Law Firm Management

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The authors note: "It is amazing to us how often we meet attorneys who have the self-limiting belief that they will never be successful rainmakers. We constantly hear things like, 'I didn't go to law school to sell something,' or 'the people I know who develop business can do so only because it comes naturally to them.' These are excuses that may make us feel better when we say them, but they will not ever help us move out of our comfort zones to become well-rounded professionals.

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Who's doing what; who's going where.

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Like many organizations, title inflation has befallen law firms. Clearly, titles are important. Despite the temporary de-emphasis during the 'dot-com' era, titles are fundamental to any organizational design especially in a law firm setting where a more hierarchical model has always been valued. Used correctly, it can represent a way to reward, and in theory retain, talent. Positioning the marketing function at the 'C' level seems to make good sense, for the firm and certainly the executive. Despite this, before taking on the title ask yourself; am I getting a seat at the table or on the edge of a cliff?

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It's not a secret that a strong summer associate program is essential to attracting and retaining talent. Aside from providing good work assignments and networking opportunities, a summer program would not be complete without a training component. Whether your firm provides a few seminars or a formal Summer Associate Academy complete with workshops, guest speakers, and opportunities to attend off-site conferences, the following provides an overview of some easy steps for creating an effective summer associate training program.

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Sex-based stereotypes still play a role in workplace decisions in what has become one of the fastest growing areas of employment discrimination law: Family Responsibilities Discrimination ('FRD'). While overall the filing of employment discrimination cases has declined in recent years, FRD lawsuits have increased by 400% in the last decade; and FRD cases have a 50% success rate, compared with a 20% success rate for other employment discrimination cases.

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Many global firms that provide transaction support services for law firms are exceedingly worried about the 2008 deal season. But is the anecdotal evidence of a drying pipeline true? A quick look at the data suggests that law and accounting firms are right to be worried about a decreased deal flow, with only a few highlights in sight.

Gerry Riskin, who is undoubtedly one of the anointed few among clear thinkers, recently sent out a small video (http://www.gerryriskin.com/law-firm-leadership-law-firm-leaders-heres-3-minutes-53-seconds-from-tom-peters.html) of Tom Peters on the subject of leadership. It was an important piece, and certainly worth the few moments it takes to view it. The subject of leadership is intriguing, obviously. There are a vast number of books on the subject, and people in all walks of life seem to spend more time and concern on…

INVISIBLE MARKETING II. Last column we startged discussing "permission marketing" by recognizing opportunities given to you by clients and prospects for future client generation. This time we will add two more business development openings. "WHAT'S NEW?", when asked by a past contact or by a good client, opens the way to talk about: * A recent firm success * An highly regarded article written by a colleague * Or asking if they have heard about a…