A Haven For Straight Talk: <b>The Billable Hour: If You're Gonna Use It ... Use It!</b>
November 01, 2004
Anyone familiar with this column, or my rantings in a variety of other locations, knows that I'm not a huge fan of the billable hour. I think it drives a certain kind of "wrong think" about the value of working smart vs. working long. Law firm management folks also tend to use the billable hour as the one "uber number" to drive all other considerations ' including marketing ' aside. Like they say, when your only tool is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail. <br>What surprises me even further about the billable hour, though, is how little its use is exploited as a marketing and business tool.
Media & Communications Corner: <b>Pending Litigation and Media Relatons ' A Happy Medium </b>
November 01, 2004
When it comes to litigation and media relations, the reactions can run as extreme as day and night. One litigator wants the whole world to know her involvement with a lawsuit and be quoted in every single article written on it, while another litigator is unsure about how and when to use media relations and takes the safe approach by avoiding it altogether. Neither are satisfied with the results: the media-hungry litigator had too few reporters call her for interviews, and the media-hesitant litigator wonders why neither him nor his Firm are mentioned in any news reports on his case. <br>In both instances, a media-relations plan specifically focused on pending litigation could have provided a happier medium for both.
Note From the Editor
November 01, 2004
This month, we are presenting a special insert focusing on leadership in law marketing. I was privileged to once again have Wisnik Career Enterprises work with me on "The Best of Law Firm Leaders in Marketing." I am also thrilled to have David Freeman, who sits on our Board of Editors, authoring an article on his take on leadership.
Best Software Technologies For Boosting Realization
November 01, 2004
<i>A&FP</i>'s July edition included an article describing how one large firm methodically improved collections with due regard for the delicacy of client relationships. To that same end, this new article by Jim Hammond explores software technologies that help focus and streamline a firm's collections efforts.
How A Leader Adds Value To A Law Firm
November 01, 2004
The greatest, and perhaps the most frustrating challenge with which effective leaders of law firms must deal is the approach to follow to provide leadership to their firms. Central to this conflict is whether to lead by consensus or decree. Astute leaders achieve the appropriate balance of building consensus among the partners versus managing as an autocrat.
Gray Cary & Piper Rudnick: It's A Match!
November 01, 2004
Partners at Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich and Piper Rudnick voted to merge the two firms in mid-October, creating a firm with close to 1400 lawyers in 20 offices and setting the stage for an even larger combination later this year.
Tax Bill Makes Major Changes To Deferred Compensation Rules
November 01, 2004
In early October, Congress passed the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 (Bill). President Bush is expected to sign it shortly. The Bill includes a number of tax breaks and is primarily directed toward ending export subsidies that were declared illegal in 2002 and that caused the European Union to impose tariffs on certain imports from the U.S. <br>In addition, the Bill includes provisions affecting deferred compensation that have been described as a "sea change" by senior government officials.
Bringing Electronic Discovery In-House
November 01, 2004
Is there a pot of gold at the end of the e-discovery rainbow? <br>As the amount of litigation, regulatory and compliance-related e-discovery grows to epic proportions, some law firms are wondering whether it's time to make capital investments to bring e-discovery processing in-house rather than outsourcing it to vendors.
e-Discovery Conference: Some of What You Missed
November 01, 2004
In mid-October, <i>e-Discovery Law & Strategy</i>'s parent company, ALM, joined with the Business Development Institute (BDI) to offer ALM's first e-discovery conference in New York City. The faculty featured several e-discovery luminaries ' here are some highlights in case you missed it.
