Sam Glover, founder of The Lawyerist, believes that all lawyers must be familiar with the fundamental operating principles of the technology that we use every day. In his opinion, basic knowledge of the internet and how computers work is essential to the maintenance of legal competence as set out in the American Bar Association’s
How Managing Partners Can Help Administrators Achieve Firm Objectives
I was pleased to have been invited to contribute an article to the Jan/Feb 2015 edition of Administrator’s Advantage, the newsletter of the Greater Chicago Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators. In it, I outline some of the problems typically faced by managing partners in their work with firms’ administrative teams, and the
Fake Legal Websites using Profiles of Real Lawyers
Several publications, including the BBC online, are warning the public to double-check the credentials of lawyers they find on the Internet before giving them any personal banking or credit-card information. There are growing numbers of reports of unscrupulous sites that have copied information about reputable lawyers from highly regarded firms onto their own sites,
Client Relationships, Firm Strategy, and Lawyers and Retirement: New Issue of EIC
The April, 2015 issue of Edge International Communique is now available online.
Check out feature articles by three of my Edge International colleagues:
– David Cruickshank talks about improving client relationships
– Bithika Anand addresses the issue of when lawyers should retire
– Sean Larkan shares some tools for building (or rebuilding) an effective firm
Does EQ Trump IQ?
In my experience, a significant number of lawyers could benefit from “Emotional Intelligence” (EQ) training.
We have accessed online testing and EQ training courses for a few individuals in our client firms. The metrics for results are anecdotal but have proven to be enthusiastically positive.
In this context, I am intrigued by Fast Company‘s
Brainwriting Clobbers Brainstorming
In most law firms, brainstorming processes are dominated by power partners or simply those with force of personality. When this happens, the scope of the process is narrowed and many participants may be disenfranchised. If the goal of a brainstorming session is to tap the brain trust of all participants, then “brainwriting” might be
Do Lawyers Need to Blog?
It may seem self-evident that Kevin O’Keefe, founder and CEO of LexBlog – the blogging site specifically designed for lawyers and law firms – would be of the opinion that lawyers ought to blog. But, as is often the case with issues that seem self-evident,
Does your Firm Need a Chief Experience Officer (CXO)?
Awareness among businesses of the importance of customer experience has never been greater. By considering how companies assess this experience and work to improve it – such as the introduction of the chief experience officer (CXO) position to management teams – law firms can also improve their competitive advantage.
Businesses increasingly recognize that if they
The Voice of Experience: Ten Tips for Managing Partners
In 2013, Gregory Jordan left his position as managing partner at the international law firm Reed Smith to work as general counsel at PNC Financial. At a recent Law Firm Leaders Forum hosted by Thomson Reuters, he was invited to share his thoughts on effective law-firm management from his new perspective as general counsel to
Alternative Fees For Litigators: Timely and Practical Advice
I am delighted to recommend to you a new book by my esteemed colleague and friend, Patrick J. Lamb. Alternative Fees for Litigators and their Clients is published by the Law Practice Division of the American Bar Association.
Most law firms today are wrangling with issues related to alternative fee structures. Whether we want to