denotes premium content | Oct 16 2008 Managing Partner archive
Volume 6 Issue 10
Features
A force for change
When Dawn Dixon and Michael Webster set up Webster Dixon in 1998, Dixon found herself returning to compete in a City environment that she had rejected as a trainee as being too hostile. Since then, the firm has gone from strength to strength, with a second office move in the planning, and staff recruitment continuing apace. Caroline Poynton talks to Dixon about the challenges so far and her aspirations for the future.
Financial-management systems: Do you really know what is going on?
Accounts and practice-management software are frequently regarded as one of those dull but worthy aspects of legal technology that all firms must have, but involves aspects of the business that only cashiers and bookkeepers buried in the bowels of the practice ever use or worry about.
The challenge of law-firm billing
While law firms are getting better at focusing on internal strategies for improving external client-service delivery, billing procedures still bear the brunt of many a client’s criticism, with a lack of transparency and efficiency looming large in many a complaint. David Thorpe, vice president and general manager at Thomson Elite in Europe, explains how technology can help.
Pricing models: A changing landscape for law firms
It is a tough market for the legal profession, with firms competing for work from clients that often have high expectations of value for money and effective service delivery. Caroline Poynton talks to Alan Whitfield, director at McGrigors London, about his views on the current landscape, how pricing models have been affected, and what his firm has done to compete effectively in the pricing game.
Differentiation: Developing the right approach for you
In the first two articles of this series, Andrew Hedley, business development partner at Pinsents, considered the concept of differentiation and the way in which it can be used to shape the direction and strategy of a firm. In particular, he argued that there is no ‘one size fits all’ or formulaic approach when it comes to developing the right strategy. This final part of the series considers the range of issues that need to be considered when trying to differentiate your business.
Researching the market: The case for market research in law firms
Understanding your clients’ businesses and meeting their needs effectively and efficiently are essential pre-requisites for successful business development. However, Nick Mercer, chief operating office of Matthew Arnold Baldwin, believes that many firms are still woefully lacking in the internal or external information necessary for overcoming weaknesses and moving forward as a business. He argues that market research is one way of rectifying this serious knowledge gap in successful client-service delivery.
Time to re-think knowledge management?
With many experts dismissing the term ‘knowledge management’ as confusing and inadequate, Matthew Parsons, former director of know how and online products at Australian firm Mallesons Stephen Jaques, and author of Effective Knowledge Management offers an alternative approach to the discipline. He introduces ‘knowledge science’ and offers a conceptual framework for knowledge within organisations.
The knowledge entrepreneur: Exploiting know-how to create new income streams and transform practice performance
Professor Colin Coulson-Thomas, author of The Knowledge Entrepreneur, believes that many partners are missing opportunities to transform practice performance by using a new generation of job-support tools to increase understanding, build relationships with customers and clients, and boost productivity. In this article, he particularly argues that firms could make more of the unprecedented possibilities for generating additional revenues from new knowledge-based offerings.
Regulars
Event report: LEX Connect Europe 2004
LEX Connect Europe followed close on the heels of LEX Connect UK, held in January 2004. With little time to gather resources for this second event in the legal Connect calendar, would Ark Group be able to follow up its success with this Amsterdam event of 1-2 March 2004? Caroline Poynton went along to find out.
