by Bruce | August 18, 2005 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Globalization, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Strategy
We note with great sadness the passing of a 150+ year old firm, a pioneer on the international scene in ways many are still trying to emulate. (Also here.) The firm’s demise strikes me as exceedingly unnecessary—given the long perspective—but...
by Bruce | August 12, 2005 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Finance, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Strategy
Imagine a highly productive partner with a stand-out book of business that other firms would salivate over, years of experience and accumulated wisdom, and deep ties to blue-chip clients. What are the odds a firm would introduce a clause in its partnership...
by Bruce | August 10, 2005 | Articles, Compensation, Cultural Considerations, Globalization, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Practice Group Management, Strategy
Is "leadership" a verb or a noun? I’m not trying to be cute—the real question is whether leaders are simply born, or can be made. To step back, leadership is one of those ineffable qualities the intrinsic desirability of which no one...
by Bruce | July 31, 2005 | Articles, Compensation, Finance, Leadership, Partnership Structures, Strategy
The AmLaw 200 (technically, the AmLaw 101—200) is now out and the most important generalization to be offered is that this group is not susceptible to generalizations. On a macro level, the news is good for these firms: Revenue was up year-over-year by 7%,...
by Bruce | July 28, 2005 | Articles, Leadership, Marketing, Partnership Structures, Strategy
Yesterday Gerry Riskin, of Edge International, invited me to lunch at The Cornell Club while he was passing through town. Suffice to say that if you have a chance to meet Gerry (I had not, previously), and if you’ve ever given a lick of thought to law firm...
by Bruce | July 28, 2005 | Articles, Finance, Marketing, Partnership Structures, Strategy
Among the AmLaw 200, mergers are in the air. Like it or not, this seems to be the reality we are facing: Consolidation. I’ve addressed the "fact" of this trend before (I think it’s safe to say at this point that it’s a...
