Lisa Smith is quoted: Smith, of Fairfax, also said trends within a given year are sometimes a more helpful indicator about the market’s health, as the comparisons between different quarters of different years can “over-amplify uneven patterns.”

Lisa Smith quoted: Firms are keenly focused on the value of the cybersecurity and private practice because they understand how valuable it is to clients, said Lisa Smith, a firm consultant at Fairfax Associates in Washington, D.C. Smith said when she talks to her law firm clients about their strategic goals, the practice is frequently at the top of their wish list.

Lisa Smith is quoted “This is one change a lot of lawyers think will stick,” said Lisa Smith, principal at Washington, D.C.-based legal consulting firm Fairfax Associates.

Lisa Smith is quoted “for innovation roles it really helps to have someone who understands the firm and the practice of law,” said Lisa Smith of Fairfax Associates.

Lisa Smith is quoted “A lot of firms are looking ahead, trying to think about what makes sense, and how lawyers have evolved their approach to practice,” said Lisa Smith, a principal at Washington, D.C.-based FairfaxAssociates. “To some extent, the firms that don’t do that, do that at their own peril…

Fairfax is quoted “The decline in the number of mergers this year has been driven by a number of pandemic-related factors,” Fairfax said in a news release. “However, many firms remain committed to growth and expansion and are continuing to explore merger options. As a result, we anticipate that merger activity will resume to more typical levels in 2021.”

Lisa Smith is quoted: “There may be some firms that are able to keep it and feel like it’s critical to their culture,” she said.

Lisa Smith is quoted “You can’t teach leadership skills over a single lunch hour,” Smith says. “A lunch-and-learn is not going to move the needle. It needs to be more programmatic and more intensive.”