by Bruce | March 15, 2008 | Articles, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Globalization, Leadership, M&A, Strategy
Just back from an abbreviated week in London (essentially Tuesday through Thursday). Herewith a report. I met with the managing partners of a good half-dozen firms, fairly representative of the marketplace, and unsurprisingly the top question on most minds is...
by Bruce | February 27, 2008 | Articles, Finance, Globalization, Innovative Managing Partners, Leadership, M&A, Strategy
Consider your reactions to these three hypothetical scenarios: In light of slack demand, BMW announces a combination of price cuts, rebates, and financing incentives that would save you 15%. More or less likely to visit a dealer? The Dow Jones Industrials are down 15%...
by Bruce | February 25, 2008 | Articles, Finance, Practice Group Management, Strategy
So once it’s in The Wall Street Journal it must be a real phenomenon, right? I’m referring to today’s "Why BigLaw Is Bracing for a Leaner 2008," along with its companion piece on the WSJ Law Blog. A sampling of the evidence adduced behind...
by Bruce | February 22, 2008 | Articles, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Leadership, Practice Group Management
Tuesday I attended one of the regular lunch-time meetings of the ABA’s "Back to Business Law" project which describes itself as "a pilot project sponsored by the ABA Section of Business Law, [to] provide periodic continuing legal education...
by Bruce | February 18, 2008 | Articles, Compensation, Finance, Globalization, Leadership, Practice Group Management, Strategy
While we’re all obsessing over the sub-prime crisis, the credit crunch in general, the housing market’s retrenchment, the inability to mark to market CDO’s, the devilish tendency of "liquidity" to be robust when you don’t need it and...
by Bruce | February 8, 2008 | Articles, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Strategy
"’The issue isn’t ‘integration,’ ‘ [Barton Winokur of Dechert] says. ‘I think that’s a garbage word people use." He’s talking about integration of laterals, a key issue on which The American Lawyer has just...