Over-the-Top Marketing
December 24, 2004 | Filed Under Selling the GC
Law.com reports that the Florida Mediation Group is using a bikini swimsuit calendar as a marketing tool.
I am very offended, on three levels:
1. The blatant sexism of something targeted at the legal community.
2. The middle-school-project look of FMG’s home page. I can’t get the image of the severed-hand animated gif holding cash out of my mind.
3. The lack of a link on FMG’s web site for a free tour of the calendar.
Update on Sophistication
December 23, 2004 | Filed Under General
I have to apologize.
A few days ago, I wondered whether large AmLaw 200 law firms were necessarily “sophisticated”.
Boy was I wrong:
“Our firm has grown from a two-person law office formed in 1890 in Philadelphia to a sophisticated, large law firm with a national and international practice.”
Somewhere between 2 and 400 lawyers, you attain sophistication. I’m guessing 157.
- or -
“Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is an international law firm that provides a diverse range of sophisticated legal services to businesses and individuals.”
So sophisticated that they tell you how to pronounce their name.
Thanks, I thought it was more like this.
CLO Survey - 2004
December 22, 2004 | Filed Under General
The Association of Corporate Counsel (it will always be ACCA to me) has released its 2004 edition of the Chief Legal Officer Survey.
A few quick takes, more later:
1. Good news for outside counsel: 57% of GCs say their use of outside counsel will stay the same. Bad news: 20% say it will decrease.
2. Reality check for outside counsel: nearly 60% of GCs say they will “fire” at least one of their outside firms this year. Main reason–lack of responsiveness.
3. Most innovative practice from outside counsel: fee arrangements, such as success or contingency fees. The corporate bar is sounding more like the plaintiffs’ bar all the time.
A few simple questions for outside counsel:
– Have you called your friendly in-house counsel recently?
– Without waiting for prompting by a phone message slip?
– Without billing a 10th of an hour?
Stay tuned.
“Sophisticated” Law Firms
December 21, 2004 | Filed Under General
An interesting discussion on future trends in law practice is taking place at Adam Smith, Esq.
A number of “Savvy Blawgers” will wax poetic from time to time (Many happen to be on my blogroll!). As a consumer of legal services, I read these thoughts with interest.
I give Matt Homann extra credit for actually talking about client service.
I do bristle a bit at the premise that AmLaw 200 firms = “sophisticated” law firms. They probably are good. They sure are big. But are they necessarily “sophisticated”?
After looking at the definition, maybe they are.
I hire good lawyers. They may be at big firms. They may be at small firms. They may be solo.
I guess that makes me unsophisticated sometimes.
Legal Outsourcing
December 20, 2004 | Filed Under New Services
CNN reports that firms are expanding to meet demand for outsourced attorney and legal support services:
One of them, a Chicago-based outfit called Mindcrest sells services like document management and research that feed at the bottom of the legal profession’s food chain. With rates ranging from $20 an hour at the low end to $70 an hour at the top, the savings can run as high as 70 percent for work traditionally handled by junior U.S. lawyers who command close to $200 an hour.
The start of the long-expected disintermediation of legal services?
Another take from The American Lawyer.
Thanks to Law & Entrepreneurship News.
Search
| ||||
 | ||||
| ||||
| ||||
