Outdated Partner Comp Plans Are an Obstacle to Growth

Outdated Partner Comp Plans Are an Obstacle to Growth

Law firm leaders are waking to the realization that partner compensation plans often underemphasize business development and, in some cases, pose a significant obstacle to fostering a collaborative, client-focused, continuous improvement and growth-oriented culture. It’s time to fix that.

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Incentivizing the New Normal

Incentivizing the New Normal

Law firm partner compensation schemes, whether lockstep or eat-what-you-kill, subjective or formulaic, open or closed, tend to share one overriding flaw: they fail to proactively and transparently define the behaviors expected of partners in order to drive such behavior. If law firm leaders want change, they need to reward it.

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Pricing Legal Work is a Two-Way Street

Pricing Legal Work is a Two-Way Street

Law firm partners should not say to clients, "We don't know what this might cost you, because every matter is different," unless it's literally the first time the firm has encountered the issue. Similarly, in-house counsel should not say to outside counsel, "We don't know what this should cost us, we're expecting you to tell us," unless this is literally the first time the business has encountered this issue. Whether buying or selling, pricing legal work requires both parties to do better.

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United Airlines Fiasco - Service Recovery Matters

United Airlines Fiasco - Service Recovery Matters

United Airlines is regularly in the news cycle due to a seemingly endless series of service missteps followed by colossal public relations blunders. The most notable of these incidents (so far!) consisted of airport personnel and law enforcement dragging a properly boarded passenger from a flight to make room for United employees. This incident riles me, as a United Airlines frequent flier and as a businessperson, because it reflects not just poor service and poor judgment, but poor service recovery and even poorer judgment in the aftermath. Everyone and every business screws up. But what you do to recover is the true test of your corporate values.

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