Finance
A law firm taxonomy: Introduction
We humans like to put things in categories. And while we can get it plain wrong, or mix up two categories benignly or malignly, there’s no question our propensity for categorization—from friend or foe and food to poison, to Linnaeus, to the periodic table, to the Dewey decimal system—has gotten us a long way on
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In Defense of the Billable Hour
This is the first column written by our new colleague here at Adam Smith, Esq., Richard Rapp. Trust me, it won’t be the last–Bruce. I enjoyed reading the recent exchange here (“What’s Your Client Mix,” April 9, 2013) triggered by reports of the lawsuit accusing DLA Piper of overbilling. As expected the comments included
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Richard Rapp Joins Adam Smith, Esq.
It is with great personal and professional pleasure that we announce Richard Rapp is joining Adam Smith, Esq. as Senior Advisor. Those of you who have learned even a little about the consulting side of Adam Smith, Esq. know that we have remained small by choice, reflecting our conviction that the most challenging and sophisticated
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Reinhart & Rogoff Under Siege
I thought this would prove to be a tempest in an academic teapot—”where the politics are so vicious and bitter because the stakes are so small”—but the mainstream media has proven me wrong. I refer of course to the bar brawl that has broken out challenging a key finding of Harvard professors Carmen Reinhart and
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“ReInvent Law:” You Have Spoken
A few weeks ago I ran a column about “ReInvent Law,” an event in Silicon Valley in the first half of March, which presented some views about possible futures of BigLaw, most of which were, uh, challenging to those who think business as usual is a strategy. My column wasn’t so much about whether I
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What’s Your Client Mix?
I wasn’t going to write about the DLA over-billing allegations that came to light about 10 days ago because I didn’t think there was much to say except that they reflect badly on all of us, and on second thought that they reflect badly on all of us. But as it turns out it launched
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Growth Is Dead, The Video
OK, so the film rights to the book have not yet been auctioned, but in the meantime here’s my interview with the intrepid Lee Pacchia of Bloomberg Law. From Lee’s introduction: The era of ever-expanding revenues and profits for the nation’s largest law firms — a period that lasted from 1980 to 2008 — is
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We Can Do Better
As a securities lawyer, I’ve read my share of financial disclosure documents, but I’ve never seen one in our industry-until today, when K&L Gates released its 2012 results (the figures were unaudited on the release date, but they will be audited shortly). When you think about it, this is a preposterous state of affairs. We are
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Growth Is Dead Party: Update
Update: Growth Is Dead: Now What? Book launch party Pete Kalis to join yours truly You don’t want to miss this Tuesday February 26/New York You’re invited! Dear Readers, To make the launch party for our new book, Growth Is Dead: Now What? even better, the irrepressible Pete Kalis will join in on the discussion. Not
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Growth Is Dead: Launch Event
Launch event for Growth Is Dead: Now What? Please join yours truly and your peers Tuesday February 26/New York You’re invited! Dear Readers, The reactions to Growth Is Dead: Now What? have been astonishing and very gratifying. And, the e-book has been very well received. Thank you. Now we’re launching the paperback version. And, we’re
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