Edge Knowledge Base

By David Cruickshank | Apr 21, 2021

American Lawyer Top 100 rankings are announced.  Headlines like “30% Profit Increase at Firm Despite Pandemic” appear.  And “rumored expensive deals” for lateral partners get favorable attention for the acquiring firm.  This drumbeat from the legal press about “top firms” is supposedly a proxy for excellence in law firms, law practices and excellent individual talent.  But are these the best measures to help a client or a job-hunting professional decide to choose a “top” firm?

By Nick Jarrett-Kerr | Mar 31, 2021

Lateral hiring in professional service firms has an uneven track record.  Statistics consistently show that hiring a ready-made partner from another firm often results in disappointment both for the firm hiring them and in terms of the new partner’s own expectations.

By Mike White | Mar 23, 2021

Whether you’re a strategy consulting firm or a law firm, “difference in kind” persuasion requires big “goalpost moving”- you’re going to need to get prospects to look at their problem and the opportunity fundamentally different from the way they are likely looking at it when they present it to you. If you “move the goalposts” you win; if you allow them to lazily accept the framing they brought with them before talking to consultants you likely won’t win.

By Gerry Riskin | Mar 17, 2021

Leaders who ignore the fragility of themselves and those with whom they interact may soon realize that complacency leads to anxiety or panic.

By Jonathan Middleburgh | Mar 9, 2021

I have written previously (in an article in the Edge Communiqué entitled ‘Law Firm Armaggedon: How a major Law Firm nearly imploded and how the conflict was resolved’) about how the survival of law firms sometimes requires the capacity to resolve senior-level conflict. In that article I shared the story of one such conflict and how it was resolved through a long and difficult resolution process.

By David Cruickshank | Mar 3, 2021

In the first two months of the year, your firm admitted a new class of partners.  You’re confident that they are the “right stuff” for the firm.  They are productive, knowledgeable associates who can produce revenue at partner rates right away.  But are they ready to be owners?  Unless your firm has a robust new partner development program, the answer is “We hope so” at the very best.

By Leon Sacks | Feb 24, 2021

Clients are facing increasingly complex demands posed by the rapid advance of technologies, the economic and regulatory environment, the geographic spread and dynamic change within their markets and disruptive events, such as the current pandemic. Worse, many firms are less collaborative than they think they are.

By Edge International | Feb 17, 2021

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By Yarman J Vachha | Feb 17, 2021

As the world changes and emerges from a generational crisis there is an increasing need to work together and form affiliations as there is inevitably strength in numbers and diversity. I believe that we will see much consolidation in the legal markets in the next few years. Those in existing Networks or Affiliations will be well served to review their arrangements and to take stock of “what they want to be” in the new world.

By Bithika Anand | Feb 9, 2021

Training, development and skill-building are concepts that have largely been under-rated in law firms. The debate often is – whether they are a cost or an investment? The dilemma also stems from the uncertainty concerning the return on investment and how to scientifically measure the value addition from training and development activities. This article aims to discuss the benefits associated with skill-building and how can law firms foster a culture of knowledge-sharing, mentoring and growth.