Insights
The Insights series draws upon our collective consulting experience to address topics that we consider of current interest to the senior management of law firms.
Tomorrow’s Stars
The confluence of industry-wide change and demographic transition begs the question: Who will be the owners of law firms of the future? Not only will the composition of firm partnerships differ in terms of size and demographics, these law firms will be competing in an unprecedented environment requiring a different ownership skill set than the one which worked for firms 20-30 years prior.
Business Cycles and Law Firm Strategy
In today’s world, business cycles are moving more quickly. Firms need to be aware of how these cycles will impact demand for the firm’s services. Understanding how your practices are positioned and what that means for investment, divestment and management is critical.
A Better Balance Between Democracy and Strong Leadership
As law firms continue to face a rapid rate of change in the legal industry, strong leadership will be critical to agile and effective decision-making, and too great of an emphasis on democracy will hamper firms in their efforts to compete and adapt to the changing marketplace. By defining the appropriate leadership criteria and selection processes and investing in partner consultation and leadership development – firms can better balance historically democratic partnership models with the stronger leadership models required to succeed in the future.
Successfully Executing Law Firm Strategy
Most law firms today do a relatively good job developing and articulating competitive and thoughtful strategies. But successfully executing those strategies remains a challenge for many law firms.
What Really Differentiates Law Firms?
Many law firms are focused on differentiating themselves from competitors. But what separates one firm from another in the eyes of the client, talent or the market? Years ago, many firms cited culture or quality as the characteristics of their firm which distinguished it from others. However, in today’s legal industry, most clients view quality as ‘table stakes.’
Taking the Long View
Following the recent release of public reports on law firm financial performance, it is easy to become preoccupied with year-over-year changes to key metrics. However, an even more interesting perspective emerges when we step back and analyze the changes in the legal industry over multiple decades.
Organizing by Industry
In an effort to better align services with client needs and differentiate the firm from competitors, many law firms have adopted some form of an industry focused strategy. These efforts have seen varying degrees of success, in part driven by the firm’s internal organization of the industry effort. Like many aspects of running a law firm, there is no one size fits all model.
Stay in Your Lane: Expanding Client Relationships is Harder Than It Sounds
As part of our strategy work for law firms we have interviewed hundreds of clients of firms. Despite variations in perspective, one theme has been particularly consistent – companies have very clear views about which firms or types of firms are best suited for particular segments of their work. Their message to law firms is: stay in your lane.
