Overview

"Managing The Modern Law Firmis an excellent and timely contribution to an important debate. A recurring theme in professional practices is finding the right balance between spending time in personal added-value activities which tend to be client facing and spending time in management which is so often regarded as a necessary chore for the enterprise to be commercially successful. It is remarkable that with the explosive growth in knowledge-based organisations no definitive means of managing them has yet been found. This book provides the thought processes and disciplines required of the leaders of these firms as they seek to develop the management structures and processes required to take forward their individual approach to this issue."--Richard Lapthorne, Chairman, Cable and Wireless plc"Under the pressures of globalization, lawyers and law firms must find a path between a set of sharply competing concerns: collegial partnership or competitive business; broad-guaged trustee or sharp-edged expert; individual freedom or organizational discipline; niche player or global behemoth. The essays in this book provide important insight into these and other hard questions facing the modern law firm in a fast-moving era of change."--Ben W. Heinman, Jr., Former General Council, GE; Distinguished Senior Fellow, Program on the Legal Profession, Harvard Law School"The evolution of several large law firms into truly global law firms is a relatively recent development in the legal profession. Even the most successful of these firms face new challenges on a daily basis, and they have no proven model to emulate. This book provides an outstanding addition to the very limited literature studying these new, powerful, and rapidly evolving institutions."--Robert Dell, Chairman and Managing Partner, Latham & Watkins"Managing The Modern Law Firmoffers powerful insights into the dynamics of change in the global mega-law firms that are transforming the world of corporate legal practice. This book is unique because it brings together chapters written by the leading scholars and organizations, markets, and the legal profession working on law firms with provocative analyses written by the managing partners of these firms. It is required reading for scholars of the legal profession, managers of law firms, and the professionals and clients whose lives are shaped by these important institutions."--Professor Robert L. Nelson, Director and MacCrate Research Chair in the Legal Profession, American Bar Foundation, Northwestern University"For law firms this is an era of radical change. A substantial number of them have quickly grown into large international organisations as they have followed their clients around the world. Today, the world's 10 largest law firms have offices in 18 countries on average. This book offers truly helpful insights and recommendations about how to reconcile a large international organisation with the individual freedom and inspiration professionals seek."-- Dr. Konstantin Mettenheimer, Senior Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer"Clear, challenging and thought-provoking. A quality contribution to a topic which has had too little serious attention, despite the undoubted economic importance of the legal services sector."--Terence Kyle, General Counsel, Nomura International plc"Legal firms face severe challenges in adapting their working practices in these rapidly changing times. This lively and thorough account of those challenges will give partners - and their aspiring colleagues - plenty to think about."--Stefan Stern, Management Columnist,Financial Times"The duties attaching to the partnership form of ownership and governance, venerable though that form may be, have never been free of conflict. The advent of newer forms of organization and formidable competitive challenges have aggravated and complicated those tensions. With theoretical rigor and empirical savvy, Managing the Modern Law Firm makes a signal contribution to the literature of the professions by indicating convincing ways of rejuvenating this embattled institution. Professionals of all kinds, and corporate managers besides, have much to learn from each of the articles included."--Ben Gerson, Editor,Harvard Business Review"Managing the Modern Law Firmis a rich and stimulating blend of practical insight, scholarly analysis, historical narrative, and solid empirical research. It is a fascinating and accessible collection, written by a formidable array of leading experts who tackle their subjects with authority and gravitas and yet with a refreshing lightness of touch."--Professor Richard Susskind OBE, author ofThe Future of LawandTransforming the Law"Since being made a partner 27 years ago in Accenture (or so it was to become - a story in itself!), I have been fascinated by the complex challenges of "managing" (sometimes it has seemed more like trying to herd cats) a professional services firm. In recent years I have been increasingly interested in the parallels (and contrasts) between international law firms and both accounting and consulting firms. But there has been a real paucity in serious analysis of the critical issues. This book will make an excellent contribution to answering this need."--Vernon Ellis, Global Chairman, Accenture"Managing the Modern Law Firm: New Challenges, New Perspectives by Laura EmpsonAs the legal profession evolves, competition heats up and law firms continue to grow, an increasing number of firms are choosing to run themselves more like businesses and less like loose confederations of sole practitioners. Many lawyers are appalled by this creeping "corporatization" of the profession, while others believe it's time to adopt more streamlined structures and management practices. This book, edited by Laura Empson, provides a rich blend of historical perspective, scholarly analysis, and practical insight by an impressive group of professionals and academicians. It gives firm leaders plenty to think about."-- Managing Partner Forum, US