Business of Law (Video)

Law schools still ‘inaccurate’ on employment numbers, says law prof (video)

Ben Trachtenberg, associate professor at the University of Missouri School of Law, talks with Bloomberg Law’s Lee Pacchia about how a recent set of disciplinary actions against law school administrators for misrepresenting employment data will impact the movement to reform legal education. See the video interview here.

Aug 29, 2013 1:50 PM CDT

Why is BigLaw hiring while demand falls? ‘Economically it makes no sense,’ says consultant (video)

Bruce MacEwen, law firm consultant and publisher at Adam Smith, Esq., talks with Bloomberg Law’s Lee Pacchia about the current state of BigLaw–specifically, how billing rates can be rising as demand falls. After analyzing three recent reports by Wells Fargo, Citi and Peer Monitor, MacEwen is puzzled. “The numbers tell…

Aug 22, 2013 3:36 PM CDT

How boutique firms can take on BigLaw (video)

Michael De Chiara, founding partner at Zetlin & De Chiara LLP talks to Bloomberg Law’s Lee Pacchia about guiding his boutique construction law firm through turbulent times in the legal profession. “As goes construction, as goes the U.S. economy,” says De Chiara. “We all know what happened in 2008. As…

Aug 15, 2013 5:52 PM CDT

BigLaw growth was ‘anemic’ for first half of 2013, reports Wells Fargo (video)

Jeff Grossman, a Senior Director at Wells Fargo Private Bank, talks with Bloomberg Law’s Lee Pacchia about his firm’s new report on the state of BigLaw. The survey of 120 law firms saw revenue growth of 1.5% for the first half of 2013, compared to the same period of time…

Aug 8, 2013 4:00 PM CDT

Dechert looks to Hollywood for marketing edge (video)

Duncan Wiggetts, a London-based partner at Dechert, talks with Bloomberg Law’s Lee Pacchia about the release of A Price Worth Paying, a new film produced by the law firm and Area 17 that highlights some of the corporate governance issues facing today’s boards. Written by Wiggetts and directed by Nick…

Aug 1, 2013 5:41 PM CDT

New Republic reporter defends BigLaw-is-dying article (video)

Noam Scheiber, senior editor at The New Republic, talks with Bloomberg Law’s Lee Pacchia about his controversial article entitled “The Last Days of Big Law” in which he chronicles the challenges facing large American law firms by examining the recent history of Mayer Brown. In response to criticism that he…

Jul 25, 2013 4:05 PM CDT

Are companies like Axiom Law a threat to BigLaw? (video)

Axiom Law–which has 1,000 employees in 11 offices–isn’t a legal process outsourcer, claims its founder and CEO Mark Harris. But it’s also not a law firm, he says. Yet it’s been solely responsible for the legal work on more than 10 M&A transactions over the past year–the kind of work…

Jul 18, 2013 4:35 PM CDT

At-risk practice groups identified, more partner layoffs urged by law firm expert (video)

Strong law firms routinely lay off partners, having adopted the General Electric model of annually dismissing those individuals who are under-performing compared to their colleagues, law firm consultant Kent Zimmermann of the Zeughauser Group tells Bloomberg Law’s Lee Pacchia. Zimmerman also talks about which practice groups are most at risk;…

Jul 11, 2013 3:28 PM CDT

Should firms start the hiring season for law students later? (video)

Jay Grushkin, hiring partner at New York’s Milbank Tweed, talks with Bloomberg Law’s Lee Pacchia about how the hiring season has changed since the recession in BigLaw began in 2008. Elite law schools have moved their on-campus recruiting weeks earlier and earlier, in efforts to give their students the best…

Jul 3, 2013 2:45 PM CDT

Weil Gotshal layoffs are start of a wave, consultant says (video)

Weil, Gotshal & Manges’ announcement this week that it is firing 60 associates and 110 support staffers and cutting the pay of about 30 partners is the start of a wave of such downsizings, according to law firm consultant Bruce MacEwen, publisher of the blog Adam Smith, Esq. The cuts…

Jun 27, 2013 4:29 PM CDT

18-year low for law grad employment (video)

James Leipold, executive director for the National Association for Law Placement, talks with Bloomberg Law’s Lee Pacchia about his organization’s annual report on the job market for law school graduates. NALP has found that law firms are using more technology, and so hiring fewer lawyers, and that’s unlikely to change…

Jun 20, 2013 7:11 PM CDT

European M&As could rise despite risks, unstable economy (video)

Prospects for M&A activity in Europe are slowly beginning to improve, according to what Guy Norman, acting global head of mergers and acquisitions at Clifford Chance, tells Bloomberg’s Sarah Kopit. Citing a recent Clifford Chance survey, Norman says that Europe is now seen as a favorable M&A destination for investors,…

Jun 13, 2013 4:15 PM CDT

Firms with blogs have seen increased revenue; is there a correlation? (video)

Kevin O’Keefe, founder of the social media company LexBlog, says that his company’s annual State of the AmLaw 200 Blogosphere report is showing that AmLaw 200 firms with blogs are reporting more revenue growth. “But is it blogging, or is it the behavior that brought about the blogging that’s bringing…

Jun 6, 2013 4:00 PM CDT

Rainmakers are paid too much, says ‘Lawyer Bubble’ author (video)

The spread between the highest- and lowest-paid equity partners at the nation’s biggest firms has grown too large, according to Steven J. Harper, an adjunct professor at Northwestern University School of Law and former partner at Chicago’s Kirkland & Ellis. In recent decades, it’s increased from 3 to 1 up…

May 30, 2013 6:40 PM CDT

Dewey’s bankruptcy lawyer: More large law firms will fail (video)

While failed law firms make for notoriously difficult bankrupty cases, Dewey & LeBoeuf’s time in bankruptcy court was quicker and easier than other notable law firms. Joe Samet, head of restructuring at Baker & McKenzie, and Al Togut, founding partner at Togut, Segal & Segal, talk with Bloomberg Law’s Lee…

May 23, 2013 3:40 PM CDT