Law firms as feudal baronies

March 18, 2008

Law-firm consultant David Maister certainly seems to know big law firms:

Listen to David Maister from his new book, "Strategy and the Fat Smoker: Doing What’s Obvious But Not Easy," in which he writes that having a collection of great lawyers is not the same as having a great and effective organization.

Rather, he writes that firms are made up of "bands of warlords, each with his or her followers, ruling over a group of cowed citizens and acting in temporary alliance — until a better opportunity comes along."

Ouch.

Michael P. Maslanka, "GCs Should Treat Legal Fees as Execs Treat Business Issues," Texas Lawyer, March 18, 2008 (link) (emphasis and extra paragraphing added).

Posted by DCT | Filed Under In-house counsel, Outside counsel 

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