Resources

Planning

Resources on strategic planning, implementation, and how smaller and mid-size firms compete and grow deliberately.
~ Cristina Gonzalez, Esq.

It helped to know that I am not alone and that there are other like-minded women leaders out there.

Capital Partner | Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson
New York, NY
~ John E. Harrity, Esq.

The Managing Partner Forum is a go-to resource for not only what’s currently important to law firm leaders, but how law firm leaders are dealing with the issue of the moment and preparing for those of the future.

Co-Managing Partner | Harrity LLP
Fairfax, VA
~ Heather L. Rosing, Esq.

We have enjoyed working with John Remsen and his talented team. The Managing Partner Forum provides excellent content that truly assists in operating a successful business in today’s challenging environment.

Founding Partner | Rosing Pott & Strohbehn
San Diego, CA
~ Lisa Ramsay Cole, Esq.

The MPF programs always provide relevant, timely educational content. They are high energy and interactive which makes them fun to attend, too.

President & Managing Shareholder | Lewis Thomason
Nashville, TN
~ Mark A.B. Carlson, Esq.

Great conference, thank you for the invitation.

Chief Growth Officer | Baker Donelson
Atlanta, GA
~ Kellie L. Howard, Esq.

The information sharing at the MPIEs is especially valuable.

Chief Executive Officer | Collins Einhorn Farrell PC
Southfield, MI
~ Eileen R. Fullerton, Esq.

My partner and I really enjoyed the conference and we look forward to attending again next year.

Managing Partner | Fullerton Beck LLP
White Plains, NY
~ Ms. Natasa Karambatsos

Connecting with other firm leaders, as it felt more like a ‘retreat’ than a ‘conference.’ Fantastic format allowed for great information and advice sharing.

Managing Partner | KRB Lawyers
Montreal, QC
~ Charles B. Jimerson, Esq.

I go to a lot of conferences, and your event is the one I look forward to and gain the most from each year. The power of this group is incredible. So privileged to be a part of it. Thank you for what you do for our industry.

Chief Executive Officer | Jimerson Birr, PA
Jacksonville, FL
~ Linda Perez Clark, Esq.

Connecting with other firm leaders, as it felt more like a ‘retreat’ than a ‘conference.’ Fantastic format allowed for great information and advice sharing.

Managing Partner | Kean Miller
Baton Rouge, LA
~ Evan D. Schein, Esq.

ATL was a great time, and I really enjoyed the conference, as always.

~ Parker J. Lavin, Esq.

That was my first experience at the conference, and it was tremendously valuable.

Founding Member | Lavin Rindner Duffield LLC
St. Simons Island, GA
~ Whitney Cunningham, Esq.

Great job! Keep it going. Thank you for the excellent work you do for the profession.

Managing Partner | Aspey, Watkins & Diesel PLLC
Flagstaff, AZ
~ Russ Brown, Esq.

The collegiality and brainstorming opportunities can’t be beat.

Managing Partner | Brown Fox PLLC
Dallas, TX
~ Talon J. Powers, Esq.

The MPF Conference is always a great event. The MPIEs and Workshops were really good this year.

~ William O. London, Esq.

I love this conference!

Partner | Kimura London & White LLP
Irvine, CA
~ Eileen M. Letts, Esq.

The program topics are timely and well presented. Every time I attend, I learn something new.

Partner | Zuber Lawler
Chicago, IL
~ Ms. Lisa Armstrong

MPF is on top of the issues facing firm leaders, often before we even see them coming in our own firms, and provides timely advice from industry experts to see us through them.

Managing Partner | SBA Lawyers LLP
Kitchener, ON
~ Thomas C. Grella, Esq.

I highly recommend the MPF Leadership Conference. I’ve participated many times, as have several of my partners. We leave with new ideas and fresh perspectives every time.

Past Managing Partner | McGuire Wood & Bissette
Asheville, NC
~ Robert A. Young, Esq.

Hands down the best leadership conference for managing partners I’ve ever attended.

Managing Partner | English Lucas Priest Owsley
Bowling Green, KY
~ Marc D. Chapman, Esq.

This is my 12th or 13th time attending, and it’s always the best conference I attend every year.

President | Dean Mead
Orlando, FL
~ Wilbur E. Johnson, Esq.

The MPIEs are interesting, informative and very useful!

Partner | Clement Rivers, LLP
Charleston, SC
~ Jason P. Waguespack, Esq.

I look forward to this Conference every year. It really helps me to be a more effective firm leader.

Managing Director | Galloway Johnson
New Orleans, LA
~ Jason M. Casini, Esq.

MPF provides tremendous value and excellent resources. Great information. Great speakers. Great networking opportunities.

Past Managing Partner | Whitfield & Eddy Law
Des Moines, IA

Planning

PLANNING = PROFITS

Generally, clients hire lawyers, not law firms. And they hire lawyers they know, like and trust. That means lawyers have to get out of their offices to build and cultivate relationships with individuals in a position to hire and/or refer them if they want to develop a book of business.

Exiting clients are the best place to start. They represent the “low-hanging” fruit, as they say. Client site visits, client appreciation events and client seminars are great ways to get closer to them.

Prospective clients are considerably more elusive, and it takes 5-7 times more time, effort and energy to reel in a new client than to keep the one you already have. Active participation in key associations, seminars, newsletters and social networks are effective tools to consider. It takes time, focus and persistence to be successful.

This section includes some great articles and resources on marketing and business development at the firm, practice group and individual attorney levels.

The Billable Time Revolution

Jordan Furlong

According to Jordan, we don’t know exactly what Gen AI will do to the legal sector, but it seems safe to assume that many tasks lawyers have performed in the past will in the future be carried out, in whole or in part, by machines. Lawyers will still be busy, but not with the things they used to do or, often, the things they loved to do. As always, Jordan writes a great article that really gets you thinking!

Read More →
ARTICLES

The Future of the Law Office Will be Social

Jordan Furlong

We have admired Jordan’s work for many years. His insights are spot on, and here is what he has to say about the law office of the future:

  • Accept that the good ole days are gone.
  • Create flexible, communal workspace to attract people from their homes.
  • Eliminate dedicated private offices for people in the office fewer than eights days per month.
  • Make your office a destination, replete with cafes, ping-pong tables, and lots of fun activities.
  • Fire the bad actors (the people who chase others away), before they kill your firm.

Strong advice for law firm leaders in a changing world.

Read More →
ARTICLES

Strategic AI Adoption: Unlocking Innovation and Maximizing Returns

Thomson Reuters

This recent Thomson Reuters study points toward a future where AI becomes deeply integrated into legal practice, but with a major advantage for organizations that approach adoption strategically and systematically. For legal professionals, the question is no longer whether to adopt AI technologies, but rather how quickly and effectively organizations can integrate them while maintaining their high professional standards. Those who master this balance will likely have the competitive upper hand.

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WHITE PAPERS

2025 Report on the State of the US Legal Market

Thomson Reuters Institute

Every January, we can count on the annual publication of the 2025 Report on the State of the US Legal Market by our friends at Thomson Reuters Institute. Among its contributors is MPF faculty member Bill Josten, Senior Manager for TRI’s Enterprise Content. The report runs 20 pages, and its key findings are consistent with what we are seeing among smaller and midsize law firms.

  • Rethinking the law firm pricing model
  • Strong law firm financial performance in 2024
  • Strong growth in demand for services and billing rates
  • More strategic approach toward expense management
  • Challenges in recruiting and retaining talent
  • Technology advancements, especially Generative AI

If you have not already done so, we recommend that you distribute this report to your partners and discuss its implications for your firm at an upcoming partnership meeting.

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WHITE PAPERS

2024 Bright Insight

Cushman & Wakefield

In case you missed it, 2024 Bright Insight, the annual legal benchmarking survey published by Cushman & Wakefield. The 45-page report is an easy read, with plenty of charts and graphs, and is divided into four main sections:

  • Legal Sector Performance
  • Business and Talent Strategy
  • Continued Workplace Evolution
  • Technology and the Future

As the market leader in tenant representation of law firms, here are CW’s key findings about the workplace evolution in the legal sector.

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WHITE PAPERS

2024 Report on the State of the US Legal Market

Thomson Reuters Institute and Georgetown Law

This is among the handful of annual reports that every law firm leader should read, digest, and share with others at your firm. The report runs 30 pages, including illustrative charts and graphs about demand growth by practice area, law firm profit drivers, and other key statistics. Here are some of its findings: 

  • Associate ranks at midsize law firms have grown aggressively since COVID, with different segments of law firms taking very different approaches to talent recruiting and retention strategies.
  • Increases in expenses have moderated compared to 2022 when associate salaries hit the roof!
  • Many law firms are experiencing stagnant profitability due to sagging productivity and declining realization rates.
  • Buyers of commercial legal services look for specialization and great service when selecting outside counsel.

Much of this report was authored by Bill Josten, Legal Marketplace Innovations Strategist of Thomson Reuters Institute, who was a guest speaker in this month’s MPF Webinar on law firm profitability. Bill will also be joining our faculty for The MPF Leadership Conference in Atlanta.

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WHITE PAPERS

2024 Client Advisory

Citi and Hildebrandt Consulting LLC

One of the “state of the legal profession” reports that we classify as “required reading” for law firm leaders. For 16 years, our friends at Citi and Hildebrandt have published The Client Advisory and it is packed with important benchmarking data. The report runs 30 pages, and here are some of its highlights:

  • Average lawyer hourly rates increased by eight percent (8.2%) in 2023.
  • Meanwhile, collection cycles have lengthened by five percent (5%) and WIP is up by more than ten percent (10%).
  • Total expenses were up almost five percent (4.8%) for the first nine months of 2023.

Looking ahead to 2024. law firms face these five challenges:

  • Achieving growth
  • Attracting and retaining talent
  • Navigating flexible workplace options
  • Adapting to Artificial Intelligence
  • Managing expenses 

This report also includes some interesting data about growth opportunities broken down by geography, by industry, and by practice area. This is another important report to circulate within your firm and discuss at future partnership meetings.

Read More →
WHITE PAPERS

2023 State of the Corporate Law Department

Thomson Reuters Institute

This report is based on interviews with more than 1,500 in-house lawyers and professionals through 2022, and here are a few note-worthy highlights:

  • Sixty-five percent (65%) of corporate legal departments report more matter volume, while fifty-nine percent (59%) say they are working with flat or declining budgets.
  • Regulatory compliance has emerged as the top concern for corporate legal departments.
  • In search of better value and service, work is being shifted among outside firms. We believe that this presents a big opportunity for smaller and midsize firms, which typically offer a much better value proposition than BigLaw.

This a good report to digest if your firm works (or strives to work) with larger corporations and in-house legal departments.

Read More →
WHITE PAPERS

2023 Report on the State of the Legal Profession

Thomson Reuters Institute

This annual report is among a handful that we strongly recommend that you review, digest and circulate to your partners and colleagues. It reflects data collected primarily from BigLaw, but its relevance is important for leaders of smaller and midsize law firms, as well. It runs 28 pages, including plenty of charts and graphs. Among its highlights:

  • There has been an overall decline in demand for legal services (especially transactional work) at AmLaw 200 firms.
  • Midsize firms financially outperformed their BigLaw counterparts in the second half of 2022.
  • Realization rates at midsize firms averaged just over 91% in 2022.
  • Associate compensation grew at staggering rates – nearly 10% per year – in 2021 and 2022.
  • Most law firm leaders, although guarded as to their predictions for 2023, are optimistic about a full recovery within three years.
  • Associate turnover for midsize law firms has hovered at about 20% per year.
  • A recent ABA study finds that 44% of young lawyers would leave their current firms for the ability to work more remotely.
Read More →
WHITE PAPERS
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Growth is Dead. Now What? Law Firms on the Brink

Bruce MacEwen and Peter J. Kalis, Esq.

According to the authors, recognition that the old model is broken, and a willingness to accept change and take risks are what’s required for law firms to be successful in the future. This easy and entertaining book runs 128 pages and is available in paperback for $14.95.

 

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BOOKS

13 Things Your Firm Must Do Today to Attract and Retain Tomorrow’s Lawyers

John Remsen, Jr.

This short article (about 1,200 words) sets out what I’ve learned over the years about what law firms must do to attract and retain younger lawyers. Like it or not, today’s younger lawyers tend to want different things from their legal careers than their senior counterparts. Here are four of the things we recommend that law firms do:

  • Establish and Communicate Clear Expectations
  • Set Forth a Clear Path to Partnership
  • Reward Performance, not Seniority
  • Be Selective in Hiring – Use Psychological Assessments

Check out the article to read all 13 of them.

Read More →
ARTICLES

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