Blog

Nov 01

Dentons At Ten—What’s Next?

Dentons will soon turn ten—and with a characteristic bang. The firm sent a letter to its clients heralding its forthcoming birthday milestone and looking to the future. Days later, Dentons announced an historic agreement to combine with leading Indian law firm Link Legal, making it the world’s first global firm to... read more →
Oct 14

Will EY Law Change The Legal Delivery Paradigm?

EY’s leadership recently green lighted a major restructuring, ending months of heated speculation. The plan has two key prongs: (1) EY’s audit and advisory businesses will split; and (2) the advisory business will replace its partnership model with a publicly traded corporate structure. The restructuring presents a unique opportunity for EY... read more →
Aug 31

Democratic Degradation Is Law’s Ultimate Disruptor

The legal industry has been remarkably buoyant in a tumultuous world. It has weathered 9/11, the global financial crisis, economic downturns, automation, digital transformation, domestic and international instability, and the Pandemic. Through it all, the legal sector has prospered financially, even as its resistance to change has misaligned it with... read more →
Jul 13

Why The Big Four Should Adopt A Corporate Structure

EY and Deloitte recently made headlines and fueled speculation by purported plans to spin-off their audit and advisory arms. EY, Deloitte, PwC, and KPMG (The Big Four) have come under protracted, intense criticism for a lack of independence in their auditing of company accounts because of fees their advisory partners... read more →
Jun 08

“New Law?”: You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet

“New law” is a catchall industry term popularized in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. It is often linked to “legal tech,” “legal ops,” “ALSP’s,” and “legal innovation.”Each is usually considered discretely, not as part of a larger change process. That begs the question: Has new law produced change... read more →
Apr 19
Mar 16

Great Expectations: What Is Legal Talent Looking For?

Digital transformation and its pandemic-produced acceleration have elevated talent to a top-level business priority. For employers, it has caused them to rethink what talent means in a dramatically shifting marketplace. What are its characteristics? How does it align with corporate purpose and culture? Where does it come from? How can... read more →
Feb 23

Humanizing The Legal Function: What It Means And Why It Matters

When people have points of reference that are humanizing, that demystifies difference. —Laverne Cox The pandemic has intensified the daily battle of subsistence for hundreds of millions of our fellow humans. For the more fortunate, it has provided an opportunity to reflect, reboot, and rebalance their lives. What is our... read more →
Jan 25

Stakeholder Capitalism: Challenges And Opportunities For Big Law

Big Law has demonstrated remarkable resilience. It has weathered financial crises, economic downturns, the Big Four, automation, social change, corporate digital transformation, and the Pandemic,. Big Law channels Mark Twain— the reports of its demise have been greatly exaggerated. Large corporate law firms enjoyed a rich economic harvest in 2021.... read more →
Dec 19

Legal Transformation Is A Business Story

Business is undergoing a paradigmatic shift in its relationship with existing and prospective customers, the workforce, society, and even the planet. This is the business story of our time— a top-to-bottom corporate reverse- engineering process undertaken from the customer perspective. Business is challenging and refining its purpose, culture, structure, economic... read more →