This post was written by Mark Korf, director of business development and new lawyer training, Large Law Firm segment Mentoring between seasoned lawyers and those new to the profession has always played a prominent role in the legal profession and the professional development of young lawyers. Dating back to the early days when individuals became lawyers …
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The art of avoiding unpleasant surprises in proper due diligence
Conducting proper due diligence in today’s business environment is critical to avoiding potential disaster. Even a single bad deal or business relationship can lead to losses; expose the business to legal and regulatory action, including lawsuits; and distract management from more important matters. And rising regulatory requirements are increasing the responsibilities facing businesses as well …
- December 13, 2012
- Susan Martin
What the commission to study the reform of chapter 11 means to you
This post was written by Peter Lippmann, national account representative, Large Law Firm segment We are constantly and continuously inundated with information about the current state of our economy and the need for further reform to prevent potential economic issues. And nothing impacts the business market more than bankruptcies, something we often see evidenced in …
- December 3, 2012
- Susan Martin
Trademarks and the Aesthetic Functionality Doctrine
This post was co-authored by Casey Hall, Sr. Marketer, and Will Ashenmacher, FindLaw Blog Writer Some trademarks are fairly obvious. Other times, there may be a legitimate question as to the scope of trademark protection for a specific design aspect of a product. In these closer cases, courts must rely upon legal treatises and other …
- November 30, 2012
- Susan Martin
Discovery: Hope may be the right strategy
This post was written by Allison Guidette, managing director of Large Law Firms I know. The title is, at best, counter-intuitive. Not exactly the lesson learned in any management class. But when discussing discovery it has some merit… Having just had a baby, I recently learned how to correctly assemble an outfit with more snaps …
- November 12, 2012
- Susan Martin
The challenge of thriving in today’s economic climate
This post was written by Allison Guidette, managing direct of Large Law Firms Over the past five years, the legal industry has gone through substantial change and the economics of many law firms have evolved in kind. The credit crisis hit mid-2008 causing a big dip in demand for just about all legal services immediately …
- November 5, 2012
- Susan Martin
Peer Monitor Index falls again in third quarter
The Peer Monitor Economic Index (PMI), which measures the relative health of the legal marketplace, fell one point in the third quarter to a reading of 50, its second consecutive quarterly decline. According to the Q3 report, weakening demand for law firm services combined with rising costs continue to curtail firm profitability. A copy of …
- November 5, 2012
- Scott Augustin
Do lawyers understand cloud computing?
Cloud computing. A term regularly discussed in the technology arena, but what does it really mean to legal professionals? The common definition is the delivery of hosting data and other services over the Internet. But instead of storing data on your servers in the office basement, the data and applications are stored remotely, with access …
- October 29, 2012
- Jeff McCoy
Finding greater efficiencies in firms
The buzzword in a lot of firms these days is “efficiency”. Firms are under pressures from client to demonstrate greater value in the services they provide. That often means achieving greater efficiency in how the firm manages cases. The result is often higher productivity for the firm, and lower costs for the client, creating a …
- May 14, 2012
- Susan Martin
Convincing the CFO to invest in legal department efficiency
Corporate CFOs have increasingly become concerned about controlling costs – including costs in the legal department, which can capture a non-trivial portion of an organization’s budget. This can create challenges for legal departments that are seeking to improve their technology systems and efficiency. Catherine Dunn of Corporate Counsel recently spoke with Rob Thomas, vice president, Market Development …
- May 9, 2012
- Jeff McCoy