Practice Management

AFAs Arising: Differing Perspectives on the Billable Hour

The billable hour—it has become the double-edged sword of the practice of law over the last few years. On the positive side, as metric-based on…

Bill Josten April 22, 2015

Of Brand-Babies and Brand-Parents: Conceiving and Raising Brands

Lately—well, in the last 20 years or so—we’ve noticed many of the brands we’ve created go astray. All the money, time and effort spent in…

Burkey Belser April 16, 2015

The Unique Challenges of Leading a National Firm While Maintaining an Individual Practice

Newspapers have been trumpeting the coming dawn of the cloning age for a couple of decades now. It’s beginning to feel like an empty promise.…

Kimberly Johnson April 13, 2015

Corporate Counsel Should Drive Innovation

Last week, I addressed lawyers and law firms, with a message about their interaction with clients. This week, I address the leaders of corporate law…

Ralph Baxter April 07, 2015

Canadian Perspective: Billable Hour Morphing into Alternative Fee Arrangements

It may not be in its final hour, but more and more lawyers are conceding the billable hour is being put in its “proper place”…

Jennifer Brown April 01, 2015

Three Basic Questions: A Roadmap to Client Satisfaction

Achieving client satisfaction requires more than doing excellent legal work and reaching a satisfactory outcome. It requires the lawyer to deliver service in a way…

Ralph Baxter March 31, 2015

Why Not Encourage All Lawyers to Market and Sell?

“To me, job titles don’t matter. Everyone is in sales. It’s the only way we stay in business.” This from famous Minneapolis businessman and author,…

Kevin O'Keefe March 30, 2015

Make it Happen! What is your Firm Doing to Achieve Gender Equality?

International Women’s Day was March 8. The theme for this year is: Make It Happen. Patricia Arquette must have known that when she advocated for…

Twila Reid March 25, 2015

A Few Critical Strategic Questions to Ask Ourselves

There are a few critical questions that successful firm leaders need ask of themselves and ask of all of their partners on a regular basis.…

Patrick J. McKenna March 23, 2015

A Framework for Managing Change

Most people in the legal industry feel like they’re finally starting to get a handle on all the various things that have been changing in…

Bill Josten March 19, 2015

Global Ethics Summit Shines Light on Value of Ethical Behavior

The 7th Annual Global Ethics Summit, held March 10-11 in New York City, gave management and compliance leaders as well as government and regulatory officials…

Gregg Wirth March 16, 2015

Video: Business Model Key as Firm Restructured Along Practice Group Lines, Says Clayton Utz’s Cutler

HONG KONG—LEI Chairman Ralph Baxter talks to Robert Cutler, chief executive partner of Clayton Utz, the largest independent law firm in Australia, about the firm’s…

Robert Cutler March 16, 2015