Law and baseball share much in common. Each is self-regulated, rooted in tradition, operated as a guild for generations, big business, highly profitable–especially in major markets, and increasingly beyond the reach of most potential consumers except corporates. Both have dual identities; law is profession and business; baseball is sport and... read more →
Feb
06
Jan
18
The relationship between lawyers and technology is complicated. Many lawyers–especially those that did not grow up with computers–have a curious ambivalence towards it. They adopt technology for personal use but are reticent to embrace it professionally. They often tout their firm's ‘cutting-edge technology’ but do not provide a powerful voice... read more →
Jan
05
The legal industry is transitioning from guild to marketplace. Differentiation is becoming critically important in a field long known for the homogeneity of its providers and the acquiescence of its buyers. When legal delivery was exclusively about lawyers and firms, there was little need for them to differentiate. The profession... read more →
Dec
21
There is an emerging global legal community that is reshaping the culture, face, contours, composition participants, skillsets, and priorities of the legal industry. It is forging a culture that is transparent, collaborative, diverse, cross-border, data-driven, problem solving, tech and process centric, diverse, inter-disciplinary, merit-centric, flat, pedigree-agnostic, and innovative. It will... read more →
Dec
11
Download The Clearspire Story here Clearspire holds a special place in the evolution of the legal industry. It is remembered both as a transformative legal delivery company as well as “the next big thing” that went belly-up. I explore Clearspire’s intellectual triumph and financial failure from the professional and personal... read more →
Dec
07
‘What’s a lawyer worth?’ is a serious question that could also launch a stand-up routine. In a free market economy, compensation is generally linked to the value of the service; supply and demand; complexity/specialization; and urgency/available resources. Law has operated as a guild-- not a competitive market–until recently. And that... read more →
Nov
27
A recent American Lawyer article by Roy Strom extolls the growth of ‘alternative providers.’ It focuses on The Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC), an oft-cited industry bellwether. Strom references a recent CLOC survey that reveals the growing use of ‘alternative providers’ (read: non-law firms) by corporate consumers, especially among the... read more →
Nov
16
Lawyers like to define terms, so how do they define themselves? The American Bar Association (ABA) describes a lawyer as: “a licensed professional who advises and represents others in legal matters.“ This description raises more questions than it answers and fails the ‘void for vagueness’ standard. Here are some key... read more →
Nov
09
The legal industry has several wicked challenges: access to justice; legal education and training for a rapidly changing marketplace; enhancing delivery and improving consumer satisfaction; aligning the appropriate resource with task; and defending the rule of law. The industry’s common challenges eclipse geographical, cultural, practice, and regulatory differences. That’s the biggest... read more →
Nov
02
Madrid is a magnificent, sunny city filled with museums, broad avenues and charming cafes. This cosmopolitan Spanish capital offered little hint of the political firestorm and constitutional crisis that is playing out. This was the backdrop for my speech to the Chief Marketing Officers (CMO’s) of many of Spain’s leading... read more →