Point/Counterpoint: How to Acquire New Business from Large Companies--PR or Advertising?
01.01.04
Most AMLAW 200 firms want their lawyers to be the trusted advisors of Fortune 500 to Fortune 1000 companies. Most of these large companies have an in-house legal department, and these departments are as different as law firm compensation systems. Some have extensive in-house expertise on highly specialized legal matters, while others rely primarily on law firms for everything from large corporate/securities transactions to consumer class action litigation.
Meet the Super Heroes
11.01.03
In-house lawyers are finding that more and more is expected of them as regulation increases. Part watchdog, part business hotshot, part super hero - the new in-house lawyer is multi-faceted and very different to a few years ago, a collection of international in-house counsel agreed.
Try Scenario Planning
10.13.03
At various legal industry conferences, when the audience was asked "Does your firm have a strategic plan?" at least half answered that they did not.. Whether a firm does or doesn’t have a strategic plan appears to have nothing to do with size, profitability or scope of practice.
10 Things We`ve Learned from In-House Counsel in the US and Europe
10.01.03
During the last two years, we’ve had the pleasure of facilitating discussions with senior in-house lawyers from the world’s leading corporations in the US, Canada, Europe and Asia. These round tables have covered topics as diverse as crisis and reputation management, corporate compliance and corporate governance, working smarter—not harder, in-house counsels’ broadening role in risk management, and managing cross-border litigation and transactions.
Measuring Profitability
06.20.03
Law firm leaders closely correlate profitability to revenue. But even if revenues are rising slightly in the largest firms, as a recent Citigroup "Flash Survey" indicated, it doesn’t necessarily mean that profits are correspondingly rising. It’s time to put the emphasis where it belongs—not on hours and rates, but on profitability. The profitability of your clients, that is.
Brobeck: When Your Future is at Stake... A Kept Promise or Just Advertising?
03.17.03
Everyone has an opinion about Brobeck, and most seem willing to share it. Legal industry conservatives who argue that marketing, in the broadest sense, and branding, more specifically, DON’T WORK, are among those buzzing about Brobeck’s sudden death. These perpetual cynics are, by a professional marketer’s standards, advancing the Brobeck brand. "Word of mouth" is still one of the best tests of brand strength—even after a firm has disintegrated.
What's in Your Budget? All Spending Should Advance the Firm`s Strategic Goals and Produce Measurable Results
03.15.03
If you focus your strategy, you can focus your spending. This basic business premise directs law firm leaders to invest resources only in those projects and programs that get them closer to their stated goals—and suggests that they should eliminate the practice of throwing dollars at anything that doesn’t. If it’s this simple, then why do law firms continue to invest time and money in initiatives that have no hope of returning a single dollar?
Brobeck—The Lessons NOT to Learn from its Demise
03.01.03
Cocktail parties inside and on the perimeter of the legal industry will buzz for months about Brobeck’s late January announcement of its dismantling. Some firm leaders might whisper, "But for the grace of God go I," as they quietly noodle about what led to this fateful decision.
Salute to Brian Melton: 2003 Dallas Bar President
01.01.03
Brian Melton’s first memorable moment with the Dallas Bar Association came on December 22, 1979. He and his girlfriend, Darcy, were the first to have a wedding-related function at the Belo. And since then, he’s hardly left the building.