I was born in Detroit and grew up in the heyday of the auto industry. So, when I first heard Ron Baker speak about Lee Iacocca, I listened with great interest. Iacocca was a Detroit icon, first for his trailblazing work for Ford and later for saving Chrysler. Ron set the stage: Chevrolet had created
The Next Normal: Law Departments Learn to Prioritize Spend Based on Fundamental Investment Analysis
Every day, businesses prioritize. They invest in one thing, not another. They fix one problem, but defer fixing another. The build one facility, but not another. They pursue one strategy to the exclusion of others. These decisions are almost always made based on some form of return-on-investment or cost-benefit analysis. ROI is coin-of-the-realm for operating
The Next Normal
From 2010 until 2016, I was a columnist for the online ABA Journal’s The New Normal column. I was invited to start the column as a result of the creation of Valorem Law Group in 2008. We started a law firm just before the Great Recession and because of the novel model and approach, we
War is The Continuation of Politics by Other Means
Heck of a title for a post about litigation, isn’t it? Bear with me for a few paragraphs and my point will be clear. I promise.
Before I go further, ask yourself why you don’t outsource problem solving for your own problems. Have you ever thought about going up to a random stranger and asking
Customers, not Clients
Earlier this year, I changed the name of this blog from In Search of Perfect Client Service to In Search of Great Customer Experiences. I explained the reasons, but I glossed over the change from client service to customer experience. Recently, I was challenged to explain why clients were no longer clients, but instead
ElevateNext Law: why and how
On Friday, I participated in an exchange of tweets with @adamdavidlong, @DBRodriguez, @RoninMikeSimon and @ronfriedmann about the importance (or lack of) of outside investment in law firms. I weighed in with a note that having linked up with @ElevateServices and founded its aligned law firm, @ElevateNextLaw, we (@ElevateNic and I) were
Look at the Whole Board: reflections on the Deloitte-Epstein Becker announcement
In one of my favorite West Wing episodes, President Bartlett is playing chess with Sam Seaborn. He implores Sam to “look at the whole board” and at the end of the scene, Sam realizes the sleight-of-hand President Bartlett had played to diffuse a brewing military crisis. I was reminded of that scene yesterday
I am honored to have been named a BTI Client Service All Star
I recently learned that I was named a BTI Client Service All Star for 2019, the sixth time I have been named. As with each previous time, I am honored to have been selected for this recognition. This year carries some special significance, however, because it is the first time I have been recognized
Nicole Nehama Auerbach
Today is International Women’s Day. I am lucky–and extremely proud–to work in a company with so many great women throughout the company, especially in leadership positions. Elevate shared is diversity and inclusion report to the public, but the data doesn’t convey the dynamic role these women play in the company and how they are
Lessons learned from Navy Seals
I will admit it up front–I am in awe of Navy SEALs. My brother-in-law was a career Naval officer and, once upon a time, my sister ran the officer’s club at the Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado, CA, home of the SEAL Command. Through them, I have met a number of SEALs, each as impressive