No part of a legal education teaches attorneys how to supervise support staff, or their fellow attorneys. The future of any law firm is highly dependent upon a firm's ability to attract, hire, train, and retain the best talent. One of the primary reasons that attorneys leave their places of employment is an unsatisfactory relationship between the lawyer and his or her supervisor. How many of us have watched senior attorneys hold on to aspects of their work that would offer a junior person a great opportunity for development?
Coaching can help attorney supervisors assess and evaluate their supervisory style, to determine how to fill voids in their employment management education, to encourage better results from their associates, and to create working teams that best meet clients' needs.
- January 28, 2005Paula C. Campbell
A recent article in the National Law Journal piqued my attention. It hit on a point that many middle market firms must consider too often. The article in the Jan. 10, 2005 issue is titled "Mergers? Not Here Thanks." Many firms not listed as mega-firms are asking the same questions ' should we take an offer to merge with a larger firm? Here are some questions every partner and firm should ask before considering combining with any other firm.
January 28, 2005William CobbA law firm management's primary focus, like most professional service firms, is new business, billing a high percentage of partners' and associates' time and, of course, collecting a high percentage of billings. Under pressure to increase revenues and grow the bottom line, executives often overlook smaller firm overheads such as office supplies and related items, printing, stationery, overnight delivery, telecom and copiers.
The truth is that management just does not have the time or resources to regularly review expenses and reduce these costs. Selecting a professional firm to perform the cost reduction work most often represents the best solution.January 28, 2005Richard StieglitzMovement and news among major law firms and corporations.
January 28, 2005Compiled from ALM News Service sourcesRecently filed cases in entertainment law, straight from the steps of the Los Angeles Superior Court.
January 28, 2005ALM Staff | Law Journal Newsletters |The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled that the majority of state law claims against Kid Rock over music contracts the artist signed early in his career were preempted by federal copyright law.
January 28, 2005ALM Staff | Law Journal Newsletters |Recent rulings affecting arbitration provisions and hearings in the entertainment industry.
January 28, 2005ALM Staff | Law Journal Newsletters |As often happens in the hip-hop world, two rappers became embroiled in a dispute over who owned the rights to a song that utilized a popular phrase. And it took the musical ear of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to settle the matter.
January 28, 2005John Council