Saul Ewing, a Philadelphia-based firm, launched its “cost certainty commitment” in June 2009. Many law firms have agreed to work on various types of matters for a fixed fee, but I cite this particular one because of the publicity surrounding it and because of its specificity. A partner describes the…
This memorable quote struck me, but struck me as misguided. The rhetoric, in the sense of the underlying assumptions and method of persuasion, invokes at least these six points. a) Hire the army connotes big matters. Most legal matters are tactical strikes at the largest, small skirmishes more likely, and…
Few in-house managers blithely transfer matters underway from one law firm to another, but it happens – or it ought to happen (See my post of Sept. 12, 2008: transfer matters to new counsel with 8 references.). Under various circumstances, including these eleven, switching firms midstream makes sense. Poor service…
From an onging discussion on LinkedIin about secondments, I extracted two ideas offered by in-house attorneys. I added the bold font to highlight the comments: “I think the only way to begin to secure a free secondee is when you are having a major overhaul of your external providers. Depending…
“Similarly, the parties can and should consider termination premiums in the event that a client abandons the project midstream or, having learned the lawyer’s strategy, opts to engage less-expensive counsel.” This sentence, from Law Practice, Vol. 35, June 2009 at 53, is riddled with quarrelsome points. No client should owe…
A recent white paper cites an article that says “in order to correctly anticipate potential risks to clients, firms can implement competitive intelligence (CI) programs.” Later, Future Law Office: Delivering Value-Added Legal Services in Challenging Times (Robert Half Legal 2009) at 8, adds that “A law firm CI program should…
A series of experiments has found that the more participants there are in a competition, on average the less hard people try. The studies are described in the Economist, July 11, 2009 at 82. It’s as if people have an intuitive sense of their odds, and they ratchet up their…
According to one source, the top 200 law firms in the US earned $84 billion in 2008 (See my post of July 7, 2009: 200 largest US law firms and their revenue in 2008.). I have not seen estimates of what portion of these firms’ fees come from corporate entities…
“Even if a firm has the expertise, if their business and communication style isn’t compatible with ours, it doesn’t really help.” This quote from a general counsel of a small company in Canada comes from Future Law Office: Delivering Value-Added Legal Services in Challenging Times (Robert Half Legal 2009) at…
Previous metaposts have compiled my comments on various aspects of law firm marketing: beauty contests, brands, cross-selling, and marketing (See my post of Nov. 28, 2007: law firm brands with 11 references; Jan. 28, 2008: brands, marketing, and cross selling; Dec. 21, 2008: beauty contests with 8 references cited; Feb.…