Law schools have struggled with their role in the university and tried to legitimate law as an academic discipline rather than a trade; Bill Henderson argues that legal practice mastery is a mixture of science and art.
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Relying on historical and contemporaneous evidence, this essay argues that traditional credentials-based human capital strategies have been masked by a steady multi-decade surge in demand for corporate legal services.
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Bill Henderson explains that in today's market traditional hiring methods do a poor job in selecting candidates, clients are not willing to pay for hiring mistakes, and critical skills and behaviors are not taught in class
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This article summarizes the structural transformation occurring in US legal education and encourages law school faculty members to consider several questions to determine if and how curriculums should respond.
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Bill Henderson examines how law students, law firms, and law schools use elite legal brands as a substitute for rational thought, when they should be thinking about developing a broader range of skills and knowledge.
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Although experiential education in law schools should be applauded, Bill Henderson argues that these efforts are not enough to keep pace with the productivity imperative spurring innovation in other sectors of the economy.
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Bill Henderson explains how Milbank Tweed's initiative at Harvard University, focused on training and developing its associates, would allow the firm to grapple with market trends that any leading firm must conquer.
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Bill Henderson highlights data to support the conclusion that 2008 marked the beginning of a sea change for traditional law firms and then argues that existing hierarchies of legal employers and educators are vulnerable.
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In a critique on how the US News & World Report influenced legal education, Bill Henderson argues that a dynamic has emerged in which bad behavior among school administrators is rewarded and students are misled.
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For decades, law firms grew and prospered because clients needed help adapting to an array of litigation, regulation, and business combinations, but Bill Henderson asserts that period of remarkable stability is over.
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Research shows that the single best predictor of success and satisfaction as a lawyer is to become truly client focused. In this article, Bill Henderson suggests resources for lawyers to become more client focused.
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Drawing on employment data for law school graduates, Bill Henderson claims that while we experienced a major recession, low employment numbers are more the result of a fundamental reordering of the legal services industry.
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Despite a lack of evidence, large firms presume that candidates who go to an elite school make a better lawyer; Bill Henderson explains how elite credentials were repriced when firms experienced a downward pressure on fees.
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Drawing upon a dataset of Am Law 200 firms, this study documents that average profits per equity partner are higher in single-tier partnerships, even after controlling for geographic market segment and firm leverage.
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Drawing upon the findings of a study designed to identify the traits of star performers, Bill Henderson explores an alternative to the law firm model and explains why firms will resist despite a potential for higher profits.
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Beginning with the framework established in a 1991 book that documented the relentless growth of large US firms and drawing on empirical evidence, Bill Henderson updates the account of the modern large law firm.
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Drawing upon a dataset of Am Law 200 firms, this study documents that average profits per equity partner are higher in single-tier partnerships, even after controlling for geographic market segment and firm leverage.
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