partner loves to eat lunch at McCormick and Schmick’s on East Wacker in Chicago. At least she did. M and S is in our building, so it’s convenient. And the food is usually good. But the last half dozen times she has joined them for lunch, they have screwed up her order. Wrong salad. Wrong… Continue Reading
Thoughts on “Risk Sharing”
Posted in CommentarySomeone sent me this slide from a presentation by Hildebrandt, and it got me thinking about risk sharing. The conventional wisdom is that under the billable hour model, the client bears all the risk. The conventional wisdom, reflected in this slide, is that law firms bear a substantial amount of risk when using… Continue Reading
The Science of Change
Posted in Leadership and ManagementThe difference between a successful firm in the Old Normal Era and a successful firm in the New Normal era is huge. How to get from one to the other? Big changes. So how to get to the New Normal? Watch this video by Dan Heath who, with his brother Chip, authored Why Change is… Continue Reading
Congratulations to Legal OnRamp and Cisco
Posted in CommentaryTerrific article in the ABA Journal about ORX, Cisco’s OnRamp Exchange, a collaborative tool designed and hosted by Legal OnRamp, a web 2.0 tool for in-house law departments and lawyers who collaborate well. The article addresses the tension between law departments and outside counsel over the concept of "efficiency." The outside view, expressed by Fenwick… Continue Reading