Norman Clark 8/3/23 Norman Clark 8/3/23

End the practice of awarding business based on price.

In an increasingly competitive landscape, law firms, like any business, might feel compelled to make decisions based on price alone.

However, the fourth of W. Edwards Deming's Fourteen Points for better management warned against this practice, arguing that cost should not be the primary consideration in business decisions. Instead, he championed a more holistic approach that weighs quality and long-term value alongside price.

Norman Clark 8/10/22 Norman Clark 8/10/22

Why am I doing this?

A lawyer's time is the most valuable asset in any law practice of any size anywhere in the world. Yet, lawyers report an almost continuous sense of frustration that they are not as productive or efficient as they believe that they could be.

Here is a time-tested diagnostic way to look at your work and to find ways to leverage your time to be as productive and profitable as possible. It costs nothing but a little bit of your time and can produce dramatic improvements in your everyday work.

Norman Clark 5/2/14 Norman Clark 5/2/14

Internal Value: A Hidden Opportunity for Law Firms in Professional Services Networks

The internal value of membership in a professional services network has the potential to have a much greater positive impact on a law firm's bottom line than even a robust flow of referrals from other network members. In some firms it could be the compelling reason to join a network.

Currently, internal value is a largely unknown concept for most networks and their members. Law firms should now consider to what extent professional services networks could help them to increase the productivity and profitability of their internal operations.

Norman Clark 4/27/14 Norman Clark 4/27/14

Does your network deliver external value?

Most law firms join networks to gain substantial external benefits, such as referrals of clients and matters, the opportunity to collaborate with other firms on large projects, and better market visibility. For many law firms, that decision produces disappointing results.

In this post, we will consider the future of professional services networks from the perspective of the tangible external value that they deliver --- or not. What can law firms expect in terms of external value as part of the return on their investment?

This is one of the ten most frequently read posts in the Worldview Archives, with more than 12,000 views since it was published in 2014.

Norman Clark 4/23/14 Norman Clark 4/23/14

Understanding the Investment in Professional Services Networks

This is the first in a series of four posts that consider the future of professional services networks, with particular reference to their strategic value for law firms.

We will suggest three perspectives from which the future of networks should be considered, and from which law firms that are members and prospective members of those networks should engage in an ongoing evaluation of whether participation in a network is likely to continue to produce a reasonable return on investment.