I'm sure that many of our readers may disagree with my colleague Brian's statement yesterday that salary is not the only driving factor impacting a young lawyer's decision to join a law firm.  I'm not a lawyer, and I didn't go to law school, nor did I carry a huge amount of debt upon my graduation from college, but I was fortunate enough to graduate with an Economics degree and a minor in Finance when the job market was considerably more robust than it is today.  I entertained no fewer than six job offers out of college, from Wall Street Investment banks to commercial banks.  And it's the absolute truth when I tell you that I took the job with one of the lowest salaries because they offered a perk that no other company came close to matching...

Moving this blog was a bigger job than I thought it would be, and now that we're all moved in, I thought I'd celebrate with a little retail therapy - some online shopping.  I had gotten a free shipping code from a retailer I hadn't patronized in a while so I picked out some items, put them in my shopping basket and prepared to check out.  I don't know what made me click through to the shipping charts but I'm glad I did.  I realized that if I paid the regular, nominal price for shipping I'd have my items in 3 days.  But the free shipping option would take an additional 3-7 days after processing time.  (I guess the free shipping method comes by camel!)  It got me thinking about other bargains in my life - am I sacrificing quality, speed, or my health for a good deal?  I know better than to buy the deli meat that is on sale, but what about legal fees?  Everyone is looking for a bargain in legal services these days, and it's had our clients scrambling to provide alternative fee arrangements, like flat fees and success fees.  So does bargain hunting lead to a less zealous defense?

Last weekend I visited a working sheep farm in Long Valley, NJ.  Valley Shepherd Creamery was founded by Eran Wajswol in 2005, after a successful career as a real-estate developer.  They make some very yummy cheeses, and are known for their rotating milking parlor, which is the only one of its kind in the U.S.   Valley Shepherd has a wholesaling operation, but 90% of their cheeses are sold direct to the consumer at farm markets across NY, NJ, and PA.

What I found to be unique about the farm is their use of analytics to drive the business...

For those of you who have been wondering if you can be trained to think about the business of law firms the way our bloggers do - the answer is, yes you can!  Redwood Analytics is offering Mastering Law Firm Analysis in Washington, DC at the end of July.  And if you bring a friend or co-worker, s/he will save 50% on the registration fee!

Very few firms today are 100% utilized. Almost all attorneys within a firm have free capacity, and depending on the firm, this can be a large cost. With profits dropping, layoffs and delayed start dates for first year associates have been seen as a short term solution to increase profits. This may be an effective way to address utilization concerns and bring profits back up to levels that law firms have experienced over the last five years, but it may also have some long term effects related to production.

I have spoken many times on underperforming partners and addressing their behaviors.  In fact I have spoke on this topic so much to the point where I am getting sick of hearing my voice....something my wife would probably love to hear.  That said, each firm I visit has their own batch of what one Managing Partner designated as CUPS (Consistently Underperforming Partners).