Author Archive:

The Rise of Non-Law Firm Competitors

This is the fourth in a series about the five emerging faces of the legal industry. In the new economy, lawyers don’t just compete against other lawyers for a share of the legal services market, they also compete against non lawyers. Lawyers’ continued reliance on the billable hour has many businesses looking for more efficient…

Read More →

The Efficient Law Firm

This is the fifth in a series of posts about the New Faces of the Law Firm Competitive Landscape. The next emerging face of the legal industry is the efficient law firm. These are firms that recognize that even the most complex legal matters have aspects that are routine and can often be standardized. They…

Read More →

The impact of Mega Global Firms on the Law Firm Competitive Landscape

This is the third in a series of posts about the New Faces of the Law Firm Competitive Landscape While there is no evidence to suggest that bigger is better, that hasn’t stopped a new breed of Mega Global Firms from emerging onto the legal landscape. Mega Global Firms are easy to spot: Just follow…

Read More →

The Impact of the Ultra-Profitables on the Law Firm Competitive Landscape

When it comes to law firm strategy, there is nothing lawyers like more than non-fee sensitive work. But with the exception of corporate investigations and tax-disputes, this coveted slice of the legal market pie is not much more than a sliver, and everyone wants a bite. There was a time when most of the AmLaw…

Read More →

Five Emerging Faces Dominating the Law Firm Competitive Landscape

Five emerging faces are changing the competitive landscape of the legal industry in permanent ways. Is your practice sustainable? The new faces of the legal industry include: 1) The Ultra Profitable Firm — The handful of AmLaw firms whose profits per partner are so great that they are able to leverage their buying power to…

Read More →

What are you doing on your summer vacation?

August is the weakest month for billable hours in the United States, according to a Law 360 article published last month. Taking advantage of downtown to relax and rejuvenate is an important aspect of all of our lives. But before you completely shut down, take time out to think about your business development strategy for…

Read More →

Follow Up: Lessons learned from general counsel

I recently had the privilege of moderating a panel of general counsel in San Diego to get their perspectives on working with outside counsel in the posts-recession economy. The lesson I took away from the conversation was about the value of follow up. While there were a variety of views on the best way to…

Read More →

Survival of the fittest: The extinction of law firms?

Globalization, technology, and law firm economics are changing the face of the legal industry. Lawyers are not going to go away, but the practice of law is going to be different. Law firms need to understand where they fit in the market, who they compete against, the type of work they compete for and how…

Read More →

How to stop competing on price

The pressure to discount rates has never been greater. Yet studies of complex sales like legal show that less than 10 percent of decisions are based on the value-to-price ratio: So why has price become the cornerstone of so many conversations between lawyers and their clients? There is no question that legal budgets have become…

Read More →

Transforming Practices

The career path for attorneys has never been more challenging. While lawyer job dissatisfaction is nothing new, rapid changes in the legal industry create uncertainties for attorneys who plan to practice law for another decade or longer. Increased focus on profitability and changes in the law firm business model impact every lawyer: Service partners who…

Read More →

Back to Top