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This inspirational handbook is packed with hundreds of proven tools, tips, and techniques for increasing revenue and forging relationships with clients and colleagues that will last you a lifetime. The rainmaking secrets revealed will enable you to: Find practice niches; Apply alternative fees; Accelerate cross-selling; Categorise your key targets; Use social media effectively; Identify and build personal strengths; Deliver exceptional levels of client service; Build powerful internal and external networks; Get client meetings and maximise their effectiveness; Improve lateral success and enhance lateral integration; and Make business development a career-long, sustainable process. Secrets of the Masters features a highly regarded team of over two dozen law firm marketing and business development experts who offer their insight, experiences, and real-world tips on attracting, retaining, and growing your client base. Each chapter also includes an extensive range of business development approaches and mini case studies, along with a useful planning worksheet which prompts you to make decisions and take action. PLUS...Within the complimentary CD-Rom you'll find all the supporting worksheets and checklists featured throughout the book, along with a personal business development plan template to help you tailor your strategies. "Secrets of the Masters" is the most comprehensive, yet practical "how to" guide I've seen for developing business in the legal industry. Whether you're a young lawyer starting to build a practice and reputation, or a seasoned practitioner looking to achieve the next level of success, this book is your roadmap. Simply stated, if you heed its principles, you will make more money." - Jonathan Fitzgarrald, Chief Marketing Officer of Greenberg Glusker and author of BADfortheBRAND.com

Key report features In-depth advice on the need, impact, and profitability of hiring a pricing director Detailed insight into the function and skills of a pricing director Clear definition of the strategic position of pricing within a firm How to evaluate the benefit of a pricing director for your firm and its clients Real-world scenarios. The new path to profitability is paved with pricing directors. That's the trend we're seeing, with more than 50 pricing positions created for Am Law 200 firms in 2012. Put the 'ah!' in RFP The push is on for law firms and clients to focus on their pricing and matter management strategies. By hiring a pricing director with skills in analytics, technology, commerce, and communications, you're set to create effective pricing strategies and support your firm's competitive advantage. Who's in the hot seat? Your pricing director is the budget builder, the profit modeller, the counsellor, the monitor, and the approver: you want to make sure that those already in this role are comfortable with its evolution, or that a new hire can confidently take on the challenge. Brown and Cordo's Law Firm Pricing: Strategies, Roles, and Responsibilities clearly defines the skills and remit of the person required to fill this demanding and responsive role. It provides practical guidance into hiring and developing a strategic pricing role within your law firm that drives successful relationships and profitability.

The naked lawyer is back by popular demand! This time the focus is on the future and what that will mean for legal businesses.This new report, tomorrow’s naked lawyer, builds on the current thinking on a variety of subjects and explores and challenges conventional thinking and wisdom with regard to marketing, branding, technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and the future of law during the period of 2015 to 2045.This report focuses on the impact artificial intelligence is currently having and will inevitably have on the black and white letter of the law. The author poses challenging questions about where society, the market, and the legal ecosystem is moving (and where the law is lagging behind), all the while providing practical solutions in relation to the psychology and skills that you will need to future proof your career and/or your business.Based on compelling research from a wide spectrum of resources and fields, and with input from numerous authoritative and respected global leaders within the legal profession and far beyond, the report describes the improvements and automations that may be made for your personal good, the client good, the legal business good, and for the good of legal justice systems throughout the world.A glimpse at the content...--- Practical advice, case studies and examples to help you and your business grow--- Examples from IBM, Google, UBS, DAS, LexisNexis, and Peppermint Technology--- Contributions from eminent, and world renowned professionals, leading thinkers, scientists, technologists, futurists, and entrepreneurs--- Some storytelling and cheekiness in true naked lawyer style!It’s time to start providing answers and solutions to how we can embrace NewTech and the NewHuman by creating NewLaw and still be successful. tomorrow's naked lawyer does exactly this.It is an important read for anyone, anywhere in the world, who is curious about the future of law and how to prepare for it.Lawyers, non-lawyers, suppliers, consultants, entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, YOU … enjoy the tomorrow's naked lawyer journey!

This report is designed as a practical guide to help you and your firm get to grips with process improvement techniques, and to understand their core benefits and practical applications in a legal environment.With contributions from leading law firms, consultants, and internationally renowned experts on legal process improvement and project management, this report:Provides in-depth, strategic, and tactical guidance on the application of process improvement in law firms;Outlines the different approaches firms are taking, and includes case studies highlighting what the results have been for those who have already adopted process improvement techniques;Includes practical guidance on implementing process improvement - from gaining buy-in through to process mapping and devising different strategies; andExplains the relationship between legal process improvement and related disciplines and key methodologies such as Lean and Six Sigma, project management, and KM.

Are you making the most of your firm's cross-selling opportunities? On average, in a typical firm, 20% of the lawyers are high-performing rainmakers. They know the secrets to capitalising on business development opportunities and they often manage to secure big clients. A further 20% are doing little in the way of business development. The rest (around 60%) are sitting somewhere in the middle. They're bringing in business, but more needs to be done to find that extra revenue. How can this 60% really capitalise on making more money? More and more law firm leaders are turning to cross-selling. Develop a cross-serving culture to cross-sell In many cases, cross-selling in the legal sphere is a lot easier said than done. It should be easy to get more work in different practice areas from your existing clients, but organisational challenges and working cultures can often stand in the way of cross-selling success. How can your firm overcome these challenges and make the most of this traditionally untapped revenue stream? Creating a Cross-Serving CultureShift: Mastering Cross-Selling for Lawyers and Leaders is a practical guide dedicated to helping you achieve exactly this. Packed with clear, actionable guidance on how to attract, retain and grow a client base, it provides scores of practical tips to help you and your firm become a true master of cross-selling. To address the crux of the challenge at most firms - adjusting mindsets and cultural attitudes of lawyers to encourage cross-practice collaboration - the book outlines a proven strategy to address the cultural change that is necessary to a successful cross-selling initiative. The guide will also show you how to: Initiate excellent communication between practice groups Educate your teams to ensure they have a deep understanding of the services offered by other lawyers at your firm Instill a culture of trust and empathy between lawyers so a cross-serving culture can develop more easily Implement an active client feedback programme Achieve higher levels of client service, so you become the firm your clients turn to for important work Implement a compensation system that rewards team-based behaviours Encourage personal accountability Employ proactive leaders who are committed to driving key cross-serving behaviours Why this guide is a real-game changer Learn from David Freeman, one of the world's leading authorities on maximising cross-selling in law firms. He has over 30 years' experience and was recognised as the top "Law Firm Business Development Consultant and Coach" in National Law Journal surveys in the US. Actively increase the amount of lawyer time and energy that is devoted to cross-selling at your firm. Uncover 13 key 'Accelerators' that will help your future business development success. Drive greater cross-selling success with the Appendix designed for firm leaders, offering a practical, high-level checklist of major activities. In addition to the author's perceptions, this book includes insights from law firm leaders who have provided input based on a survey conducted specifically for this project. What your peers are saying "In my opinion, David is the world's leading authority on practical aspects of maximizing cross-selling in law firms." Elizabeth Anne "Betiayn" Tursi, Global Chair and Co-Founder, Women in Law Empowerment Forum "David Freeman has a keen understanding of the art of cross-selling and the benefits it brings. His professional background and experience allows him to articulate the case for team centered business development in a way that motivates and inspires even the most reluctant professional.." Peter Kellett, Chairman and CEO, Dykema "David Freeman has literally written the book on cross-selling. This is NOT a 30,000 foot view but rather he gives us boots on the ground, practical guidance from years of overcoming obstacles in every type of law firm culture." Doug Hoover, CMO/Director of Marketing & Business Development, Schiff Hardin LLP

As law firms have grown larger and client problems have become increasingly complex, effective practice management has become the primary vehicle through which firms seek to deliver value to clients and differentiate themselves in a competitive market.Optimizing Practice Management: Driving Profitability and Market Position is intended to help firm leadership work through all the critical aspects of structuring and implementing an effective and optimized practice management system.The book is divided into five main sections, covering:The business case for practice management;Building the essential foundation;Developing the structure;Keys to successful implementation; andThe role of the practice leader. This book will help law firm leaders to:Gain clarity on how to improve their market position and enhance the value perception of their services;Establish the optimal practice management structure to facilitate achievement of the firm’s strategy and market position;Focus on particular practice specialties and subspecialties, and on clients or industries, where the firm can establish a sustainable competitive advantage;Define clearly the role of business unit leaders and members; andAlign incentives to encourage the level of collaboration that clients are demanding. Detailed appendices contain the results of original research on practice management in the largest US law firms, and sample job descriptions for practice group leaders/members, based on the authors’ experiences working with over half of the Am Law 200 law firms.

In these highly competitive times, there is little room for firms that are content to remain as they've always been. Global competition, commoditisation, legal outsourcing and pressure from clients to cut costs have created a sense of urgency within law firms to better understand their own businesses. This has implications for the way law firms view and use their resources, expertise and human capital. A commitment to innovation opens doors for law firms to better align themselves with client needs and encourages the development of new tools and service offerings to assist with on-going business needs. But what does innovation really mean in a law firm context? In what ways can an undeniably traditional industry demonstrate innovation? How do individual law firms show what innovation means to them? Law Firm Innovation: Insights and Practice not only answers these questions, but provides an overview of innovation options and practices in a changing legal marketplace. This guide offers practical advice for firms that are looking to become more innovative in the way they work, and it provides first-hand examples of innovation in practice within the legal industry. This guide will enable you to: Gain insight into innovation in the legal market from experts and practitioners from around the world. Review several practical frameworks, designed to help law firms introduce innovation as a core business activity. Learn from case studies on some of the most innovative legal service providers and the ground-breaking approaches already being taken. You can use these to benchmark your innovative approaches. Hear from these authors: Richard Hinwood, Strategy and Governance Director Executive (Withers LLP) John Knox, Managing Director, Asia (AdventBalance) Mark Gould, Founder (Mark Gould Consulting) Adam Billing, Partner (Moller PSF Group Cambridge), Founder (Treehouse) Abigail Hunt, Associate (Moller PSF Group Cambridge), Senior Associate (Treehouse) Markus Hartung, Director (Bucerius Center on the Legal Profession, Hamburg) Arne Ga rtner, Research Assistant (Bucerius Center on the Legal Profession, Hamburg) Michael Bradley, Managing Partner (Marque Lawyers) Darryl Cooke, Founder (gunnercooke) Karl Chapman, Chief Executive (Riverview Law)

Stress is an inevitable part of being lawyer and it can even be a positive force - it can help you push through long hours or meet tough targets. However, when stress becomes excessive, it can be damaging to individuals and to firms, leading to mental and physical sickness, lack of morale or a desire to take on additional responsibility, and worse. The problem is widespread. According to a Law Society survey, 95% of lawyers have some negative stress in their jobs, and 17% say that this is extreme. Lawyers feel overloaded with work, unappreciated, isolated, and unsupported; many complain of unattainable targets, poor pay, and long hours. And while many firms say they have programmes in place that are geared towards improving the wellbeing of staff, 66% of lawyers say they would be concerned about reporting feelings of stress to their employer because of the stigma involved. Nobody wishes to be seen as a weak link in the chain of a professional practice. A solution won't be found overnight. This book is designed to encourage lawyers and firms to think more about the question of stress, how to recognise it in others and themselves, and how to take action before it becomes excessive. It is written for lawyers everywhere - regardless of location or career level. Key topics include: What is stress - how does it affect us? How can you prepare for inevitable stress and be better fitted to cope? How can you recognise the signs of stress in yourself and others? What are the particular characteristics of lawyers that make them more susceptible to negative stress? Mindfulness, mind-mindedness, and emotional intelligence (EI) - what they are and how they can help you to cope with stressful situations. Vicarious trauma - how you can be aware of and manage unavoidable emotional reactions to and/or involvement with clients' emotions. Looking after ourselves and our teams - what can (and can't) we do to make things better? The advice is informed by the author's practical experience as a lawyer and psychotherapist, and it is underpinned by recent statistical and research evidence, and illustrated by the personal experiences of lawyers whose stories have been anonymised, deconstructed, and re-arranged for confidentiality. The book also includes tips, exercises, and frameworks to think about in order to help you to tackle stress and promote mental wellbeing.

Could you benefit from expert guidance on how to stay competitive and streamlined in a legal marketplace that is increasingly competitive? Law firms are finding it harder to adapt quickly to a legal landscape that is constantly evolving. That's why it's imperative for law firm leaders to recognise and respond to this change in order to stay competitive. While the economy has improved, key challenges from the recession remain. Clients are more demanding, reducing cost is as important as it ever was, and firms realise that operational efficiency is crucial to gaining small but important margins. In this market, those small margins can be game-changers for large and small firm alike. This new and updated edition of The Lawyer's Guide to Strategic Practice Management equips law firm leaders with the very latest guidance and market knowledge on how to improve and refine current management strategies in order to thrive and compete in today's legal marketplace. From the latest developments in technology and AI, how to improve your firm's coverage on LinkedIn to increasing motivation to act on cross-selling opportunities, this guide is an amalgamation of guidance from the most talked-about thought leaders in the legal sphere. The second edition contains 7 new chapters covering strategy; market and client development; people and talent management; finance and pricing and optimisation and technology. Key features of this updated guide 33 chapters covering six key areas of law firm management Contains valuable material such as diagnostic questionnaires, how-to guides, case studies and action-planning worksheets Hear from a range of thought leaders and experts in the law firm management sphere including: Viv Williams (CEO of 360 Legal Group) Patrick J. McKenna (strategist and advisor to premier law firms) Chrissie Lightfoot (CEO of EntrepreneurLawyer Ltd) Geoff Coughlin (co-founder of Emphasis on Skills Ltd) Order your copy of this guide to: Review revenue and profit models, profitability strategies and law firm profit drivers Examine the various alternatives to the traditional billing hour Measure and manage the performance of your lawyers Find market niches and develop individual business development strategies Learn about the adoption of client listening programmes Use big data for billing and cost and forecasting analysis Build the business case for legal project management Improve client and staff communication, connectivity and collaboration strategies Inform your management strategy with the very latest market insights and find solutions to your management challenge. Order your copy of this updated guide.

Behavioural science comes into play in every aspect of running a legal business, from the way strategic decisions are made, to the way good or bad news is delivered, through to how lawyers interrelate and communicate with clients.Law firms are now implementing human science initiatives to gain a competitive edge as they compete against each other for market share.Leading the Future: The Human Science of Law Firm Strategy and Leadership - provides practical how-to advice and guidance on how human sciences are interacting with the different aspects of leading, managing, and marketing in a law firm. It highlights how law firm leaders can harness human sciences to:+ Develop new skills and autonomous ways of working for staff+ Examine the best ways of going about formulating strategies+ Ensure a high level of staff engagement, flexibility, and innovation+ Improve decision making in the legal profession+ Build the right culture to drive innovation and facilitate change+ Create and inspire high performing teams (HPT)+ Listen, discover and communicate what clients' real needs are, persuade and influence them, and target them more accurately+ Build and sustain trust and cooperation throughout the firm.+ Encourage cross-selling, resolve conflicts, and build collaborative relationships with clients+ Hire, promote, inspire, and reward to drive staff performance and engagementCase Studies, Practical Tools and Tips...Each chapter in Leading the Future is supported by illustrative case studies from a broad range of international and regional firms, with tools and tips that you can immediately put into practice.The authors Dr Bob Murray and Dr Alicia Fortinberry (www.fortinberrymurray.com ) have deep experience in applying the latest science to business challenges and are uniquely qualified to guide law firm leaders to shape a successful strategy and drive positive change through the right leadership, culture, business development, and customer relationships for your legal business.“This book will make you think. For those active in the legal sector or with an interest in it, this looks at a number of familiar issues through a different lens. It looks at the various behavioural and physiological elements relevant to people and law firms and how these intersect with getting things done and making change happen in law firms. I found that lightbulbs went off as I reviewed the unfolding chapters – around particular issues that we (and no doubt many others) wrestle with in our businesses.Volatile and changing times call for different ways of thinking to solve and make progress against both the perennial issues and new emerging issues for legal businesses. Some of the lessons in this book can help, especially in terms of interacting with the people that make up our businesses. The authors draw upon both their technical knowledge and their practical experiences to provide helpful insights into things like implementing strategy to make them work; leading clever committed people; implementing change; and unlocking the conundrum of collaboration."Mark Rigotti, Global CEO and Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills

In today’s modern, techno-centric world with its endless endless supply of data, and the multitude of ways to collect and utilize it, Intelligence has become the best tool for law firms when it comes to understanding client needs, offering quality value-oriented services, and garnering and retaining business. Ark Group's new report Strategic Intelligence for Law Firms offers a robust overview of how, and why, strategic use of intelligence can foster real results in your firm.Featuring advice and case studies from experts in business development; analytics; and the ABC of artificial, business, and competitive intelligence, Strategic Intelligence for Law Firms covers topics including:- Client success through better intelligence- Why client intelligence is (or should be) the new CI for law firms- Balancing pricing and client perceptions of value- Utilizing multiple intelligence sources to create an opportunity scoring assessment- Developing a CI function in a resource-constrained environment- Compiling a useful and user-friendly competitive intelligence report- Design, Thinking, and the why of BI- Using software to increase access to legal services- The evolution from business intelligence to artificial intelligenceWith insight, opinion, and practical working knowledge from the likes of Mark Medice and Jennifer Roberts Intapp, Zena Applebaum, Bennett Jones LLP, Peter Lane-Secor, Pepper Hamilton LLP, Patrick Fuller, Neota Logic Inc., Annie Johnson, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, Mark A. Gediman, Best Best & Krieger, Ed Walters and Jeffrey Asjes, Fast Case, Joanna Goodman, Law Society Gazette and The Guardian and John Alber, ILTAStrategic Intelligence for Law Firms will help all law firm leaders establish a flexible intelligence strategy that will address the current and future strategic needs of the firm.

Fully revised and updated, the third edition of Outcomes-Focused Regulation: Compliance in Practice brings practitioners up to date with recent and upcoming changes to the SRA Handbook and evolving regulation. Covering all the main requirements of the Handbook, the drivers behind them, and essential steps to remain compliant, it also provides practical tools to help firms formulate a compliance plan. Also included are real-life case studies from leading practitioners, giving critical insight into practical issues faced by compliance officers, and best-practice advice on good governance and compliance planning. Key features of this updated book include:* Information on the effects of the LSA and the changes it has brought;* An overview of the 16th version of the SRA Handbook;* The SRA Principles;* The SRA's approach to authorisation and its views on risk, including information from the Regulatory Risk Framework;* The SRA Code of Conduct and an explanation of its compliance requirements and risk management strategies in key areas such as client care, conflicts of interests, and confidentiality, referrals, outsourcing, separate businesses, and overseas practice;* An indicator of changes on the horizon and how the SRA is likely to respond;* The SRA's approach to supervision, including a reference to the indicators in the various supervision and enforcement strategies published by the SRA;* Advice on compliance planning; and* Case studies and practitioners' perspectives. This book is designed to assist firms to develop and strengthen their governance arrangements and risk management strategies as they become more familiar with outcomes-focused regulation. It also flags up new business opportunities available to firms through external investment and the use of separate businesses.

Many law firms today are far too focused on increasing market share; they should be paying attention to what makes them a more profitable business. Market share doesn’t matter much if you’re not profitable, and firms cannot simply grow their way to prosperity by undercutting the competition. Instead, firms must focus on value creation and increasing clients’ willingness to pay for their services. The question should be: “What can your firm do better, or more efficiently, and more profitably than anyone else?”The Mechanics of Law Firm Profitability: People, Process, and Technology examines why a focus on profitability and metrics is reshaping law firm operations and matter management; how to define the bottom line and to distinguish between “good” revenue and “bad”; and how to change the dialogue from “hours and revenue” to “revenue and profit”, while changing the mindset from increasing market share to simply running a profitable business.The Mechanics of Law Firm Profitability covers topics including:+ The “every dollar is a good dollar” fallacy: The difference between good and bad revenue+ Increasing profitability by improving client intake + Using KM to increase firm profitability + Pricing, profitability, and compensation+ Measuring different practice groups, differently+ Four challenges in managing law firm profitability+ Strategy and culture driving effective use of people, process, and technology+ Profitability and the Concept of `Managing on the Edge’ – Why It Is Important to Regional Law FirmsAnd brings together the sought-after advice of a wide variety of experts including:+ Toby Brown, chief practice management officer, Perkins Coie+ Mike Roster, co-chair ACC Value Challenge and former managing partner of Morrison and Foerster’s LA office+ Jack Bostelman, president KM/JD Consulting LLC+ Chris Boyd, senior director of professional services, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati+ Jim Hassett, founder of LegalBizDev+ Wendy Wen Yun Chang, partner, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP+ Keith Maziarek senior director of client value, Perkins Coie+ James G. Perkins, chief operating officer and chief compliance officer, Procopio+ Mark Voigtmann, partner; Steve Petrie, chief strategy officer; Vanessa Savoie, senior strategic analyst & pricing analyst; and Tom Snavely, manager legal process improvement & project management, Faegre Baker DanielsThe Mechanics of Law Firm Profitability: People, Process, and Technology provides practical and proven tips for all law firm leader on adjusting current processes and identifying opportunities for future profitability within their firms.

"For those lawyers who fall into that group of wanting to better understand AI, there may be no better starting point than Robots in Law" -Robert Ambrogi, Above The LawAlthough 2016 was the breakthrough year for artificial intelligence (AI) in legal services in terms of market awareness and significant take-up, legal AI represents evolution rather than revolution. Since the first `robot lawyers’ started receiving mainstream press coverage, many law firms, other legal service providers, and law colleges are being asked what they are doing about AI. Robots in Law: How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming Legal Services is designed to provide a starting point in the form of an independent primer for anyone looking to get up to speed on AI in legal services. The book is organized into four distinct sections:Part I: Legal AI – Beyond the hype Part II: Putting AI to workPart III: AI giving back – Return on investmentPart IV: Looking ahead The first three present an in-depth overview, and analysis, of the current legal AI landscape; the final section includes contributions from AI experts with connections to the legal space, on the prospects for legal AI in the short-term future."AI is here now. And going to work in law firms. In the second half of 2016, hardly a week went by without some firm, academic or start-up announcing an innovation. Anyone inclined to dismiss this entirely as hype should read Robots in Law. In 150-odd pages we get a clear round-up of what is happening plus (perhaps more interestingly) some predictions from the best human brains in the business about what it all means." - Michael Cross, editor, The Law Society GazetteAlong with the emergence of New Law and the burgeoning lawtech start-up economy, AI is part of a new dynamic in legal technology and it is here to stay. The question now is whether AI will find its place as a facilitator of legal services delivery, or whether it will initiate a shift in the value chain that will transform the legal business model. "This book, is recommended for all those wanting to catch up with AI, or those needing to catch up (whether they want to or not). That is pretty much all of us." - Laurence Eastham, Editor of Computers & Law, The Society for Computers and Law Magazine

KM has been accepted as an integral practice for most organizations – however many are still, understandably, cautious of the investments they make in the current financial environment following the economic downturn.`The measurement of knowledge value is difficult. It is specific to time, context, and the perception of what it is that constitutes a knowledge asset.’ - David GriffithsMeasuring the ROI of Knowledge Management 2nd edition aims to explore how leading industry experts prove the value of their KM initiatives and justify investing in them. From outlining the best methods of quantifying the return from KM, to discussing the limitations of an ROI-focused approach, this book looks to present an all-encompassing view of how to best tackle this this matter that is rife with guesswork and uncertainty.Measuring the ROI of Knowledge Management covers topics including:+ Understanding the knowledge economy+ Knowledge management business case arguments+ Using a Knowledge Audit as the basis for determining and driving the ROI of Knowledge Management+ The application of Artificial Intelligence to support the value of organizational knowledge and assist the knowledge ROI+ Measurement of KM projects – A practical guide for busy people+ Believing in organizational progress using data and anecdotes (C6)+ The case against ROI for knowledge management+ Winning the war by avoiding the battles – Focusing on the I in ROI+ An ecological approach to understanding impact in knowledge management practiceMeasuring the ROI of Knowledge Management brings together the sought-after advice of a wide variety of experts including Stan Garfield, Andrew Gent, David Griffiths, James Gunn, Tim Hawley, John Hovell, James Loft, Hélène Russell, and Professor Dave Snowden who provide tools, tips, pragmatic guidance and best courses of action for any organization looking to prove the value of their KM efforts.

The consensus from a number of recent reports is that the majority of law firms will again see flat revenue growth in 2017. With external spending down, new legal service providers entering the market, and clients demanding more effective and efficient services, probably the only thing we can predict with any certainty is that competition will only get tougher. So, how do firms break out of the pack and put themselves in a position to enjoy sustained success? How to Become the Firm of Choice provides the answer: firms have to make an explicit decision to become “the firm of choice” in their chosen markets. And, in doing so, they must move their operations to the next level. This means:•Analysing and improving every aspect of the firm’s operations•Ensuring all of the firm’s internal operations and processes are aligned with what the firm needs to do to be successful in its markets•Maintaining an absolute commitment to being the best and a refusal to accept the status quo; and, crucially•Being one-step better than the competitionTaking a fictional law firm as an example, the book examines in detail five main drivers of professional service firm performance:•Markets •Clients•People•Financial and•Underpinning beliefs Through models, matrices, and examples based on the authors’ extensive experience advising leaders of professional service firms around the world, How to Become the Firm of Choice shows just how this can be achieved in today’s competitive market. It explains the questions firms need to ask, and the challenges they need to overcome, in each area in order to improve each aspect – and take the firm to the next level. “It is very difficult to know how to bring about performance change in a professional service firm when either the professionals often think they know best or they don’t like change. This very useful guide demonstrates not only how to do it, but also how to persuade others it’s a good idea. It is easy to read with useful appendices, which you can use to apply to your own situation. So, if you want to bring about performance change, you should definitely give it a go.” Nick Page, Chairman, Bond Dickinson LLP, UK

Effectively implementing project management has become a key ambition for many firms across the world. The interest project management has garnered from the legal sector is not surprising; the range of benefits it offers are extensive and impactful; including reducing costs, enabling more efficient commodity work, and creating more accurate budgeting forecasts.However, despite the general consensus on its value, adoption rates have been slow across the sector – only a handful of top firms have successfully implemented LPM into their practices, and are reaping the benefits. The slow adoption rates create a real opening for a competitive advantage through Legal Project Management, even at a basic starting level, as according to Jim Hassett even “glacial progress can produce new business when you are competing with firms that are making no progress at all”.Featuring expert analysis on the form and function of LPM from leading industry experts, and case studies from top law firms on effective implementation and take-up, this title offers a robust overview of project management functions in the legal sector.

The legal market is changing rapidly. But much of law firms’ marketing activity is based on what the firm is today, rather than what it needs to be tomorrow. The activity centres on `quick wins’ rather than addressing how the firm will need to be packaged, positioned, and perceived in the future in order to attract new purchases and the type of client it really wants.This book has been written to show you how to package and position your firm in a way that will allow you to profit from your efforts. We’ll cut through some of the marketing-speak that all-too-often either prevents or puts lawyers off getting to the heart of building a viable, relevant marketing strategy. We’ll also look at some practical examples of how best to design the right strategy for your firm and, most importantly, how you can implement those ideas easily so that they start delivering commercial success.If you are to pilot your firm, practice, or department through the next phase of the legal industry’s development, you need to be cannier in the way you take it to market. The good news is that if you get the packaging, positioning, and promotion right, you are well on the way to winning the work you want at the fee level you want, and that simply has to be the most direct route to profitable growth.

Obtaining an accurate and comprehensive overview of performance throughout the firm is no easy undertaking – there are numerous aspects of the firm to inspect and many varying streams of information to consider. From individual partner performance to firm-wide cash flow, correctly measuring and managing performance involves a keen eye on both the micro and macro aspects of the firm.Measuring and Managing Performance for Law Firms offers an overview of the measurement and metrics that firms can employ to effectively manage their work force and firm-wide performance. Discussing a range of topics from metrics that stimulate innovative thinking, effectively managing high-performance teams and dealing with stress in the work place, and implementing “balanced scorecards” and “opportunity scoring assessments” to track firm performance and effectively utilize internal information resources.

The pricing of legal services is no longer simply about setting rates. Properly optimizing a firm's pricing strategy is a critical source of competitive advantage and increased profitability, which now more than ever is crucial to staying relevant in the legal sector. Firms must start looking to demonstrate their ability to provide clients with greater value through alternative fee arrangements, effectively controlled budgeting methods, and the integration of innovative firm management practices - whilst continuing to operate as a profitable business. Standard business principles have become the norm for firms - as clients become increasingly proficient in negotiating costs and defining the scope of engagement, service delivery must now be framed by value, expertise, and profitability rather than hours billed alone. With contributions from pricing directors and expert consultants, Practical Innovations in Legal Pricing offers insight into newest effective approaches to pricing that top firms are undertaking. Taking an in-depth look at the role of shadow-billing and client collaboration in AFAs, integrating a firm's legal project management and pricing functions for greater client benefits, and effectively executing a newly formed pricing strategy, this title will provide a comprehensive overview of the best practices in innovative pricing functions.

As law firms continually push to stay relevant in the information age, certain functions and roles will change drastically – possibly none more so than a firm’s information functions and librarians. Information services are now more important than ever, and are more closely linked and integrated with all other functions of the firm.This means, however, that many information departments and roles will need to undergo a considerable metamorphosis in order to realise their full potential. From integration with other functions of the firm (such as Business Development and Knowledge Management), to gathering intelligence to leverage a competitive advantage – library teams, with the correct application, are set to become critical in forging a firm’s digital pathway to increased success.

Successfully managing a change initiative is no simple feat, regardless of the size of the firm - distilling the process of change into a workforce takes careful planning and support. Change is stressful and difficult for people to process and accept, as we often cling to what we know. This is especially true of lawyers, who are notoriously averse to change. However, the legal sector has begun to rapidly transform - and the firms that don't change with it are going to struggle to stay relevant. In these turbulent times for firms, change initiatives must be properly managed to ensure the whole firm can successfully shift to the new norm and stick to it. Without the proper support and management, a firm runs the risks of alienating their workforce - who will not take well to sudden and imposed change. Managing Legal Change Initiatives looks to illustrate the best methods of introducing and managing change in a sector that is known for being adverse to it. The book highlights the critical obstacles and pitfalls that law firms will face during transitional periods, and outlines some of the best methods of approaching organizational change; from building a change framework to follow, to encouraging a shift in partner behavior through the compensation strategy. This new book also explores why change is so difficult for individuals - with discussion of the neuroscience behind change, and the role of emotional intelligence in leaders to help garner a transformation. With the disruptions to legal services predicted to continue for some time, it will be those firms who adapt, put into place, and act upon a change management strategy that will be the ones capitalize on changes to come.

Paying For Residential Care: A Guide For Private Client Practitioners is authored by Austin Thornton, co-author of the previous editions of this title.The new edition is a complete rewrite, which has been necessitated by the introduction of the Care Act 2014 and the repeal of the previous law. In a departure from the second edition, the book includes a full section on the legal basis for NHS continuing care eligibility and how to pursue appeals.It provides comprehensive cover of the Care and Support (Charging and Assessment of Resources) Regulations 2014, and will assist advisors in risk assessing the use of family trusts.It is hoped that this work will allow those advisors who are prepared to put in the work necessary to learn the material to make a decent job of arguing with councils and the NHS on the range of topics that are covered.The ultimate aim of this book is therefore to assist the public by enabling lawyers and other advisors to assist them.

The discipline of knowledge management (KM) continues to evolve along with our ability to record larger and more varied kinds of information than ever before. Since its inception in the 1990s, it has passed through several stages, quickly becoming a credible field, and now an integral part of major businesses worldwide. Now, many have started to argue that KM is undergoing resurgence, possibly even transforming into KM 3.0, thanks to developments in artificial intelligence (AI). And, while AI has been around for many years, it has become a buzzword in the industry as questions loom over what it could mean for the labor market of the future. Adoption has been relatively slow in the legal profession, owing in part to its conservative nature, individual-focused training and no real incentive to overhaul the hourly billing model1. When in-house legal teams can exceed 1,000 people, sharing and reusing knowledge can easily become inefficient, with counsel often needlessly paying for the same research twice. Global intelligence software leader Comintelli estimates that $8.5 billion per year is lost between Fortune 500 companies alone on poor KM2, up from $31.5 billion in 20043, suggesting a recent rise in the number of firms embracing the concept. Despite this, there are still challenges posed to the legal world, and sharing insight is more vital than ever, not only within companies but between them. Innovations in Legal KM explores the endeavors of various legal firms - the problems they have faced, and the solutions they have developed - to improve their KM processes, and, ultimately, their bottom line.

Time – as they say – is money. It is not an uncommon fact that lawyers today spend unnecessary amounts of time seeking out information, and therefore unnecessary amounts of money. In well-established fields, change is often slow; perhaps none more so than in the legal world. Though progress is being made, uptake has been rather slow, much to the dismay of those in the information management business.Conversely to its cousin, case management, matter management should be thought of more in terms of low-volume but high-value information. The process thus lends itself nicely to forming centralized systems within organizations. It is so pervasive as to allow users to make decisions (e.g. conflict resolution) before matters are even opened, and can maintain a high level of time data accuracy and transparency via unalterable fundamental data.From innovative and simple interfaces to enhanced reporting tools, from notification systems to customizable workflows, triumphs within matter management have enabled companies to become more efficient by saving time and money, and to engage stakeholders in a meaningful way. Redefining Matter Management: A Best Practice Guide to Improving Processes and Profitability is a collection of case studies that highlights some of the most important achievements and ideas in the field today.

Commentators have argued for many years that law firms need to move forward from their traditional, seniority-based compensation systems. But it's not enough to simply add performance-related elements at the edges of these. Shifting generational-based attitudes; changing career aspirations; increasingly demanding clients; and pricing innovation and development in the range of benefits that can be offered (both financial and non-financial) all conspire to urge firms to rethink how their compensation system operates at all levels, across the whole firm. By reviewing these emerging factors, Compensation Innovation: An in-depth exploration into the future of law firm compensation aims to inspire law firms towards future proofing their compensation systems so that they continue to deliver results as their partnerships age. Exploring also the interplay between compensation and succession planning, and compensation and lateral hiring, the authors keep one eye to the future.

Client experience (CX) is by no means a new concept. Ever since the service industry came into being, providing excellent customer service has been a key concern, with particular focus on how the client experiences the service they are receiving. Yet, client experience is rarely delivered well. Inconsistencies, errors, and an endlessly unanswered phone lead to frustration on the part of the client, and a feeling that they are worth little more than a signature on the monthly timesheet. So, how do law firms, and individual lawyers, ensure they exceed expectations, and deliver the best customer experience possible? And what benefits - tangible and intangible - does this bring? Innovations in Client Experience brings together a collection of global contributors, giving their thoughts and advice on how the legal profession can up its game in client experience, offering innovative strategies and pragmatic advice to those law firms concerned they need to improve their CX.

The issue of underperformance at partner level remains incredibly agonising and sensitive in law firms.Low demand for legal services has been compounded by an increase in the competitive forces both inside and outside the legal profession. Life has become even more difficult for partners, for whom performance demands have increased at the same time as the availability of work has tailed off.Underperformance continues to affect law firms in many ways, not least of which are diminished profitability, loss of opportunity, the disaffection of high performers, challenges to the firm’s values and falling morale. What is more, underperformance has to be seen not just in terms of productivity but also in terms of a more holistic approach to a firm’s standards.Drawing on original and academic research from the past 8 years, and featuring contributions from law firm performance experts including Edwin Reeser, Angus Lyon, and Patrick McKenna, author Nick Jarrett-Kerr’s highly anticipated Tackling Partner Underperformance 2nd Edition covers topics including:•Trends in partner performance•Understanding why partners underperform or are underproductive•Judging, rating and evaluating partners•Aligning performance with partner compensation and rewards•Supporting and rehabilitating underperforming partners•Stress and mental illness impact on performance•Systems for partner performance management•Underperformance culture•Governance, communication and conflict management•And more.Tackling Partner Underperformance 2nd Edition is arguably the most comprehensive study ever undertaken into partner underperformance in law firms, and those firms (regardless of size and location) who utilize and implement the information, advice and practical strategies for addressing this issue, will see significant differences in their productivity and ultimately profitability.

In both law firms and other businesses, the conversation around organisational diversity is in many ways more fervent, active, and engaged than ever before. Prominent figures in the profession make bold declarations about their belief in the positive contribution increased diversity brings, and firm websites are not considered complete without a visible commitment to improve their inclusivity. It would seem that everyone is aware of the problem, and is vociferous about their attempts to tackle it. However, the numbers show that the needle is barely moving. The legal profession appears to be stuck at the point of discussion, and the measures that have thus far been implemented - which typically include token changes in company policy and written charters and agreements - can more resemble posturing than steps to achieve real change. The challenge, then, for any law firm which recognizes that diversity is a force for innovation and seeks to genuinely make a change, is finding those actions that do make an obvious and measurable difference. What can be done, and where does one find the practical advice needed to instigate the change? Packed with constructive guidance and compelling insight from industry experts and thought leaders, The Diversity Agenda: Lessons and Guidance from the Legal Profession seeks to provide the answer to these questions. Moving past the identification of an obvious problem, this book will instead offer effective solutions to those endeavoring to maximize their firm's potential through the benefits diversification can bring. The Diversity Agenda: Lessons and Guidance from the Legal Profession aims to supply a unique perspective from authors who have experienced institutional challenges and obstacles, providing proactive steps to take in order to negotiate them. Expert advice is also supplemented by real-world examples of pragmatic, effective and award-winning diversity initiatives that are being pioneered by both international and regional law firms.