Greentarget and Zeughauser Group’s latest State of Digital & Content Marketing Survey — our first in three years — revealed that clients of professional services firms see diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as a key business priority.

Zeughauser Group's 2021 Pocket Guide to the American Lawyer Rankings of the Am Law 200 by Profits Per Equity Partner and by Value Per Lawyer; The A-List; The Global 100; The Global 200; The China 50; The Asia 50; and The Corporate Scorecard.

If you would like a hard copy of the 2021 ZGuide, please send an email to zgadmin@consultzg.com with "2021 ZGuide Request" in the subject line and provide your mailing address.

Kent Zimmermann and Peter Zeughauser review how, in a difficult year, a subset of firms separated from the rest of the market with double-digit revenue and profits growth. Standout firms are growing faster than their peers by focusing on profitability and reaping the rewards. For 2020’s most successful firms, the year offered valuable insights into the future of their workplaces, their talent and their overall trajectory.

In this article, Alex Dimitreif discusses important billing principles and the need for detailed budgets. Law firms can no longer afford to view billing and budgeting as necessary evils or relegate them to backroom administrators. Outside counsel should seize upon the billing process as a vehicle for thoughtful discussions with clients about how assignments will be handled. Up-front exchanges about how much a matter will cost should facilitate dialogue on a client’s objectives and how best to achieve them. Interim bills should serve as informative status reports and alert clients to potential issues. Final bills should stimulate candid discussions about how the law firm performed and whether the client’s expectations were met.

Zeughauser Group's 2020 Pocket Guide to the American Lawyer Rankings of the Am Law 200 by Profits Per Equity Partner and by Value Per Lawyer; The A-List; The Global 100; The Global 200; The China 45; The Asia 50; and The Corporate Scorecard.

You can download the ZGuide here.

If you would like a hard copy of the 2020 ZGuide, please send an email to zgadmin@consultzg.com with "2020 ZGuide Request" in the subject line and provide your mailing address.

Alex Dimitrief writes that business, legal and governance journals are replete with articles illustrating how crises reveal the true character of companies and their leaders. The COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest sparked by deadly police brutality against minorities confirm that this adage holds just as true when it comes to a company’s commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.

Recent criminal charges against former eBay employees show how bad things can get when employees are not encouraged to step forward and report unethical behaviors. In this article, Alex Dimitrief says employees are motivated to raise concerns when leaders set positive examples and unequivocally welcome the scrutiny of principled investigations of alleged misconduct at senior levels, the polar opposite of the Trump administration’s firing of inspectors general and unseating of the U.S. Attorney in New York.

Alex Dimitrief discusses ten lessons he learned at General Electric during the financial crisis and other periods of angst about how general counsel and their teams can help their companies navigate the coronavirus pandemic.

Alex Dimitrief advises that the most important guiding principles for outside counsel during a crisis are to be helpful and to steer clear of anything that might be construed as insensitivity to a client’s distress.

Peter Zeughauser provides recommendations on how law firms can prepare for a likely economic downturn due to COVID-19.

A political stand on LGBTQ rights by GE five years ago met with acclaim in many quarters but also led to criticism from some legislators and to a contentious proposal at the company’s annual meeting claiming strategic hypocrisy. But the harshest criticism came from employees who disagreed with the company’s position and lamented that “political correctness” had run amok at GE.

Alex Demetrief relates the backstory to the challenges GE’s leadership faced after taking on the issue, one that offers lessons for directors to consider as more and more companies ponder corporate activism.

Zeughauser Group's 2019 Pocket Guide to the American Lawyer Rankings of the Am Law 200 by Profits Per Equity Partner and by Value Per Lawyer; The A-List; The Global 100; The Global 200; The China 45; and The Corporate Scorecard.

You can download the ZGuide here

If you would like a hard copy of the 2019 ZGuide, please send an email to zgadmin@consultzg.com with "2019 ZGuide Request" in the subject line and provide your mailing address.

Law firms won’t be as severely impacted by the next recession as they were by the financial crisis, says Alex Dimitrief, former GC at General Electric. But, he says, legal departments are more willing to forgo the “safety” of hiring name-brand law firms for the value of mid-tier and regional law firms. Being proactive and working with clients is key.

Anger and distrust over corporate missteps is rising, with even presidential candidates jumping in to offer solutions. Alex Dimitrief, former GC at General Electric, explains that providing clear and open internal communication lines for employees to report potential integrity lapses without fear of reprisals is the best first step to prevent corporate malfeasance.

Many law firms are competing to attract and retain client relationships that are increasingly larger pieces of a shrinking overall pie of client spending on outside law firms. In addition, traditional client relationships face four growing competitive forces that are taking market share away from Am Law 200 law firms and creating impediments to transitioning client relationships. Kent Zimmermann outlines five drivers of successful client succession planning based on best practices of high-performing firms to combat these concerns.

Zeughauser Group's 2018 Pocket Guide to the American Lawyer Rankings of the Am Law 200 by Profits Per Equity Partner and by Value Per Lawyer; The A-List; The Global 100; and The Corporate Scorecard.

You can download the ZGuide here

If you would like a hard copy of the 2018 ZGuide, please send an email to zgadmin@consultzg.com with "2018 ZGuide Request" in the subject line and provide your mailing address.

There are signs that the real impact of the 2008 recession is still around the corner: fundamental new metrics by which partner success is measured. Market leaders are pointing in a new direction: the coin of the realm today is teamwork and collaboration; building a book, while forever important, isn’t enough.

A downloadable pocket guide to Am Law 200 firms with key statistics for 2016:

• number of lawyers and equity partners
• profits per equity partner (PPEP)
• gross revenue and rank by gross revenue (GR)
• revenue per lawyer and rank by revenue per lawyer (RPL)
• compensation average for all partners