by Bruce | November 5, 2018 | Articles, Business Models, Client Relationships, Cultural Considerations, Leadership, Practice Group Management, Strategy
There is only one valid definition of a business purpose: to create a customer. –Peter Drucker, The Practice of Management (New York,: Harper, 1st ed. 1954); Routledge, 2012, at p. 37 Urban legend has it that a Harvard Business School professor (who is never...
by Bruce | October 7, 2018 | Articles, Client Relationships, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Leadership, Practice Group Management, Strategy
Recent conversation with a veteran friend in the industry. He had correctly deduced from a recent column in these pages that I’m (re-)reading the all-time strategy classic Playing to Win by A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin (Harvard Business Review Press: 2013) and...
by Bruce | August 14, 2018 | Articles, Branding, Business Models, Client Relationships, Finance, Leadership, Marketing, Strategy, Technology strategy
We often ask law firms, “Who’s your competition?” The single most frequent response we get is, “Well, no one, really.” This is delusion on stilts. Every business, I would venture to extend that to any human organization, has competition,...
by Bruce | December 26, 2017 | Articles, Client Relationships, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Practice Group Management, Strategy
In the spirit of generosity, which I hope is an active presence in your life but which is conspicuously abroad at this time of year, a regular reader granted me permission to share some of his reflections prompted by the recent column, “The End of...
by Bruce | October 24, 2017 | Articles, Business Models, Client Relationships, Finance, Leadership, Practice Group Management, Strategy
Over the past year or two, we’ve been working with what struck us as a high number of litigation boutiques, and we decided to pause and gather our thoughts for, we can always hope, the benefit of a wider audience. Semantics first: By “litigation boutique,” if it’s...
by Bruce | August 31, 2017 | Articles, Client Relationships, Finance, Leadership, Question of the Month
Question of the Month #3 was, “What is the best measure of law firm performance?” This column is by Janet Stanton, Partner, Adam Smith, Esq. This question is gaining currency in our industry, with it being asked with greater frequency and not a few...