It might not feel like it to some, but the economic environment for large law firms has been benign for a long time. It has been difficult not to make money. According to Legal Business, the top 100 UK law firms (that is, less than 1% of the 10,000 or so in the UK), still manage to gross over £17.5 billion, even in these supposedly tough economic times. That’s at least 50% of the total value of the legal economy. And for the more than 8,000 equity partners in those firms, this produced an average net profit share (PEP) of almost £650,000. By most people’s reckoning (even in the world of clients), that’s a lot of money for a lot of people – and it is only an average. It’s not so much the size of any individual reward that’s the issue (the range is reported as £138,000 to £1,840,000 – and it’s no longer Slaughter and May, or any other Magic Circle firm, at the top): rather, it’s the sheer number of people who are able to extract this level of averaged reward in a reactive service market that is dependent on client activity.
Tag Archives: law firms
External ownership and the forked tongue of ethics
Nine US general counsel have come to the conclusion, reported in Legal Futures, that there is no need for external ownership of law firms and “that the inevitable chipping away at the profession’s professionalism ultimately will do a disservice not just to the business clients we serve, but to all clients who seek the trusted and confidential advice of counsel”.
I would not presume to disagree with their judgement about their own clients. But I would seriously beg to differ with the general sentiment implicit in the conclusion that ‘non-lawyer’ (I still hate that expression) ownership will necessarily erode professionalism, undermine lawyer-client relationships, compromise confidentiality, and encourage unethical, profit-maximising behaviour. Continue reading
The mirage of ownership
This year has started with a flurry of activity and announcements that give the lie to any notion that ABSs will be a damp squib and of no consequence, or that external capital will not be interested in law firms. So far, so good. What I want to explore here is whether external capital should be interested (at least without deep and meaningful enquiry into its target).
In founder-led firms, ownership has real meaning and value. The founders are responsible for developing clients, running the business, and making sure work is performed at a profit. These businesses usually respect the role that everyone plays, and they present an exciting, challenging, and motivating environment. The connection between effort, investment and return is often close and evident.
StephenMayson 