Of Counsel Consulting, LLC

Are Macs Viable In Law Firms?

I love technology. It is exceedingly difficult for me to not purchase the latest gadget, and eventually I succumb regardless of my intention. Therefore, I own both a Mac and PC even though I have no practical use for a Macintosh. But they are now using Intel chips! And Windows can get ...

Are Law Firms Ready For Rate Deflation?

After hitting 5% in July of 2008, inflation has dropped rapidly and is now in negative territory (annualized) for the first time in 54 years. This creates tremendous spending opportunities but there are many risks. One of the risks to law firms is a deflating billable rate. With deflation hitting ...

Measuring Missed Time

According to a 2007 study by Ipsos Reid, people gain on average one hour of productive time per day by having a Blackberry. That is an average of 250 hours per year! Regardless of whether an attorney has a Blackberry or not, it isn't a stretch to say that attorneys ...

Process Modeling: Putting To Print Things That Work

For most firms, knowing what needs to be done to effectively manage a case is something learned through time and experience. Unfortunately, this valuable information is rarely put to print for others to follow. The result is constant "reinvention of the wheel". For associates, how well you can swim after ...

Great News: Smoot Hawley II

As if spending 75% of the near trillion dollar "stimulus" package on things such as contraception (ha, nice pun there) wasn't enough, it appears this great piece of legislation making the rounds of the Senate as I write this is full of incentives to buy American only - another nice ...

Forecasting Attorney Revenue

Forecasting is important for law firms so that they are not found "accidentally" out of business. There are tools available, perhaps within your own organization, that are more than capable of helping you forecast attorney revenue. However, some tools are better than others at showing the results. Below is a graphic ...

All Bets Off – Massive Deflation And Fed Still Lowers Rates

All the ingredients are coming together for protracted, painful and seriously impaired economic conditions. As stated in an earlier post, a deflationary crash is characterized in part by a persistent, sustained, deep, general decline in people’s desire and ability to lend and borrow. It appears we are in the midst ...

False Sense Of Security Still Prevalent Among Law Firms

In spite of overwhelming evidence that the booming economy enjoyed practically uninterrupted for the past 20 years has ended, at least for the near term, many law firms are still optimistic of their 2009 prospects. I beg to differ. I believe 2009 will start a strong shift in the make-up ...

Review of Kensington Slimblade™ Trackball Mouse

Everyone has a favorite mobile mouse; that is, except me. I have tens of them and can't seem to get comfortable with any of them. One thing all have in common, though, is that they are bluetooth. I hate having to plug something into my USB port to just run ...

Consumer Price Index Plunges In October

The consumer price index plunged "by the largest amount in the past 61 years" in October. This may be an indicator of a very deep recession, if not a depression. A depression is characterized ...