At this fall’s Decipher Talent Economics Roundtable, hosted by Baker McKenzie in Chicago, we showcased the critical role operations teams play in driving law firm profitability. While investment in human capital (lateral...more
2/19/2025
/ Analytics ,
Business Development ,
Business Strategies ,
Career Development ,
Employee Engagement ,
Firm Leadership ,
Human Capital ,
Lateral Hiring ,
Law Firm Ownership ,
Law Practice Management ,
Legal Operations ,
Professional Development ,
Professional Networking ,
Relationship Development ,
Strategic Planning ,
Talent Management
For the law firms that made headlines in 2024 by opening new offices, 2025 brings a new directive: filling these locations with profitable rainmakers. If you’re among the law firm leaders scouting talent in a new or growing...more
1/30/2025
/ Business Development ,
Client Retention ,
Firm Leadership ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Law Firm Partners ,
Law Practice Management ,
Legal Recruiting ,
Rainmakers ,
Recruitment Policies ,
Risk Management ,
Strategic Planning
If you plan to bolster your lawyer ranks with lateral associates in 2025, there are two critical steps for ensuring success. Law firms must understand the risks inherent in lateral associate hiring, then create a due...more
About half of lateral partner moves involve a search firm, according to the 2023 Lateral Partner Satisfaction Survey. Engaging a recruiter isn’t just commonplace, it’s often critical, as search firms have access to networks...more
Nearly 20 percent of lateral partner candidates neglect to provide a comprehensive list of their clients to their prospective firms, according to Decipher Investigative Intelligence research. This means that law firms that...more
12/19/2024
/ Business Development ,
Case Management ,
Client Services ,
Law Firm Partners ,
Law Practice Management ,
Legal Project Management ,
Professional Development ,
Questionnaires ,
Relationship Development ,
Reputation Management ,
Reputational Injury
The lateral partner questionnaire (LPQ) should not be a mere formality – instead, it should be considered your first line of defense in lateral partner hiring. ...more
The fourth quarter presents law firm leaders with a critical period for addressing strategic planning, financial management, and compensation adjustments. However, firms that extend their focus beyond immediate financial...more
12/6/2024
/ Business Development ,
Business Strategies ,
Due Diligence ,
Employee Retention ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Firm Leadership ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Lateral Hiring ,
Law Firm Ownership ,
Law Firm Partners ,
Law Practice Management ,
Law Students ,
Legal Recruiting
The average turnover for AmLaw 200 firms is 26.3 percent, according to analysis by Decipher Investigative Intelligence – so simply put, for every four lawyers at your firm, one will swap out every year. “Turnover” can be a...more
We admit it: Sometimes it’s tempting to lead with the negative information from pre-hire investigations. Bullying behavior, inflammatory social media posts, fabricated client relationships – these (very real) examples raise...more
10/28/2024
/ Background Checks ,
Business Development ,
Due Diligence ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Lateral Hiring ,
Law Practice Management ,
Legal Recruiting ,
Recruitment Policies ,
Risk Management
In a year of nonstop buzz about AI and data, it’s no surprise that law firms report a record use of analytics. Indeed, in a survey by Lex Machina, 68 percent of legal professionals said they were using legal analytics, up...more
In law firm lateral recruitment, one question dominates both risk management and ROI: How portable is a candidate’s book of business? While every lateral candidate—just like every matter, client and firm—is different,...more
A majority of attorneys and law firm leaders say business development is set to get tougher, according to a survey by BTI Consulting. Yet many of these firms are making it harder on themselves: The Legal Marketing Association...more
Timing is everything, as the saying goes — and it certainly holds true when it comes to assessing the risk of lateral partner candidates. Indeed, Decipher Investigative Intelligence analysis reveals a significant trend:...more
It’s OCI season, and law firms are already scrambling to recruit the next batch of summer associates. But it’s imperative to remember that your potential summer associates carry risk, too — and a Zoom interview and a quick...more