by Bruce | December 15, 2005 | Articles, Finance, Globalization, Leadership, M&A, Strategy
A perennial subject for speculation is whether or how the consolidation trend among BigLaw will end. A primary—and by sheer headcount perhaps the prevalent—point of view is that the industrial structure of BigLaw is moving towards a bimodal...
by Bruce | December 8, 2005 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Globalization, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Strategy
Of all the "evergreen" topics we keep coming back to here at "Adam Smith, Esq." one of the ever-greenest (no pun…) is the eternal disequilibrium between lockstep and eat-what-you-kill partner compensation models. Most recently, I...
by Bruce | December 6, 2005 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Globalization, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Strategy
No sooner had we surveyed the prospects for a talent war for associates among the AmLaw 200 than along comes the Financial Times reporting on the release in the UK of PwC’s annual survey of law firm finances. (I’ve requested a full copy by email to...
by Bruce | December 2, 2005 | Articles, Compensation, Finance, Globalization, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Strategy, Technology strategy
The American Lawyer is out with their annual survey of the AmLaw 200 managing partners (147 responded this year—summary Q&A results here), and while the news is almost overwhelmingly good (at least if you’re a partner in the AmLaw 200, and not a client...
by Bruce | November 21, 2005 | Articles, Finance, Globalization, Leadership, Strategy, Technology strategy
Justin North of Baker Robbins & Co. reports at Legal Week the results of an informal survey of CIO’s at major law firms asking them to assess what had changed over the past five years and what new developments would dominate the next five. The firm...
by Bruce | November 15, 2005 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Globalization, Marketing, Strategy
Quick quiz: Q1: If you made $125,000 in 2000, how much would you have to make in 2005 to have the same purchasing power (straight CPI adjustment per the Minneapolis Fed)? A1: $141,250. Now add in this observation, from one of the leading law...