by Bruce | February 7, 2005 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Strategy
Even the reader acquainted only at the most cursory level with my perspective on the increasingly professionalized management of law firms would know I endorse that trend wholeheartedly. The question du jour is whether I endorse it without reservation. Prompting...
by Bruce | February 4, 2005 | Articles, Finance, Leadership, M&A, Marketing, Partnership Structures, Strategy
Roughly speaking, there are two theories of history: That people shape events, or that events shape people. As a confirmed subscriber to the former theory, this American Lawyer profile of Bingham-McCutchen’s chair, Jay Zimmerman, tells the tale to me of...
by Bruce | February 3, 2005 | Articles, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Leadership, Marketing, Practice Group Management, Strategy
One of the most promising and optimistic pieces I’ve read in awhile comes courtesy of John Smock, co-founder of Smock Sterling Strategic Management Consultants outside Chicago. Essentially a look-back at his twenty years of experience being a strategic...
by Bruce | January 31, 2005 | Articles, Compensation, Finance, Globalization, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Strategy
"Law firms are being forced to run themselves along more ‘corporate’ lines than ever before," reports the FT, summarizing a PwC report on the top 50 UK firms during 2004. This new "strategic approach" may represent a departure...
by Bruce | January 27, 2005 | About the Site, Articles, Cultural Considerations, Just Plain Interesting, Leadership, Strategy, Technology strategy
Ernie Svenson, one of the "Savvy Blawgers" and host of Ernie the Attorney, was just interviewed on JD Bliss about how he came to be a blogger, and among other points was this exchange: JDB: Has blogging been important to you as a means to address...
by Bruce | January 27, 2005 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Practice Group Management, Strategy
Building a genuinely trusting, collaborative, integrated culture—where one does not exist—is among the tallest of orders that a firm can face. Since control over clients is such a key source of power, client-hogging and the individualistic behavior...