Performance Measurement for Law Firms

With rising competition putting pressure on law firms to raise their performance levels, Alan Hodgart’s much anticipated new report on Performance Measurement for Law Firms could not have come at a better time.

Hodgart, an acknowledged industry expert, provides practical step-by-step guidance on how to effectively measure the performance of your fee earners, core support functions and overall firm.

Hodgart highlights the key challenges many law firms face when measuring performance and provides critical advice on how to tackle them successfully through the development of an effective performance measurement system. Key topics covered include:

- Measuring performance in law firms – what it means and what to measure;
- The key financial measures of profitability and how to calculate them – cost, profit, revenue;
- The data and financial information required at firm and practice-group level;
- The effective use, and abuses of financial data;
- Aligning the economic structure of your type of work to maximize profitability;
- Implementing an effective performance measurement system;
- How to measure the performance of your fee earners and support staff – finance, IT, Marketing, HR, KM and other;
- Client profitability, project management and much more…

The report focuses particularly on profitability and demonstrates how it can be used to monitor and compare the outcomes of working with different clients to project future revenue and profit levels.

It also includes a useful appendix – an ‘Economic Template’ which demonstrates how to assemble the relevant data to manage the financial performance of your firm.

Performance Measurement for Law Firms is essential reading for any firm looking to measure and enhance all areas of their performance.

Strategy Development for Practice Group Leaders

The practice group leadership role has changed dramatically over the past couple of years. Those who have survived the economic downturn have had to not only hold the fort, but to rebuild business and capitalise on the opportunities arising out of an easing but still uncertain economic landscape.

Managing Partner’s new report - Strategy Development for Practice Group Leaders, looks at the role of the practice group leader within the context of this more difficult and changing environment, in which the practice group leader needs to be fully engaged not only with the demands of his or her own team, but also with the practice group’s position within the changing strategy of the business as a whole.

This report assesses the new role of the practice group leader, the tools they will need, and the management strategies they will need to implement within the changing legal landscape, highlighting issues including:

- The practice group leader for the 21st century law firm.
- What it means to be a practice group leader today
- Attracting and retaining clients, raising the group’s profile internally and externally
- Measuring and improving performance and profitability
- Reducing risk, and implementing innovative cost-management and client strategies to capitalise on market opportunities;
- Recruitment, retention and talent development at the practice group level
- Motivating and incentivising teams through on-going economic uncertainty;
- Financial management and the all-important implementation of alternative fee arrangements;
- Marketing and CRM strategies for practice group leaders including the role of social media marketing in profile raising techniques;
- Diversity and initiatives for women at practice group level;
- Risk management – particularly in terms of practice group supervision, and client and matter intake; and
- Successor issues – what happens when a great practice group leader announces their departure? And what can firms do to cushion the potential blow?
Case studies from numerous practice group leaders from leading law firms provide essential insights into the issues above, from those directly in the know.

New Report: Success Strategies for Women Lawyers

New Report from Women Legal Magazine
Success Strategies for Women Lawyers
By Lauren Stiller Rikleen

Pre-publication offer: Just $295 (usually $495) until 5pm October 29th
Reserve your copy

Success Strategies for Women Lawyers being published in 4 weeks time is an in-depth look at the necessary steps needed to address the ongoing challenge of advancing women in the legal profession.

Below is a brief overview of the contents of the report, and a full executive summary/introduction, and the draft table of contents is available on request - email Michelle - melam@ark-group.com to request a copy

Through till October 29th you can pre-order your copy with a $200 discount for making it just $295 (excluding shipping) Ordering details are below.

Overview:
Even with the increased attention to diversity in the legal profession there has been little appreciable impact on women’s advancement. For example, women comprise only approximately 18 percent of law firm partners, and the number of equity partners is even smaller. There is a growing awareness that the business case for creating a workplace where women can succeed is real and compelling, and more stakeholders are using their leverage to develop specific and practical action items to drive change.

Developing an inclusive workplace where everyone can succeed requires concentrated efforts from both the institution and the individual. Only with the focused commitment and attention of both will there be significant progress.

Each chapter of this new report provides tailored insight into the strategies that need to be implemented in order for women to achieve success, these include:

- Creating a niche practice
- Developing your leadership skills
- Mentors and champions
- Networking and relationship-building
- Successful business generation
- Self-advocacy and self promotion
- Managing and maintaining work-life balance
- Creating a better workplace for the next generation
- Reflections on a changing profession

Each of these chapters is supported by women who provide insight, opinion, and practical tips on how they have tackled these keys issues to achieve considerable success in their careers.

These contributors include Senior Partners, Partners, Heads of Diversity and Professional Development, Practice Group Chairs, Hiring Partner, Attorneys, and Private Practice Lawyers. From firms including:

Bingham McCutchen LLP, Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, Snell & Wilmar’s, Hahn & Hahn LLP, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, Thompson Hine, LLC, McInnes Cooper, Bass, Berry & Sims PLC, Blakes, Cassels & Graydon LLP, Davis & Gilbert LLP, Sidley Austin LLP, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, Crowell & Moring LLP, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, Epstein Becker & Green, P.C, Squire Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P, Schiff Hardin, LLP, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, Schoeman, Updike & Kaufman, Dorsey & Whitney LLP, Davis, Wright Tremaine LLP, and many more…

How to order your copy:
Success Strategies for Women Lawyers will be available in four weeks time.

Through till October 29th you can pre-order your copy with a $200 discount for making it just $295 (excluding shipping)

To order you copy simply email melam@ark-group.com quoting the ordering code DS-SWL1, with the full contact details of whom you would like the report sent to, from there we will process your order and send through confirmation long with an invoice for payment.

If you require multiple copies please do let us know as further discounted pricing is available.

Digitizing Coporate Records and Information

DIGITISING CORPORATE RECORDS AND INFORMATION

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

“Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.”
Gertrude Stein, 1874-1946.

Since the invention of the Guttenberg press in 1495 there has been a permanent information revolution. In every year since there has been an exponential increase in the amount of information in the world, for example, in 2010 UK public organisations are estimated to store enough information in paper format to build a XXXX billion foot tower that could stretch upwards from London’s Tower Bridge to Jupiter’s fifth moon, Io.

The information society continues to struggle to adapt to this exploding universe of information. Paper and digital records are constantly produced during every part of our working and private lives. At work, predictions about the paperless office have been made ever since the IBM produced the first operational personal computer in 1954. Individuals within organisations continue to deal with a deluge of paper and digital records. Information that is ‘born digital’ is being managed by organisations, which still survive on a high-paper diet. This divided ‘information estate’ presents an array of risks and threats to the efficiency and operational ability of organisations to deliver high performance.

Previous promises to relieve the burden of paper records in offices were poorly supported by e-records technologies; this has changed. All organisations are in a period of transition with new digital technologies offering cheaper alternatives to the retention of all physical records including expensive paper records. There is now a critical decision for organisations to make - to digitise or not?

Digitisation is defined as being the conversion of analogue items into digital format for the purpose of improving access. It can also provide a crucial supporting to assist with preservation of records, where appropriate. Digitisation has many facets and the following are the main benefits of implementing enterprise digitisation projects:

Access; to enable current and potential information users wherever they are to use the organisation’s collections and to open up collections that cannot always be accessed physically by the public or regulatory bodies.

Enhance services; to satisfy end-user expectations as the World Wide Web is often the first resort of users and to create virtual collections and ‘restore’ dispersed collections through cooperation and partnership with other bodies.

Preservation of materials; to preserve the original materials by making the digital copy available and by reducing physical handling.

The demand to digitise is growing. The new ‘digital natives’ are a powerful group of customers and staffs expects information to be available in a digital format immediately. Digitisation is not an activity that can be seen in isolation. It is linked to all aspects of services provided by information and records professionals. Digitisation enhances the potential for synergies within business services with other digital collections through shared descriptive information in consolidated or federated online databases.

Digitising organisational records is a major project but can lead ultimately to cost savings, efficiencies and productivity gains, as staff or even customers can access information more swiftly and with greater ease. Creating and providing access to digital copies of material give an agency’s clients and customers the potential to pursue educational, cultural appreciation and commercial opportunities wherever they live or work.

This report will provide a step-by-step guide to corporate digitisation projects, from assessing the organisation’s needs relating to e-documents, through the technical digitisation process, to the end result of accessible, secure electronic records. The objective is to provide a complete toolkit for implementation within any organisation that is struggling with information overload.

This report consists of two parts. Part one provides an overview of enterprise digitisation projects. There is an overall digitisation development and implementation framework presented with a step-by-step process presented to help information and records professionals deliver high performance projects.

Part two consists of six case studies of a range of national and international organisations, both public and private, which have addressed digitisation projects via a series of implementation approaches.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robin Smith is Head of Information and Knowledge Services for the National Policing Improvement Agency in the UK. He is the author of the information risk and intelligence management model (IRIM) now being adopted within UK organisations to deliver high performance business intelligence.

He has worked extensively in the public and private sector as a change manager for information and digitisation projects, producing innovative solutions to legacy content and e-records issues.

He is an author, lecturer and biographer of the individuals who contributed to the ‘open information society’. He is about to release his new book, ‘Legacy Content Management; Strategies for Optimisation’ and is a member of the Operation Research Society.

Robin was formerly Marketing Director for the Records Management Society UK and chair of regional chair of the information and data quality network for IDEA.

Contents Overview

PART ONE – INTRODUCING ENTERPRISE DIGITISATION PROJECTS

CHAPTER ONE – INTRODUCTION TO ENTERPRISE DIGITISATION DEVELOPEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK

CHAPTER TWO – BUILDING THE ENTERPRISE BUSINESS CASE FOR ENTERPRISE DIGITISATION PROJECTS

CHAPTER THREE – IMPLEMENTING STRATEGIES, POLICIES & STANDARDS FOR IMPROVEMENT

CHAPTER FOUR – PLANNING & DELIVERING THE ENTERPRISE DIGITISATION PROJECT

CHAPTER FIVE – EXPLORING TECHNOLOGY ACCELARATORS FOR ENTERPRISE DIGITISATION

CHAPTER SIX – UNDERSTANIDNG THE LEGAL AND REGULATORARY ENVIRONMENT

CHAPTER SEVEN – IMPLEMENTING & REVIEWING QUALITY FOR ENTERPRISE DIGITISATION PROJECTS

CHAPTER EIGHT – ACHIEVING CORPORATE INTEGRATION AND HIGH PERFORMANCE


PART TWO – CASE STUDIES

CASE STUDY ONE – ‘PATIENT FIRST’; DIGITISING PATIENT RECORDS IN UK NHS

CASE STUDY TWO – ‘RIGHT FIRST TIME’; SELECTING THE RIGHT DIGITISATION TECHNOLOGIES AT UK BOOTS PLC

CASE STUDY THREE – ‘VIRTUAL HISTORIES’; DETERMINING LONG TERM PRESERVATION NEEDS AT THE UK NATIONAL ARCHIVE

CASE STUDY FOUR – ‘SECURITY, SECURITY, SECURITY’; ASTRA ZENCA’S MILLENIUM PROJECT TO CREATE A SEARCHABLE & SECURE DIGITAL UNIVERSE

CASE STUDY FIVE – ‘NIL BY PAPER’; EXPLORING BRITISH AIRWAYS INNOVATIVE DIGITISATION POLICY FOR A PAPER-LESS ORGANISATION

CASE STUDY SIX – ‘AFTER KATRINA’; ASSESSING THE US FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSE TO RECORDS DISASTERS

Twitter for Lawyers "a must-read for all law firms"

Social Media for Lawyers: Twitter Edition

"Adrian Dayton’s timely book on Twitter for the Legal Profession is a ‘must-read’ for all law firms" - Christopher J Sherliker, Partner, Silverman Sherliker LLP

Social Media for Lawyers: Twitter Edition is now available in PDF format

Through till August 13th, you can order your copy of this report, in PDF format to allow for distribution through your firm for just $95 (normally ($225)

If you would like to benefit from this exclusive offer simply email publishingna@ark-group.com quoting code MP-TE1 or contact us on +1 309 495 2853 to place your order.

More Information

Table of Contents and Executive Summary

Further Reader Reviews

Overview:

There is no doubting that Twitter ever increasing popularity, it has become a key component of social media, marketing and business development strategies and is now being used extensively by forward thinking firms and lawyers to make contacts, share information, acquire new clients, communicate with colleagues and publicize their expertise.

Social Media for Lawyers: Twitter Edition - will show you exactly how to implement Twitter, how it can work for your law firm and how it can quickly become an essential business development tool.

The report exposes the myths and guides you to a position where you are regularly bringing in new business to your firm from this thriving and influential community, including CEOs and general counsel of major corporations.

Practical advice and proven examples are provided of how to establish trusted relationships and gain new clients with a relatively small amount of effort and, crucially, no initial cost.

Social Media for Lawyers: Twitter Edition is a concise guide that will help you:

- Overcome objections to using Twitter within your firm;
- Engage quickly without looking like a rookie;
- Create a Twitter profile that will hook clients in the blink of an eye;
- Quickly build a network of relevant contacts and influential people;
- Understand the tools/techniques (and the jargon surrounding them) that make Twitter a more powerful networking and business tool than any other social media;
- Find prospective clients on Twitter and offer your services to them before your competitors;
- Use Twitter to support other marketing activities;
- Capture genuine, qualified leads; and,
- Keep out of trouble and behave ethically.

Social Media for Lawyers: Twitter Edition focuses entirely on how you will bring new clients to your firm by engaging with an already waiting community of people looking for your services.

Navigating the Perfect Storm: Recruiting, Training and Retaining Lawyers

The facts are simple. The global recession has dramatically changed the situation for talent recruitment and retention in law firms.

Reported Record highs of layoffs in the profession, with estimates of Lawyers in the country who are unemployed or underemployed ranging from 30,000 and 100,000, coupled with the fact that each year Law Schools produce approximately 45,000 graduates each year, mean that there are more lawyers than jobs available

The recession has rocked the legal profession, and old game plans for Recruitment, Training and Retention will no longer work.

Managing Partner Magazine’s new report - Navigating the Perfect Storm: Recruiting, Training and Retaining Lawyers will enable you to re-examine your current recruitment, training and retention processes to ensure that your firm is in a better position to anticipate future needs while remaining competitive in a challenging market.

It looks at the key strategies needed to exploit the lessons that have been learned and the opportunities that lay ahead on topics including:

- Developing new skills including Project management and Convergence
- Changing client demands
- New-graduate recruitment
- Shortcomings in law school education
- Lateral Partner and Lateral Associate recruitment
- Training first and second year associates
- Ongoing professional development needs
- Morale, motivation, and compensation
- Associate attrition and retention

Navigating the Perfect Storm is a candid review of the current problems and challenges, that provides fresh ideas and strategies to improve Recruiting, Training and Retaining practices

It represents a valuable reality check for firms and individuals, setting out in clear terms the changes they must face up to survive and thrive in today’s legal profession.

For more information, the executive summary, table of contents, a sample chapter, and reader reviews for this report visit: http://www.mpmagazine.com/Publication.asp?pubid=78AE6CEB-1078-4874-9ADD-AD003C5515CD

Ark Group's Latest Reports

Here is a complete list of all the new reports published over the past 6 weeks:

Government Online: Improving Service and Engaging Communities
http://www.mpmagazine.com/Publication.asp?pubid=48F7D737-1917-4502-B57D-99FE9C9A0040

Information Risk Management
http://www.mpmagazine.com/Publication.asp?pubid=E34002C7-E03A-4A02-A4A9-2DB3D377F7B3

Law Firm Remuneration, Reward and Motivation 2nd Edition
http://www.mpmagazine.com/Publication.asp?pubid=46EEA138-31F3-49D1-B61D-4F09DB350574

Strategic Internal Communications Second Edition
http://www.mpmagazine.com/Publication.asp?pubid=CD9D7D07-4C9F-4A7E-AB09-F27B5C1D0962

Alternative Fee Arrangements
http://www.mpmagazine.com/Publication.asp?pubid=B4D2BA75-4C41-430A-B218-FC5BAF313AD5

Balanced Scorecards for the Public Sector
http://www.mpmagazine.com/Publication.asp?pubid=5463F878-C7B7-4BB1-ACB5-276AEAAA142D

Business Development for Lawyers
http://www.mpmagazine.com/Publication.asp?pubid=6D0DD592-98F8-4E6F-BEB0-D107D7C82E04