by Bruce | November 15, 2005 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Globalization, Marketing, Strategy
Quick quiz: Q1: If you made $125,000 in 2000, how much would you have to make in 2005 to have the same purchasing power (straight CPI adjustment per the Minneapolis Fed)? A1: $141,250. Now add in this observation, from one of the leading law...
by Bruce | November 11, 2005 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Partnership Structures, Strategy
In light of my post earlier this week recapping the extensive empirical evidence on the hazards (or, at least, the not-to-be-assumed, non-automatic, benefits) of shifting to a two-tier partnership model, news that Gibson-Dunn is considering just such a move is...
by Bruce | November 7, 2005 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Partnership Structures, Strategy
Last Friday I attended a presentation at Jones-Day’s Washington, DC office, hosted in their top-floor conference room with a picture-postcard view of the Capitol dome. (I’m not kidding about the postcard view; CBS News has built a broadcast booth on...
by Bruce | November 2, 2005 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Strategy
And the winner is…"Modified Lockstep," closely followed by my own perverse favorite "there’s no such thing." Specifically, "lockstep with super-points" drew the most votes and "lockstep with geographic [or] practice...
by Bruce | November 1, 2005 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Globalization, Leadership, M&A, Partnership Structures, Strategy
It comes as news to no one that mergers have recently been changing the legal landscape. Tony Williams and I share the view that we are witnessing the transformation of the industry’s fundamental structure, into a form that may endure for decades going...
by Bruce | October 27, 2005 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Globalization, Strategy
Actually, this post is less about hockey players and associates than it is about how the top firms are all able to mysteriously agree on the "going rate" ($125,000 for first year’s) without colluding, and on the dynamics behind the scenes when that...