Category: Management and Technology

I have previously suggested (blog post and article) that law firms might be able to reduce occupancy cost and free-up time (billable or personal – to be negotiated) by allowing or encouraging lawyers to work at home or in satellite offices some number of days...

Most law firms are at work on their 2005 budgets. In considering technology budgets, it’s interesting to ponder when something “new” is no longer new. This is no mere philosophic question; I believe the answer affects how firms make decisions.  I started thinking about “newness”...

Fellow blogster Jerry Lawson and I recently exchanged e-mail messages about bloggers asking for links. That led to an interesting discussion about relationship management generally. Our shared observation is that, among other challenges of law firm CRM (customer relationship management) is that lawyers have limited...

“Firms are making roof repairs rather than remodeling the kitchen.” So concludes the 9th AmLaw Tech survey of large law firm technology, published in the September 2004 issue of American Lawyer magazine.  This survey is one of the best and most reliable for large law...

My prior post suggested stepping back from the day-to-day change to examine fundamentals. Among other points, I suggested lawyers might not need notebooks. Fellow blogger Dennis Kennedy raises a good point about my comments.  Responding to my statement that “some clear-thinking firms now understand that...

Technology is all about change. The job of the CIO is often as much about change management as it is about technology. Sometimes change occurs so continuously and gradually that we do not realize that whole systems and environments have been altered. The role of...

Last week I wrote about the possibility that Orrick might provide back-office services to other law firms. That post generated two interesting comments that question and expand on my conclusion that this could be a distraction.  On 8/19 fellow blogger Rick Klau commented: Ron –...

“Growth – real growth – depends on innovation. Oh sure, a big acquisition can inflate a company’s top line, but it’s hardly fair to call this growth; agglomeration would be a better word.” So writes Gary Hamel and Gary Gets in the current issue (July-August...