Classic: The cause of, and solution to

George Meyer, producer and head writer of The Simpsons in its glory years, was once asked about his favourite line from the show’s run. He cited the closing scene from the Season 8 episode “Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment,” in which the town is celebrating the end of a brief period of Prohibition. Homer stands atop a pile of beer barrels, hoists a sudsy glass, and proposes a toast to the gathered crowd: “To alcohol! The cause of — and solution to — all of life’s problems.”

In a similar vein, I would like to propose, if not an actual toast, then an explanatory observation for the business of legal services: “To lawyers! The cause of — and solution to — all of law firms’ problems.”

Remaking News of the Week: Adam Smith Esq on lateral madness

Three days ago I tweeted “Poor odds: 24% of lateral partners leave firm that hired them within 3 years, nearly half within 5. Average cost of hiring a lateral is $1.7m per year trib.al/tyd7V8E Via @AmericanLawyer”

In today’s Remaking News of the Week features a recent post by Adam Smith Esq, aka Bruce MacEwen, develops the theme of what can only be called ‘lateral madness’.

Compensation plans are wrecking law firms

The greatest threat to the survival and success of law firms today is not client empowerment, or Big 4 accountancies, or artificial intelligence, or even generational change. These and other trends will have a significant impact on law firms in the years to come — but none of them is actively working to undermine law firms’ productivity, hobble their strategic efforts, and compromise the health of their lawyers.