Collaboration: Walking the Talk at Morgan Lewis

03.29.17 | Susan Duncan

[Note: This article is being published with the permission of our client, Morgan Lewis & Bockius.] Two of our previous posts on collaboration, True Collaboration Drives Profitability and Collaboration: The Next Law Firm Frontier, discussed the benefits of collaborative cultures and approaches to client representation.   But both articles also alluded to the reasons why collaboration…

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True Collaboration Drives Profitability and Client Loyalty

03.15.17 | Susan Duncan

Collaboration in the workplace is widely recognized as an important success factor in the most effective organizations. It is necessary in order to build and share knowledge, accelerate innovation, break down silos and facilitate connectivity.  A recent Harvard study found that managers and employees now spend 50% or more time in collaborative activities than they…

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Law Firm Partnership Part 2: Becoming and Remaining an Equity Partner

12.14.16 | Susan Duncan

Our last blog post, “Law Firm Partnership Part 1: Do True Partnerships Still Exist?” explored the changes that have occurred in the partnership model in recent decades and the core aspects to healthy partnerships.  In this post, we will examine the qualities needed to advance to equity partner status and what it takes to be…

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Law Firm Partnership Part 1: Do “True Partnerships” Still Exist?

11.30.16 | Susan Duncan

Citi Private Bank has released its third quarter report on law firm growth and it indicates a slow-down since their mid-year report.  The following findings are important to note: Demand was nearly flat at .3% Revenue growth other than due to billing rate increases was only .3% Firms have seen an increase in compensation expenses…

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Collaboration: The Next Frontier. Are Law Firms Up to it?

02.21.13 | Susan Duncan

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines col•lab•o•ra•tion [kuh-lab-uh-rey-shuh n] as: (1) the state of having shared interests or efforts (as in social or business matters;) (2) the work and activity of a number of persons who individually contribute toward the efficiency of the whole.  In today’s business environment, technology tools and platforms facilitate effective collaboration. So there…

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Culture Part 2: How to Use or Adapt Culture to Succeed in the “New Normal”

08.28.12 | Susan Duncan

Last week, our post entitled Culture Part 1: Does Law Firm Culture Play a Role in Success or Failure? discussed the components that comprise organizational culture. Every law firm has a unique set of interwoven values and characteristics that make up its culture. As firms address the substantial disruptions posed by the economy, technology and supply and…

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Culture Part 1: Does Law Firm Culture Play a Role in Success or Failure?

08.23.12 | Susan Duncan

You bet it does — perhaps now more than ever. Of course this depends on how you define “success.” With so much focus on the numbers – PPPs, RPL, revenues, de-equitizing, equity versus income partners, cutting expenses, discounts and billing rates, utilization, hours – it would be easy to assume that every corporate law firm…

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What Rainmaker Traits and Skills are Required for Success?

07.31.12 | Susan Duncan

For so many years, the term “rainmakers” has referred to partners in firms who bring in new clients and have “big books of business.”  Merriam-Webster defines a rainmaker as “A person (as a partner in a law firm) who brings in new business.”  Fifty years ago, many firms relied on only one or two or just…

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