New ABA book identifies law firms’ flaws and offers methods for meeting today’s challenges
“American Law Firms in Transition: Trends, Threats, and Strategies,” a new book published by the American Bar Association, explores the evolving landscape of the legal services industry and the severe problems that are facing law firms. Randall Kiser, with 20 years of experience as a civil litigation attorney and 15 years as an author, researcher and educator, provides a balanced view of law firms’ errors that have destabilized firms and jeopardized client relationships.
The Great Recession of 2008 marked a turning point for law firms as it led to fewer billable hours per attorney, declining revenue, cutthroat competition from corporate law departments and fewer employment opportunities for law school graduates. “American Law Firms in Transition” gives an overview of these economic trends in the industry and urges legal professionals to implement modern practices to effectively align with clients’ expectations in today’s legal system. Kiser also analyzes the five elements that will determine law firms’ success or failure in the next decade: culture, character, practices, systems and leaders.
This comprehensive guide is filled with extensive research and multiple conversations with industry leaders and is a must-have resource for attorneys, law students and law firm leaders that offers helpful advice on how to survive and thrive in the years to come.
Kiser is an international authority on attorney and law firm performance. He is a principal analyst at DecisionSet® in Palo Alto, Calif., and a scholar-in-residence at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law. His research has been featured in popular and scholarly publications ranging from The New York Times to the Harvard Negotiation Law Review. Kiser received his law degree in 1978 from the University of California at Berkeley.
