How to Succeed in a Relocation Case
January 30, 2014
It can be a difficult task to persuade a court that it should permit the relocation of a child. Here's what the courts say.
Slow Growth on Tap for 2014
December 31, 2013
Just over five years after the start of the global financial crisis, the job of an Am Law 200 law firm leader arguably remains as tough as it has ever been. The painful decisions to cut staff and attorneys may now be a distant memory, at least for most firms, but there remain two distinct drags on Big Law businesses.
Dancing on the Cliff Edge
December 31, 2013
In the last five years, we have heard increasing chatter about the failed business model of law firms, new technology that is erasing the need for lawyers and other information interpreters, and enhanced cognitive systems that mine and interpret data. Let's look at some examples of trends that are leading the way.
Accounting for Obamacare
December 31, 2013
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), aka Obamacare, created the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP), a part of each state's Health Insurance Marketplace, where small businesses with under 50 full-time equivalent employees can purchase group health plans. The small business owner is continually being placed in an untenable position without the ability to do any planning.
Meals and Entertainment Expenses
December 31, 2013
Meals and entertainment expenses are generally only 50% deductible, and provided the expenses are ordinary and necessary, have a business purpose and have proper documentation, there should be no issues surviving an IRS audit.
Partner Compensation
December 26, 2013
Objective financial factors are easy to measure ' but they should not be the only considerations in determining partner compensation.
Firms Recalculating Compensation Models
November 30, 2013
When it comes to attorney pay, origination has held a steady place at the top of many firms' list of compensation criteria. But could rainmaking be drying up in importance?
Partner Compensation
November 30, 2013
How do you determine partner compensation at your law firm? You certainly look at each partner's originations, working attorney receipts and billable hours. But what about his or her excellent client service, strong leadership, successful staff development efforts and keen technical skills?
The 'Silly Season'
November 30, 2013
Almost 30 years ago when I began my career consulting to law firms, the then managing partner of Donovan Leisure Newton & Irving used that term to refer to the months of October through December. It was his way of pointing out to his fellow partners that the necessary activities of practice management that so many of them had avoided for the first nine or 10 months of the year now had to be addressed.
