Insights

By Steven Johnson How do good ideas happen, and what can we do to help people have more of them? Steven Johnson examines how the innovations that changed the world actually happened, and reveals the pattern of behavior that often underlies them in his book “Where Good Ideas Come From”:

1. The Adjacent Possible: “Good ideas are not conjured out of thin air; they are built out of a collection of existing parts, the composition of which expands...

As the pandemic has changed how lawyers work — and from where — it has removed some of the traditional barriers to lateral hiring. Geography doesn’t have to be a dealbreaker, and the new hire may not even need to be in a city where the firm has a brick-and-mortar office.

But getting the lateral in the door is the first and easiest step. After that, things often go south. According to Michael Ellenhorn, the founder and CEO of...

Firms have gotten more savvy in the ways they communicate about gender and racial diversity, but we see far fewer law firm leaders speaking out specifically on the topic of full inclusion of lawyers with disabilities. That may be in part because they perceive this cohort to be very small (read on, however, to see statistics to the contrary). But law firm leaders who are non-disabled also may not feel prepared to speak knowledgeably on the topic of how firms and...

In reading the recent story of Australian law firm

Firm and partner retreats have been used for years to create strategic plans, improve teamwork, and boost morale. When COVID entered the picture, plans were adjusted and many retreats ended up being held online. Virtual retreats have improved a great deal over the past year and can serve as worthy substitutes, but many law firm leaders and some (though not all) attorneys are nostalgic for events held pre-pandemic style.