It helped to know that I am not alone and that there are other like-minded women leaders out there.
Capital Partner | Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson
New York, NY
New York, NY
It helped to know that I am not alone and that there are other like-minded women leaders out there.
The Managing Partner Forum is a go-to resource for not only what’s currently important to law firm leaders, but how law firm leaders are dealing with the issue of the moment and preparing for those of the future.
We have enjoyed working with John Remsen and his talented team. The Managing Partner Forum provides excellent content that truly assists in operating a successful business in today’s challenging environment.
The MPF programs always provide relevant, timely educational content. They are high energy and interactive which makes them fun to attend, too.
Great conference, thank you for the invitation.
The information sharing at the MPIEs is especially valuable.
My partner and I really enjoyed the conference and we look forward to attending again next year.
Connecting with other firm leaders, as it felt more like a ‘retreat’ than a ‘conference.’ Fantastic format allowed for great information and advice sharing.
I go to a lot of conferences, and your event is the one I look forward to and gain the most from each year. The power of this group is incredible. So privileged to be a part of it. Thank you for what you do for our industry.
Connecting with other firm leaders, as it felt more like a ‘retreat’ than a ‘conference.’ Fantastic format allowed for great information and advice sharing.
ATL was a great time, and I really enjoyed the conference, as always.
That was my first experience at the conference, and it was tremendously valuable.
Great job! Keep it going. Thank you for the excellent work you do for the profession.
The collegiality and brainstorming opportunities can’t be beat.
The MPF Conference is always a great event. The MPIEs and Workshops were really good this year.
The program topics are timely and well presented. Every time I attend, I learn something new.
MPF is on top of the issues facing firm leaders, often before we even see them coming in our own firms, and provides timely advice from industry experts to see us through them.
I highly recommend the MPF Leadership Conference. I’ve participated many times, as have several of my partners. We leave with new ideas and fresh perspectives every time.
Hands down the best leadership conference for managing partners I’ve ever attended.
This is my 12th or 13th time attending, and it’s always the best conference I attend every year.
The MPIEs are interesting, informative and very useful!
I look forward to this Conference every year. It really helps me to be a more effective firm leader.
MPF provides tremendous value and excellent resources. Great information. Great speakers. Great networking opportunities.
Cushman & Wakefield’s annual law firm benchmarking survey on office space usage and more. The 19-page report highlights:
Real Estate and Office Space Trends
The legal sector continues to lead office leasing, with firms signing record amounts of long-term, high-quality leases. Firms prioritize spaces that attract talent, foster collaboration, and share knowledge. New leases feature efficient layouts and modern amenities to meet changing workplace needs.
Hybrid Work and Legal Space Strategy
Law firms are emphasizing in-office work, with 56% expecting attorneys on-site at least three days a week. Offices remain vital for collaboration, relationship-building, mentorship, and productivity, with redesigned spaces supporting both focus work and teamwork.
Impact of Artificial Intelligence and Technology
AI adoption is growing, with 50% of firms using it and a third planning to implement it in the near future. AI is being applied to research, document management, and predictive analytics, boosting efficiency. Technology spending now accounts for 4% of revenue and is expected to rise, signaling the legal sector’s ongoing tech transformation.
Sector Outlook: Opportunities and Challenges
AmLaw 200 firms report strong growth and have optimistic expectations for the near future. Larger firms have a focus on expansion through tech and talent acquisition. Flexibility, pay, and mentorship are key to attracting associates.
According to Tony DeSimone, our MPF resident guru on all things Generative AI, the top AI Chatbots dominating the market are:
Click here for more details. But how is Generative AI impacting the traditional law firm billable hour? Our MPF Featured Article explores this very question with a detailed response from Perplexity AI.
According to Peter Drucker, the legendary management guru, what gets measured gets done and what gets measured improves. As a law firm, what does your firm measure? As a law firm managing partner, which KPIs (if any) do you closely monitor? With whom do you share this information? And in what manner do you share it? Steve’s article presents a few KPIs that may be especially important to measure during times of uncertainty and change.
The unforeseen spread of the Coronavirus Pandemic has sent law firms – both large and small – scrambling for survival. In addition to work-at-home arrangements, law firms have adjusted by slashing expenses, applying for PPP loans, and implementing reductions of partners draws, salary cuts, furloughs and layoffs. Since March, our friends at Above the Law have been maintaining a growing list (now more than 100 US firms) of how BigLaw is managing the situation.
This is Patrick’s inaugural issue of a White Paper series he’s calling The Midsize Law Firm Performance Report. Fifty-two (52) law firms participated in his survey asking about how they are dealing with the current pandemic. 60% of participating firms were in the 50-100-lawyer size range. Most were located in the Northeast and Midwest regions of the country.
Every year, there are a handful of “state of the profession” reports that we think every managing partner and law firm leader should read and digest. This is one of them. This report presents the dominant trends impacting the legal market in 2019, and the key issues influencing the market in 2020 and beyond. We’ve highlighted sctions of the report to make it easy reading!
When it comes to pricing for legal services, the billable hour remains king. Consequently, we advise most law firms to get in the habit of raising their standard hourly rates on an annual basis, especially for new clients…a small increase every year across all time-keepers. This article provides some great guidance on how to justify a rate increase to your clients. Talk to them about your firm’s investments in technology and talent development.
The past decade has seen unprecedented change and disruption in the legal market. Sparked by the Great Recession of 2008, the pressure on today’s law firms is more intense than ever. As the market evolves over time, there will be winners and there will be losers. According to this year’s report, here are four important areas to which your law firm should pay close attention:
This is a great report to circulate to your partners and discuss what it means to your firm at an upcoming partnership meeting.
As Charles Darwin observed in his theory of evolution, the species with the best chance of survival are not always the strongest and the smartest. They are the ones most adaptable to changes in the environment.
Companies are changing the way they buy legal services – gradually in some instances, drastically in others. The hourly rate billing model that has ruled for decades is giving way to a greater focus on terms emphasizing value delivered instead of time spent. Against this backdrop, value-based fee structures are seen as an effective way to manage cost, and it goes far beyond just the dollars. This White Paper is written from the perspective of in-house counsel.
Many vendors and consultants to the legal industry publish self-serving articles and White Papers as part of their marketing programs. In many cases, however, they’re little more than poorly disguised sales brochures promoting products and services they offer law firms. But this one is solid. It’s well-researched and chocked full of expert opinions on how technology has impacted lawyers and law firms.
Legal pricing is changing as a result of client pressures for efficiency on both hourly and non-hourly matters and the increasing use of alternative fee arrangements, and law firms are being forced to rethink their approach. This paper includes interviews with pricing leaders from a number of large firms that are working to better understand their costs, improve value creation, measure value, and apply project management techniques to control both cost and value. It ends with eight predictions, including a continuing increase in competition and that to succeed in the future law firms will be required to put more emphasis on both initial pricing and subsequent project management.
Over 90 managing partners, firm leaders and top consultants to the legal industry participated in The MPF 2010 Annual Conference on April 29th in Atlanta, Georgia. This comprehensive White Paper summarizes the key findings revealed through the use of state-of-the-art Audience Participation Technology. It focuses on how law firms approach strategic planning and the role of the managing partner; including what they do, how much time they spend in the role and how they get paid for all that non-billable effort. This is really good stuff.
Forum Faculty member John Smock and his partners recently wrote this assessment of how law firms are performing in the midst of the current economic downturn. And it’s not as bad as you might think for the well-managed law firm.
From the inaugural issue of the Managing Partner Forum newsletter, firm leaders reveal their top management concerns and thoughts on strategic planning. Our response? It’s time to assume the role of CEO in order to make the firm profitable.
This is a two page snap-shot of the marketplace for mid-size law firms so far in 2014 according to Peer Monitor. Although lagging the AmLaw 200 firms in key performance measures, the market appears to be getting better for MidLaw. Now that things are a bit more settled, it’s a great time to regroup as a firm and plan for the future. Those law firms that innovate and embrace change will likely emerge as the leading firms of tomorrow.
Increasing Revenue ($79.95, ABA Publishing) provides specific action steps – including practical advice in areas such as billable hours, rates, collections and intake – to improve the revenue and profitablty of your firm. The book includes a CD-ROM with sample policies, worksheets and supporting documents.
If you had to pick just one book to read to be more a more effective managing partner, this is it. Managing the Professional Services Firm ($26.00, Free Press), written by David Maister, covers a wide array of topics ranging from strategy to profitability, marketing to motivating employees. This should be in every managing partner's library.
In her article, Mary identifies five impactful ways to build and improve your firm’s culture so you attract and retain the best legal talent; so your lawyers and staff who work efficiently and effectively as a team in handling client matters and generating new matters and clients; in an organization with an exciting plan for the future and in which all lawyers and support staff are valued and appreciated. To improve the culture at your firm, Mary recommends the following:
For each of the five ways to improve culture, she identifies a fantastic resource to help.
BigLaw is aggressively demoting partners in the face of modern-day legal practice. In case you missed it, this article ran in mid-October in The Wall Street Journal. It profiles Shearman & Sterling and Chadbourne & Parke and presents a somber dose of reality as firms run more like businesses with a watchful eye on profitability. The past year and a half has seen “pervasive” trimming of partners at the nation’s top 100 law firms, says legal consultant Peter Zeughauser. “It’s very difficult for firms to deal with this issue,” says Jeffrey Lowe, head of the law firm practice at recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa. “But the business pressure is forcing them to do so.” Here are few factoids presented in the article:
Here’s yet another report about the overall sluggish marketplace for legal services for even the largest US-based law firms. It’s a buyer’s market, and corporate clients are taking advantage as they work to reign in their spend on outside counsel. We think this long-term market trend has positive implications for smaller and mid-size law firms who find themselves in the position to provide a much more attractive “value proposition” than BigLaw. Here are few highlights of this week’s article:
As we like to say at MPF, bigger is not always better.
What are the key metrics you use to assess your firm’s financial performance? For many firm leaders, it’s total firm revenue. Others look closely at billable hours and/or collections by lawyer. Others keep a watchful eye on overhead expenses and receivables. Larry is a frequent speaker about technology, productivity and the business of law and has been recognized by Fastcase as one of the top 50 innovators in the legal field. He suggests nine vital statistics, including:
What’s included in your firm’s financial reports? Are there any indicators you should be looking at that you’re not?
This short article highlights BTI Consulting’s analysis of more than 330 law firms and reveals that firms with the highest profits (reported or not) exhibit eight key traits that are largely responsible for their exceptional financial performance. Here are four of them:
The ABA’a Law Practice magazine asked us to contribute an article for its finance column, drawing upon data collected at The MPF 2014 Leadership Conference. Eighty-five (85) managing partners, mostly from mid-size law firms, attended the full-day conference, and we used audience polling technology to query the crowd about a range of topics.
The article highlights data about financial performance so far this year, alternative fee arrangements and the metric most preferred by managing partners to assess their firms’ overall financial health.
We also write about succession planning in the article. Are your firm’s current crop of young lawyers up to the task of inheriting the place?
In recent years and as the Great Recession drags on, many law firms have been challenged to maintain, much less increase, their profitability. At first, they looked for ways to cut expenses. They let staff and associates go, cancelled firm retreats, slashed investments in marketing and technology and, in some cases, de-equitized underperforming partners. We're all for dealing with underperforming partners, but many of these actions are penny-wise and pound-foolish in our opinion. The real way for your firm to improve its profitability in the near-term is to get serious about your billing and collections practices. John's article offers some great ways to go about it.
In our November MPF Flash Survey, managing partners reveal that the most effective ways their firms have improved firm profitability over the last three years. Their answers, in order of effectiveness, are 1) Improved Billing and Collections Practices, 2) Marketing and Business Development, 3) Improved Efficiency in Staffing Matters, and 4) Rate Increases, where possible. Now comes Eric Dewey offers his ten tips – ranging from dealing with underperforming partners to calling on top clients – that can be implemented in 90 days or less.
Over half of in-house counsel – 56%, to be precise – say there has been a "sea change" in how fees are paid to outside counsel. Prompted by the pressure to reduce the overall cost of legal services and fueled by the ACC’s Value Challenge, the time seems right to affect change. Yet, the gap remains wide between the perception of fundamental transformation and the actual practice.
Here’s an interesting study that puts law firm billing practices under the microscope. It examines invoices received by 36 large corporate clients finds that location and firm size – not lawyer expertise – are the biggest determinants of a lawyer’s hourly rate. It also concludes that 75% of proposed rate hikes are accepted, and that a lawyer with the title of "partner" can charge up to $100 more per hour than an "associate" with the same experience.
Alternative fee arrangements (AFAs) are a hot topic these days. Just about every agenda at law firm management conferences over the past few years has at least one or two sessions on the issue. The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) seems to be deadly serious about them, too. Yet, most law firms are not in a very good position to act confidently. This article explains AFAs in simple and easy-to-understand terms.
Recession or not, this article from Law Practice magazine includes fifteen really good ideas for lawyers of law firms, regardless of firm size or practice mix. Many of Linda’s suggestions focus on client service and business development. None of them involve rocket science.
Henning asks "Will it take a revolution to change the way law firms operate?" Will today’s current economic crisis force law firms to rethink the old model of annual hourly rate increases? Radical ideas may not only require a change in business model, but a change to the code of professional responsibility.
Smaller and midsize firms performed much better than their “BigLaw” counterparts during the recession according to this article summarizing the findings of the Small Law Firm Economic Impact Report 2009. The reason? Less leverage, lower rates and better service. It also reports that 86% of small firms (defined as 10-90 lawyers) have had no layoffs in the last six months, and that 83% intend to maintain current compensation levels for lawyers and staff in 2009. The article appears in this month’s issue of IOMA’s Law Office Management & Administration Report. Click here to purchase the full report for $399.
According to research conducted by Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law, 55% of lawyers in private practice admit to overbilling on occasion. The temptation only becomes more severe as there is less work to be dome. Don’t let this happen at your firm! Not only is the practice unethical, it may also cause irreparable damage to one of your firm’s most valuable assets – its reputation.
This fascinating article from the Wharton Business School asserts that the global recession is forcing law firms to change the way they do business.
While there is certainly no such thing as the "right" compensation system, here’s an interesting article from our friends at Edge Group concluding that formula-driven compensation systems hurt firm profitability.
Determining the value of your law firm is much more complicated than you think. See this article to find out why.
Should your firm outsource its IT department? As the first sentence of this article reveals, the decision can be a real pain. Better inform your decision by taking an honest assessment of how your much technology your firm is currently using and how many people are using it. This read will help you consider all the options.
Your firm’s case management system is the backbone of your organization. Whether you use it to calendar deadlines and court dates for your litigation practice or to track your firm’s experience in a particular area of law, you can’t afford to overlook this important tool. Here’s an unbiased primer to guide you from selection to training and implementation.
Should law firms require partners to retire at a certain age? Setting aside any legal issues (age discrimination anyone?), is this an archaic practice or is it critical to firm succession planning? This article argues that retirement has nothing to do with a partner’s age.
Giuliani looks at the issue of law firm profitability – not just in the “short run,” but more importantly, over the “long run.”
Do you and your partners have a written, cohesive firm strategy? Or are you merely sharing office space with other sole practitioners? Strategic planning is the key differentiator, but it’s not for the faint of heart.