by Bruce | August 9, 2008 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Leadership, Strategy
Put these trends together, as reported by this month’s issue of The American Lawyer, and what do you get? Midlevel associates, despite their pay jump since 2006, aren’t satisfied with with their compensation; New York City salary levels have penetrated...
by Bruce | August 4, 2008 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Strategy
This is about the Cadwalader layoffs. But I won’t be piling on. I really won’t. Instead, I’d rather examine how the firm got to this unhappy pass and what managerial lessons it might hold in store for us. To understand what brought it to cutting...
by Bruce | July 29, 2008 | Articles, Compensation, Finance, Strategy, Technology strategy
Earlier this month, I wrote a column "about wringing our hands" (its actual title was How High Quality Are Your Lawyers? And How Can You Tell?) and I’ve just received a most thoughtful email from Alec Guettel, one of the co-founders of Axiom...
by Bruce | July 22, 2008 | Articles, Finance, Globalization, Innovative Managing Partners, Leadership, M&A, Practice Group Management, Profiles of Individuals, Strategy
I recently had the chance to sit down with Jay Zimmerman, Chairman of Bingham, to discuss the changes he’s seen over his career, and to talk about the future of the legal industry and Bingham. Herewith a synopsis. Jay (Harvard, Harvard Law) started his career in...
by Bruce | July 21, 2008 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Law Schools
My friend Prof. Bill Henderson of Indiana University School of Law has just published a highly significant column titled "How the ‘Cravath System’ Created the Bi-Modal Distribution." At least one blog ("MoneyLaw") has already deemed it...
by Bruce | July 14, 2008 | Articles, Finance, Practice Group Management
I’ve been increasingly mystified, now bordering on troubled, by a new case of "the dog that didn’t bark." Here’s my question: Given that we’ve been slogging through this subprime/Alt-A/Bear Stearns/Freddie & Fannie...
