Do some law firms charge different rates in different cities for partners who have the same levels of experience? I have heard that some law firms have offered to implement a cap on the rates of their higher-end partners (See my post of Dec. 31, 2006: cost of living and…
Firm managers try to grapple clients to the entire firm: “BigCorp is a client of BigFirm!” Firm partners strive to become the trusted advisor of a person: “LitAGC turns to me for BigMatters and Small!” General counsel come down on both sides of the debate: sometimes firms, sometimes partners. Note…
Two years ago, David Munn reported that the law firm Morgan Lewis had adopted Six Sigma in its mortgage loan practice. A detailed presentation on Morgan Lewis’ methodology can be found on Garrett Worley’s blog. Separately, while doing some research for another post, I found a law firm in India,…
My previous comments about the ACC Covenant with Counsel addressed those eight commitments that are symmetric (See my post of April 25, 2009: reciprocal undertakings in the Covenant.) and six unilateral commitments that ought to be bilateral (See my post of April 25, 2009: asymmetrical undertakings in the ACC Covenant.).…
Among the 16 commitments by clients and 17 by law firms in the Covenant with Counsel, part of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Value Challenge, are eight paired commitments, both sides agreeing to related undertakings (See my post of April 25, 2009: mutual, related promises.). In contrast, several of…
The Covenant with Counsel, issued as part of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Value Challenge, sets forth 16 commitments by clients and 17 by outside counsel. Eight of them fit together as pairs, as golden rules for relationships, as reciprocal commitments. My list of them is in order of…
Having launched my first blog poll in late February (See my post of Feb. 26, 2009: Vizu poll on overall percentage reduction in bills reviewed in past six months.), having summarized the results a week later (See my post of March 6, 2009: “nearly a dozen responses”), and having left…
“ … that is, he works our organization and the personalities to his own advantage to get more business for his Firm. So, at times, people are suspicious of his motives,” noted the GC. Law firm partners are under tremendous pressure to expand work and cross-sell additional services. Especially now,…
“ … instead of thinking like a businessman. He tends to be very technical and focus more on the minute aspects of the matter rather than the bigger picture of what is the right strategy for us,” observed the Associate General Counsel. The partner referred to here is the lead…
The cost advantages of sending work to so-called regional law firms can be startling. The ACC/Serengeti Managing Outside Counsel Survey found that the average hourly rates (after discounts) paid by the ACC members for work performed by partners/associates handling litigation range from a low of $228/$201 in Denver to a…