Insights

Last week the American Lawyer took note of a market trend we know very well: Midwest law firms are knocking it out of the park.

Midwesterners in the legal industry are accustomed to the east and west coasts getting all the media attention. In fact, we often take pride in flying under the radar. But the super high demand, growing realization, and large increases in billing rates — not to mention soaring revenue — at Midwest firms is now impossible to ignore.

Amid an intense talent war in the legal industry, law firm leaders are continually looking for better ways to attract and retain top lawyers. Modern law firm leaders recognize the value of an inclusive culture, particularly when it comes to diverse talent.

When firm leaders...

A big part of our job is helping lawyers prepare to speak to legal media reporters about important trends in the industry. Sometimes those stories involve sensitive information that the reporters want and lawyers don’t want to give, or that lawyers are willing to speak cautiously about as long as their name isn’t printed in the story. The “rules of attribution” — the code journalists follow to tell readers where information in a news story comes from — allows sources to protect...

Modern law firms know that fostering a culture of inclusion is key to retaining top talent, especially lawyers from underrepresented groups. In recent years, many firms have made changes to areas like recruiting, mentoring and professional development programming to increase the sense of belonging for all members of the firm. These are good first steps.

But true inclusion requires an assessment of all aspects of the...

In-person marketing and business development took a hit during the pandemic. In response, law firms adapted, investing in technology to support the imperfect but crucial virtual versions of traditional in-person networking and marketing, such as LinkedIn and webinars.

Now, law firms can make the most of pandemic “lessons learned” to strengthen how they connect with clients and prospects and how they respond to what they learn from those conversations. Going into 2022, firms’...