Succession Planning Challenges? Don’t Let Them Hold You Back.
October 8th, 2020
With Baby Boomers retiring left and right, law firm leaders everywhere are talking about succession planning. Yet, much like the weather, no one seems to be doing much about it. Legal consultants Altman Weil report that only 31% of its surveyed law firms had formal policies in place. ALM Legal Intelligence puts the number at 33%. ... Read More
Categories: Retirement/Succession
Reassessing When to Retire During a Pandemic
September 8th, 2020
Deciding when to retire, now more than ever, has become a moving target. In the best of times, it’s never a simple decision. Lots of variables to consider and assumptions to make. But with Covid-19, past careful thinking for many has been thrown to the wayside. Pundits galore have been making predictions about Covid-19’s impact on retirement. Here’s one more. ... Read More
Categories: Retirement/Succession
Practice Makes Perfect, Even When Planning for Retirement
June 8th, 2020
You should “practice retirement.” According to the 2018 Global Retirement Reality Report, only about half of Americans are happy in retirement even with financial security. If more retirees would have practiced retirement before retiring, the number of happy retirees would increase substantially. ... Read More
Categories: Retirement/Succession
Hypocrisy and Selfishness Abound When Failing to Plan for Succession
April 15th, 2020
If there was ever a wake-up call for solo and small law firm owners to create their succession plans, it is now. COVID-19 is a serious health risk that, as I write, is showing no signs of when it will go away. ... Read More
Categories: Retirement/Succession
If There’s a Will, There’s a Way: Comparing Succession Planning to Estate Planning
January 7th, 2020
I was recently reading the business section of my local newspaper and came across an article on the importance of having a will. The focus of the article was on how to prevent people from delaying getting the task accomplished. The writer asked several financial planners for the best strategies they use to help their clients complete this task. ... Read More
Categories: Retirement/Succession
Preparing for the Unexpected & the Inevitable: Law Firm Succession Planning for Disability & Death
October 1st, 2019
Lawyers are notorious for thinking of ways things can go wrong for their clients and then determining the best ways to protect their clients from them. One calamity few lawyers ever consider, however, is their own unexpected disability that puts their career on hold—or worse, their death. ... Read More
Categories: Retirement/Succession
Valuing & Distinguishing Goodwill When Planning Your Firm’s Succession
May 6th, 2019
When it comes to planning your law firm’s succession, a primary area of concern for your successor is whether your clients will choose to work with that successor after you leave. One way to assess that is to evaluate the type of goodwill that exists with your clients and whether that goodwill carries any transferrable value. ... Read More
Categories: Retirement/Succession
Failing Health Causes Failed Succession
August 8th, 2018
More lawyers are working well into their 70s. Indeed, I am no longer surprised when I meet lawyers still practicing in their 80s. What’s behind this growing trend of aging attorneys? ... Read More
Categories: Retirement/Succession
Should My Associate Be My Successor?
July 16th, 2018
As a small law firm owner thinking about retirement, you are likely looking to your own associate to be your successor. This decision is not one to enter lightly, however. Before you make anything official, you need to consider whether your associate has the talent and the skills to pull it off. Just because the associate handles files well has no bearing on whether they can successfully operate a law firm. ... Read More
Categories: Retirement/Succession
Compensating Retiring Lawyers for Client Transition Efforts
May 10th, 2018
A key aspect of any law firm succession plan is keeping the firm’s best clients when the rainmakers are gone. As more Boomers retire or start their winding down efforts, concerns about client retention and proper compensation are at the forefront of succession plan conversations. ... Read More