by Bruce | July 20, 2007 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Globalization, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Strategy, Technology strategy
We conclude our three-part history of Allen & Overy with the years 1998—2007, the decade surrounding the turn of our current century. These years are, for my money, primarily the story of A&O’s investments in internationalization bearing...
by Bruce | July 18, 2007 | Articles, Finance, Globalization, Just Plain Interesting, Partnership Structures, Strategy, Technology strategy
My friend Professor William Henderson at Indiana University School of Law—Bloomington just sent word of a new initiative the law school is launching in conjunction with the American Bar Foundation. Called the "Law Firms Working Group," the...
by Bruce | July 17, 2007 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Globalization, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Strategy
When we left Allen & Overy in June 1971, Jim Thomson had just died. "He, more than any one other single individual, represented Allen & Overy; in the minds of many people in the City, clients and competitors alike, Jim Thomson was Allen &...
by Bruce | July 10, 2007 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Globalization, Innovative Managing Partners, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Strategy, Technology strategy
The FT is out with its second annual "Innovative Lawyers" Survey and much has changed since I reported on the original survey a year ago. Primarily, the survey is far more ambitious in scope this year: "The 2006 report covered only UK lawyers...
by Bruce | July 5, 2007 | Articles, Finance, Globalization, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Strategy
The current issue of the ABA Journal (July 2007) has an article recapping the debate on the likelihood and advisability of publicly-traded law firms in the United States. Some of the more notable positions on the topic are: “It’s hard to say anything...
by Bruce | June 29, 2007 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Practice Group Management, Strategy
Behold a thunderclap of common sense. Might our industry be about to introduce the camel’s nose of "merit-based pay" into the tent? Washington-based Howrey (630 lawyers) just announced, as reported on law.com, that they are ditching lockstep...