law firm was a great place to start after
law school, he said, he didn't feel he was
getting enough courtroom experience.
"You can't read a book and learn how to
try a case," he said. "It was a hard, but
right, decision."
His law firm has an excellent
reputation in South Florida, representing
past and current clients including fashion
industry greats Michael Kors, Nike, Guess,
Tommy Hilfiger, Chanel and Versace.
"The best part is that when I get a
call from a general counsel asking for an
update on a matter, I don't have to say,
`Can I get back to you?' and talk to junior
counsel," he said. "While we are very
sensitive to make sure the right task gets
delegated to the right level, every matter
has a shareholder in charge of it and every
shareholder knows his or her matters.
Clients like the instantaneous feedback.
We compete well, and clients are getting it.
Legal budgets are being slashed across the
board in every company we represent. You
have to get more creative and efficient."
Jones said this kind of personal,
open dialogue with clients is the biggest
issue facing law firms today regarding
client relations. "You have to talk to
your clients," Jones said. "It's amazing
the number of lawyers who don't do
that... The lawyers who are the best
developers of business learn how to do
that not trying to sell them something,
challenges are."
Stiphany said his firm's Primerus
membership also helps them compete. "It's
a well-known organization, and it's well
known that only the finest firms are invited
to join and are accepted," he said. "We
represent corporate clients, and they have
a lot of choices in law firms where they can
go. You need not only exposure, but also
the right kind of exposure. With Primerus,
we're out there now and being shown to
clients with our best foot forward."
Value than Size
warns law firms against growth just for
growth's sake.
"In some circumstances, growth of
a law firm makes perfect sense," Jones
said. "But growth for growth's sake doesn't
make sense; it ought to be very strategic...
Clients are interested in more efficient
and cost effective delivery of legal
services and in some ways, size can
count against that."
The report says that once firms
reach a certain size, "diseconomies of
scale" become a factor. "Large firms
with multiple offices particularly ones
in multiple countries are much more
difficult to manage than smaller firms.
They require a much higher investment
of resources to achieve uniformity in
quality and service delivery and to meet
the expectations of clients for efficiency,
report says.
According to Buchanan, Primerus
helps firms and clients alike avoid these
pitfalls. Most Primerus firms range from
15-20 attorneys in size. Each Primerus
firm around the world operates indepen-
dently from one another, avoiding disecon-
omies of scale, and allowing for unlimited
expansion compared to the large firm
model by avoiding capital, management
and conflict of interest issues.
But the firms and by extension, their
clients, enjoy the benefits of a global
alliance, including cost sharing efficiencies
for marketing and branding, assurance
that all members have met stringent
quality standards for membership, and
shared commitment to values reflected in
the Six Pillars (integrity, excellent work
product, reasonable fees, continuing legal
education, civility and community service).
"The Primerus vision is to create
a new type of world class law firm
worldwide," Buchanan said. "Instead
of the large law firm with many practice
groups, we bring together hundreds of
the best boutique law firms around the
world. We share the same values and
work together as one unit, partnering with
clients to offer them enhanced value and
high quality legal services at low costs
anywhere in the world. We're thinking
locally and acting globally."