by Bruce | September 17, 2023 | About the Site, Adam Smith Himself, Articles, Branding, Ineffable, Just Plain Interesting
Over this past summer, a client, who has become a friend, asked us what the “back story” is behind the name of our firm. (Presumably he found the name ingenious or bizarre or some combination thereof.) Be that as it may, after we explained the origin he said he...
by Bruce | July 16, 2023 | Articles, Branding, Business Models, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Strategic Client Management, Strategy
It has been four years since we initially published our series laying out a law firm market segmentation model we called the “Maroons & The Grays,”[1] and four years on is none too soon for an update. No model is, or should be, static, and as we have worked with...
by Bruce | June 20, 2023 | Articles, Branding, Business Models, Client Relationships, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Globalization, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Practice Group Management, Recruiting, Strategic Client Management, Strategy
Something that feels structurally different seems to have developed in the lateral market. The ambition of this essay is to describe what we think it is, why it has developed, and what it portends for the future of BigLaw. Plus, with any luck, some ideas or at least...
by Bruce | November 16, 2022 | Articles, Branding, Cultural Considerations, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Recruiting, Strategy
Memory does not recall these pages ever featuring or even mentioning a rap star or a basketball star, but we are confident that our readers have wide-ranging and catholic tastes so we are sailing forth here undaunted. Plus, there should be a first time for...
by Bruce | June 15, 2022 | Articles, Branding, Client Relationships, Finance, Leadership, Practice Group Management, Strategic Client Management, Strategy
A few days ago the intrepid and data-tropic Bloomberg Law reporter Roy Strom published Big law rates topping $2,000 leave value ‘in the eye of the beholder.’ Roy is a friend (disclosure!) but his story prompted some reflections hereabouts on “How...
by Bruce | October 22, 2021 | Articles, Branding, Business Models, Client Relationships, Cultural Considerations, Leadership, Marketing, Practice Group Management, Strategic Client Management, Strategy
We’ve had our corporate checking account with Bank of America for over 15 years. This is the story of why it’s no longer there. A few weeks backI got a letter in the mail from BofA and luckily did not toss it aside unopened as very-likely-spam. It...