For many firms, improving profitability is as simple as engaging in some common-sense strategies that other businesses observe. Here are a few tips to get you started on improving your profitability.
One of the new tensions of moving a law firm or legal department toward more businesslike behavior is culture. Critics constantly ask, “Will our culture be ruined?” “Will our culture be changed?” “Should we even be concerned about the impact change may have on culture?” “Does culture matter?”
For busy professionals who love what they do, there is a constant challenge. They simply feel that they don’t have time to live life and stay on top of their legal careers. They constantly are asking themselves and others, “How can you do it all?” One significant question that we often overlook is “What does ‘all’ mean?”
To my friends who run law firms and businesses that employ young lawyers … invest in them! You are penny-wise and pound-foolish if you are not supporting young lawyer membership in bar associations.
A respected attorney clearly understood that a walk to the courthouse along a busy city street was a chance to bump into other lawyers, friends, clients and prospective clients. He was not going to miss out on that opportunity by taking a shortcut.
For 29 years, Bob Denney of Robert Denney Associates, Inc., has published his annual “What’s Hot and What’s Not in the Legal Profession.” Firm leaders, industry consultants and legal junkies like me have looked forward to Bob’s compilation of industry news. Alas, unless he changes his mind, the 2017 bulletin will be Bob’s last.
Despite the lack of monetary return on investment, young lawyers and their law firms gain huge returns on intangible benefits from bar association involvement.
Our own IndyBar and IndyBar Foundation past-president, Christine Hayes Hickey, has just been installed as the new president of the National Conference of Bar Presidents.
I was at a bar association meeting within the last week that had a cross-section of lawyers of all ages and practice areas. There was one overriding theme of the conversations among the lawyers in attendance: They were hating change.
It is fair to say that there may be no hotter topic in the legal world right now than succession planning.
Is our legal profession confronted with “fierce urgency?” I submit that we are.
I have the pleasure today to launch the inaugural offering of a new Indiana Lawyer column entitled, “Eye on the Profession.” The plan is to do my best to share commentary and insight on issues of the day that are or will be impacting our profession.
Hello all, and Happy New Year! I am amazed to be writing my last President’s Column in my year as IndyBar president. Where has the year gone?
This time of year, as one year ends and another begins, I always feel a little anxiety.
A couple of days ago, I was rummaging through some old papers when I found my 2008 New Year’s resolutions. As I read over them, I thought to myself, “Johnny boy, I think you need to dust these off and try again, but let’s have a little better effort this time!”
Within the past two weeks I have had the pleasure of being a part of the 2016 planning retreats for the sections, committees and board of the Indianapolis Bar Association and the board of the Indianapolis Bar Foundation.
On Friday, Nov. 6th, I had the opportunity to represent the Indianapolis Bar Association at a very special naturalization ceremony that was conducted at the site of the 39th annual Indy International Festival. One hundred and ninety five individuals from 62 countries took the oath of citizenship that day and became newly-minted United States citizens.
In a perfect world, my dream would be for every job seeker to land a full-time position. I would also hope that all of you could find the time to network and mentor our colleagues who cannot find work. In the meantime, I have one question for you: “Have you hired a contract lawyer lately?"
While Dr. King’s sermon was written and preached to Christians, his message applied equally to all enlightened human beings.
Hopelessness in Indianapolis? Please, take a moment and consider the meaning of hopelessness. Can any of us even imagine what it would be like to be hopeless? Indeed, being hopeful is simply a standard state of mind for most of us.