Law Firm Merger and Lateral Activity Starts 2016 With a Bang

Fairfax Associates | First quarter law firm merger activity was up from last year, according to research by Fairfax Associates. In addition to these formal law firm combinations, the first quarter was also notable for combinations that saw two large groups of laterals join other firms but were not officially mergers.
read more

The Largest Law Firm Mergers of 2015

Big Law Business | As we head in to the last weeks of the year, it looks like merger activity among law firms for 2015 will be close to the level of the last two years. Through the 3rd quarter of 2015 we tracked 42 completed mergers in the U.S., compared to 49 through the 3rd quarter of 2014 and 48 through the 3rd quarter of 2013.
read more

Porters Five Forces – Threat of Substitutes

Big Law Business | I’ve been exploring the relevance of Porter’s Five Forces in recent blog posts. One of those forces – Threat of Substitutes – has the potential to be a disruptor for the legal industry. While professional rules have protected the legal industry from many competitive forces, that is starting to change.
read more

Buyer Power is Here to Stay

Big Law Business | In a recent post, I noted that a Harvard Business Review article published in 1979 has gained relevancy for the legal industry as a way to evaluate competitive forces and their impact on profitability.
read more

Merger Activity Continues…Why?

Big Law Business | Merger activity remains high. Between January 1st and March 31st of 2015, there were 19 completed mergers among law firms with a minimum of five lawyers, according to research conducted by Fairfax Associates.
read more