Miles van der Rohe, the noted architect, remarked: “Architecture depends on its time.” The same can be said about business structure--it depends on its time. A paradigm shift is occurring. Technology has enabled the creation of new business structures. It has facilitated a decentralized delivery structure, creating communities that connect... read more →
Oct
06
Sep
28
Yogi Berra said, “Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half physical.” His numbers are off, but his on-field stats, glove, and immense popularity landed him in Cooperstown, a place that enshrines baseball greats based upon metrics. Ever wonder why law–a trillion dollar global industry purportedly grounded in evidence,... read more →
Sep
20
Edith Wharton, the novelist and social chronicler, remarked “There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. “ Chief Legal Officers are both candles and mirrors of the legal profession. To understand their role and its interconnected functions is to see tomorrow’s... read more →
Sep
13
Mark Twain said, ““Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits.” So, can big business kick its habit of retaining law firms to handle a majority of its legal matters? The litany of law firm gripes is long and familiar: exorbitant cost and rates, overstaffing, budget unpredictability, IT and process... read more →
Sep
06
Michio Kaku, a noted theoretical physicist and futurist, predicts, “The job market of the future will consist of those jobs that robots cannot perform.” Robots have recently entered the legal workplace, performing several tasks once assigned to newly minted law grads. What does this mean for current and future lawyers?... read more →
Aug
17
There is no single path to becoming an innovative lawyer. Every lawyer has a unique set of personality traits, skill sets, passions, and priorities. Successful lawyers draw from their personalities and exposure, fusing it with legal expertise. Innovative lawyers understand that legal expertise is only one facet of legal delivery.... read more →
Aug
15
Congratulations to Canada for its online Small Claims Court that will become mandatory next year. The Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT) in British Columbia is slated to hear small claims cases online next spring. The jurisdictional threshold for “small claims” has yet to be established; however, the mandate is that it... read more →
Aug
08
Dollar Shave Club was just bought by Unilever for $1 billion. That’s a mighty big number for a five-year old start-up. But the real story is how a start-up could disrupt an industry not by improving the product or service but by altering its delivery structure and pricing. Short form... read more →
Aug
04
“Thought leadership” is an overworked yet fuzzy term. It’s like “emeritus” — people know what it means generally but cannot quite nail it down. And while legal consumers value it highly, most providers–especially law firms–tend not to invest in it. Why the divergence? Trusted Advisors and Thought Leaders Lawyers strive... read more →
Jul
25
Anyone remember the Jerry Reed song, “She Got The Goldmine, I Got The Shaft”? The country crooner garnered a Grammy for singing about the inequitable upshot of his divorce. That song came to mind when I read the recent Law 360 “Glass Slipper Report” on women in law firms. Perhaps... read more →