Is 2017 the year the fat smoker quits?

Eleven years ago David Maister published a brilliant article on the barriers to strategic change in professional service firms. In Strategy and the Fat Smoker, he stated…

In search of the essence of General Counsel

Obstacles to change in law firms: How to navigate them

Obstacles to change in law firms is a very welcome contribution to Dialogue by Nick Jarrett-Kerr. I  value Nick’s practical perspectives for two reasons: [1] they are grounded in his astute observations based on decades of hands-on experience of working in and with law firms, and [2] in using How in the subtitle for Remaking Law Firms: Why & How, Imme Kaschner and I focused on the practicalities of what needs to change in the BigLaw business model. 

Bring out the benchmarks

Bring Out the Benchmarks by Aric Press is a thought-provoking way to end 2016. First published on the Bloomberg Business of Law blog on December 19, 2016, Aric lays out a set of benchmarks against which law firms can gauge their health and prospects.

The sales function in BigLaw firms

‘The sales function in BigLaw firms’ is a provocative post by John Grimley that highlights one of the themes in Remaking Law Firms. In our book, Imme Kaschner and I argued for a (degree of) separation of sales and production in BigLaw firms. Inter alia, we cited the success enjoyed by PwC in the US, illustrated by our interview with David Worley.

As the foremost exponent of this concept, John Grimley puts a powerful case. One might well ask, are BigLaw firms and their services so different from other industries that separating sales and production is unworkable? I invite you to read what John has to say.

Remaking partner engagement

‘Remaking Partner Engagement’ is the first post on Dialogue by Joel Barolsky, our friend and colleague of many years. Today Joel addresses the thorny questions of partnership, performance, and pie-splitting.