Of Firms and Families



What are the main ingredients that contribute to a South Florida law firm’s success through the years? Making a firm-wide commitment to business development and marketing strategies is certainly high on the list, along with the ability to recruit, retain and develop legal talent at all levels.

But perhaps the most important element is the law firm’s culture. Is there a spirit of collegiality where attorneys work together on behalf of their clients? Is there a program of mentoring and coaching younger associates to build their skills and experience? Or does the firm have a high level of internal quarrels, disagreements over compensation or arguments about which client “belongs” to which attorney?

After interviewing numerous attorneys through the decades, I believe there are many similarities between successful law firms and healthy families.  In both cases, an environment of trust and support will lead to better outcomes than a hostile, backbiting or otherwise negative climate.

Our Top Lawyers in Marital and Family Law who are profiled in this issue all emphasize the importance of communication in personal relationships. That includes speaking up for yourself, listening to others and being willing to make compromises. Just as parents need to put their children’s interests ahead of their own emotions — at least most of the time —  leaders in a law firm should recognize the importance of subordinating their personal desires and goals to the interests of the entire firm.  Otherwise, the result may be a dissolution of the partnership — whether marital or professional.

The feature articles in South Florida Legal Guide’s 2014 Midyear Edition explore these key topics for law firms, including developing effective strategies for marketing and business development as well as recruiting and developing a skilled legal workforce.  Another feature covers recent trends in litigation support services with a focus on “hot topics” in today’s market.

Our Midyear Edition also features our “Class of 2014” of Top Up and Comers who move into our Top Lawyers category. We hope you also enjoy reading the articles written by leading professionals on various aspects of law, finance and business in our Professional Forum, as well as in-depth Profiles of a select group of our top professionals.

As South Florida Legal Guide moves into our 15th anniversary year, we would like to express our gratitude to our readers, contributors and advertisers of our professional publications. Thank you for your support!

Richard Westlund
Editor

Back to Midyear 2014 Edition