Effective managers do things right, effective leaders do the right things. We believe that to a great extent what separates the wheat from the chafe is leadership. While many of our clients are national, multi-office operations which require strong leadership, we also have boutique and mid-sized law firm clients that are sexy, dynamic, entrepreneurial and also well-led. There is no question that law firm profitability is an important issue today.

We choose to work with law firms that are profitable, but have sustained a cohesive team-oriented culture which encourages cooperation and bonds lawyers to that firm. In other words, we look at firms that effectively balance bottom-line profits with "touchy-feely" cultural issues. We strive to work with law firms who have a soul, and are not just focusing on money at the exclusion of everything else. We believe firms that properly reward teamwork, a solid work ethic, integrity, creativity, initiative & business generation should be looked at closely. We tend to stay away from firms that are no more than collections of fiefdoms, as opposed to those that are truly "firms." In our research library, we have more than one thousand firm resumes and corporate annual reports. Some are glossier than others. Some have nicer pictures, especially those that feature various firm founders. Many of these brochures and resumes are beautifully designed. Yet many look remarkably similar, peppering the text with phrases like "collegiality", "team work", "commitment to quality", "integrity", and "value-added services." You could take the cover off one firm resume and put it on another and some people would not be able to tell the difference.

We look beyond the glossy pages and learn what really goes on, both good and bad. Understanding what the firm stands for, how successful they are at attracting and retaining talent, true billable hours, their unique infrastructure and culture, as well as compensation and bottom-line profitability issues factors into our selection process.