Like other parts of business, law departments have budgets to cover their internal costs. The budget typically does not expand even if more work comes over the transom, at least until a case for growing the department is made during the next budget cycle. During this budget cycle, more work typically means that the law department members… Continue Reading
Monthly Archives: January 2011
New Series on Client-Law Firm Value Collaboration
Posted in People, Places and BlawgsMy partner Nicole Auerbach and Karen Klein, the General Counsel of our client, Kayak.com, began blogging today as part of the Association of Corporate Counsel Client-Firm Value Series. You can find the first post here. Aside from my obvious delight in having Valorem and Kayak featured in the ACC offering, I think one of the… Continue Reading
And Lawyers Wonder Why The World Hates Us
Posted in CommentaryYes, this is the story of "the Fountain Lady." A woman walking in a mall, texting away while oblivious to her surroundings, tumbles into a fountain. The episode is captured on video by mall security, the video is released to YouTube and goes viral. No one knows who the Fountain Lady is and… Continue Reading
Law Firms Continue to Face Daunting Challenges
Posted in CommentaryLet’s piece together some insights from the Hildebrant Baker Robins/Citi Private Bank 2011 Client Advisory: “The growth in demand (“total billable hours recorded by firms included in a particular database. [fn.1]) for legal services has been negative in each of the past seven quarters.” Billing realization rates (“that percentage of standard rates actually billed… Continue Reading