Legal Project Management
At the ALA National Conference in Nashville, a timely panel brought together operational leaders to explore the evolving expectations of law firm clients. The session, titled “Evolving Client Expectations,” featured senior...more
Law firm pricing has traditionally focused on the financial side—controlling discounts, improving realization, and managing rates. But today’s legal market expects more. Clients want predictability and transparency. Lawyers...more
In The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, a race of hyper-intelligent beings builds a computer to discover the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything. After seven and a half million years, the machine reveals...more
Effective July 1, 2025, attorneys practicing law in Maryland may no longer state that their fees are “earned upon receipt” in their engagement agreements. Under the new, amended Rule 19-301.15, “[a]n attorney shall deposit...more
Is the billable hour dying? According to research from the latest Legal Trends Report, clients want modern payment options: over half of potential clients would prefer to pay their lawyers using modern service delivery...more
Legalweek was originally supposed to take place in New York this year, as it always does. However, for 2021 it was transformed into a series of five interactive virtual events held throughout the year—hence the updated title...more
Many clients complain about the fact that most lawyers bill by the hour. They often do not like billable hours because it results in the cost of their case being variable. ...more
In this podcast, Nicole Fiamingo of McNees discusses her role and responsibilities as a Legal Project Management Coordinator. ...more
Predicting the future has become a critical skill for lawyers—at least when it comes to budgeting for case work. Clients want as much certainty as possible for planning and allocating legal expenses, which inherently carry...more
It’s hard to believe the inflection point that marked the beginning of so much change in the legal world occurred ten years ago today on August 9, 2007. That was the day BNP Paribas closed withdrawals from three funds citing...more
There are numerous ways in which the terms of an alternative fee arrangement are documented, ranging from a simple email exchange between client and outside lawyer to lengthy addenda to the retention agreement. While no...more
Alternative fee arrangements provide great opportunities for law firms to partner with clients and strengthen relationships. However, not every matter may be appropriate for an alternative fee or in the law firm’s best...more
In this third article in our series about alternative fee arrangement proposals, we discuss five questions that outside lawyers should be able to answer for themselves before submitting an AFA proposal for a litigation matter...more
An alternative fee arrangement is frequently required as part of a law firm’s response to a client’s request for proposals to handle new litigation matters. In-house attorneys routinely receive, review and compare such...more
The debates about innovation at law firms can sometimes seem a cacophonous, and discordant, confusion of themes. On the one hand, virtually every day brings some new announcement about the latest “innovation” in the business...more
In-house counsel hire outside counsel for specific purposes, for example: to document and implement a transaction; to obtain a favorable outcome in a dispute; to provide specialized expertise or counsel; or to provide...more
The practice of law has changed greatly over the past decades. We have witnessed great growth in solo and small firm practice, as well as a large movement to in-house practice. We are even seeing growth in freelance attorneys...more
Before the twentieth century, state law prescribed set fees for specific legal services, and litigation fees were usually paid by the losing parties. Over time, maximum fee laws were repealed, and by the early twentieth...more