Large without Sidebar

Nov 25

Stress Cracks and Repairs to the Big Law Structure

It’s hardly news when a law firm delivers legal services in concert with another firm or service provider. Disaggregation of legal services has been around for some time, even if its scale, scope, and complexity continue to expand. But it is news when a Goliath law firm partners with a... read more →
Nov 19

The New Threat to Law Firms From Across the Pond

It’s no longer a secret that the UK’s Legal Services Act of 2007 (LSA) is a game changer.  It was intended to provide retail and corporate legal consumers more and better options of legal services delivery.  Among other things, it enabled licensure of “Alternative Business Structures” that could accept non-lawyer... read more →
Nov 11

So Many Conflicts, So Many Contexts

Conflicts of interest are anathema to lawyers. The Rules of Professional Conduct-written by lawyers- decree that they are to be avoided. But the Rules do not begin to address the many real-life conflicts that lawyers and law firms confront. Conflicts can arise from a law firm’s size and structure, a... read more →
Nov 09

A Feel Good Story for Law?

Walter Cronkite, a legendary reporter turned news anchor at a time when that meant something substantially more than simply reading stories written by others, was asked why so much news was bad.  He responded there were so many positive things that occurred every day that they simply did not elevate... read more →
Nov 06

Harvard Law School Turns The Page-Big Time

Harvard Law School has announced that it will be digitizing its vast collection of U.S. case law and making it available free online. Ravel Law, a commercial research and legal analytics company is partnering with Harvard and funding the substantial cost of converting the collection from print to electronic format.... read more →
Oct 28

What is Legal Scholarship?

Have you ever wondered why “legal scholarship” has little to do with legal practice? The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines scholarship as: “the serious study of an academic subject and the knowledge and methods involved.” If we accept this definition and apply it to “legal scholarship,” there is a disconnect.... read more →
Oct 21

Legal Practice and Legal Delivery: An Important Distinction

Lawyers parse words and define terms. So why do they so often use “legal practice” and “legal delivery” interchangeably when the terms have such different meanings and implications? This distinction is especially important in the context of the tectonic shift occurring in the legal vertical. The practice of law is... read more →
Oct 07

China’s Latest Export: Legal Services

China is known for its exports, but legal services? Chinese law firms have begun to export legal services beyond its vast domestic market and to create an international footprint. The domestic success of China’s largest firms, liberalized trade agreements, key alliances with Hong Kong firms, and international strategic planning are... read more →
Oct 02

Why Are Lawyers So Unpopular and Stressed?

The title suggests a work of epic length–War and Peace comes to mind.  There are so many reasons why lawyers are unpopular and stressed.  So why bother attempting to discuss them, even in “greatest hits” fashion?  Because things can–should–get better. But it will require some changes. Lawyers Are Unpopular–They Just... read more →
Sep 24

Law School Building Boom; Really?

Several months ago, my wife and I drove past a big hole in the ground, not far from where we live. “What’s the sign say?” I asked. “Don’t go off on a jag,” she said with a slight giggle, “It says ‘Future New Home of American University Law School.” “Why... read more →