Steven, Thank you for reading and commenting. I ...

2010-04-20T17:07:15.379-04:00

Steven,

Thank you for reading and commenting. I agree with your statement about firms and practitioners having skills in each of the quadrants. That said, I have been speaking to many in-house counsel as well as senior associates (who are supposed to be on the doorstep to partnership) about the gap in this skill set - particularly the role of law in business. This is the one that is not necessarily intuitive to firm lawyers who have never been outside private practice. They tend to have blinders on as to integrating with their clients' decision making process. They still see their role as an advice giver not a solution provider. Something we know clients want and need more of.

I really like the way you've laid out these qu...

2010-04-20T16:36:01.429-04:00

I really like the way you've laid out these quadrants, Joshua. Thinking as a Lawyer has forever been the #1 stated criterion within the law firm, but it may not be the role that most benefits the firm... or the client... or the individual attorney.

With the rise of alternative fee arrangements, associates being deferred or dropped, and a whole host of business issues cropping up, the successful practices will be those that balance all four quadrants. There may be specialists in various areas -- the top-shark lead trial attorney, the business/finance person -- but both firms and the practitioners within the firms will largely have quantifiable skills in all four quadrants to at least some degree.

-- Steven B. Levy, author of Legal Project Management: Control Costs, Meet Schedules, Manage Risks, and Maintain Sanity

Comments on Legal Transformation: The Changing Legal Profession: Four Quadrants of Legal Education: And Educating T...

Steven, Thank you for reading and commenting. I ...

I really like the way you've laid out these qu...