Features

Copyright Attorney Fees Ruling in Friday the 13th Termination Case
The U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut granted Friday the 13th screenwriter Victor Miller partial attorney fees totaling more than $886,564, in his long-running fight against the 1980 horror film's production outfit Manny Co. over proceeds from the film.
Features

Billing Rates Have Increased, But Not Enough to Beat Inflation
Law firm billing rates have increased across all law positions in 2022, but not necessarily enough to keep pace with inflation. That's according to news reports that point to some more challenges for law firm profits.
Features

The Four Legal Sales Strategies
The 'best choice' provider pitch may not be the optimal sales strategy. It's better to adjust to where the prospect is in their buying decision process — whether that means they are looking for providers, they are studying the situation, they already have counsel, or they have decided not to address the issue.
Features

Midlevel Survey Shows What Law Firms Are Getting Right — and Wrong
Midlevel associates aren't less willing than their predecessors to do the brain-bending amount of work. It's that after two years of billing massive hours through an isolating global pandemic, they're completely disloyal to the status quo. They kept firms going, they made partners rich, and now they plan to reshape the profession in their image.
Features

Are Large Firm Rates Pushing Clients to Seek Other Alternatives?
Firms have been especially deliberate during the pandemic to increase the number of touch points they have with existing business, deepening ties with their roster of current clients by referring matters across practices and rewarding partners for that kind of origination. But with marketing spend surging and clients increasingly willing to move work around, Big Law firms' incumbent advantage could begin to wane.
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Current Economic Climate Likely to Cause Law Firms to Offer Flexible and Creative Fee Arrangements
The current economic climate will incline lawyers, specifically litigators, to rethink their fee structures. With inflation at a 40-year high, residential and commercial rents rising, and a predicted looming recession, clients are tightening their budgets, but also demanding the same level of service and results from their attorneys.
Features

While Associate Salaries Rise to Fight Talent War, Counsel Are Asking, 'Where's Mine?'
Uncertainty at most firms has led some Big Law counsel to become unhappy or disgruntled. They may be working the same long hours as their firms' associates, but, in some cases, they're now making less than lawyers with less experience. As a result, many counsel have been reaching out to recruiters.
Features

Rate Hikes Threatening Trusted Status with Clients
After years of clients working to trim their roster of firms to a trusted group that understands the specific challenges of their businesses, rate hikes are threatening to upset these delicate relationships.
Features

Enabling Monetization of Non-Monetary Victories
This article proposes language to include in retainer agreements to enable the monetization of non-monetary victories and compensate attorneys for all their work on behalf of their contingency clients.
Features

How Many Is Too Many? Billable Hours Can Reach Diminishing Returns
By now, it is well known that this year has been defined, at least in part, by the furious pace at which lawyers have been working. At what point do high billable hours mean diminishing returns for both the lawyer and the firm?
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