Legal Marketing & Consulting

Futurist Says Lawyers Will Become Legal Risk Consultants

A legal futurist predicts that lawyers advising corporations will change their practice models to offer a wide range of advice on how to avoid legal problems. In the second installment of a two-part interview with the Am Law Daily, futurist Richard Susskind said in-house lawyers who talk to him emphasize…

Nov 14, 2008 2:37 PM CST

Holland & Knight’s Women Lawyers Buy Kitchen Gadgets, Benefit Charity

Women lawyers at Holland & Knight bought bundt pans and mixing bowls while mingling with clients last night at their annual women’s initiative outing in Manhattan. The cocktail party was held at the discounted cooking store Broadway Panhandler to benefit Women in Need, a group that runs women’s homeless shelters,…

Nov 14, 2008 1:23 PM CST

More Attorneys Tweet in Twitterverse

Answering the question ‘What are you doing?’ (in 140 words or less) on a regular basis throughout the day obviously can blur the line between personal and professional life. But doing so on the Twitter.com social networking website is helping a growing number of attorneys build their law practices, reports…

Nov 12, 2008 9:07 PM CST

Narcissists with Big Egos Lead Many Law Firms, Consultant Says

Narcissists who like to exert control and reject collaborative decision-making are leading many large law firms through major changes, according to a consultant at Altman Weil. “Narcissistic leaders are distinguished by their big ideas, big personalities, big egos and general indifference to the opinions of others,” consultant Douglas Richardson writes…

Nov 11, 2008 4:45 PM CST

UK Law Firm Recalls Swag After Student’s Shocking Experience

A U.K. law firm is recalling hundreds of branded travel adapters it was giving out as freebies to potential legal eagles after a Cambridge University student who plugged one in was shocked by protruding pins. And CMS Cameron McKenna isn’t the only law firm based in the United Kingdom that…

Nov 7, 2008 4:19 PM CST

How an Obama Presidency May Benefit Lawyers

Lawyers in diverse practice areas ranging from labor law to bankruptcy are likely to benefit from legal changes that could be made during the Obama administration. Lawyers can expect more regulations in banking and health care, fewer restrictions on lawsuits, more real estate lending and a pro-labor tilt, according to…

Nov 6, 2008 2:26 PM CST

Bankruptcy and Divorce Websites See Big Uptick in Visits

A company that operates bankruptcy and divorce law websites is apparently profiting from the economic downturn. Infra-Strategy reports an uptick in visits to two of its websites that link clients to divorce and bankruptcy lawyers, the Wall Street Journal’s Business Technology blog reports. Infra-Strategy’s CEO Edmund Scanlan said October visits…

Oct 31, 2008 3:56 PM CDT

What McKinsey Told White & Case

Implementing recommendations in a recent report by the McKinsey & Co. management consultants on its worldwide operations, White & Case is changing the management structure in its European offices. The matrix of those in charge will now be organized by geographic region and global practice group, rather than simply representing…

Oct 29, 2008 7:23 PM CDT

Law Firms Advised to Try Discounted and Alternative Fees

Law firms that survive the troubled economic times will be willing to discount fees and try alternative billing arrangements such as success fees. That was the message of a panel discussion held last week by the defense bar group DRI, the National Law Journal reports. The story recounts comments by…

Oct 28, 2008 1:43 PM CDT

Law Firm Consultant Issues ‘Grimmest Ever’ Forecast

The situation likely will get worse for many law firms struggling to cope with the economic firestorm before it gets better, a well-known legal consultant predicts. In a Hildebrandt International client advisory described by director James Jones as “the grimmest one I’ve ever written,” he says layoffs can be expected…

Oct 27, 2008 7:46 PM CDT

Law Firms Learn the Hard Way that Layoff News is Likely to Leak

Law firms should assume firm-wide memos explaining layoffs will be leaked and write them with outside readers in mind, according to a public relations expert. Karen Schwartzman, president of Polaris Public Relations in Boston, told the National Law Journal that “the rumor mill is fierce.” She said layoff memos should…

Oct 23, 2008 2:05 PM CDT

School Rank and GPA Aren’t the Best Predictors of BigLaw Success

Updated: Law school rank and grade point average aren’t the best predictors of success at large law firms, according to a study of more than 1,300 associates from one firm. Law school rank and GPA were only moderately predictive of success, the study found. In general, one of the study’s…

Oct 16, 2008 12:39 PM CDT

Lawyers Hope Bailout Bill ‘a Full Employment Act’ for Law Firms

Law firms gearing up to offer advice on the $700 billion bailout bill hope to help clients—as well as their own bottom lines. Law firm marketing consultant Peter Zeughauser told the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) why lawyers are so eager to counsel clients about the bill, known as the…

Oct 15, 2008 1:27 PM CDT

Do Good Work, and Business Will Bring Itself In, Rainmaker Says

Attorneys are often told they can make a name for themselves by writing scholarly articles or impressing new acquaintances at business-oriented events. But if your work is good enough, it will speak for itself, one highly successful rainmaker says. An unbeatable record is bringing a steady stream of business into…

Oct 13, 2008 9:04 PM CDT

Lightening Gloomy Mood, Law Firm Hosts Poetic Breakfast Meeting

Lightening the mood on another day of economic gloom, a London law firm co-hosted a breakfast meeting yesterday featuring a poet and edible words on frosted cupcakes. The Bates Wells & Braithwaite event, in anticipation of National Poetry Day today in Great Britain, was a good fit for the firm,…

Oct 9, 2008 7:42 PM CDT