Patton Boggs and Squire Sanders agree their deal to become a global powerhouse... does bigger mean better in terms of serving the changing needs of clients?... and why a court ruling means a King can now be buried after more than 500 years...
Patton Boggs and Squire Sanders Agree Merger
Despite some potential last-minute delays, the much talked about merger of law firms Patton Boggs and Squire Sanders was finally agreed on Friday. The new firm,
Squire Patton Boggs, is expected to start operations on June 1
st and will have 1600 lawyers in 21 countries, making it one of the world’s top 25 law firms in terms of staff.
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Is Big Necessarily Better?
Law firms, as we know, have been getting bigger over the years but just because they have size on their side are they operating the way they should? The consulting firm Altman Weil have published their annual “Law Firms in Transition Survey” in the US which shows that large firms are sometimes unwilling or perhaps unable to react to changes in the market. The way that clients (or potential clients) want to buy legal services is changing; the traditional hourly-billing model for example is being challenged; but some large firms are not seeing or ignoring these changes. The report says this could be an opportunity for smaller firms.
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Laws On Legal Fees
As the story above shows, the structure of pricing for law firms in 2014 is changing. The business model of per-hour charging is not always the way clients want to be billed, and may not be the best strategy for the firm either. Law firm Crowell & Moring in Virginia, US have a secret weapon in their pricing arsenal; Matt Laws. The irony is that Laws is not a lawyer. He is a finance specialist, and knows how to price legal services, a real bonus for a firm that has been using ‘alternative billing arrangements’ for some time. With pressure from clients who want value, and from senior management who want to drive down costs, pricing managers could become a common part of the law firm team.
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Lawyers of Yorks. – Give Battle In Vain
The UK High Court has ruled on a most unusual story. It was a story that gripped Britain last year as human remains were found to be those of Richard III, former King of England, having been uncovered on an archaeological dig in a Leicester car park. It was a big talking point, maybe as big as when the King died in 1485 (given the growth in population since then and the distinct lack of social media in the 15
th Century). The plan of what to do next seemed simple; bury the former monarch in the nearby Leicester Cathedral, a fitting resting place for a King. Not so, according to a group calling themselves descendents of the late sovereign. They insisted he should be buried in York Minster and instructed Leeds-based firm Gordons to pursue the case. The story has now come to its end as the High Court ruled last week that the remains should be buried in Leicester Cathedral after all.
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Ever Wish You Could Just Edit Out Your Errors?
We all make mistakes and when lawyers make them it can be costly. However, when you are the US Supreme Court, you can always quietly edit them out…allegedly!
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It’ll Never Stand Up In Court
A German court has ruled that intimate photographs of a partner should be deleted when the relationship ends. The case was brought by a woman who had agreed to pose for erotic photographs for her partner but wanted them to be destroyed when the couple broke up. He refused so she went to court.
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