This is the second annual survey of trends in business development practices and resources in law firms conducted by ALM Research and The Brand Research Company. The report focuses on what law firms are doing to get new clients and new business, what is working and what is not. The key audiences for these results are CMOs, business development professionals, and other law firm managers who participate in planning strategies and budgets related to sales and business development. The respondents include an almost-even distribution of Tier 1 firms (Am Law 200, Global 50, NLJ 250) and Tier 2 Firms (average size, 122 lawyers; average revenue, $50 - $99 million).

Some of the key findings include:
• More than a third of all firms had budgets of more than $1 million devoted to business development, exclusive of marketing.
• Half of the responding firms increased business development budgets by an average of 6.6% in the last year.
• More than half of business development budgets are devoted to existing clients, rather than new clients.
• Two-thirds of respondents added business development staff in the last year.

The Full Report includes:
• A subject-by-subject analysis with supporting graphs and tables
• A comparison of trends from last year’s survey;
• A comparison of differences between Tier 1 and 2 firms;
• An Executive Report summarizing the most important points;
• The Questionnaire, with a complete Answer Set for each question;
• A prepared PowerPoint presentation of the results.

Ordering Options:
• Hard copy in 3-ring binder and PDF: $1100
• Non-printable PDF version only: $800
• 20% discount for LMA members and ALM Research Online subscribers

Fill out an order form here. For more information, email Chuck Lowry or call him at 212-592-4932.

2006 Law Firm Outsourcing Survey

The Outsourcing Survey is the first of its kind conducted by ALM Research, and was done with the assistance of J. Mark Santiago, president of the International CoSourcing Group. The survey examines the outsourcing of operational and administrative functions of law firms in the areas of human resources, document production and management, IT support, and finances. The key audiences for this report are law firm HR managers, business and office managers, and those who plan and manage budgets within the firm. Respondents include 59 of the 365 largest U.S. firms; half had 325 or more lawyers and half had 25 to 324 lawyers.

Note that results of the Outsourcing Survey will be presented at the ALM Managing Partners Forum October 26th and 27th in New York. In addition, results are discussed in the (July/August issue) of Law Firm Inc. (“Take My Copy Room, Please” by Marcy Burstiner. Print edition only).

Some of the key findings include:
• Almost two-thirds of respondents said their firms had outsourced some functions within the past year; more than half reported that their firms had been outsourcing some functions for five or more years.
• The most frequently outsourced functions were related to documents (mailroom, messenger, and reprographics).
• The second-most frequently outsourced functions were administrative (travel and food services).
• Fewer than 20% of firms surveyed outsource IT functions, but many were open to doing so in the future.
• Very few firms outsource accounting functions or plan to do so in the future.
• More than 90 per cent of respondents reported that the companies they employed for outsourcing are located in the continental U.S.
• More than 60% of those who outsource office functions said they did so primarily because outsourcing allowed them to focus on core competencies. More than one-third also cited cost savings.

The Full Report includes:
• A subject-by-subject analysis with supporting graphs and tables;
• A comparison of differences between small and large firms;
• An Executive Report summarizing the most important points;
• The Questionnaire, with a complete Answer Set for each question;

Ordering Options:
• Hard copy, bound and PDF copy: $250
• Non-printable PDF Version Only: $175

Fill out an order form here. For more information, email Chuck Lowry or call him at 212-592-4932.

2006 Global Law Firm Knowledge Management Survey

In December 2005, ALM Research and Curve Consulting invited leading law firms from around the world to participate in a comprehensive survey of law firm knowledge management. Seventy-one responded from seven countries; their average revenue was US$200 to $299.9 million. Topics covered included:
• Scope of knowledge and KM initiatives
• KM strategy and budget
• Relationship between KM and client service delivery
• Relationship between KM and lawyer retention
• Cultural issues relating to KM
• The KM system and its technology components
• Measuring success of KM initiatives

Some of the key findings include:
• Law firms have broadened the scope of knowledge they manage, though the emphasis is still on knowledge relating to the practice of law, rather than the business of law.
• There is insufficient alignment of KM with the firm’s objective.
• Staff numbers devoted to KM have grown, though they may not be positioned to work effectively across the firm.
• Firms have the technology to implement state of the art KM systems, but the challenge lies in how best to leverage those tools.
• The top objective of KM is client service delivery, both as an outcome of better KM, and through giving clients access to the firm’s KM “know how.”

The Full Report includes:
• A subject-by-subject analysis with supporting graphs and tables;
• An analysis of regional and firm size differences where statistically significant;
• An Executive Report summarizing the most important points;
• The Questionnaire, with a complete Answer Set for each question;

Ordering Options:
• Hard copy in 3-ring binder and PDF: $1500
• Non-printable PDF version only: $1,100

Fill out an order form here. For more information, email Chuck Lowry or call him at 212-592-4932.