by Bruce | June 3, 2009 | Articles, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Globalization, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Practice Group Management, Strategy
The more I reflect on the news of GM’s bankruptcy, the more shocking I find it. My reaction is surprisingly akin to that when I learned of Eliot Spitzer’s or Bernie Madoff’s flameouts: How on earth could this happen? What were they...
by Bruce | May 30, 2009 | Articles, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Strategy
According to data published by Citi Private Bank, covering the vast majority of large US-based firms, the compound annual growth rate of yearly revenues from 2001–2007 was 10.6% and that of profits per partner was 9.3%. Put differently, the average...
by Bruce | May 6, 2009 | Articles, Finance, Strategy
Today’s Financial Times features “Law Firms Adapt to a Stark New World” which quotes a certain “Bruce McKewan” (well, close enough, and phonetically accurate) as saying: “The law firm business model for this century up until last...
by Bruce | May 5, 2009 | Articles, Compensation, Finance, Marketing, Practice Group Management, Strategy
From the famous annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, “Woodstock for capitalists,” comes news a couple of days ago from the WSJ that Warren Buffett, long an investor in newspapers, sees “unending losses” for the industry. He then makes even...
by Bruce | April 29, 2009 | Articles, Compensation, Finance, Partnership Structures
On the balance sheet of essentially every corporation of any size or degree of profitability appears the line, “Retained Earnings.” I have never seen such a line on the balance sheet of any law firm. Why not? More importantly, what should the capital...
by Bruce | April 24, 2009 | Articles, Finance, Globalization
Where are we going and when is this interregnum going to end? That’s the question on everyone’s lips. Today I have three scenarios and a coda. Caveat lector: I don’t know which of the scenarios is most likely, but I do endorse the coda as I have few...
