by Bruce | April 29, 2006 | Articles, Compensation, Finance, Globalization, Leadership, Practice Group Management, Strategy
Here at "Adam Smith, Esq.," the release of the annual AmLaw 100 feels a bit like Super Bowl weekend; there are lots of stories to report. Fortunately, here in virtual space, we have unlimited newsprint and ink. Here are a few more ways to slice the...
by Bruce | April 29, 2006 | Articles, Finance, Globalization, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Practice Group Management, Strategy
Today we have the AmLaw 100 ranked by Revenue per Lawyer, one of my favorite metrics. Why one of my favorites? First of all, it provides insight into the extent to which a firm actually achieves the Holy Grail sought by all—to do a larger proportion...
by Bruce | April 28, 2006 | Articles, Finance, Globalization
The AmLaw 100 for 2005 is out. Here are two different slices of the Top Quartile: By percentage growth in revenue 2005 vs. 2004 (I actually give you the top 27 since the first two are not meaningful): 2005 Rank 2004 Rank Firm 2005 Gross Revenue Change From 2004...
by Bruce | April 26, 2006 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Leadership, Marketing, Practice Group Management
One of the topics most regularly (should I say, "compulsively?") bruited about, with far and away the least actual impact on anything to show for it, is "alternative billing," also known as anything but the billable hour. I have my own theories as...
by Bruce | April 24, 2006 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Leadership, Practice Group Management, Strategy
Here’s a success story by any measure: "It’s a profitable formula: [Company X’s] 387% return to shareholders over the past five years handily beats almost all other companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index, including New...
by Bruce | April 21, 2006 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Practice Group Management
"An associate at a major, national firm" wrote recently with this lament: "Lately, I really have been plagued by how law firms are managed: I see the inefficiencies and how employees are treated (both at my firm and at other firms), and I...