by Bruce | September 30, 2005 | Articles, Cultural Considerations, Globalization, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Strategy
Most would agree that one of the most difficult things to get lawyers to do is to change, and that changing a law firm itself is an order of magnitude more difficult. Many managing partners I know, some of whom arrived on the scene of "a burning...
by Bruce | September 28, 2005 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Globalization, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Strategy
This being an equal opportunity blog in terms of eligibility for criticism or praise, today I offer a heartfelt endorsement of what Clifford Chance is doing right—and add that other firms aspiring to a truly sophisticated approach to their strategic...
by Bruce | September 25, 2005 | Articles, Globalization, Leadership, Marketing, Strategy
Our text this morning is the two-part cover story of this weekend’s Barron’s, on the creation, rise, and dominance of Lexus in the luxury auto market. And I select it not because Lexus ownership surely over-indexes among readers of "Adam Smith,...
by Bruce | September 8, 2005 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Globalization, M&A, Strategy
The Lawyer is out with their annual "UK 100" (for 2005), and it shows that while the Magic Circle is pulling away ("going galactic," as they gaily put it), the interesting action is in what they newly dub the "Silver Circle," or the...
by Bruce | September 7, 2005 | Articles, Cultural Considerations, Globalization, Leadership, Strategy
Can you ever think too much about leadership? Not in my book. But then, I’m firmly in the camp of "people make history" rather than "history makes people." Or, as The New York Times put it this morning apropos the 10th...
by Bruce | September 1, 2005 | Articles, Finance, Globalization, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Strategy
The American Lawyer’s "A-List" is out, and I’ll have something to say about it in the next day or two. (The A-List, I probably needn’t remind you, ranks firms not by revenue, size, or profitability, but by a combination of (a) revenue...