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Top 25 U.S. law firms named by brand

Editors — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:59:49 +0000

Global legal market research specialist Acritas released its first-ever U.S. Law Firm Brand Index report, which ranks the nation’s top 25 firms by the strength of their brand.

[via: Top 25 U.S. law firms named by brand at InsideCounsel]

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14 Outside Counsel Rules by In-House Counsel

Editors — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:07:02 +0000

Steve Boutwell, Director of Client Services at Kean Miller in Baton Rouge, posted “In-house Insight: Outside Counsel Rules to Live By”. A concise list that most in-house counsel will agree with – and could potentially add to!

[via 14 Rules by In-House Counsel for Law Firms : Larry Bodine Law Marketing Blog.]

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IBM General Counsel Robert Weber on Nonlawyer Firm Ownership

Editors — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:37:46 +0000

IBM’s general counsel Robert Weber argues that lawyers have special obligations that should rule out nonlawyer investors.

[via: IBM General Counsel Robert Weber on Nonlawyer Firm Ownership at CorpCounsel]

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Law Firm Billing Rates Increase Only Slightly

Editors — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 10:19:59 +0000

An holiday gift for all in-house counsel – law firm rates billing rates are not increasing like they used to:

Large law firms increased billing rates by an average of 4.4 percent in 2011, the third year of modest increases.

[via: Law Firm Billing Rates Increase Only Slightly for Third Straight Year at the ABA Journal]

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ABA Panel Says No to Outside Law Firm Ownership

Editors — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:51:43 +0000

Concerned in-house counsel can breathe a sigh of relief. For now, at least, it looks like outside law firm ownership will not be on the table for US law firms. Wall Street investors who were prepping their “Occupy Biglaw” signs will have to continue their fight in the future.

While recommending that nonlawyers be allowed to take an equity stake in firms for which they work, an American Bar Association commission suggests maintaining an existing ban on the kind of outside investment in U.S. law firms that is now possible in the United Kingdom and Australia.

[via: ABA Panel Says No to Outside Law Firm Ownership at the American Lawyer]

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More Law Firm Mergers: Howard Rice to Wed Arnold & Porter

Editors — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:41:18 +0000

More mergers hit Biglaw – will law firm mergers be the hot thing in 2012?

Washington, D.C.-based Arnold & Porter and midsize firm Howard Rice Nemerovski Canady Falk & Rabkin confirmed Tuesday that the two firms will be completing a merger by Jan. 1. The combined firm will have about 800 attorneys in the U.S. and Europe focusing on litigation and regulatory work.

[via: Howard Rice Merges With Arnold & Porter at Law.com]

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Best law firms named by U.S. News & World Report

Editors — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:21:11 +0000

U.S. News & World Report recently released the 2011-2012 U.S. News – Best Law Firms report, and this year, the report designates one “Law Firm of the Year” in each of the 75 practice areas it ranks nationally.

[via: Best law firms named by U.S. News & World Report at InsideCounsel]

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GC Mark J. Ohringer is ‘Law Firms’ Biggest Competitor’

Editors — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:22:25 +0000

Fed-up with “sky-high” fees at outside firms, Jones Lang LaSalle general counsel Mark J. Ohringer says he now spends 75 percent of his budget on non-law firm resources. “I’m law firms’ biggest competitor,” Ohringer said during a program at the 2011 Futures Conference on Friday, “and I don’t think they see it that way.”

[via: ‘I’m Law Firms’ Biggest Competitor,’ GC Says at the ABA Journal]

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Data Security Is Top Concern in Annual Law Firm Technology Survey

Law.com — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:16:21 +0000

Data security and availability are top on the minds of law firm technology chiefs – is your law firm keeping your data safe? Maybe it is time to ask.

[via: Security Is Top Concern in Annual Law Firm Technology Survey at Law.com]

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Study shows rise in law firm billing rates

Editors — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 09:29:30 +0000

As more companies make the push to cut outside spend and bring more legal work in-house, law firms are starting to feeling the crunch.

[via: Study shows rise in law firms’ billing rates at InsideCounsel]

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Halloween Party Costumes Come Back to Haunt Foreclosure Law Firm

Editors — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:50:55 +0000

A New York Times columnist is expressing outrage over Halloween costumes worn by some employees of a law firm previously in the news because of a probe into its foreclosure practices.

[via: Halloween Party Costumes Come Back to Haunt Foreclosure Law Firm at the ABA Journal]

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CLOs look for more outside counsel value

Editors — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:32:27 +0000

The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) recently conducted its annual Chief Legal Officer Survey, and the results aren’t too surprising.

[via: CLOs look for more value from outside counsel at InsideCounsel]

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Nominate Now for 2012 Transformative Leadership Awards

Editors — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:29:44 +0000

Help shine the spotlight on law firms and law departments that have achieved demonstrable results related to increasing opportunities for the economic empowerment of women within the legal profession.

If your legal department has made significant strides in elevating women to leadership positions, developed clear paths of advancement for women, or has a considerable number of women on key executive, compensation or equity partnership committees, then nominate them for a 2012 Transformative Leadership Award.

Award categories include:
• Economic Empowerment Award (3)
• Firm Wide Policies Award
• Sharing the Power Award
• Rainmaker Award
• Pamela L. Carter Award
• Anastasia D. Kelly Award
• Mary Ann Hynes Pioneer Award
• Thomas A. Mars Pathmaker Award

Nomination Deadline – November 7, 2011 – www.transformativeleadershipawards.com

The Transformative Leadership Awards is an InhouseBlog advertiser.

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A Legal Revolution Begins – at the Supermarket?

Editors — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 09:16:57 +0000

AP Can legal services be offered here? You say you wanna revolution? Well, let’s head across the pond then and check out a new law in England and Wales that allows non-lawyers to sell legal services. Under the Legal Services Act, which takes effect today, banks, supermarkets and the like can offer legal services to consumers, according to this BBC report on the new law. These would-be competitors to law firms can create what are called Alternative Business Structures, which will offer a one-stop stop of legal and financial advice to consumers, according to the BBC, which notes that some regulatory kinks still must be ironed out before solicitors can join the alternative structures. ( Here’s another report on the new law from The Lawyer.) Proponents say the Legal Services Act will give consumers more choice when seeking professional advice. “Potential customers will find legal services become more accessible, more efficient and more competitive,” Justice Minister Jonathan Djanogly told BBC. But some English lawyers, not surprisingly, are skeptical of the new law. “The government seem unconcerned that the introduction of Alternative Business Structures puts at risk the independence of legal advice, via the profit interests of commercial owners,” Clive Sutton, of the Solicitors Sole Practitioners Group, told BBC. One U.S. firm likely to keep close tabs of the Legal Services Act is Jacoby & Meyers; the plaintiffs’ firm, as we have noted , has filed lawsuits that seek to force New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to change their laws to allow non-lawyers to own stakes in law firms.

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Law Firm Mergers Rose Nearly 80 Percent in 2011′s First Three Quarters

Law.com — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 09:40:48 +0000

Fourteen third-quarter law firm mergers brought the total number of law firm deals so far this year to 43, a 78 percent increase over the relatively small number of mergers that the industry saw in 2010.

[via: Urge to Merge: Law Firm Tie-Ups Rose Nearly 80 Percent in 2011's First Three Quarters at Law.com]

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The Biggest Law Firms in the World – 2011 Edition

Editors — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:30:16 +0000

Say hello to the Global 100 for 2011. AboveTheLaw reports on the American Lawyer’s list of the world’s 100 biggest law firms, ranked by total revenue.

[via: The Biggest Law Firms in the World: Meet the Global 100 at Above The Law]

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India Considers Opening Its Doors to U.K. Law Firms

Editors — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 12:58:30 +0000

For some law firms with global ambitions, India may be opening its doors.

[via: India Considers Opening Its Doors to U.K. Law Firms at the WSJ Law Blog]

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Who Will Decide the Future of the Law Business?

Editors — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 09:04:53 +0000

Mark Harris, who runs legal services provider Axiom, is pretty sure he knows the answer.

[via: Who Will Decide the Future of the Law Business? at the American Lawyer]

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Which Law Firms Represent America’s Biggest Companies? 2011 Report

Editors — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 10:23:04 +0000

CorpCounsel’s annual look at the law firms retained by America’s 100 biggest companies shows that many of the names have stayed the same, but the larger picture has changed. They also profile 4 pairs of company/counsel to see how the relationship works.

[via: Who Represents America's Biggest Companies? 2011 Report at CorpCounsel]

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Interviewing To Retain Outside Counsel

Editors — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:42:28 +0000

Looking to retain outside counsel? Hear the insights of Mark Hermann (the Vice President and Chief Counsel – Litigation at Aon) on the process at his InsideStraight column over at AboveTheLaw.

[via: Inside Straight: Interviewing To Retain Outside Counsel at Above The Law]

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Revenue and Partner Profits Rise at Law Firms

Editors — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 09:40:16 +0000

Revenue, net income, and profits per partner rose marginally at the largest U.S. law firms during the first six months of 2011, according to a new Wells Fargo survey.

[via: Report: First Half of Year Saw Law Firm Revenue, Partner Profits Rise at the American Lawyer]

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Ranking Law Firms – by Summer Associates!

Editors — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 07:30:10 +0000

Law firms are used to being ranked by various organizations – but how about by their own summer associates? A new ranking of the Top 10 Law Firm Summer Associate Programs has been published, courtesy of the folks at Vault.com. Vault surveyed about 16,000 law firm associates from 166 law firms across the country to get their take on their summer experience.

[via: Welcoming the Newest Top-10 Law Firm Ranking at the WSJ Law Blog]

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Company CEOs are key decision-makers in selecting outside counsel, not in-house counsel

Editors — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 08:42:19 +0000

Step aside in-house counsel, the outside counsel selection decisions are apparently being made higher up:

“Much of my time and our marketing and sales effort over the past decade have been wasted through concentrating on the wrong people.” That was the stunned reaction of one law firm leader on learning that the client chief executive officer (CEO) or chair is primarily responsible for a massive 82% of law firm appointments for organisations with sales up to $500m (£303m), according to a recent Managing Partners’ Forum (MPF) survey. This compares with just 6% of organisations where such appointments are the responsibility of general counsel.

[via: Company CEOs are key decision-makers in selecting law firms, not in-house counsel at LegalWeek]

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Legal Outsourcing and “The Rise of the Non-Firm Firms”

Editors — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 09:27:18 +0000

Will the growth of non-firm firms (NFFs) lead more traditional firms (TFs) to say “WTF?”. More importantly, what will the increasing proliferation of NFFs mean for law department management in the coming years? Certainly a trend that requires close monitoring – terms such as “legal outsourcing” and “legal process outsourcing” are rapidly evolving.

I want to talk about an important trend in legal services, the emergence of the “Non-Firm Firm.” What is a “non-firm firm,” and why does it have advantages over the traditional firm? Let’s look at five characteristics of the non-firm firm (let’s call them NFFs) and contrast them with the traditional firms (TFs).

[via: The Rise of the Non-Firm Firms at the ABA Journal]

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Ground-breaking law firm diversity initiative includes 23 major firms

Editors — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 08:06:35 +0000

Cheers to the participating law firms across the pond as they embark on this law firm diversity initiative:

Twenty-three UK and Irish law firms have come together for a groundbreaking initiative to boost social mobility in the profession with a wide-ranging work experience scheme. The project, dubbed PRIME, will see the firms involved commit to provide significant work experience programmes for state school children from non-privileged backgrounds in a profession-wide bid to improve social diversity in law.

[via: 23 major law firms come together for ground-breaking diversity initiative at LegalWeek]

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Law Firm Salaries for Associates ‘in Stasis’ says NALP; How about Law Firm Rates?

Editors — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:59:30 +0000

If law firm associate salaries are in stasis, should law firm rates be in stasis as well?

The median salary for first-year associates working at law firms is $115,000, the same figure as last year, according to a law firm survey by the National Association for Law Placement. NALP executive director James Leipold says in a press release that law firm salaries are showing little movement. “Following the recession, law firm associate salaries are in stasis,” he said. NALP receives more salary reports from large than small firms. The median ranged from a low of $73,000 in firms of two-to-25 lawyers to $160,000 in firms of more than 700 lawyers…

[via: Law Firm Associate Salaries ‘in Stasis’; First-Year Median Is Still $115K, NALP Says at the ABA Journal]

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Merger Fever is Spreading in Legal Biz

Editors — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:33:03 +0000

Firms are hooking up, or at least flirting with each other, at a level not seen in a while, according to this article today in WSJ. Itâ€™s a sign that some firms are bullish about the legal market and are willing to invest the time and money into merger discussions, which so often founder over cultural differences, compensation disputes, or client conflicts. â€œComing out of the recession, quite a few firms have shifted from survival mode and are dusting off their strategic plans to grow,â€� said Ward Bower, a principal at Altman Weil Inc. â€œThere is more interest now [among firms] in merging than at any time in the past 10 to 20 years,â€� said Kent Zimmermann , a consultant with Zeughauser Group.

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African stampede – why the scramble for Africa can benefit both international and local firms

Editors — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:45:37 +0000

The stampede to enter the African legal market can benefit both international and local law firms, says Shearman & Sterling’s Christophe Asselineau.

[via: African stampede - why the scramble for Africa can benefit both international and local firms at LegalWeek]

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DLA Piper Program Will Assign Two New Associates to Pro Bono Work Only

Editors — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 08:58:49 +0000

DLA Piper will select two new associates each year to work exclusively on pro bono matters in a new fellowship program announced on Monday. The associates will receive the usual pay—ranging from $145,000 to $160,000, depending on the region—to do pro bono work for their first year at the law firm, the Am Law Daily reports.

[via: DLA Piper Program Will Assign Two New Associates to Pro Bono Work Only at the ABA Journal]

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BigLaw and Full Service: Damn the Torpedoes

Editors — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 09:42:34 +0000

The WiredGC continues its commentary on BigLaw and the changing legal services landscape.

[via BigLaw and Full Service: Damn the Torpedoes | Wired GC.]

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