[Petra Pasternak]
With the recovery creeping along at a snail’s pace, many law firms are grappling with uneven peformance across practice areas. In general conversations, partners are reporting that much of real estate remains down, while litigation has been flat and M&A activity is modestly reviving. I checked in with Kristin Stark, a San Francisco-based consultant with Hildebrandt Baker Robbins, about what that means in her day-today dealings with Am Law 100 and 200 clients. It’s not surprising that Stark says partner pay has been a hot topic of discussion – and a source of tension – in some firms. Here’s a summary of our talk on the topic and what firms should be doing to keep rainmakers from walking out the door.
Q: Are partners throwing staplers at each other over this?
A: [Laughs] Maybe in some firms. In all seriousness, firms are recognizing that if they don’t address the disparities in practice performance and the flat levels of demand in the market, the tensions are only going to increase and may create instability in some firms.
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