Make More Rain : utilization

The Only Profit Driver

RussHaskin — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:00:00 GMT

I have spent the better half of the last decade working with firms on the drivers of profitability. If you are knowledgeable on the topic these drivers have many acronyms (e.g. RULES) but for simplicity sake I will list the generally accepted ones below...(read more)

Bankruptcy Practices at Odds with the "Story of the Year"

BoYancey — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:48:00 GMT

Bankruptcy lawyers have been quite busy this past year, and firms have enjoyed exceptionally high billing rates for many pieces of work . This isn't surprising; in the wake of last year's economic crisis, many companies have sought protection...(read more)

Reducing Headcount May Lead to Less Profit in the Long Run

BrianTaaffe — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:00:00 GMT

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.

...(read more)