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Author Archives: Norman Clark
If you were stranded in a law firm and could have only one management book…
My clear choice would be How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. It is probably the most important book on management written in the past 200 years. It has been more than 75 years since the first edition of … Continue reading
Posted in law firms, leadership, Uncategorized
Tagged corporate legal departments, culture, Dale Carnegie, law firms, leadership
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the fog of the numbers
Earlier this week, I had the privilege of teaching an advanced course in Law Practice Management as part of the LL.M. program in Law and Management of the INIDEM Business Law School. INIDEM is an international institution based in Panama, which … Continue reading
DIY
“Why couldn’t we just do this ourselves?” My colleagues and I at Walker Clark LLC are frequently asked this question when we submit a consulting proposal to a prospective client. Our answer usually is something like: “You haven’t done it … Continue reading
Posted in law firms, leadership, partners, planning, strategy
Tagged consulting, DIY, do it yourself, investment, partners, planning, small law firms
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Who’s going to be in the audience?
Law firms today are confronted by an almost endless parade of opportunities to improve their visibility — ranging from paid “speed dating” sessions at commercially produced conferences to a seat on a panel at a regional or international conference. Almost … Continue reading
Posted in marketing, strategy
Tagged audience, conferences, in-house counsel, law firms, marketing, opportunities, panels, speaking
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quality assurance: Where to start?
One of the persistent themes of this blog has been the power of quality assurance as a profitability tool for law firms. It also can be a low-cost, high-yield investment for corporate legal departments by improving the ability of in-house … Continue reading
Posted in law firms, quality
Tagged corporate, law departments, law firms, productivity, profitability, quality
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zombie hours
When a law firm faces severe challenges to its profitability, sooner or later someone will say, “We just need more billable hours.” This often results in the promulgation of minimum billable-hours requirements for lawyers and other fee earners, often accompanies … Continue reading
Posted in associates, law firms, leadership, partners, planning, practice groups, profitability
Tagged alternative fees, associates, billable hours, compensation, cost management, fees, fixed fees, law firms, leverage, marketing, partners, productivity, profitability, profits, realization rate
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An overdue conversation
Many of the issues that jeopardize the collegiality and commitment of partners in a law firm — and even wreck the firm itself — have their roots in the failure of the partners ever to articulate and agree what they … Continue reading
Posted in law firms, leadership, partners
Tagged culture, decision making, expectations, governance, law firms, leadership, partners, responsibilities, retreats
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How do you know?
Perhaps the two most important components of business strategy in professional services firms are to know what your clients want today and how those needs will change tomorrow. Unfortunately, most law firms and lawyers guess at both of these questions. … Continue reading
“We don’t need to worry about profitability.”
There are a significant number of law firms that appear to be doing quite well. My colleagues and I occasionally meet them at international conferences and other events. When we begin to describe Walker Clark LLC and the services we … Continue reading
Posted in clients, finance, law firms, partners, planning, profitability
Tagged change, change management, clients, competition, crisis, culture, fees, finance, foreign firms, law firms, partners, profitability, profits, quality
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