The Red Velvet Lawyer

BigLaw  Headcount Strategies Adam Smith Esquire's Bruce McEwen, well-known blawger, in a post entitled, Where Do You Want Your Firm to be in 2020?, reports some data on the strategic planning horizon of large law firms, which he argues does not extend beyond one, two, or three years. Interestingly, he reports the following figures for the changes in headcount at large law firms. [C]onsider the little-remarked but sobering figures on how the proportionate composition of lawyers at the largest 250 law firms in the US based on headcount has changed over the last decade: Associates: from 55% to 47% (down 15%). Equity partners: from 31% to 26% (down 16%). Non-equity partners: from 7% to 16% (up 129%). Other’ lawyers (staff, of counsel, contract, etc): from 7% to 10% (up 43%). He comments on these changes later in the post: And what, exactly, is the point about the aforementioned morphing composition of lawyers at large law firms? Simple, I b...

Appalachian School of Law Welcomes Veterans A new television commercial for the law school will air locally over the next few weeks on WCYB Channel 5, the NBC affiliate in Bristol, and WEMT, the Fox affiliate in NE Tennessee. This commercial focuses on veterans.  It features one of our current student-veterans, Irina Dan McGarry, ’14.  Lieutenant Dan did a great job, as you can see for yourself:    For those who want the full TV experience, here is the broadcast schedule for tomorrow, Friday, February 28: WCYB-TV 619 am 1118 am 1206 pm 230 pm 344 pm 509 pm 1106 pm 1141 pm WEMT (Fox) 528 pm 1024 pm News I want to thank Trustee Joe Wolfe for making this opportunity possible.  

Lawyers Are Heroes, Too A blawger complains this week about the sad state of lawyer marketing.  What's missing?  The hero story , in my opinion.  Head without heart.  Features without benefits.  And, an inability to show how lawyers change the world in a positive way.   Here's a couple of contrasting videos that help illustrate the differences in a North Carolina political contest.  

35,000  Page Views Friends, family, and colleagues: Another milestone reached!  Some time last night, page views of my blog topped 35,000. The Red Velvet Lawyer will celebrate its first birthday in mid-March.  People tell me that this type of growth for a little ol' blog is impressive.  I have to take their word for it. In the meantime, I enjoy the connection with all of you and the opportunity to share ideas, information, and news. Love you all, and thanks so very much for your support!

New Data Informing  the Debate In several postings  here ,  here , and here , I tracked the debate between Brian Tamanaha, author of Failing Law Schools , and Michael Simkovic and Frank McIntyre, co-authors of The Value of a Law Degree . In a recent posting , Simkovic & McIntyre update their economic analysis and take apart the basis for Tamanaha's more dismissal point of view.   They conclude: Comparing lifetime earnings of law degree holders to earnings of similar bachelor’s degree holders, we find that the pretax value of a law degree is approximately $1,030,000 on average, $770,000 at the median, $430,000 at the twenty-fifth percentile, and $1,420,000 at the seventy-fifth percentile. These figures include the opportunity costs of foregone wages while in law school and financing costs. We also provide separate analyses of earnings for men and women. We find that the value of a law degree at the median is higher for...

Culture  and the  Length of the Negotiation Dance Culture can dictate the length of the negotiation dance by determining the number of rounds of concessions and the amount of each expected concession. In cultures in which the parties expect more haggling, parties will make 12-15 offers/counter-offers.  A clip from   Montey Python's Life of Brian , starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin, illustrates haggling in a way we'd expect from this group. Brian Cohen, played by Chapman, is trying to escape the pursuit of Roman Centurions by buying a beard as a disguise.  The frightened consumer, however, cannot buy it at the sticker price.  He is forced to haggle.   In sharp contrast , a U.S. consumer has a low tolerance for the negotiation dance.  He or she t ypically will make only 2 or 3 rounds of offers.   As a result, U.S....

In Nearly ALL Situations, Don't Accept the First Offer. Duh! Defending Your Life focuses on a transition stage in which recently dead folks must show to a panel of after-life judges that they have lived full and fearless lives.  If they fail at this proof, they must return to earth and try again. Meryl Streep appears with Albert Brooks who wrote, directed, and starred in the film. I use a clip that shows Daniel Miller, played by Brooks, negotiating for his salary at a new job.  He has died suddenly when his car hits a bus head-on. Examples from his life, including the salary negotiation, increasingly show his fear.  In this clip, he begs his wife to practice with him the night before the salary negotiation, and then, he abandons the approach he had practiced. The clip allows me to discuss the gravitational pull of opening offers, who should open first, appropriate concession patterns, and leverage derived from your BATNA.