There are law firms that are accustomed to being governed through consensus — a process that requires all partners to agree with any action before it can occur. Consensus-based partnerships may be the hardest firms to manage and the most difficult in which to accomplish any form of significant change. There are, however, techniques that [...]
For all the talk by law firms about collegiality and teamwork, I am constantly amazed at the level of distrust partners display for each other in the day-to-day operation of their firms. Of all business organizations, law firms have the most clearly defined standards of ethical behavior. One might conclude that such clearly enunciated ethical [...]
As one of my partners observed, clients are a bit like various kinds of house pets and act according to their species. There are dogs that willingly follow people they trust where ever they go. There are cats who attach themselves to a place and, although they may feign interest when someone departs, they have [...]
I frequently hear Managing Partners comment that associates are different today than they used to be. “Different” is, of course, often code for “not as good.” We talk about Gen X and Gen Next in our efforts to understand what motivates young lawyers. But, at the same time, it is worth noting that the structure [...]
Back to top