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.
Thank you for allowing me to participate. Your team is masterful at making all feel valued at your event and I dare say helping attendees see the value in attending.
Thank you for the invite to speak on the Managing Partner panel. Even though I have now attended 7 MPFs, I always bring back substantive and helpful information for my partners.
From my perspective, the conference went extremely well. Thank you for inviting me to participate; I was proud to be part of a very talented faculty. Congratulations to all!
Thanks for partnering with us from the ABA Law Practice Division. Very well organized. Your team knows precisely what they are doing and we appreciate you.
It was indeed a very well run and informative conference. I especially enjoyed meeting the participants and other faculty and learning from them. Thank you, John, for giving me the opportunity to participate.
Our new managing partner, Wynn Shuford, attended your conference last month and has raved about it ever since. Thanks for your continued great work in the area of law firm leadership.
The conference was tremendous and I've already made tentative plans to attend next year's event. I've also reached out to other firm leaders I know to let them know the advantages of the Managing Partner Forum. Thank you.
I've attended two events through John's Managing Partner Forum. They are always of high quality, and provide invaluable information that is useful to our firm.
Thank you for what you do for our industry. I go to a lot of conferences, and your event is the one I look forward to and gain the most from each year.
I found this conference to be extremely valuable. We all face very similar challenges, and it’s comforting to know that others share the same questions and concerns.
The MPIE sessions are always very helpful. We implemented several successful programs after the last Forum and I expect we'll do so again after what I learned today.
The group dynamics in the MPIE sessions are a great value. I liked Susan Hackett (General Counsel of the Association for Corporate Counsel) on Skype, too.
The MPF brings together the leaders of Florida's top firms, together with experienced consultants, for a great exchange of ideas and information. It's an excellent resource.
Since the majority of our firm’s business is referred by other law firms, The Forum is a great place to catch up with our clients while also learning from my peers. It’s a terrific program.
I attended The Managing Partner Forum and thought it was outstanding. The program provided an excellent opportunity to benchmark my firm’s performance with our peer group.
The MPF provides much-needed interaction for those of us in the 'isolated' role of managing partner of a mid-sized firm. I liked the professionalism of the attendees.
I truly appreciated the opportunity to interact with other managing partners throughout the region. Well done!
The successful managing partner develops a clear sense of strategic direction, so that on most days most partners are marching in the same direction. How one does this is what the Forum is all about.
The MPF provides a rare opportunity for managing partners to gather and share insights and perspectives on ways to be more effective law firm leaders.
There is a difference between leadership and management. Law firms need both. The managing partner must be the keeper of the vision and its continuous champion.
The Managing Partner Forum provides a unique venue to network with other managing partners so I can learn new ways to be more successful in today’s climate.
The Managing Partner Forum offers an invaluable opportunity to learn about the latest trends in the legal industry and to compare notes with other law firm leaders.
The exchange of practical ideas and hearing success stories from other managing partners is what I liked best. This program could have easily lasted two days.
The discussions were surprisingly open and productive. I came away with much information on where we are doing well, ideas for improvement and strategies for capitalizing on opportunities.
The Managing Partner Idea Exchanges were the best part of the day. I very much appreciate the opportunity to participate and will be here again in the future.
The Keynote Presentation was concise, to the point and had great written materials and presentation slides. It certainly measured up to its advertising and then some!
Recession or not, this article from Law Practice magazine includes fifteen really good ideas for lawyers of law firms, regardless of firm size or practice mix. Many of Linda’s suggestions focus on client service and...
Henning asks "Will it take a revolution to change the way law firms operate?" Will today’s current economic crisis force law firms to rethink the old model of annual hourly rate increases? Radical ideas may...
Your firm’s case management system is the backbone of your organization. Whether you use it to calendar deadlines and court dates for your litigation practice or to track your firm’s experience in a particular area...
Alternative fee arrangements (AFAs) are a hot topic these days. Just about every agenda at law firm management conferences over the past few years has at least one or two sessions on the issue. The...
This two-part Lex Mundi article focuses on what law firm leaders can do to deal with the downturn through both aggressive law firm economics and strengthening client relationships. The suggested practices can help firms survive...
While there is certainly no such thing as the "right" compensation system, here’s an interesting article from our friends at Edge Group concluding that formula-driven compensation systems hurt firm profitability.
In her article, Mary identifies five impactful ways to build and improve your firm’s culture so you attract and retain the best legal talent; so your lawyers and staff who work efficiently and effectively as...
Should law firms require partners to retire at a certain age? Setting aside any legal issues (age discrimination anyone?), is this an archaic practice or is it critical to firm succession planning? This article argues...
Over half of in-house counsel – 56%, to be precise – say there has been a "sea change" in how fees are paid to outside counsel. Prompted by the pressure to reduce the overall cost...
Do you and your partners have a written, cohesive firm strategy? Or are you merely sharing office space with other sole practitioners? Strategic planning is the key differentiator, but it’s not for the faint of...
According to research conducted by Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law, 55% of lawyers in private practice admit to overbilling on occasion. The temptation only becomes more severe as there is less work to be...
BigLaw is aggressively demoting partners in the face of modern-day legal practice. In case you missed it, this article ran in mid-October in The Wall Street Journal. It profiles Shearman & Sterling and Chadbourne &...
This classic article originally appeared in Law Marketing Exchange, LMA’s national newsletter, back in 1997. Although written almost 15 years ago, its lessons are more important and relevant than ever. Take great care of your current clients – the...
The ABA’a Law Practice magazine asked us to contribute an article for its finance column, drawing upon data collected at The MPF 2014 Leadership Conference. Eighty-five (85) managing partners, mostly from mid-size law firms, attended...
What are the key metrics you use to assess your firm’s financial performance? For many firm leaders, it’s total firm revenue. Others look closely at billable hours and/or collections by lawyer. Others keep a watchful...
Should your firm outsource its IT department? As the first sentence of this article reveals, the decision can be a real pain. Better inform your decision by taking an honest assessment of how your much...
Smaller and midsize firms performed much better than their “BigLaw” counterparts during the recession according to this article summarizing the findings of the Small Law Firm Economic Impact Report 2009. The reason? Less leverage, lower rates and...
Here’s an interesting study that puts law firm billing practices under the microscope. It examines invoices received by 36 large corporate clients finds that location and firm size – not lawyer expertise – are the biggest...
In our November MPF Flash Survey, managing partners reveal that the most effective ways their firms have improved firm profitability over the last three years. Their answers, in order of effectiveness, are 1) Improved Billing and Collections Practices, 2) Marketing and...
Here’s yet another report about the overall sluggish marketplace for legal services for even the largest US-based law firms. It’s a buyer’s market, and corporate clients are taking advantage as they work to reign in...
This short article highlights BTI Consulting’s analysis of more than 330 law firms and reveals that firms with the highest profits (reported or not) exhibit eight key traits that are largely responsible for their exceptional...
In recent years and as the Great Recession drags on, many law firms have been challenged to maintain, much less increase, their profitability. At first, they looked for ways to cut expenses. They let staff and associates go, cancelled firm...
The past decade has seen unprecedented change and disruption in the legal market. Sparked by the Great Recession of 2008, the pressure on today’s law firms is more intense than ever. As the market evolves...
Many vendors and consultants to the legal industry publish self-serving articles and White Papers as part of their marketing programs. In many cases, however, they’re little more than poorly disguised sales brochures promoting products and services...
Companies are changing the way they buy legal services – gradually in some instances, drastically in others. The hourly rate billing model that has ruled for decades is giving way to a greater focus on...
Legal pricing is changing as a result of client pressures for efficiency on both hourly and non-hourly matters and the increasing use of alternative fee arrangements, and law firms are being forced to rethink their...
From the inaugural issue of the Managing Partner Forum newsletter, firm leaders reveal their top management concerns and thoughts on strategic planning. Our response? It’s time to assume the role of CEO in order to...
Forum Faculty member John Smock and his partners recently wrote this assessment of how law firms are performing in the midst of the current economic downturn. And it’s not as bad as you might think for the...
Over 90 managing partners, firm leaders and top consultants to the legal industry participated in The MPF 2010 Annual Conference on April 29th in Atlanta, Georgia. This comprehensive White Paper summarizes the key findings revealed through...
If you had to pick just one book to read to be more a more effective managing partner, this is it. Managing the Professional Services Firm ($26.00, Free Press), written by David Maister, covers a wide array of topics ranging...
Increasing Revenue ($79.95, ABA Publishing) provides specific action steps – including practical advice in areas such as billable hours, rates, collections and intake – to improve the revenue and profitablty of your firm. The book includes a...
I've known of Gerry Riskin for many years and finally had the opportunity to hear him speak at the ABA Annual Conference in 2009. I bought his book – The Successful Lawyer ($74.95, American Bar Association)...
This is a two page snap-shot of the marketplace for mid-size law firms so far in 2014 according to Peer Monitor. Although lagging the AmLaw 200 firms in key performance measures, the market appears to...