Blog – Page 21 – Legal Mosaic

May 17

Corporate Counsel: Consumer Becomes Provider

Everyone knows that the role of corporate counsel (a/k/a in-house lawyers) has undergone a transformation that has accelerated post the global financial crisis of 2008. Their number, influence, compensation, responsibilities, and status have risen dramatically. Why? (more…)

May 04

Law’s Distribution and Price Problems

Law has a distribution problem. Too many corporate firms vie for a shrinking pool of outsourced work. Competition is also fierce in the retail segment of the legal market where, paradoxically, tens of millions of individuals and small businesses are unrepresented while thousands of lawyers are unemployed or under-employed. (more…)

May 03

As lawyers learn to be integrators, who will be “the straw that stirs the drink”

The legal field is in a state of flux–many would say decline. I prefer “reconfiguration.” The forecast is bleak. The weight of the evidence supports the glum outlook: Law school enrollment is declining; student debt is escalating; and the job market for lawyers–newly minted and old-hands alike–is the worst it... read more →

Apr 28

Dentons: A New Kind of Network?

Joe Andrew, Global chair of Dentons, outlined the firm’s strategy in a recent video. It has two prongs: (1) Dentons maintains its status as the world’s largest law firm; while it simultaneously (2) becomes the world’s biggest independent law firm network. How can this be? (more…)

Apr 19

Perspective: Another Take on the Reed Smith, Pepper Hamilton Merger Talks

Talk is cheap unless it is with a lawyer. Or when two large law firms are engaged in merger talks. And though not all merger discussions result in deals (witness the recent cessation of discussions between Greenberg Traurig and Berwin Leighton), it’s certainly newsworthy to cover them. And the ongoing... read more →

Apr 18

The Conflict Heard Around The World

Dentons does everything in an outsized way. And while the steady stream of news it creates often involves an acquisition, this time it’s a lawsuit. The firm and two of its partners are Defendants in a recently filed legal malpractice action. (RevoLaze LLP vs. Dentons US LLP et al., case number... read more →

Apr 14

Can $1,500 per Hour Be Good Value?

The Guardian recently reported that senior partners at Magic Circle firms now charge 1,100 pounds an hour– that’s $1,500 plus an expensive lunch. U.S. firms average a bit less, but their rates are not for the faint-of-budget, either. The National Law Journal reported that for 2014 the top 14 U.S.-based... read more →

Apr 12

Insource or Outsource?: Law Firm Version

Remember the Clash song “Should I Stay or Should I Go”? The opening chords and lyrics come to mind when the “Do I insource or outsource?” question is raised. And that is happening a lot these days- both the question and the flashbacks. (more…)

Apr 12

Did A Jilted Lover Dump The Mossack Fonseca Data?; Business of Law

Lee Pacchia's interview on Panama Papers from hearsay to insurance, liability, and ethics issues.

Apr 11

Panama Papers From Another Perspective

Panama has long been a crossroads. Even before the construction of the Canal, it had ties to people from many countries. Panama’s connection to the international community has been confirmed again, but this time it is because of a cyber breach that is a doozey. (more…)