Q&A: Marianne Marchesi – “I’d been frustrated with the more traditional way of doing things in law and I realised if I wanted to do it differently I had to do it myself.”

In this Q&A, Legalite founder and principal lawyer Marianne Marchesi comments on why she wants to empower women and other lawyers; explains how her firm has achieved a swag of awards; and outlines the reasons for embracing fixed fees. You started the firm almost two years ago as a sole practitioner. Can it be challenging, […]

15 big questions for law firms making the switch to value pricing

In this article, John Chisholm explains some of the key considerations for law firms that are considering moving from time-based billing to value pricing – and the key pitfalls to avoid. 1. A lot has been written about why firms should switch from the billable hour to value-based pricing. How difficult, though, is it for firms […]

High potential price to pay if you procrastinate over legal administration

Putting administrative tasks on the backburner is commonplace for lawyers as they focus on fee-earning work, but such complacency can be dangerous for firms in a regulatory and reputational sense, writes Peppy Mitchell. Procrastinating and under-resourcing when it comes to back-office operations and non-chargeable tasks is a risky move. While performing administrative work may not […]

Q&A: Henry Kalus – “There’s no point having lawyers who work from 7 o’clock in the morning until 10 at night and who have no private life and are miserable.”

In this Q&A, Kalus Kenny Intelex founder Henry Kalus explains why putting people before profits is crucial for a firm’s success; why his embrace of flexible work practices is a throwback to his childhood; and why there are synergies between owning race horses and running a law firm. You recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of […]

The critical interplay between people management, productivity and profitability

Poor profitability can plague law firms unless they address complementary factors relating to salaries, effective use of human resources and clarity around staff KPIs, writes Rob Knowsley. Let us get the profit imperative out of the way right up front. Profit is very important for all businesses, including law firms. There is not enough scope […]

Latest news – Herbert Smith Freehills tops rankings; Freelance lawyers loving the freedom; Tech skills need ramping up

Survey identifies leading ‘attraction’ firms According to a new survey, the top three “attraction” firms in the Australian legal market are Herbert Smith Freehills, King & Wood Mallesons, and Allens. The research, conducted by Momentum Intelligence, lists the firms that are considered to be the most attractive to Australian lawyers. The Top 25 Attraction Firms […]

10 reasons why culture eats strategy for breakfast

Despite talk about the importance of embracing disruptive business models, success for law firms is more likely to come from cultural differentiation rather than market differentiation, writes Joel Barolsky. During the past three years, I have worked with three professional service firms that have outperformed their peers. Despite operating in hyper-competitive markets, they have consistently […]

You love your firm’s technology tools … but are they what your clients want?

Much of the discourse about new technologies centres on how they can be used within firms, but there is a danger in not being sufficiently client centric in our approaches to such technology, writes Mark Andrews. If technology helps us to be more efficient in the practise of law, it seems reasonably intuitive that this […]

Latest news – Sign up for World Masters seminar; Businesses ‘not ready’ for crises; Milestone for women barristers

World Masters puts spotlight on differentiation Respected American author and marketing professional Tim Williams will help leaders embrace strategies to differentiate their firms from others when he addresses the World Masters of Law Firm Management workshop in Sydney in September. To be held on September 18 at the offices of Allens at Level 28, Deutsche […]

Bad habits in meetings – which ones are you guilty of?

In the first of a two-part series in this excerpt from his book, Smart Teams: How to Work Better Together, author and productivity thought leader Dermot Crowley explains why a poor approach to meetings is a sign of other cultural shortfalls within a firm.   Meetings are a common way in which we cooperate together […]