The November, 2016 issue of Edge International Communiqué (EIC) is now posted on the Edge International website.

This issue of EIC begins with a tribute to John Plank, a long-time Edge International colleague and friend who I consider to have been one of the finest speaking and presentation coaches in the world. John passed away in October, and he will be deeply missed.

Neil Oakes contributed the second article in this issue – “Employing Graduate Scholars.” He suggests that by hiring new law-school graduates and training them, rather than looking for people who’ve been out in the field for five or so years, small practices can ultimately save money while developing long-term talent. Neil offers some suggestions on how to find – and keep – new lawyers who have long-term potential.

The issue concludes with “Business Development Skills and the Billable Hour,” by David Cruickshank. David imagines a legal-office environment in which existing management talents are deployed toward encouraging new business-development skills in lawyers rather than toward increasing their billable hours. He reminds readers that in a world where every partner needs to contribute to the bottom line, business-development skills are increasingly essential.

Each month, EIC publishes items of interest to lawyers around the world on various aspects of law-firm strategy, marketing, technology, management, economics, human relations and a host of other topics. In addition to the most recent edition, the EIC site includes a sign-up page for those who are interested in subscribing to EIC, as well as a list of archived articles.

I welcome your thoughts and feedback on both Edge International Communique and Amazing Firms, Amazing Practices, either in the comments section below, or directly via email.