by Bruce | June 25, 2018 | Articles, Finance, Leadership, Strategy
What is the “yield curve” and why should you care? Well, first off, it’s not remotely the kind of topic we regularly write about on Adam Smith, Esq., because it seems far removed from “the economics of law firms,” but then again,...
by Bruce | June 22, 2018 | Articles, Cultural Considerations, Leadership, Partnership Structures
Yes, it happens. We’ve seen several situations where the firm’s Managing Partner or Chair can’t bring themselves to make decisions–some arguably critical to the firm’s prosperity and vibrancy in the long run–because they fear some partners will object....
by Bruce | June 5, 2018 | About the Site, Adam Smith Himself, Articles
Born June 5, 1723, Kirkcaldy, Scotland: Died Edinburgh July 17, 1790, age 67. Of course few things are quite that simple. June 5 was the date his baptism was recorded at Kirkcaldy church, so his actual birthday was almost surely a bit earlier; but custom and...
by Bruce | June 2, 2018 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Globalization, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Recruiting, Strategy
Copious has been the coverage around Freshfields’ revised lockstep–for example, The Lawyer’s “Be careful what you wish for: First round of Freshfields partners hit by lockstep reform.” It turns out that no matter how resounding the endorsement of the partners...
by Bruce | May 29, 2018 | Articles, Business Models, Cultural Considerations, Globalization, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Strategy
Our custom after trips of some substance is to report back to readers in the form of a “Letter From ____,” and since I spent all of last week in my Second Favorite City in the World, here you have it. Logistics and context I had 21 meetings in four days with a mix of...
