by Bruce | February 3, 2005 | Articles, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Leadership, Marketing, Practice Group Management, Strategy
One of the most promising and optimistic pieces I’ve read in awhile comes courtesy of John Smock, co-founder of Smock Sterling Strategic Management Consultants outside Chicago. Essentially a look-back at his twenty years of experience being a strategic...
by Bruce | January 31, 2005 | Articles, Compensation, Finance, Globalization, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Strategy
"Law firms are being forced to run themselves along more ‘corporate’ lines than ever before," reports the FT, summarizing a PwC report on the top 50 UK firms during 2004. This new "strategic approach" may represent a departure...
by Bruce | January 29, 2005 | Articles, Finance, Globalization, Just Plain Interesting, M&A, Marketing, Strategy
One-stop data shopping about the size and composition of the legal services industry? It’s here on one handy page put together by "Envision Agency," a new name to me, which describes itself as a "full service marketing agency specializing in...
by Bruce | January 27, 2005 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Practice Group Management, Strategy
Building a genuinely trusting, collaborative, integrated culture—where one does not exist—is among the tallest of orders that a firm can face. Since control over clients is such a key source of power, client-hogging and the individualistic behavior...
by Bruce | January 23, 2005 | Articles, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Globalization, Leadership, M&A, Strategy
Is there anything interesting to be said of the potential Pillsbury/Shaw-Pittman merger? Regular readers will know that I approach mergers with a jaundiced eye, given their frankly embarrassing track record of destroying rather than creating value in...
by Bruce | January 21, 2005 | Articles, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Marketing, Strategy
More on Marketing 101 for lawyers: Do you know how to work a room? Are you comfortable delivering an elevator pitch about what you do for your clients? Both these articles cover the basics in reassuring, albeit non-negotiable, terms. For...