Valorem Law Group LLC

Like many, I've been following the Obama administration's response to the IRS scandal. The response has seemed to be a mix of defense and pushing an Obi-Wan Kenobi message of, "These are not the droids you're looking for ..."…more

Nicole Auerbach, partner at Valorem Law Group, discusses the pay disparity between women and men equity partners in law firms. Although women make up more than half of law school graduates (since the early 1990's) the billable…more

Seemingly unrelated, the WSJ’s discussion of antitrust claims challenging below-cost pricing (Antitrust Busters with Gavels, 4/26/2013) and the Internet tabloid Above the Law’s discussion of increased use of “suicide pricing” by…more

The Wall Street Journal recently reported on the increasing number of BigLaw partners charging more than $1000 per hour. My thoughts on hourly billing are well know, but the criticism of these rates as excessive misses the point…more

Just ran across an article in Today’s General Counsel on choosing between litigation and arbitration. There are many factors that go into a decision to pursue one or the other, but this paragraph caught my eye..…more

I am frequently asked how I go about pricing the handling of a lawsuit. I am always tempted to answer with the old line, “I could tell you but then I’d have to kill you.” My real answer goes something like this: “Before talking…more

Everyone claims to offer fee structures that are alternatives to the billable hour. Frequently, these “alternatives” are nothing more than estimated hours x hourly rates, plus “a little cushion.” So clients should ask: 1…more

This week we learned that a client of DLA Piper had counter-sued the firm because it [allegedly] overbilled him. Much has been written about the emails from one DLA lawyer to another with the salacious quotes: “churn that bill,…more

I have often observed that when presented with an idea from outside the law, lawyers are almost reflexively dismissive. After immediate dismissal of such ideas, lawyers then tend to exercise their legal skills to develop their…more

The prior post contains a link to a story discussing one of Disney’s key philosophies–”It’s not my fault, but it is my problem.” When a park patron shares a problem with a Disney employee, it doesn’t matter that the employee had…more

I ran across a terrific post by Sampriti Ganguli of Corporate Executive Board, 9 Efficiency Trends to Watch for in Legal. The author identified the source of the conclusions drawn "As we reflect back on this past year, it’s…more

Sadly, most of my worst customer experiences come from my preferred airline. It’s sad because I fly. A lot. You might think that being an elite flyer for the past 15 years might count for something, but then again airlines are…more

Scott Curran, the Deputy General Counsel of The Clinton Foundation (yes, that Clinton Foundation), was this year’s first guest speaker at Valorem’s “Lunch With a Cool Person.” The mug presented to Scott confirms he is, in fact,…more

Originally published on the ABAJournal.com on September 4, 2012. Rarely a week goes by that some lawyer doesn't ask me what mindset it takes to leave the comfort of a successful firm and start a new firm. Invariably, I…more

Originally published on ABAJournal.com The recent reports from Citi and Wells Fargo indicating that law firms are fighting a losing battle in the expense-versus-revenue war can hardly be surprising. The economy continues to…more