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Origination Tracking: Findings From The A-W Survey

By James D. Cotterman

[Editor's Note: As a counterpoint to the September edition's commentary by Joel A. Rose on tracking of partner contributions, here's a statistics-based line of thought from Jim Cotterman; this article expands on his introduction to Altman-Weil's 2003 Survey of Compensation Systems in Private Law Firms. For a broader statement of Cotterman's philosophy of law-firm compensation, see his article "Is Your Compensation Philosophy Fair and Defensible?" in our February 2004 edition. For an in-depth analysis of the concept of origination and the effects on a law firm of different kinds of origination credits, see Cotterman's article in the September 2004 edition of Altman Weil's Report to Legal Management.]

In Altman-Weil's 2003 Survey of Compensation Systems in Private Law Firms, participant firms were asked to rank a list of 17 compensation-related factors, from most important (1) to least important (17). The survey found that the two most important compensation criteria in law firms remain a lawyer's personal productivity, measured by fees collected as a working lawyer, and his or her ability to bring new clients to the firm ' ie, origination.

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