by Bruce | August 24, 2007 | Articles, Globalization, M&A, Strategy
Although it’s policy here at "Adam Smith, Esq." not to cover breaking news, rules are made to be broken, and this is an exception. I learned mid-afternoon today that LeBoeuf and Dewey Ballantine are apparently in advanced merger talks, as reported...
by Bruce | August 17, 2007 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Globalization, Innovative Managing Partners, Leadership, M&A, Partnership Structures, Strategy
I’ve written previously about "The World’s First Publicly Traded Law Firm"—Slater & Gordon of Australia—and also about "Seven Perspectives on Law Firms’ Going Public". For those in the audience who are...
by Bruce | May 23, 2007 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Globalization, Leadership, M&A, Partnership Structures, Strategy
As noted in the WSJ Law Blog, on law.com’s legal blog watch , and by my good friend Larry Ribstein, the Australian law firm Slater & Gordon, a personal injury specialist firm with 21 branches in the country and over 20,000 clients, became the first...
by Bruce | April 24, 2007 | Articles, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Globalization, Leadership, M&A, Partnership Structures, Strategy
Regular readers know that I’ve written periodically about the so-called "Clementi" reforms scheduled to take effect next year in the UK which would permit public ownership of, and investment in, law firms, as well as permitting diversified...
by Bruce | April 17, 2007 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Globalization, Innovative Managing Partners, Leadership, M&A, Partnership Structures, Profiles of Individuals, Strategy
In 1999, Reed Smith’s 610 lawyers generated $168-million in revenue, from 14 offices in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. At the start of 2007, its 1,500 lawyers are on track to do $900-million in revenue, from 21 offices across the US from California to...
by Bruce | April 8, 2007 | Articles, Cultural Considerations, Leadership, M&A, Practice Group Management, Strategy
We’ve all encountered the jerks and a**holes in our firms, preferably as a co-equal partner who at least has a prayer of fighting back, but more often the real damage is done to associates or staff whose motivation is sapped, whose degree of loyalty to the firm...