by Bruce | March 10, 2010 | Articles, Leadership, Practice Group Management, Strategy
Unfortunately, I’ve seen, up close and personal, law firms that suffered serious setbacks-or even failed outright-due to what could only be called “failure of succession planning.” What brings this to top-of-mind prominence is of course...
by Bruce | February 23, 2010 | Articles, Compensation, Finance, Leadership, Strategy
Earnings Season is now in full throat, and we’re beginning to see a remarkably consistent pattern emerge: Revenues essentially flat to down 10% Profits flat to slightly down-but PPP flat or even up a bit I generalize, of course. But here is some of the evidence...
by Bruce | February 19, 2010 | Articles, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Globalization, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Strategy
The Law Society of England & Wales recently published Nick Jarrett-Kerr’s Strategy for Law Firms: After the Legal Services Act, and Nick was kind enough to send me a copy for my perusal. (Disclosure: I’ve known Nick for years, although we have never...
by Bruce | February 5, 2010 | Articles, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Strategy
Fourteen years ago, Greenberg Traurig wasn’t in the AmLaw 100, and today it’s #10. Their CEO during this entire period–until he stepped down lastweek–was Cesar Alvarez, now age 62. When he became CEO of the firm, it was a “small but...
by Bruce | January 27, 2010 | Articles, Finance, Leadership
If we were in Corporate Land, this would be the beginning of earnings reporting season, with the close of the customary calendar year-fiscal year for most of BigLaw. It’s too early to draw any statistically solid conclusions about what 2009 looked like overall,...
by Bruce | January 11, 2010 | Articles, Finance, Leadership, M&A, Strategy
Before it’s too late to miss the brief window of opportunity for prognostications about the New Year, here’s one more. But first, let’s back up a bit. By almost anyone’s lights, 2009 was dreadful for our beloved industry, even appalling....