Business of Law

CPA Cybersecurity Framework May Be Vital Tool

While the cybersecurity attestation framework from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants is still in its adoption phase, it likely will open new ways for law firms across the U.S. to deal with cybersecurity questions, says Christian Leitner of OUM & Co. LLP.

The Law Firm CFO’s Role In The Strategic Planning Process

Today's law firm chief financial officer should be involved in many areas beyond traditional financial management, including operations, risk management and information technology. He or she can support strategic planning throughout the process, from development of the plan to its implementation, measurement and eventual evolution, say Tyler Quinn and Marc Feigelson of Kaufman Rossin PA.

Law Firms Must Transition To An Industry Sector Approach

Clients are beginning to expect and demand that their external lawyers provide advice tailored to the client's industry. Aside from this, law firms should want to move toward a sector approach because industry-focused groups are a natural place for cross-practice collaboration to flourish, say Heidi Gardner and Anusia Gillespie of Harvard Law School.

Series

Judging A Book: Kozinski Reviews 'The Judge'

In their new book, "The Judge: 26 Machiavellian Lessons," do Ronald Collins and David Skover prove their thesis that hypocrisy is the key to judicial greatness? Some of the examples they present are hard to dispute, says Judge Alex Kozinski of the Ninth Circuit.

Series

My Supreme Court Debut: A Birthday I’ll Never Forget

I argued my first case before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013. It was my birthday. And I must say, the experience set the bar pretty high for future birthdays, says Catherine Carroll of WilmerHale.

Financial Crisis Anniversary

New Post-Recession Metrics For BigLaw Partner Success

After nearly a decade of recession-accelerated change in the legal industry, “merit-based” compensation has largely come to mean measuring attorney success using some combination of origination and working attorney hours metrics. However, there are signs that the real impact of the recession is still around the corner, and that building a book isn’t enough, says Peter Zeughauser of Zeughauser Group.

Opinion

Time To Lift Student Loan Counseling Restrictions

While it lends more than $100 million each year to our nation’s college students — including law students — the U.S. Department of Education surprisingly limits loan counseling to one-time entrance counseling for first-time student borrowers. Is this rational? asks Christopher Chapman, president of AccessLex Institute, a nonprofit focused on access to legal education.

3 Strategies I Learned From LegalZoom

Critics of legal tech companies will often say, “Trust a reputable attorney that understands you, your situation and the law.” As an attorney, I wholeheartedly agree. But from the consumer’s perspective, the message seems out of touch with the digital age, says Jeff Unger, founder of the law firm eMinutes.

Why You Should Consider Hyperlinking Your Next Brief

The shift to electronic filing has somewhat eased the task of reviewing briefs and their supporting files. An e-brief takes e-filing to the next level, says Christine Falcicchio, a principal at Strut Legal Inc.

Series

What I Learned In My 1st Year: Listen Carefully, Speak Up

When I graduated from law school, I landed at an old-line firm in the Golden Triangle of Texas. Two significant things happened to me around that time. One pertained to learning to listen, and the other pertained to refusing to participate in what I heard, says Marcy Rothman of Kane Russell Coleman Logan PC.