Featured Articles and White Papers

Here is an archive of Articles and White Papers that have previously appeared in The Remsen Report, our monthly electronic newsletter.

The MPF 2010 Annual Conference:
A Summary of Discussion Points and Findings By Charles F. Huxsaw and John Remsen, Jr. In late April, we presented our 16th Managing Partner Forum in Atlanta. 68 managing partners from 22 states participated. As part of the Forum, we co-authored with Charlie Huxsaw a comprehensive White Paper highlighting the results of polling questions we asked those who participated in the Forum. The report synthesizes their responses to a series of questions about the impact of strategic planning on firm performance, and the challenging role of today’s law firm managing partner. It’s a great look into what managing partners do and how they do it.
We Are Optimists: We See the Cup at Least Half Full By Smock Sterling Strategic Management Consultants This monograph, written by the folks at Smock Sterling Strategic Management Consultants, focuses on how the global economic crisis and the Obama administration will affect lawyers and law firms. It includes a list of recommendations for law firms relative to client relations, strategic growth, business development and a myriad of other issues. It’s an interesting read.
Latest Round of GC Surveys Underscores the Importance of Service and Responsiveness By John Remsen, Jr. This month, we feature several significant surveys of in-house counsel that have been released over the past few months that are worth noting. After studying each of them, my take is that law firms must get closer than ever to clients they want to keep, and marketing and business development strategies focused on enhancing relationships with existing clients are, by far, the most cost-effective marketing a law firm can implement.
The Legal Marketplace in 2008: Time for the Industry to Jump out of the Saucepan By Smock-Sterling Strategic Management Consultants This month’s Featured Article is entitled “The Legal Marketplace in 2008: Time for the Industry to Jump out of the Saucepan” and it comes to us from our friends at Smock-Sterling Strategic Management Consultants. Due to the economic downturn and for the first time in years, there is some real trepidation in the marketplace.
2007 Law Firm Economic Survey By Juris - Lexis Nexis Each year, we partner with Juris, Inc. (which was recently acquired by LexisNexis) to produce the most comprehensive economic survey of midsize US law firms. This month’s White Paper presents the highlights of the survey’s key findings.
NLJ 250 Shows Big Growth Spurt for Law Firms The National Law Journal In case you missed it, this month’s Featured Article features The National Law Journal’s 30th annual survey of the country’s largest law firms. Firms had to have 172 lawyers or more to be included. This year’s survey reveals that mergers and acquisitions abound, and that several prominent firms (mostly in the Southeast and Midwest) have fallen off the list.
What You Need to Know about Mentoring the New Generations By Devon Scheef and Diane Thielfoldt At The Managing Partner Forum, we hear lots of discussion among firm leaders about the challenges they have motivating younger lawyers to work long and hard hours “like I did when I was their age.” Law Practice Today, a newsletter published by the ABA’s Law Practice Management Section, recently featured this insightful article written by Diane Thiefoldt and Devon Scheef.
Isn’t It Time that Your Law Firm Develops a Strategic Plan? By John Remsen, Jr. Several recent surveys reveal that law firms with written strategic plans are more profitable and more likely to succeed than those without one. Yet, according to research we’ve conducted through The Managing Partner Forum, only 43% of participating firms have such a plan. Of those with a plan, 70% say they follow it most or all of the time and a whopping 80% say that their planning efforts have resulted in improved profitability. This month’s Featured Article is one that I wrote a few years ago that was featured in For the Defense, the monthly magazine published by Defense Research Institute, earlier this year.
Planning Your Next Firm Retreat By Christopher Bragoni and John Remsen, Jr. According to our April Reader Survey, 50% of law firms conduct a Firm Retreat once a year and another 25% have them every two years. With proper planning and execution, your firm can have its best Firm Retreat ever in 2007-08.
The Declining Client Satisfaction Antidote By Michael B. Rynowecer If you have not already read this article, you should. It’s astounding to think that 70% of in-house counsel are not happy with their primary outside law firms. If it’s true, this presents an abundance of “marketing opportunities” for law firms of all types and sizes. This research, conducted by BTI Consulting Group, was also featured in the ABA Journal.
Overcoming E-Marketing Obstacles By Greg Fredette Greg Fredette, the founder and managing partner of Portland-based Saturno Design, provides this month’s White Paper offering practical tips and suggestions to make sure that your electronic newsletters, alerts and announcements are actually getting through to their intended recipients.
Managing Partner Forum Newsletter By The Managing Partner Forum Since 2001, TheRemsenGroup has organized and presented eleven (11) Managing Partner Forums in Florida, Texas, the Southeast and the Midwest. Over 450 managing partners have participated and they value the high level participants, the interactive format and the state/regional focus. This month, we will send our inaugural Managing Partner Forum newsletter to over 2,700 managing partners of law firms with ten or more lawyers.
An Associate’s Marketing Checklist by Year of Practice By Ross Fishman Several years ago, my friend and colleague, Ross Fishman, wrote this excellent checklist geared especially for associate attorneys. It provides specific guidance to young lawyers, based on number of years in practice, starting with the first year out of law school. Do these things and you’ll be well on your way to creating an impressive book of business by the time you are being considered for partner at your firm.
AmLaw 100 Websites 2006 By Deborah McMurray and Content Pilot LLC This White Paper is the Executive Summary of some ground-breaking research conducted by Deborah McMurray and Content Pilot LLC. It highlights the 2006 Ten Foundational Best Practices of law firm websites and is a “must-read” if you’re looking for ways to maximize your website’s effectiveness.
Marketing a Litigation Practice By Joseph A. Gerber, Esq. I can’t say enough positive things about this exceptional article. It was originally presented by Joseph A. Gerber, Esq. as a speech at a law firm marketing conference several years ago. It has since been converted to one of the best articles on rainmaking I’ve ever read. Mr. Gerber is one of four founding partners of Philadelphia-based Cozen O’Connor. Today, the firm has over 500 attorneys and 23 office locations.
2005 Juris Law Firm Economic Survey By Juris, Inc. We’ve arranged to provide our readers a complimentary copy of the Executive Summary of the 2005 Juris Law Firm Economic Survey, the most comprehensive survey of its kind for midsized law firms. Over 270 firms from 40 states participated. Learn how your firm’s financial performance compares to with others its size by ordering the complete 56-page Survey Report for just $375.
2006 AmLaw 100 Firms’ Marketing Department Size By Wisnik Career Enterprises For years, the average ratio of lawyers to marketers at firms with marketing professionals was widely believed to be in the neighborhood of 35 or 40:1. Now comes research from Wisnik Career Enterprises that puts that ratio at 26:1 among the nation’s 100 largest law firms.
Isn’t It Time That Your Law Firm Developed a Strategic Plan? By John Remsen, Jr. It always amazes me how few law firms have written strategic plans that set forth where they want to go and a plan to get there. Furthermore, recent research confirms that law firms with plans report improved profitability as a direct result.
Sustaining Practice Styles By Tim Leishman It is often said that law firms consist of “finders” who bring in new clients; “minders” who keep them happy and expand the relationship once they are in the door; and “grinders” who churn out the work product. Tim Leishman, principal of Toronto-based consulting firm Leishman Performance Strategy, offers a new model for today’s successful law firm. His article originally appeared in Law Governance Review.
Are Law Firms Manageable? By David Maister Law firm management guru David Maister recently wrote a provocative article entitled “Are Law Firms Manageable?” that appeared in the April issue of The American Lawyer. It discusses issues such as trust, professional detachment and convoluted decision-making within law firms, and questions whether they can deliver on many of the goals and strategies they say they pursue.
2005 Survey of Law Firm Managing Partners By Juris, Inc. and The Managing Partner Forum Juris, Inc. partnered with The Managing Partner Forum to conduct the most comprehensive survey of mid-size law firms in the country. Over 175 managing partners participated and the results are insightful.
How Corporations Identify, Evaluate and Select Outside Counsel By LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell has recently released this in-depth report. It is one of the most comprehensive surveys on this topic in recent years.

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